Duff McKagan on Rock Legends, Facebook: “I hate being old — I feel like I’m losing everything now.” These words are hard for me to admit, but they are the truth deep inside my heart. I am Duff McKagan, the bassist of Guns N’ Roses, and I’ve been through everything — the chaos, the glory, the noise, the pain — but nothing scares me more than time slowly taking everything I love away.
I used to be the wild one, the man who lived without limits, drinking like there was no tomorrow, running on stage like my body was made of fire. Now I wake up and my bones ache, my heart reminds me of the price I paid for living too hard, and my reflection reminds me that the kid who played bass for Guns N’ Roses is long gone.
There was a time when I thought I wouldn’t even make it to 30. Doctors told me I was close to death when my pancreas failed. I turned my life around, I got sober, I fought for my second chance — but no one ever warns you that surviving comes with a different kind of pain.
Survival means you live long enough to watch the world change, to watch the people you loved drift away, to watch your own body slow down while your heart still wants to live like it’s 1987.
I miss the days when everything felt infinite — the music, the friendships, the laughter backstage, even the chaos. Now, those moments feel like ghosts haunting me, reminding me of what once was.
Guns N’ Roses saved me once, gave me purpose, gave me a reason to get out of bed when I thought my story was over. But as we grow older, the band isn’t the same, and neither are we. The fire is still there — just quieter, slower, softer.
Sometimes I stand on stage and look at the crowd, thousands of faces screaming, living that dream with me — but inside, I feel like the same young man still searching for something to hold onto.
Aging feels cruel when your soul still wants to rage. I try to find beauty in the quiet moments now — my family, my daughters, my wife — but there is still a part of me that mourns the wild kid I used to be.
I am proud of the life I’ve built, proud that I’m still here, still sober, still standing. But there are nights when I lie awake and think about how fast it all went by, how one day even the music will stop, and I wonder if I gave enough, if I loved enough, if I lived enough.
So yes, I hate being old sometimes. I hate losing the speed, the power, the recklessness — but maybe growing older means learning that love, peace, and family are the loudest anthems we’ll ever play.
https://www.facebook.com/vintagevibes90s
Thanks to Diane Robinson for re-posting this.
Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses: Thoughts on Getting Older
