DUFF MCKAGAN - "You've Got To Put Up With Some Malarkey"
October 4, 2012, 11 years ago
Duff McKagan of LOADED and VELVET REVOLVER, formerly of GUNS N' ROSES, writes a blog for Seattle Weekly's Reverb. An excerpt from his most recent entry, The Rock-and-Roll Lifestyle: Single Moms, Students, and Upton Sinclair can be read below:
With a couple of tours coming up, and the inevitable round of interviews, I know I'll be asked a lot about what my "rock-and-roll lifestyle" is like.
I tend to take a breath at this line of questioning. I could just make some shit up (I HAVE done that), or get kind of pissed off about the laziness of the question (yes, I have unfortunately done THAT too). I like to talk about music to a knowledgeable questioner, but sometimes... you've got to put up with some malarkey (and there ARE plenty of good music journalists out there).
What does that term actually mean? What IS a rock-and-roll lifestyle? Is it simply listening to loud rock, getting tattoos and a leather jacket, drinking Jack, and spitting every so often? Riding a Harley? Limos and a pimp cup?
The use of well-placed terminology does help us all to identify certain things, of course.
I DO love the term "ROCKER." The word itself imbues a ton of imagery and romance. But I don't think a rocker needs to have AC/DC and METALLICA and THE BLACK KEYS rumbling through their car speakers speeding headlong into the night.
To read Duff's blog in its entirety, click here.
