Ex-Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan has told the English newspaper The Independent that he regrets not licensing his name as he would have inherited millions from The Simpsons alcoholic drink, Duff beer.
McKagan revealed that an individual from Fox TV came into contact with the bassist in the 80s to inform him that The Simpsons had named their fictional beverage after the Guns N’ Roses star due to his fondness for beer.
“I knew nothing about branding yourself then or the royalties off it,” stated McKagan. “I just thought cool, they wanna use my name and boom, The Simpsons was born. Yeah, if I had a nickel for every time … but it’s fine.”
McKagan recently revealed that the terrorist attacks in America on September 11 in 2001 had lead to him falling into a deep depression, but he has since overcome his problems.
Duff is now a financial advisor who works as part of a fund-management company. This unlikely field of employment came after he found himself in hospital with a ruptured pancreas in 1994. “I didn’t have any work to do and I had files of my personal and Gun N’ Roses financial statements for the previous eight years,” McKagan told The Independent .
“I wanted to learn how to read these but I didn’t trust anybody. I just got a lightbulb in my head and said ‘I want to go to school’. That begun my journey, taking accountancy and business classes at Seattle.”
McKagan and the rest of Guns N’ Roses ‘ original line-up were recently inducted in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in April of 2012.