Guns N’ Roses’ Duff McKagan Shares Awkward Encounter With Prince

Finding himself part of the legendary rock band Guns N’ Roses, bassist Duff McKagan spent over a decade with the group, playing on some of the biggest stages in the world. Although he eventually left, he reunited with Guns N’ Roses in 2016 when the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. While McKagan played alongside icons like Slash, Axl Rose, and Steven Adler, the bassist had more than enough stories of his time in the spotlight. But the musician recently detailed his awkward experience when meeting one of his idols, Prince. 

When it comes to musical icons, Prince is up there with stars like Michael Jackson. So, when the chance of meeting the singer presented itself to McKagan, he jumped. Speaking about his encounter on the Broken Record podcast, the musician said, “I met him one time. It was in Germany. I went, it was the Diamonds and Pearls tour. Guns N’ Roses were playing the whatever stadium the next night, and he was playing the arena.”

Going backstage, McKagan eventually received word that Prince wanted to meet him. Again, not shying away from meeting his idol, he admitted, “I was way too drunk. It was when I was still drinking and I realized I was too drunk.” He continued, “I don’t remember what happened. I remember there was candles and stuff, and I’m fucking too drunk. And there’s Prince, and I don’t want to be here. I don’t want to be here. And got out of that [situation].”

Duff McKagan Received Another Chance With Prince

Although not spending long with Prince, McKagan received an invitation to work on a film that was being produced by the star. Believing this was his chance to finally meet Prince, he detailed how “these guys came to my house and I had my basses out and things, and I dressed up a little bit.” But sadly, there was no Prince. Not with the crew, the bassist said the icon still led the interview with text messages. “I get texts, questions from Prince in real time.”

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While excited about the opportunity, McKagan declined to speak with Prince about Gun N’ Roses breaking up. When asked, he said, “We don’t get into that. That’s not something we talk about.”

(Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows )