Duff McKagan’s online chat with ESPN.com readers on Wednesday is fueling more rumors about Corey Taylor’s possible involvement with Velvet Revolver.

By the way, as we reported a while back, Duff is now a columnist at ESPN.com.

When asked by a fan what the most important attribute for the lead singer of a rock band to have, besides their singing voice, McKagan responded:

“Any good artist has to have had some kind of rub in their life, something real. Something you have to get out lyrically or you are going to kill yourself or somebody else. Those are the lyrics that inspire. The ability to tap the dark stuff and have it be real. Great lead singers have the ability to tap that. No inhibitions helps as well. Axl [Rose] and Scott [Weiland] are two of the best front men ever.”

Unprompted, Duff then added:

“Corey Taylor is one of those guys as well. He can tap it. He has to get those lyrics on the paper or his world is going to crash down around him.”

Check out Duff’s full ESPN.com chat here.

Taylor has been doing double-duty as the vocalist in both Slipknot and Stone Sour. In a recent interview with Billboard.com, Taylor would neither confirm nor deny that is the “known singer" who's working under wraps with Velvet Revolver.

"To be continued!" Taylor told Billboard with a long, hearty laugh, before declining to say anything further.

Still no word from the Velvet Revolver camp, despite comments that they expected to announce the new singer last month. (via Hennemusic)

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