Although he’s grateful for his fans, young and old, Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan can’t help but wonder what the future holds for the rock music genre. 

During a recent interview with Classic Rock, McKagan shared his thoughts about the younger generation continuing to give Guns N’ Roses and other classic rock bands attention. “I see young people coming out to Guns shows, and I’m, like, ‘Man, it’s cool you’re coming to see us, but there should be a band that’s 21 or 22 that you’re f—ing losing your s— about,’” he said. 

When he was asked by the media outlet if younger rock bands can have the same impact as Guns N’ Roses, Duff McKagan said he’s hopeful that “guitar music” still has life in it. The bassist is currently promoting the release of his third solo album, Lighthouse. 

Duff McKagan Reflects on His Musical Relationship With Iggy Pop 

Along with discussing the future of rock music, Duff McKagan reflected on his long-running musical relationship with fellow rocker, Iggy Pop. The duo first started working together on Iggy Pop’s 1990 album Brick By Brick. Most recently, they worked together on Iggy Pop’s Ever Loser. 

“To me, there’s Prince and there’s Lemmy and there’s Iggy,” McKagan explained. He also said that Iggy Pop is a “deity” to him. “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 musician further recalled first meeting Iggy Pop when he was drinking and partying. “I was a little bit more, ‘Yeah, man, f— yeah!’” McKagan stated. “But doing that last record with him now, and playing those shows with him [In April 2023], he’s such a hard worker. He’s kind of like James Brown in how he runs a band.” 

Iggy Pop had also formed a group featuring Duff McKagan as well as Red Hot Chill Peppers’ drummer Chad Smith, Jamie Hince from The Kill, and guitarist/producer Andrew Watt. “We’re professionals, y’know,” McKagan noted. “But he’ll call Chad ‘Drummer.’ He has notes on every song and he’ll go, ‘OK guys, gather round. Drummer! Can you hit that on the upbeat?’”

Duff McKagan went on to add that Iggy Pop is very good at running a band. “He’s very appreciative of musicians. And my two daughters both f—ing love him. They came to one of the shows, and I saw him over in the corner enraptured in a conversation with them, just going for it. He’s an all-around nice guy.”