Duff McKagan's column runs every Thursday on Reverb. His memoir, It's So Easy (Simon & Schuster) is out now.

​I used to be the guy who was constantly trying to find the best place in town to drink the cocktail. Yeah, I was the guy barkeeps loved at first, but always ended up trying to find a way to get me the hell out. An obnoxious drunk--but good tipper--like myself could only buy just so much good graces from others. It wasn't a "just have a couple of drinks and go home" type of situation. It got embarrassing and weird and smelly. Bartenders get a bit sick of people like the guy I used to be. I was like the Bukowski character in the movie Barfly. I loved me some liquor.

Bars were there just for the alcohol and sleazy camaraderie.

For people like me, getting sober and not drinking anymore is the only real choice (the other "choice" is not really an option at all--it's just sudden darkness). But what do you do when you can't do the cocktail anymore? Can a teetotaler even go into a bar?

Well, after I got sober, I still loved music, and most live music is played in some sort of drinking establishment. To my surprise and delight, there were a lot of people just like me out there.

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John Roderick is the singer and songwriter responsible for Seattle's the Long Winters. Send your questions to jroderick@seattleweekly.com.

​John: Do you really walk naked around your yard? If so, EXACTLY when?
-- Duff McKagan, co-founder of Guns N' Roses and a Reverb columnist.

Roderick: I consider my garden to be a sovereign nation, and it's written in our Constitution that the whole great state of Roderickania is clothing-optional. Also, my street is a migratory pathway for certain rare breeds of South-end gangbangers, so whenever I see a Caprice Classic on 22s roll by real slow with the bass thumping, I go out to the garden naked and practice sword fighting, (our national sport is not "fencing", it's sword-fighting). It reminds everyone who the REAL gangster is.

Duff McKagan's column runs every Thursday on Reverb. His memoir, It's So Easy (Simon & Schuster) is out now.

​It's not at all uncommon that I write a piece here that I hope inspires discussion in the comments section. My mission statement of sorts has been to help usher in a higher bar for social media. I know that we are capable of educating each other, and I have been thrilled at some of the deep conversations that have taken place here. We are capable of much more than just typing "fuck you, you suck dickhead" under an anonymous moniker. We have (largely) succeeded.

I wrote an article last week on the SOPA/PIPA debate. I was hoping to get a conversation started about a facet of the debate that I hadn't seen explored. I think in my rush to write it, I assumed many things about some of my readers here. I wasn't clear on some things.

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Duff McKagan is Guns N' Roses' founding bassist, and the leader of Seattle's Loaded. His column runs every Thursday on Reverb. His memoir, It's So Easy (Simon & Schuster) is out now.

​Sitting in my usual chair, watching my usual a.m. updates on CNN's Headline News, Wednesday morning, I, like every other American tuned in to at least one form of media, was inundated with verbiage about anti-piracy legislation known as PIPA and SOPA.

The legislation's meant to combat theft of creative works like movies and music from overseas web sites. But when I turned to the Twitter and Facebook, I saw an overwhelming dog pile of support against the bills. Excuse me, but where were you all when piracy started to decimate the music industry? Why didn't you take a stand against that? Those free records felt good, huh?

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Duff McKagan's column runs every Thursday on Reverb. His memoir, It's So Easy (Simon & Schuster) is out now. He tweets @DuffMcKagan.

​I found out this week, that one of my favorite all-time bands were getting back together to do some gigs later this year. Yes, the great Swedish punk band Refused, fter 14 years apart, are seemingly playing a handful of American and European festival gigs this Spring. I never got to see them in the 90s, so I am particularly pleased with this development.

I haven't been 'tweeting' that much as of late; just little things here and there. But in my enthusiasm regarding this REFUSED news, I tweeted "Refused reunion? Now we are talking!"

Think before you tweet.

I am playing a show at LA's House of Blues tonight with the original formation of Velvet Revolver, which includes lead singer Scott Weiland. It is a long story, really, but the crux of it is that we are playing a benefit, with proceeds going directly to a friend's wife and her two children. When it comes to the welfare of kids, old grudges or whatever, are put aside. But the fact is that the re-formation of the five of us has got a lot of people talking. Good. Just as long as they buy tickets to this show, right?

Back to the tweet: "Refused reunion? Now we are talking!" It looks a little different now, eh?

Think before you tweet.

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Duff McKagan's column runs every Thursday on Reverb. His memoir, It's So Easy (Simon & Schuster) is out now.

