Duff McKagan

“Never in my life have I thought, 'Man, I gotta get a Grammy.'”

“Going to talk to my little girl's teacher is a far cry from what people probably think I spend my time doing.”

“I'm a book nerd, and I've seen authors that I love, I've gone and seen them speak or read from a book.”

“Any musician in any band - for a really good band - you know your part in the band.”

“When I started going to business school, I started getting calls from my peers asking for my help. I thought, 'Well, there are a lot of people like me who make a bunch of money and just get so scared of it and don't know what to do with it.' I just didn't want to be 60 years old and broke.”

“Personally, I had made a good amount of dough for a 30-year-old guy, but I didn't know a thing about money. I'm not a dumb guy, but I couldn't figure them out.”

“I'm not Cormac McCarthy, but I can get my point across in a thousand words.”

“When I sing with Loaded, I can't move at all. I'm playing guitar, and I'm singing.”

“My grandfather John came from Cork. I have six degrees of separation in Ireland.”

“'Chip Away' is somewhat of a rail against cable news and divisive agendas... all for the almighty dollar.”

“When you're in a band, a marriage - whatever, it's kind of the same deal - there's a lot of things that you see, and people trust you with information about their lives. Call it a 'bro code' or whatever you wanna call it, but there are certain things you do not tell. At least, I don't.”

“I made money in my 20s, became sober in my 30s, looked around, and didn't know who I could trust for money advice.”

“One of the first 45s I ever bought was the Stooges' 'I Got a Right.' Probably one of my favorite singles, ever.”

“I didn't graduate high school.”

“People in Seattle - and I'm speaking from experience - are indoors more. It used to just rain a ton, and as a result, you'd be inside listening to music all the time and playing. You'd all rehearse at each other's houses and share ideas. There was no competition. When I got to L.A., I was really stunned by the competition.”

“Left to my own devices, I tend to go darker and weirder, and it's fun.”

“Axl did sometimes have volatile actions, but I knew that guy as a whole - all the good stuff, too.”

“When the record company pays you an advance, it is just that - an advance. And it's at worse rates than any bank would charge you to pay them back.”

“I went to Seattle U. Nice Jesuit school there.”

“I think you can tell stories and give perspectives and yet still keep stuff for yourself, too. I keep a lot of my life private, even in a public forum like writing.”