Duff McKagan Shares How He Survived “Bad Mushroom Trip” Thanks to Iggy Pop

Although he released a few solo albums throughout his career in music, Duff McKagan will also be remembered as the bassist for the hard rock band Guns N’ Roses. Performing with the iconic band for over a decade, the musician helped create albums like Appetite for Destruction, G N’ R Lies, and The Spaghetti Incident?. Although he eventually left the band, he reunited with Gun N’ Roses in 2016 when inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Having more than enough stories, the rocker recently shared how Iggy Pop saved him after a “bad mushroom trip.” 

Before McKagan found himself part of Guns N’ Roses, he, like many rockstars before him, was nothing more than a teenager with a love for rock music. Recalling his youth on the Rockonteurs podcast, the musician noted being 14 years old when he attended an Iggy Pop concert. He just happened to take mushrooms around the same time. He admitted, “Iggy Pop got me through a bad mushroom trip. I went to an Iggy show way too high on mushrooms, thinking I was going to have to go to the hospital, freaking out.”

[RELATED: Guns N’ Roses’ Duff McKagan Shares Awkward Encounter With Prince]

Again, only a teenager at the time of his bad mushroom trip, McKagan explained how he turned his focus to Iggy Pop. “I just watched Iggy the whole (time), just tripping way too much on psychedelics. But he brought me down. And I was already a big Iggy fan, but then I was like, he means more to me. He’s a waypoint for me in my life.”

Duff McKagan Worked With Iggy Pop Throughout The Years

Thankful for Iggy Pop, decades later, McKagan received the chance to collaborate with the star. Battling his love for alcohol at the time, the musician noted how he didn’t enjoy his time with his idol due to his drinking. Luckily, McKagan received another chance in 2023 when he worked on the album Every Loser. 

Calling the moment a “redo”, McKagan remembered being able to put the set list together. “He let us pick the set list… This is the soundtrack to my life, where do you start?” While playing with Iggy Pop, the musician eventually found the star working alongside him on his own album Lighthouse, which was released last year. 

(Photo by Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for Vanity Fair)