Duff McKagan Hopes For Guns N' Roses Unity At Rock Hall

Ever since Axl Rose very publically announced he wanted nothing to do with Guns N' Roses induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, speculation has run rampant about just which (if any) of his former (or current) bandmates will be on hand to accept the honor. And with the ceremony set for Saturday in Cleveland, we're still not sure.

While Rose's open letter to the Hall may have upset some, one former GN'R man probably wasn't all that surprised. When MTV News sat down with bassist Duff McKagan (who served in Guns from 1985 until 1997) last month to discuss the paperback release of his biography "It's So Easy and Other Lies," well, he didn't seem all that optimistic that his former bandmates would ever be able to put aside the past two decades of squabbles and appear at the Hall.

"If it were totally up to me ... it'd be great if everybody showed up," he said. "If not, that's the way it's supposed to be. That's it; it's that simple for me."

And McKagan has already been down this path before: In 2007, he and his Velvet Revolver mates were tapped to induct — and subsequently jam with — Van Halen, a band whose backstory rivals possibly only GN'R's in terms of acrimony. By all accounts, former frontman David Lee Roth and guitarist Eddie Van Halen were all set to let bygones be bygones, share the stage together and bask in the moment. Of course, that didn't exactly happen.

"Five years ago, we were going to be the band, and David Lee Roth was going to get on and sing with us, and Eddie was going to play with us, and those guys weren't talking, but we were going to be the band and they were going to get up and play with us, somehow," he laughed. "And then it kind of fell apart, and we were already in New York, and we were kind of left holding the bag a little bit."

Still, even though he was eerily aware of all the drama that would come, McKagan was definitely touched by Guns' induction into the Hall — mostly because he knows how much it means to his fans (take note, Axl).

"It's an honor. It's not something I strove for my entire career, was not even on my radar, but I saw the outpouring of the fan reaction when we were nominated, and suddenly it became important, because I saw how important it was for people who got me to a place where I can be in a house and support my wife and kids," he said. "And what a journey we had, going from a little club band, playing to three people to eventually playing stadiums, just out of thin air ... and it's really incredible for it to be 25 years later, talking about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame."

Ronnie Wood said：Rolling Stones Are Heading Back To The Studio

The Rolling Stones are heading back to the studio this month to toss around ideas and try new material, Ronnie Wood said, taking the guitarist away for a time from his first love, painting.
At the opening of his new art show, 'Faces, Time and Places,' in New York City on Monday, Wood was far more focused on his art work than the Stones' plans to celebrate the band's 50 years in music. But he did allow that he and his bandmates were "kicking at the heels" to record again.

"We're going to get together to have a rehearsal and see what happens," Wood told Reuters about the plan to record.

Outside the Stones, Wood, who turns 65 in June, is busier than ever. His visual art career is thriving, he is being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for a second time this week in Cleveland, he has a radio show in Britain and fruitful solo projects.

Despite being in one of the biggest rock bands in history and having played early in his career with Rod Stewart and Faces, Wood said that if he had his way, he would like to be known more as an artist than as a musician.

"I'm a painter who plays guitar," he said at the Broom Street Gallery in Soho, where around 50 of his paintings, sketches, and prints are showing until the end of June.

Most are colorful portraits of bandmates Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Charlie Watts, along with other celebrities such as Jerry Hall, formerly married to Jagger, and Muhammad Ali.

The pieces vary from early 1960s sketches to paintings of pop culture icons Wood has known and worked with at different stages of his career.

A dark portrait of a pale-looking Al Pacino wearing a slight smirk contrasts with a painting of Richards set against a gold-leaf backdrop, guitar in hand, mid-strum, eyes closed, face glowing despite the deep wrinkles that line it as if a map of the hard-partying, rock 'n' roll life he's lived.

SATISFACTION
As well known as he is for playing guitar, Wood also has earned accolades for his art work from critics such as Brian Sewell and artists Damien Hirst and Lucian Freud. Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber commissioned work from him and former U.S. President Bill Clinton owns a couple of his canvases as well.

Wood said he began creating art seriously at age seven. He later studied at Ealing Art College in London and struggled to earn a living as an artist before making a name for himself playing bass and guitar in bands like the Jeff Beck Group, Faces, and the Stones.

"I thought I'll make it as a musician first and then show people that I can paint. So that's what I did. In the 80's, I really started to pay my way with my painting," he said.

But his fame remained rooted in rock 'n' roll where he holds a place in the music's history. On Saturday, Wood and other members of Faces, including Stewart and Kenny Jones, head to Cleveland, Ohio, where they will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for hits that include "Stay With Me."

The Rolling Stones, which Wood joined in 1975 after Mick Taylor left the band, were inducted in 1989.
And later this month, Wood, who just recorded a song with Taylor and Jones for the season finale of TV show "CSI Miami," plays a solo gig in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Then its off to jam with the Stones.

"We will be doing new material, but we haven't had a chance to chat with each other yet about what it is. Mick and Keith will get together on that," he said.

The Stones have said they plan to release a documentary in September chronicling their 50-year history and may tour again in 2013, but Wood offered no details.

The last studio album by the group was in 2005. They released two live albums, 'Hampton Coliseum (Live 1981)' and 'L.A. Friday (Live 1975),' so far this year.