Matt Sorum’s Bid to Become Part of Guns N’ Roses Reunion
Former Guns N’ Roses drummer Matt Sorum revealed how he tried to become part of the band’s 2016 reunion, only to be told that Axl Rose wanted to keep Frank Ferrer in the lineup.
Sorum, a member from 1990 to 1994, discussed the incident in his upcoming memoir, Double Talkin’ Jive. He was on tour with Slash and Duff McKagan when he began hearing rumors about the pair rejoining Rose, but he didn’t ask McKagan until their tour was over. Rolling Stone noted how the conversation went: “‘Axl wants to use his drummer,’ Sorum remembers Duff telling him. ‘Go to Axl and tell him you want me on drums,’ Sorum responded. ‘Period. Now’s the time.’ ‘Oh, man,’ Duff replied in a soft voice. ‘I already signed the deal.’”
Sorum explained in the interview that he's "come to terms with the fact that they’re doing their own thing, and I’m doing mine. I can’t say that when it went down, I was completely happy with the circumstances. At the same time, I feel really good about my time in the band.”
Asked why he wasn’t invited to return, he replied: “I think Axl is a loyal guy. He likes his band he’s had for a long time. … If anyone in that band is loyal, it’s probably him. He was like, ‘I’m going to bring my guy. If I get Slash, that’s cool. If I get Duff, that’s cool, too. And that’s enough.’ That’s how it went down, and that’s what they’re doing.”
He confirmed that he refused an offer of a guest appearance because there was no fee attached and said he doesn't know how he’d respond if asked again. “I’m a busy guy,” he explained. “It’s gotta be what works with my life. I feel really good about my time in the band. ... I always thank Guns N’ Roses for my legacy going forward. A lot of what happens in my life now is based on what happened to me with GNR. Everybody knows them. … I think in general, it’s a household name. People go, ‘You’re a musician. What band do you play in?’ ‘The Cult.’ ‘Oh, never heard that.’ ‘Velvet Revolver.’ It’s 50/50, maybe a little less. Guns N’ Roses, 99.95 percent go, ‘Oh, really?’ I always say it last, because it’s almost like the personality of the person changes since that band is so important.
“I obviously got inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which means something very big to me. Not everybody [in GNR] got inducted. It was just the guys that played on the records. That’s something I can carry for the rest of my life, and it’s because of them.”