Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan is feeling guilty for being famous with the band.
In a new interview with Stereogum, the bassist talked about fame and the success of Guns N’ Roses’ ‘Sweet Child o’ Mine.’ McKagan recalled odd feelings he felt and even though he wanted to be famous, he found himself in an unexpected situation:
“I had punk rock guilt, that’s an actual thing. But then I realized, nobody gave any of this shit to me. I worked my ass off for this thing. I don’t know how to deal with it. Yeah, and it took me many years to learn how to [McKagan using air quotes] ‘deal with it.’”
How Fame Affected McKagan’s Life
Earlier, McKagan looked back on a similar issue with his life. During another interview, he explained how his life shifted after Guns N’ Roses became huge, and admitted that he felt ‘lonely’ when he realized that many only saw him for his success.
Similar to ‘Sweet Child o’ Mine,’ the entire ‘Appetite for Destruction’ album became the most popular music piece of the band. Thinking about the fame of the album, the bassist said:
“When we started to break through was so crazy. You start to break through, and then really break through. It was so crazy. People ask, ‘How has this changed you?’ Around ’89, I remember getting asked questions I’d never been asked before. ‘How has this changed you?’; everybody asked me the same question. And I thought about it. I realized it didn’t change me; it changed how people responded to me.”
He explained in detail what changed in his life now that he was famous:
“I noticed I had a lot more friends suddenly, and my jokes were funnier. I was suddenly better looking because I was getting hit on [by people] out of my league. [I realized], ‘Oh, it’s because I’m this band, we’re on MTV and all that stuff.’ It’s kind of lonely. When you realize that, you’re like, ‘Oh sh*t.’”
You can listen to ‘Appetite for Destruction’ if you still haven’t down below.