In March 1985, McKagan replaced bassist Ole Beich in Guns N' Roses, which was newly founded by singer Axl Rose, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin of Hollywood Rose, lead guitarist Tracii Guns and drummer Rob Gardner of L.A. 1985–1997: Guns N' Roses, Believe in Me and Neurotic Outsiders Slash eventually disbanded the group due to them not being able to find a singer, as well as Adler's lack of work ethic compared to himself and McKagan. They auditioned a number of singers, including one-time Black Flag vocalist Ron Reyes, and worked on material that included the main riff of what would become the Guns N' Roses song "Rocket Queen". Answering an ad for a bass guitarist in a local newspaper, he met guitarist Slash and drummer Steven Adler, with whom he formed the short-lived band Road Crew. In 1983, McKagan moved to Los Angeles, California, with one of his brothers where he found work as an appetizer server at a Black Angus restaurant in Northridge. After several line-up changes, The Fartz evolved into the post-punk band 10 Minute Warning, for which McKagan played guitar. In 1982, McKagan became the drummer for the hardcore punk band The Fartz, with whom he recorded several demos, five of which were included on their 1990 album You, We See You Crawling. In 1982 they recorded an EP, which remained unreleased until April 2021, under the title 1982. His last performance was in July 1981.Īround this time he also played guitar in the punk band The Living, which opened shows for Hüsker Dü and D.O.A., which developed a devoted following. He was later on the song "Someone Else's Room", which was included on the Seattle Syndrome: Volume One compilation album, also released in 1981. He first performed with the band in December 1980, and appeared on their 1981 debut single "It's Your Birthday", which was issued on guitarist Kurt Bloch's label No Threes Records. In 1980, McKagan joined the pop-punk band The Fastbacks as their drummer. The band released released one single, "School Jerks", in 1980. During this time he performed under the stage name Nico Teen. In 1979, at the age of 15, McKagan formed the punk band The Vains, in which he played bass. He was later awarded an honorary diploma after speaking at the class of 2012's graduation ceremony. He then worked as a pastry chef for the Great American Food and Beverage Company while earning his GED. Īlthough an honors student, McKagan dropped out of Roosevelt High School in the tenth grade. In his autobiography, It's So Easy (And Other Lies), McKagan said that he fashioned himself after punk bassists such as Barry Adamson and Paul Simonon.
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He was taught how to play bass by his brother Bruce, further developing his skills by playing along with the albums 1999 by Prince and Damaged by Black Flag. Following his parents' divorce, his mother supported the family by taking a job as a medical stenographer. He has been called "Duff" since toddlerhood, to which he once referred as "an Irish thing". Michael Andrew McKagan grew up in Seattle's largely working-class University District, the youngest of eight children born to Marie and Elmer "Mac" McKagan. Previously a high school drop-out, he attended Seattle University's Albers School of Business and Economics in the early 2000s, and subsequently founded the wealth management firm Meridian Rock. He has written weekly columns on a wide variety of topics for, , and. In addition to his musical career, McKagan has established himself as a writer. He has also collaborated in several short-lived projects with fellow Seattle-native musicians Mike McCready (primarily of Pearl Jam) and Barrett Martin (formerly of Screaming Trees) including Walking Papers and Levee Walkers. He briefly performed with Alice in Chains in 2006, with Jane's Addiction in 2010 and joined the supergroup Hollywood Vampires in 2016. Between 20, he played bass in the supergroup Velvet Revolver with his former Guns N' Roses bandmates Slash and Matt Sorum. Following his departure from Guns N' Roses in 1997, McKagan briefly reunited with his pre-success Seattle punk band 10 Minute Warning, before forming the still-active hard rock band Loaded, in which he performs lead vocals and rhythm guitar. Toward the end of his first tenure with Guns N' Roses, McKagan released a solo album, Believe in Me (1993), and formed the short-lived supergroup Neurotic Outsiders.