On October 8, former Guns N’ Roses/Velvet Revolver bassist Duff McKagan will release a tell-all autobiography called It’s So Easy (And Other Lies). Recently, the first 80 pages of the book, which McKagan wrote by himself, were posted online as a teaser for fans. While McKagan chronicles his battle with drug addiction throughout the book, one anecdote stood out.
In the beginning of chapter 1, McKagan claims that he was the inspiration behind Duff Beer, the fictional brand of beer in The Simpsons, and it’s mascot Duffman, saying:
“When Guns N’ Roses began to break into the public consciousness, I was known as a big drinker. In 1988, MTV aired a concert in which Axl introduced me — as usual — as Duff ‘The King of Beers’ McKagan. Soon after a production company working on a new animated series called me to ask if they could use the name ‘Duff’ for a brand of beer in the show.
I laughed and said of course, no problem. The whole thing sounded like a low-rent art project or something — I mean, who made cartoons for adults? Little did I know that the show would become ‘The Simpsons’ and that within a few years I would start to see Duff Beer glasses and gear everywhere we toured.”
We at Metal Insider are big fans of The Simpsons, but this is the first time we’ve ever heard this. It’s not too hard to believe, though, that the creators of the show are hard rock fans. Metallica, Aerosmith, and Spinal Tap are just a few bands who have rolled into Springfield, and even Motorhead recently appeared in the show’s comic book version.
If Duff is telling the truth, then he probably screams out “D’oh!” every time he sees a t-shirt with Duff Beer’s logo. You don’t have to be a financial wizard, like him, to know how much money he could’ve made from copyrights alone.
[via LoudWire]
