BraveWords.com's Mitch Lafon caught up with bassist Duff McKagan (VELVET REVOLVER, ex-GUNS N' ROSES) recently about the upcoming DUFF MCKAGAN'S LOADED album The Taking, due out next month via Eagle Rock Entertainment. The thorough feature (found here) covered numerous aspects of McKagan's illustrious career including, of course, the hazy GN'R days when the band was the most popular - and dangerous - band on the planet.

Former GN'R manager Alan Niven has contacted BraveWords.com about the McKagan article and his letter to Duff reads as follows:

"Dear Duff,

First and foremost I would like to say that Meridian Rock sounds like a brilliant idea ... every artist who comes to prosperity needs good advice and guidance to maintain it ... as one who did not have that advice myself, from those I trusted to do their job, I think your idea is long over due being manifest. We could analyse the perception that there is an attitude in Hollywood entertainment circles that the financial well being of those who do not 'go along to get along' is never encouraged, but thats another issue.

What I would strongly recommend is that you are very careful of who you trust ... my trust was pretty well abused everywhere.

We haven't spoken since you and Slash were so kind as to suggest I should help you with what became Velvet Revolver ... its been at least eight years ... I did come and see you play one night on an early tour but you didn't come say hello .... perhaps you were concerned I would not mince my words - and as far as that goes I recall I was a little harsh to Slash about Weiland and the material he was contributing ... I still think he's somewhat empty and bereft of profound purpose ... and you and Slash deserve to be driven and inspired by the best content ...

I would, however, appreciate that as regards 'professionalism' and 'right and wrong' you make some things clear ...

That the wanton tour spending was done after I left ... and for that matter you had good foundational contracts in place ... including a renegotiated Geffen contract ... something that the management of both WHITESNAKE and AEROSMITH were not 'professional' enough to achieve for their artists ... the only one missing was a solid partnership agreement - it had been prepared by Peter Paterno but, as you might recall, Axl refused to deal with it ... and as time proved he had his agenda for that ... that I was professional enough to find a way to make the video for 'Jungle' despite Geffen not coming up with the budget required ... and to avoid waste in video production in general (over a mill for 'November Rain' - c'mon - what was that about - and which vids still get shown? The cost of 'Sweet Child' was $35,000 and I got two different edits from the shoot) ....

... that I was 'professional' enough to get you out of the liasons with Pasha and CAA that Geffen had got you into were not in the best interest of the band ... that my decision process was always driven by the band's interest and not out of regard for my own relationships ... that the result of going from club to a sold out Wembley (the tix were sold before I was fired) under my watch does, in some way, prove that the right decisions were made, especially when one recalls that the band had been passed on by every 'professional' management in the US and Rosenblatt (President of Geffen) was about to drop the band when I was enlisted ... it transpires that I had but three months to turn the situation around ...

... and for that matter I was 'professional' enough to persuade Rosenblatt to continue working the record when, in December '87 he told me it was time to bring the band into the studio to record the second album (sales on Appetite at that point a little less than 250,000) ...

I was also 'professional' enough to deal with dead bodies and addictions and still somehow keep things moving and everyone in the band alive - the latter is what I am most proud of ...

As for screwing people over - you might recall that I never ever billed the bands back for expenses, (that's somewhat 'unprofessional', I know) ... that I paid for your tour manager (Goldstein - over $1,000,000 in less than 36 months) and I had the overhead of the office support system ... you all were way better off than myself, and then factor in GREAT WHITE owed me $1,250,000 when we parted ways ... remember that I never saw a single dime of commission from HAVANA BLACK or THE ANGELS ... and that I had put over a year of work into GN'R before I saw my first cheque from GN'R - December '87 - and, according to Boulevard, requested by Izzy - and it was certainly not by myself - I was still concerned the band could afford it ...

I have a profound love of music and a belief in the better aspects of the spirit of rock n roll ... the ultimate purpose of music is to suspend alienation and to bring people together by their own consent ....and it was, in all retrospect, a pleasure and a privilege to share some exceptional moments with you ... we have both been given a tremendous position from which to form our principles and understandings ... we have both been to the top of the mountain, where you may discover it to be an illusion.

Love always and always.

Imagine

Alan"