November 12, 2012 17:41

Ex-Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan: 'I could have made a fortune from 'Simpsons' beer'

Rocker could have licensed his name for 'Duff Beer' tie-in – but decided against it…

Photo: PA

Ex-Guns N' Roses bassist-turned-financial advisor Duff McKagan has admitted he regrets not officially licensing his name – because he has missed out on a fortune in royalties from The Simpsons.

Speaking to the Independent, the rocker revealed that an official from Fox TV contacted him in the 80s to tell him that one of the station's new shows had named their fictional beer 'Duff' in honour of his former fondness for booze.

He said: "I knew nothing about branding yourself then or the royalties off it. 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."

In September of this year, McKagan revealed that he used to suffer from depression. The Velvet Revolver rocker admitted that he had "sunk into a thick, black state of being" after the terrorist attacks which took place in America on September 11, 2001, but said he had since overcome his problems.

McKagan was part of the classic line-up of Guns N' Roses who were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in April of this year. However, their achievement was slightly overshadowed by protracted speculation over whether lead singer Axl Rose would attend the ceremony. He eventually declined to participate in the celebrations – although Adrian Bayford, the man who won £148 million in a EuroMillions lottery draw last month, pledged that he would spend a part of his new fortune on reuniting the band.

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