Duff McKagan is many things: Guns N’ Roses bassist, solo artist, martial artist, cultural anthropologist (at least in his mind), and now, philosopher of the “don’t be a dick” school of thought. His latest solo album, Lighthouse, is soaked in optimism and forgiveness—a far cry from the chaos of his early GN’R days. “I started to become an observationalist in the early ’90s,” McKagan says, fresh off a small-town detour to Owensboro, Kentucky, where he rode the free trolley and learned that Johnny Depp is from there. “I read a lot of history about places I go. Maybe one day I’ll write a cultural anthropology book.”
For now, he’s sticking to songs. Lighthouse finds McKagan reflecting on America, hope, and the human condition, minus the cable news toxicity. “I haven’t watched cable news in five or six years. It’s just the selling of a divide,” he says. Touring small-town America reminds him that people aren’t as polarized as the headlines suggest. “We have much more in common with each other by droves than what separates us.” His solution? “Don’t be a dick.”
That simple mantra spills into Lighthouse, with songs like “Forgiveness” pleading for unity and others like “I Saw God on 10th Street” injecting humor into existential musings. “I pictured this gnarled-up guy with a long white beard, sandals, pissed off, spitting on the sidewalk, eyeballing people like, ‘You guys fucked it all up.’” It’s that balance of sincerity and snark that keeps McKagan’s songwriting engaging—and apparently, even Bob Dylan noticed. Yes, that Bob Dylan. “I started getting texts from people like you, Kyle. Like, ‘Did you see the article in The Wall Street Journal?’” Dylan had name-dropped McKagan as a songwriter he admired, leaving Duff simultaneously floored and, well, sharpening his pencil. “It makes me maybe sharpen my pencil a little more. Since Tenderness, I’ve been super careful with lyrics. Hey, that’s not good enough—get a better word.”
That attention to detail is evident on Lighthouse, with guest spots from his GN’R bandmate Slash and punk godfather Iggy Pop. McKagan still geeks out over playing with his heroes, even when they’re technically friends now. “Iggy’s still Iggy, though,” he says, recounting their sessions for Pop’s last record. “It’s like, no, it’s Iggy, dude.” That teenage awe is never far from the surface. Even with Guns N’ Roses, McKagan admits, “Every night it’s still like, ‘Whoa, look at us, man.’”
McKagan may be in extra innings, but he’s playing like every day’s the World Series. And maybe, just maybe, he’s got that cultural anthropology book in him yet—assuming he doesn’t get distracted by another small-town trolley ride first.
Watch the interview above and then check out the full interview below.
