Duff McKagan considers Iggy Pop a ‘deity’
Although Duff McKagan has carved out his own brand of rock and roll with Guns N’ Roses, he considers punk rocker Iggy Pop to be one of the patron saints of music.
In the aftermath of his solo outing Lighthouse, McKagan talked about the roots that brought him to where he is today. While the bassist was reverent to various hard rock acts, he had a special place in his heart reserved for Pop’s brand of punk rock.
When talking about their working relationship, McKagan stated, “To me, there’s Prince, and there’s Lemmy and there’s Iggy. And Iggy is a deity to me – it’s hard for me to have a regular relationship with him, because he’s been a hero of mine since I was 12 or 13 years old and I discovered The Stooges”.
The friendship between McKagan and Pop had gone back to when the bassist appeared on the frontman’s 1990 album Brick by Brick. He also contributed to his last album earlier this year, Every Loser. McKagan was also complimentary towards Pop’s work ethic, saying, “But doing that last record with him now, and playing those shows with him, he’s such a hard worker. He’s kind of like James Brown in how he runs a band”.
Pop also appeared on McKagan’s latest solo outing to repay the favour. Towards the end of the album, Pop appears, narrating the reprise of the title track as the album fades away.
For the past few years, Pop has also been close with other former members of GNR. Outside of McKagan’s punk rock roots, Pop lent his voice to Slash’s first proper solo album, bringing an edge to the song ‘We’re All Gonna Die’.
McKagan has been known for laying down the low end for ‘The World’s Most Dangerous Band’ in their early years. After falling out with the group in the 1990s, he returned to the fold in the 2010s alongside founding guitarist Slash, both of whom had played in the supergroup Velvet Revolver.
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