Bassist Duff McKagan (Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver) was a recent guest on the Nights With Alice Cooper radio show. In the video below, McKagan reads a passage from his second book, How To Be A Man (and other illusions), wherein he talks about reuniting with Axl Rose, creating a set list and the universal bond we all have: their love of knock-knock jokes.

To coincide with his new book, Duff recently released the How To Be A Man EP, a 3-track set featuring special guests Izzy Stradlin (ex-Guns N’ Roses), Alice In Chains‘ Jerry Cantrell, Stone Sour drummer Roy Mayorga and Burden Brothers drummer Taz Bentley.

The EP’s title track, “How To Be A Man”, featuring Stradlin, Cantrell and Mayorga, is streaming below, courtesy of RollingStone.com.

In How To Be A Man, McKagan shares the wisdom he gained on the path to superstardom - from his time with Guns N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver to getting sober after a life of hard living to achieving his personal American Dream of marrying a supermodel, raising a family and experiencing what it’s like to be winked at by Prince.

 

 

Among the book’s many highlights:

* McKagan discusses the need for communication in your relationships, especially when you want to see the Buzzcocks in Manchester and your lady has her sights set on Duran Duran in the tropics.

* Together with Death Cab For Cutie’s Ben Gibbard, he solves one of life’s most staggering math problems: if you’ve seen a million faces, is it truly possible to rock them ALL?

* He spills the beans on some of his fellow rock stars (“Gene Simmons is a kick-ass dancer,” “Perry Farrell is an NFL historian and aficionado”).

* Travelers will benefit from his plethora of globe-trotting tips, including what shots to get for malaria, how to pack lightly (“hair conditioner makes for good shaving cream, so no need  to bring both”) and of course, “don’t smoke crack on a leased private jet - the smell gets into everything.”

* McKagan, who still uses a Blackberry (“because loyalty is important”), stresses the importance of not being a d*ck (and don’t be a p*ssy, either). Oh, and get a dog.

* He recalls the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony and reuniting with GNR frontman Axl Rose for a handful of South American dates.

* He runs down the list of albums that every man should listen to (from Abba’s Gold to ZZ Top’s Tres Hombres), the books they should read (Stephen Ambrose’s Undaunted Courage and Dexter Filkins’ The Forever War are particular favorites) and what they should tell the first dude who shows up at the door to date daddy’s little girl (“you pull him aside and tell him, ‘everything that you do or try with my daughter tonight, I will do to you when you get back to my home’”).

* Of course, no advice book would be complete without tackling the age-old question: when given the choice of taking a private jet to a yacht to hang out with Steven Tyler for a trip to San Juan Islands or going home to stain your deck, what do you do? (Remember, “those boards in the backyard are not going to stain themselves”).

McKagan’s wisdom has been sought out on everything from financial planning and relationships to surviving the summer festival circuit and escaping a military coup. Expanding on his popular weekly columns inSeattle Weekly, Playboy.com and ESPN.com, McKagan equips readers with the knowledge they need to rock fatherhood, manage their money, and remain a good dude in spite of it all.