Scott Andrew - lo-fi acoustic pop superhero!

Last Saturday I went to a friend’s benefit show at the Sunset Tavern, and among the bands playing was Duff McKagan’s band Loaded. Duff played a Les Paul goldtop, which I covet and continue to covet.

Fame is weird. The band was actually pretty great, straight up rock. But I have to admit that part of the reason I squeezed in closer was just to be within ten feet of That Guy Who Played Bass on Appetite. I’ve never been a huge GN’R fan, but geez, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that the uncontacted tribes of the Amazon basin have heard “Paradise City” at least once.

It’s weird seeing someone so famous so close up, doing something totally different in a different context. When I used to go to SXSW, this kind of thing happened a lot. Already-famous people would debut their pet projects at SXSW, and sometimes you wouldn’t know until they took the stage. (Here’s a tip: look for too-wacky-to-be-real band names in the program guide.)

Anyway, I guess it’s a unique kind of cognitive dissonance.