GUNS N’ ROSES bassist Duff McKagan revealed an intriguing tidbit about one of the band’s iconic songs, “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” According to McKagan, the band turned down a significant offer of $10,000 for publishing rights.
“We got offered $10,000 for the rights to ‘Sweet Child o’ Mine’,” McKagan said during a recent interview on the “Broken Record” podcast (as transcribed by Ultimate Guitar). “When you’re starving, literally — we were working phone sales jobs and paying for a rehearsal place; we had days when we just couldn’t even afford to have ramen — $10,000 [felt] like we’d be rich. The guy was smart, he knew [about the band’s potential]. He saw us playing in the clubs. We didn’t know what publishing really meant, but if it’s worth $10,000 to him, it’s got to be worth that, at least, to us.”
Despite ultimately choosing Mike Clink, whose calming demeanor Duff specifically acknowledges for the Appetite for Destruction sessions, the bassist also mentions that KISS frontman Paul Stanley expressed interest in producing the record, though he was declined.
McKagan recalled: “We sat with Paul Stanley, just because, like, ‘Wow! Paul Stanley from KISS!’ If nothing else, he came to [iconic rock club] Raji’s, sat and watched us — [and] that’s a dirty show. Then, he came to have a meeting with us about producing the record. It wasn’t the right fit. We could tell. We were talking about music, and his idea [and] our idea were different.”
Reflecting on the ability of GN’R to navigate various challenges and realize their vision while achieving significant financial success, Duff remarked: “Well, we just knew. And we were at the age where we should know. Whatever was going to be next in rock was on our shoulders, and somebody who maybe wasn’t with us through the whole thing just wouldn’t understand it. We just wanted microphones up against the amps, around the drums, and capture Axl and these backing vocals.”
Appetite for Destruction is one of the most successful rock albums of all time. Released in 1987, it has sold over 30 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums ever. The album spent many weeks on the Billboard charts, reaching number one on the Billboard 200. It produced several hit singles, including “Sweet Child o’ Mine,” “Welcome to the Jungle,” and “Paradise City,” which helped propel the album’s success.
