Former GNR Bassist Working For Playboy

01/30/09 2:24pm

Former Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan has been kept busy by other projects since Velvet Revolver went on hiatus after frontman Scott Weiland's messy departure last spring.

McKagan has been writing a weekly column for SeattleWeekly.com since last summer.

"From my experience, once you are pegged as a 'rock guy', people just assume that you are either brain-dead or off hi-flying on a private jet with hookers and cocaine," McKagan wrote in his most recent column. "While I have definitely been guilty of both of the before-mentioned traits - most of the time, my life these days is just kind of simple and book-filled.

"Writing is something that I found a fondness for when I attended Seattle University and took a particular English course taught by visiting poet, Sam Greene."

McKagan will broaden his reach this week when he starts writing a financial blog for Playboy.com.

"How the hell is it that I will to be writing about money matters for Playboy?" McKagan wrote in the new SeattleWeekly.com column. "Well, over the last few years, I have been doing more and more TV and print interviews regarding some faction of finance.

"It started in 2004 when a writer for some music newspaper asked me about my experience going to business-school after my career with GNR. That interview in turn prodded other writers to ask me about money issues within the music biz. From there, PBS's 'Frontline' interviewed me about the 'valuation of a rock band' and the cork was officially off the top of the bottle as far as me being an ersatz 'go to' guy for anyone looking for financial insight from inside the music industry.

"Sometimes I DO wish more artists would go to business school just so I wouldn't always be getting the calls to do these interviews.

"I think part of my mission statement for Playboy may be to perhaps try and shed some light and maybe even bring down some of the criminals on Wall St. Wouldn't that be cool? Maybe be a voice for the people - one that can't be bought (well, no one has ever actually tried to bribe me, but I'll let you know if they do!).

"The talking heads on the financial news networks also bother me. Always trying to be smarter than the next guy, using big and needless words and terminology so that they can watch themselves at home on their TiVo and gloat. Most of these shows do nothing more than a sort of "if it bleeds, it leads" type of sensationalism. This of course promotes only panic, stress, depression, and fear. Poppycock if you ask me. (As an aside; I would never actually use the word 'poppycock' in a bar room conversation but I couldn't wait any longer to use it. It IS a great word)."

David Bowie is also a big fan of "poppycock." This could be the beginning of a movement.

The economic downturn forced Playboy to cancel its annual Super Bowl party this year. We're not sure if McKagan advised Hugh Hefner that this would be financially prudent or if he had to drop the Bunny bash in order to afford the new money man. But the cancellation might force the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals players to focus more on the bouncing ball than other things that have bounced (and jiggled) during the lead-up week to past Super Bowls.