Duff McKagan details how Iggy Pop saved him during “bad” drug experience
Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan has recalled how Iggy Pop came to his aid as a teenager during a negative experience on psychedelic drugs.
At the time, McKagan was an ordinary 14-year-old, and Iggy could never have predicted how his show would inadvertently play its part in rock history. Nevertheless, it proved to be a poignant moment for McKagan. He was in a world of struggle after taking a dangerous substance before the brilliance on show by the former frontman of The Stooges brought him back to life.
McKagan made the revelation during a new episode of the Rockonteurs podcast, hosted by Spandau Ballet’s Gary Kemp and esteemed session musician Guy Pratt, who also performs with Kemp in Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets.
The bassist told the two musical hosts: “Iggy Pop got me through a bad mushroom trip. I went to an Iggy show way too high on mushrooms, thinking I was going to have to go to the hospital, freaking out.”
Before Iggy took to the stage, McKagan was in another universe, but when Pop started playing, his external fears immediately dissipated. The bassist left the building in utter awe of the iconic rock ‘n’ roll singer.
McKagan continued: “I just watched Iggy the whole, just tripping way too much on psychedelics. But he brought me down. And I was already a big Iggy fan, but then I was like, he means more to me. He’s a waypoint for me in my life.”
The Guns N’ Roses member, who has been sober for 30 years after being hospitalised with acute alcohol-induced pancreatitis in 1994, is incredibly open about his past issues with substances. In a past interview reflecting on his addiction problems, McKagan claimed, “I didn’t drink any water. I just drank alcohol. I literally didn’t have a glass of water for 12 years.”
Furthermore, while speaking with People in 2023, McKagan explained how his health problems forced him to confront his issues, which initially started as a crutch for panic attacks.
He told the publication: “I figured out that half a bottle of vodka would kill a panic attack. The problem is when you start drinking and then doing drugs, there’s so much sugar and alcohol and no sleeping, so you’re going to have more panic attacks. So guess what? I self-medicated more and more.”
As he’s now sober, McKagan now uses music as a tool to navigate his panic attacks. Last year, he released ‘This Is The Song’, written amid an anxiety-induced episode.
The American musician explained of the track: “‘This is the Song’ was written in the middle of a panic attack. I couldn’t breathe and couldn’t see straight, and lately, I have thankfully found my acoustic guitar as a refuge. If I just hold on to that guitar, play chords, and hum melodies, I can start to climb my way out of that hole.”
Listen to McKagan’s appearance on Rockonteurs below.
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