How Iggy Pop’s Music Saved Me During a Troubling Mushroom Trip

Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan recently shared a personal anecdote about how legendary musician Iggy Pop helped him through a tough situation during his teenage years. Appearing on the Rockonteurs podcast hosted by Spandau Ballet’s Gary Kemp and session musician Guy Pratt, McKagan recounted a moment when Iggy Pop came to his rescue during a bad mushroom trip when he was just 14 years old.

Recalling the incident, McKagan said, “Iggy Pop got me through a bad mushroom trip. I went to an Iggy show way too high on mushrooms, thinking I was going to have to go to the hospital, freaking out. I just watched Iggy the whole time, just tripping way too much on psychedelics. But he brought me down. And I was already a big Iggy fan, but then I was like, he means more to me. He’s a waypoint for me in my life.”

The bassist has been candid about his struggles with substance abuse in the past and has been sober for 30 years after being hospitalized with acute alcohol-induced pancreatitis in 1994. In a previous interview with former Van Halen singer Sammy Hagar for the show Rock & Roll Road Trip, McKagan admitted, “I didn’t drink any water. I just drank alcohol. I literally didn’t have a glass of water for 12 years.”

Speaking to People in a recent interview, McKagan revealed that his substance abuse issues started as a means to cope with panic attacks. He shared, “I figured out that half a bottle of vodka would kill a panic attack. The problem is when you start drinking and then doing drugs, there’s so much sugar and alcohol and no sleeping, so you’re going to have more panic attacks. So guess what? I self-medicated more and more.”

In more recent news, McKagan released his third studio album ‘Lighthouse’ which features collaborations with the likes of Iggy Pop, his Guns N’ Roses bandmate Slash, and Alice in Chains’ Jerry Cantrell.