In a new conversation with American Songwriter, Duff McKagan disclosed what made Guns N’ Roses’ songwriting process great.
The bassist talked about how the band collaboratively created something:
“A great thing about being in a good band is where people are open to suggestion and also you don’t get butthurt when your suggestion gets, ‘Yeah, how about we go this way?’”
He continued, sharing how that worked in GNR:
“A good band is you can function like that and you all want just to serve the song and like, ‘Let’s all collectively get the best song out of this.’ That was so true with Guns. We just wanted to write the best songs we could. We all pushed each other and writing as a band you need that. You need to push each other. You got to be motivated and be really open.”
GNR Had Other Things That Made Them Successful
In an interview with Reverb last year, McKagan revealed another secret to Guns N’ Roses’ success. He said it wasn’t just about partying and rock ‘n’ roll, but also about their commitment to their music before they hit it big. The rocker explained:
“What’s maybe not known totally about early Guns N’ Roses, and still to this day, we rehearsed twice a day. That’s all we f*cking did. So, we worked on parts, where Slash’s guitar would go in that part, and where Izzy [Stradlin]’s guitar [would go]. Everybody would find their piece, and Steven [Adler, drums] wouldn’t fill through somebody else’s lick. Every little piece of ‘Appetite for Destruction’ was super thought out. And then, ‘Just play it and be a rock band.’”
He went on to say how those rehearsals prepared them for the shows:
“But we were prepared. And it sounds raggedy, ferocious, and loose, and because we rehearsed so much, we were able to get the first and second takes on ‘Appetite.’ Like, that’s it — why do three? We’re good!”
GNR has no scheduled shows right now but McKagan will tour the UK and Europe in the fall to support his 2023 album, ‘Lighthouse.’ His tour kicks off on September 30 in Dublin and ends on October 22 in Stockholm.
You can a short part from Duff’s recent interview below.