It's So Easy and Other Lies(Directed by Christopher Duddy, USA, 2015)
Festival screenings:Sunday, May 28, 2015 at 9:30 PM – SIFF Cinema EgyptianThursday, June 4, 2015 at 9:30 PM – SIFF Cinema Egyptian[ Director Christopher Duddy scheduled to attend both screenings ]
It's So Easy and Other Lies is a rock-documentary film based on the best-selling memoir by Michael McKagan aka Duff McKagan, born and raised in Seattle. Duff was widely known as the bass player of Guns N' Roses. Their 1987 debut album Appetite for Destruction sold over 28 million copies worldwide to date. The film features interviews from Slash, Steven Adler, Izzy Stradlin, Mike McCready (Pearl Jam), Nikki Sixx (Mötley Crüe), and more. There's plenty of music with inserts of animation and massive archival footage picked from over 50 personal DVDs movies of live shows. Directed by Christopher Duddy [Total Recall (1990), True Lies (1994), and The Abyss (1989)]. McKagan learned how to play bass from his brother and by playing along with his favorite albums. He cites Barry Adamson (of UK post punk band Magazine, with ex-Buzzcocks singer Howard Devoto) as an influence. Duff formed his first punk band, The Vains, and released the "You May Not Believe In Vains But You Cannot Deny Terror" 7" single on No Threes Records in 1980. Through the early '80s, Duff played drums for The Fastbacks and The Fartz, and as a guitar player for 10 Minute Warning. In 1983, he moved to L.A. and two years later he joins Guns N' Roses. By 1988, Guns N' Roses reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and success brought them wealth and fame.
Throughout the '90s, Duff started consuming a very large amount of intoxicants. Drinking a gallon of vodka a day mixed with cocaine is pretty hard core. It cost him a lot more than money and nearly took his life away. Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll — it's a cliché, but he took it to the maximum, and Duff survived. As a film narrated by the verbal tenacity of Duff McKagan, a story unwinds on a quiet stage into a soliloquy of spoken word as his band is playing closely. Duff's readings fill the void with a voice and confessions into the tale of his life.
The film focuses on fixing broken souls and the aid in creating better futures. It's a tribute to his life in its most precious moments. His story takes us on a rock and roll journey of triumph and of overcoming odds put before us.
Sweet Child O' Mine by Krist Novoselic (on accordion) and Duff McKagan
The Vains - The Loser (featuring Duff McKagan)
Barry Adamson - "The Vibes Ain't Nothin' But The Vibes"
Magazine - Live at Rockpalast 1980
808(Directed by Alexander Dunn, UK, 2015)
All Things Must Pass(Directed by Colin Hanks, USA, 2015)
