Have you ever dreamed of your favorite acts getting together and teaming up? Well, if you’re a fan of Guns N’ Roses and Pearl Jam, we’re delighted to tell you that with Stone Gossard’s respect for Duff McKagan and GN’R, a collaboration might be possible. Recently, Gossard discussed McKagan’s musical genius with 101 WRIF and noted how much he admired him.
Axl Rose and Duff McKagan’s admiration for Pearl Jam has been apparent through different statements over the years. Duff even performed with Eddie Vedder in February in the Pretenders Classic show. So, when Gossard was asked what he thought of GN’R’s wish to take the stage with Pearl Jam, the guitarist had much respect to pay.
“I don’t think I’ve heard that,” told Gossard as he answered if he knew about GN’R members’ wish to collaborate with Pearl Jam. “But Duff is, you know, really ground zero. I mean, as much as anyone could be ground zero for Seattle sound, I think Duff is really that guy because he was playing in all the bands that I was seeing, and then he left, you know, Seattle and started Guns N’ Roses.”
The rocker continued appreciating McKagan, “So, not only did he sort of influence this scene, and then he busted down to LA and started Guns N’ Roses, and made that so fresh. I mean, talk about what might have been just kind of a hair metal band in a way, you know, in terms of their influences.”
Stone further emphasized how much Duff brought in to establish the unique sound of GN’R. The guitarist said, “And then Duff brings this dark, groovy, harmonically challenging, little parts to it that make it all of a sudden sound tough and sound like, ‘Oh, yeah, it’s not the same chord progression.’ It’s different; something about it is different. He really, you know, he is amazing.”
Gossard admired Duff’s earlier musical career before the bassist left for LA and formed GN’R. He noted, “And that record that came on Loosegroove, which is the Living, which is a record Duff made, you know, in 1981 or 1982, which never came out before, and it would have been the biggest record in Seattle at the time had it come out.”
The Pearl Jam icon disclosed that everyone, back in the day, tried to imitate Duff’s riffs. He continued, “But it’s an amazing record; you hear the nucleus of 10 Minute Warning, which is Duff’s band right after the Living, and you hear the nucleus of Guns N’ Roses in that, and everyone was just kind of ripping off those kinds of riffs he was playing with. So, he is really special.”
The guitarist’s fascination with Duff’s music was apparent as he appreciated the bassist’s earlier projects and discussed his influence on GN’R’s cult sound. So, even if there are no current plans for future collaborations, with Gossard’s respect for Duff and GN’R’s wish to collaborate, we can say that it is not a remote possibility.
