On the ‘Black Oxygen Inspiration’ podcast, Matt Sorum shared insights into his time with Guns N’ Roses, focusing on his efforts to fit in with the band. Hinting at regrets, he reflected on his seven years with them:
“It got scary. In retrospect, maybe, being a little bit older, I would have handled it differently, but it got a little bit out of control because it became so big. We were moving fast. There was a lot of people around us. There was a lot of — I can’t say confusion, but… I don’t know.”
The drummer recalled the effect of the band’s fame by saying:
“I was starting to kind of get out of sorts because we were the biggest band in the world at that time. There was nothing bigger, and it was intense because there was a lot of people coming at you, like old friends, just like infiltrating. And thank God I didn’t have a cell phone or text in those days. Like imagine like if you had a text.”
The Things He Did For ‘The Gang’
During their peak years, Guns N’ Roses made the headlines with several members’ alcohol and drug abuse. Sorum, who joined the band in 1990, seemed to embrace these parts of the band culture to be a ‘part of the gang’:
“And I’ll admit it. I fell into too much drinking. And the band was pretty famous for that. So, in a way, I felt obligated to do it because we were — and I’ve explained it before, I always said that I felt like a pirate on a pirate ship. There was just this sort of gang mentality amongst us, and I wanted to be part of the gang.”
Still Thankful For His Run With The Band
Despite his words, Sorum appreciated this period of his life and thanked Guns N’ Roses for it in his autobiography, ‘Double Talkin’ Jive.’ Still, he didn’t hold back from sharing all the sides of the story:
“I don’t want any people to believe that it was just squeaky clean. If they read my book, the train came off the tracks a couple times. But where I am now in my life is a completely different circle of the people I keep around me. I don’t really have time for anyone that needs to — I don’t know.”
The drummer, now a part of Billy Gibbons’ band, added:
“It doesn’t make sense. I’m very, very content. Like, people will say — this is a Hollywood thing — ‘So, what are you doing lately?’ I love that question because I’m, like, ‘I’ve done plenty and I’m just chillin’.'”
No Reunion With His Ex-Band
Matt Sorum replaced Steven Adler in 1990 and created three albums with Guns N’ Roses: ‘Use Your Illusion I,’ ‘Use Your Illusion II,’ and ‘The Spaghetti Incident.’ He joined the other members when they were inducted into the Rock Hall in 2012 but wasn’t involved in the band’s reunion tour.
