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GNR star says Download is 'mother' of all festivals

Adam AikenEast Midlands
Katja Ogrin/Getty Images A man in a black T-shirt, a black leather jacket and a black cap with sunglasses speaks into a microphone. Behind him is a bar called "Lemmy's Lounge".Katja Ogrin/Getty Images
Duff McKagan hosted a ceremony honouring Lemmy at the Download festival

Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan has paid tribute to Download, labelling it the "mother of all festivals".

He was talking to the BBC during his recent visit to the site, where the band were one of the headliners.

The site at Castle Donington was home to Monsters of Rock from 1980 until 1996, before the larger Download took its place in 2003.

Guns N' Roses headlined this year's festival on the Saturday night, but McKagan was on site 24 hours earlier at a ceremony to honour iconic rock star Lemmy.

Guns N' Roses A bass player on stage, looking at the camera. Behind him is a large crowd. He is standing with his legs apart, and the sun behind him is dazzling.Guns N' Roses
Duff McKagan was on stage at Download this month

Lemmy's Lounge was part of Lemmy Forever – a tribute to the former Motorhead frontman who died in 2015.

It involved some of his ashes being on site throughout the festival, giving fans the opportunity to visit and pay their respects to one of rock's most legendary characters.

Lemmy was both a friend and an inspiration for McKagan.

"He was just one of those guys like Iggy or Prince. I like to have a Big Three, and Lemmy is one of the Big Three," he said.

Yui Mok/PA Media A man playing bass guitar on a stage. He is wearing a black shirt and a black stetson-style hat with a crossbones logo on it. He has sunglasses on and a big handlebar moustache.Yui Mok/PA Media
Legendary bassist Lemmy performed at Glastonbury in 2015, the year he died

McKagan added: "He never strayed from the truth, as he saw rock'n'roll. He lived it that way. He made records that way.

"Lemmy was bigger than life. I don't want to say he was a normal guy, but he was a lovely gentleman.

"He had such an angle on rock'n'roll which was pure... You can put on any Motorhead record and [he's] living on."

Following the festival, Lemmy's journey continued north and his ashes were taken to the O2 Apollo Manchester. They will remain there for most of the year, but will make an annual pilgrimage back to Download.

Katja Ogrin/Getty Images A man with his back to the camera, signing "Duff, GNR, 26" on a wall with a white pen. He is wearing a black leather jacket and a black baseball cap.Katja Ogrin/Getty Images
The Guns N' Roses star gave his sign of approval to Lemmy Forever at Download

McKagan's return to Castle Donington – which straddles the borders of Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire – was just the latest in a string of appearances there, with The Walking Papers, Loaded and Velvet Revolver as well as with Guns N' Roses.

The first time GNR played Monsters of Rock was in 1988, and McKagan recalled how the young band had to make a quick detour from their US tour with Aerosmith.

"We were on tour with Aerosmith but we had been booked for Donington," he said.

"The only caveat on that tour was we had to go to Donington, so we played New York with Aerosmith, did the gig [at Donington], and then flew back."

Guns N' Roses A man with a top hat, sunglasses and a black T-shirt on stage playing a guitar. Behind him is another man, also wearing black and sunglasses, playing a bass guitar. In the background is a drummer and a keyboard player. The stage backdrop is orange.Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses headlined this year's Download

It remains a special place for him.

"This is the mother of all of them. This is the first festival we ever played. It remains the festival you want to be at," he said.

What would the Duff of 1988 have said if he had known he would be headlining Download 38 years later?

"It's crazy, isn't it?" he said.

"I have been blessed. I just keep my nose down and my hair pinned back and do the work that's in front of me, and things like this happen."

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