A contributor to many big-name Rock bands across his career in addition to a number of solo projects, Duff McKagan will always stand out as bassist for Guns ’N Roses.
LISTEN NOW: Duff McKagan goes behind-the-scenes of making Guns N' Roses' 'Appetite For Destruction'
While he parted ways with the group after getting sober at age 30, McKagan has since found his way back following the group’s induction into the Rock ’N Roll Hall of Fame in 2016. As he’s continued to make new memories with fellow members including Slash and Axl Rose, he took time to reflect on past ones, including the making of Appetite for Destruction, during his time on Broken Record podcast.
The debut studio album changed the entire trajectory of the band’s career and McKagan says part of finding that magic was having the right producer which they found with Mike Clink. The guys found Clink after meeting with Paul Stanley of KISS and recognizing their visions were vastly different, which Duff says “was fine.”
“We met with Mike Clink after sitting down with Paul Stanley… he came to have a meeting with us about producing the record, but it wasn’t the right fit. We could tell… his idea of what the music should be and our idea were different, but that was fine.”
The pass lead the guys to Clink, who brought structure, leadership, and new ideas to the their recording sessions — something Duff says was key to capturing the sound they wanted to produce. “He didn’t really want to sit down and talk too much,” Duff recalled of their first recording session with Clink. “He said, ‘Why don’t I come in and record you guys, like 8-track reel to reel.’ We said, ‘OK.’ He came, set up some mics and recorded us and played it back for us… Sounds f***ing killer.”
Not only the sound improved, but their efficiency in studio as well as Clink was able to help focus the creative energy in an often lively group of musicians. “When we got to Rumbo Recorders, he was really good at kind of corralling us,” Duff shared. “All of that record is first, second or third takes of every song. We play all the time, we didn’t need to do 19 takes of anything.”
“He would come on the thing and talk to us like, ‘Alright, guys, it’s time to dig in…’ he had this kind of voice and a way about him, very gentle, he’s always just been this very gentle guy,.. if somebody was f***ing around too much he’d just say [calmly] 'alright guys, let’s dig in.’”
Hear more from Duff about the band’s time with Clink, plus his new, solo album, Lighthouse, and much more from his music career by checking out his full conversation on the Broken Record podcast above.