​Okay, I like good deals just like everyone else. There is a store with the initials B.B., right by my house that specializes in, well, deals and mark-downs. They sell TVs, computers, CD's, DVDs, washing machines, etc.

I went into the store the other day, so that I could get a new DVD player that would also be Wi-Fi-ready so I can get the Netflix and whatnot. The first thing I noticed was an almost Occupy-esque line to my right. Ah, the "customer-return" line! Boy, was I was glad I wouldn't have to get into THAT!

Unless you are a hermit, you've had to wait in one of those awful return lines in a big-box store at least once. You know the ones I am talking about: the people are sweating and shifting their weight weight trying to keep aloft whatever box of doo-dad they have. The line never moves.

It's a funny thing: I have any problem when I go into a store and need someone to help me buy something. It certainly is much easier to find someone to help you PART with your dough, than it is to find someone to help problem-solve or rectify your retail problem du jour. But I was in luck, for I was in the B.B. to part with my money. No problem there. Yet.

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Duff McKagan's column runs every Thursday on Reverb. His memoir, It's So Easy (Simon & Schuster) is out now.

​Sometimes, if you are lucky enough, you are in a place where you can learn from a particular event in your life. Sometimes those lessons are hard-won, or learned at a high expense to your own ego. Those seem to be the best ones for me.

Other times, pleasantly surprising things happen when you least expect it. Of course, those things are always welcome.

So here are just a few of those "things" and lessons I have gleaned from this past year.

1. If you write a book about yourself, just remember; a LOT of people will now know those things about you that you have shared.

Yes, that may sound like a no-brainer, right? But, I was so caught up in the literary process of writing, that I didn't think much BEYOND that process. I thought maybe it might be the same as when I share a bit about my personal stuff here at the Weekly. Turns out that there was much more in the book that my 1000 words.

2. The Seattle band The Chasers are KILLER! How can you lose when you have a bare-chested, white leather coat wearing guitar player nicknamed, the Ice Wizard! Well, if you like Muse, Queen, Maiden, Death Cab, and Zeke, all mixed into one, check out The Chasers. They are an original....really.

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​Grace McKagan is a teenager who splits her time between LA and Seattle. Her father is a regular columnist for Seattle Weekly.

By Grace McKagan

Lady Gaga, the new queen of pop, is looked upon the general public as a young starlet who is materialistic and high maintenance because of her extensive wardrobe and lifestyle. In fact, she is an advocate for expressing one's self, not caring about what others may think, and not judging others by their exterior.

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Iggy & the Stooges

Duff McKagan's column runs every Thursday on Reverb. His memoir, It's So Easy (Simon & Schuster) is out now.

​I've never been real good with the question of "What are your favorite 10 "desert-island" records". But, you know, if you're a resident of one of the Earth-like planets astronomers just discovered and are wondering what this rock and roll thing is all about, well ... here are 10 places to start.

Aerosmith, Aerosmith: With scrappy songs like "Make It" showing the earthiness of this band, the majestic track "Dream On" seems just so much bigger and more genius. From tip-to-stern, a kick-ass rock record.

Iggy and the Stooges, Raw Power: How can you lose here? "Search and Destroy" and "Raw Power" are two of the most dangerous rock songs of all time. This record sets a good tone for a new rocker. It'll shake out all of that bad taste in rock music. This record should act as a barometer.

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Duff McKagan's column runs every Thursday on Reverb. His memoir, It's So Easy (Simon & Schuster) is out now.

​So I played a gig last night in Hollywood that commemorated Dimebag Darrel and Ronnie James Dio. The gig, called "DimeBash," is a very public fundraiser that sells out annually and draws press from around the world. Last week, Guns N' Roses was given the "nod" for the Rock Hall of Fame. I now realize that I use the word "overwhelmed" much too often in my life.

Music to me has never been a competitive sport. We do what we do, and if you connect with an audience and write the songs that feel good to you in the process, that is reward enough. Getting a Grammy or an American Music Award seems a little bit weird in this whole context. I mean, are you BETTER than all those other bands? No. You are just doing YOUR thing, and they theirs. It's not a competition.

But it became very apparent to me that fans of GN'R felt very motivated for our band to "get into the Hall." All of those fans ARE very important to me, and thus getting this RRHOF nod was a victory for them. And so I am deeply honored and feel very good about this whole deal. Thank you all.

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