Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan is adamant Duff beer, famously featured heavily in The Simpsons, is named after him. Homer Simpson and the regulars at Moe’s Tavern, which recently got rid of its cigarette machine after 33 years, are usually sipping on a Duff beer, the go-to beverage of Springfield. McKagan, however, has a theory that his name is the inspiration behind the brand of booze.
In his 2011 autobiography It’s So Easy and Other Lies, the Welcome to The Jungle musician previously revealed a ‘production company working on a new animated series’ requested to use the name ‘Duff’ for a brand of beer to be used in the show, paying homage to his reputation as a ‘big drinker’. Having absolutely no idea quite how big said animated series would become, he gave the green light without asking for a penny. However, several The Simpsons writers have debunked McKagan’s claims.
Regardless, he’s doubled down in a new interview with Stereogum . ‘Here’s the deal,’ he said. ‘So I was Duff, the King of Beers.
But this is 1988, 1989 and our management, I remember they called me and said some arthouse-like cartoon wants to use your name as the beer, like a college arthouse cartoon. ‘There weren’t any adult cartoons at this point. ‘I didn’t know about branding or anything like that, but that show took off.
And then they started selling merch and stuff. ‘I never went after him [creator Matt Groening], but I’m like, “Hey, mother**kers,’ you know.
