Duff McKagan wanted to be a musician after having a dream he was Iggy Pop.
The Guns N’Roses bassist was already interested in the idea of making music but his desire intensified following a nocturnal experience that left him feeling “all-empowered”.
Asked if he’d ever wanted to be another musician, he told MOJO magazine: “Iggy Pop. I had a dream that I was Iggy when I was 12 or 13.
“I was on stage in the church basement rolling around and losing my s*** and felt all-empowered.
“The dream really flavoured my burgeoning intensity of making music – my ‘thing’ in life.”
Another musical experience around the same time also shaped Duff’s tastes.
Discussing the first record he ever bought, he said: “Kiss’ Alive!, from Peaches Records in Seattle.
“That cover blew my 12-year-old mind away.
“The three-chord songs would lead me to punk rock within the next 12 months.
“The groove of Strutter or Firehouse is just a short stone’s throw to Bodies by the Pistols.”
The Paradise City rocker finds it hard to choose his all-time favourite album.
He mused: “If I said Motorhead’s Ace of Spades… I guess I could sleep at night! So many good records… Led Zeppelin II or Sly and the Family Stone’s Greatest hits? Refused’s The Shape of Punk To Come? Exile On Main St.? 1999? And on and on!”
But there are some classic records Duff revisits on a regular basis.
He said: “The McKagan family party record is Sound Of Silver by LCD Soundsystem. We went as a family to see them at Coachella.
“[My Sunday morning record is] Mark Lanegan, Whiskey For The Holy Ghost.
“Everyone would do well to start their everyday with The River Rise.
“Mark’s voice envelopes the room when you listen to this record and all is right in the world.”
