Duff McKagan recently talked about his time with Velvet Revolver, saying he prefers to remember the good times rather than focusing on the band’s internal issues in a conversation with Guitar.
With McKagan, Matt Sorum, and Slash bringing their Guns N’ Roses energy and combining it with Scott Weiland’s powerful voice and Dave Kushner’s driving rhythm, Velvet Revolver had the perfect mix for rock ‘n’ roll greatness. Fans quickly embraced the band’s energetic style, especially during a time when many claimed rock was dead.
McKagan recalls that Velvet Revolver emerged at a time when rock music was thought to be in decline. He describes how the band’s formation and subsequent success were a defiant statement against this notion, emphasizing their energy and determination to prove critics wrong.
“Velvet Revolver was the right band at the right time. Around 2003, people were saying rock ‘n’ roll was dead. We were like, ‘No way!’ We formed the band and once Scott joined, we became a fierce, ‘screw you’ kind of group. We released our first album and hit the road with a lot of attitude.”
Despite the band’s success, McKagan acknowledges that their time together was not without its difficulties. He notes logistical challenges, such as being away from family, and reflects on the mixed feelings about some of their performances.
“A bunch of years with Velvet Revolver were logistically challenging. I’d be somewhere like Des Moines, Iowa and it’d be like, ‘I miss my family and that gig we just did was… OK, but not worth me being gone.’ My kids are grown now, so being out with my wife, for the last eight or nine years and not worrying about the kids, we’ve really got into travelling. We see a lot of stuff – museums, attractions… you name it, we do it!”
“We actually did some of that with Velvet Revolver; Scott, Slash and I might have our kids with us at the same time, so we’d end up going to a swimming pool or whatever and really seeing stuff. That was such a change from Guns N’ Roses when I was drinking and might not even leave my hotel room.”
Scott Weiland also planned STP and Velvet Revolver reunions.
