Under The Influence: Duff McKagan (Guns N' Roses And Velvet Revolver)

I remember being captivated by Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The picture on the cover is what got my attention – the marching-band uniforms, all the faces. But then I started listening to the music. I listened to Lovely Rita over and over, fascinated with the way the words sounded, the exotic cadence. I was amazed how the lyrics managed to paint a picture in my mind. I listened to that song so many times that I even convinced myself that I had written it – for a girl I had a crush on in my kindergarten class. The music had the ability to conjure images in my head and help me drown out the tension and noise I was trying to avoid at my house.


The first song I learned how to play was the Beatles' Birthday. Your first song always remains a musical touchstone and this one not only taught me finger dexterity, but also included the rudiments of the whole blues major scale, a scale that I would use and use again in my later career in Guns N' Roses.

Duff McKagan: It's So Easy And Other Lies p.33-34

During his career Duff has covered Hey Bulldog, Across The Universe and of course Paul McCartney's Live And Let Die. Velvet Revolver was in part named after a Beatles album and Duff is currently working on a 'Hard Day's Night' -style film.