DUFF MCKAGAN Introduces The Road Crew
June 18, 2009, 15 years ago
DUFF MCKAGAN of VELVET REVOLVER and LOADED has issued the latest installment of his Seatlle Weekly blog. An excerpt reads as follows:
"Out on the road and touring as a rock band, artists wholeheartedly rely on their crews. The term 'roadie' is thought of as an archaic and demeaning term, replaced now with guitar tech, drum tech, sound engineer, production manager, and wardrobe person.As an artist, you make the record, book the tours, get the T-shirts made (merch), tour for an average of 14 months, then go home to rest and make another record. If you are a professional crew person, however, the road NEVER ends.
Since we have been out on this MÖTLEY tour, I have been reunited with a few people who I have worked with over the last 22 years of touring:
Beth has done wardrobe for probably 25 years. She worked for us in GN'R when we could finally afford that luxury. Years later, she worked for Velvet Revolver, THE ROLLING STONES and AC/DC have been her main gigs for most of these 25 years, and right now she is doing this Mötley Crüe gig. Beth has known me through all my personal ups and downs, and, for the most part, has witnessed me morphing from a hopeless alcoholic to a hapless parent. Beth has been privy, too, to my daughters' growing up; now my 11-year-old Grace stands a few inches taller than little Beth."
To read Duff's blog in its entirety, click here.
