March 7, 2011
INTERVIEW WITH
MATT SORUM
March 7, 2011
Interview with Matt Sorum
for the HouseofHairOnline
By Ray Van Horn, Jr.
HOUSE OF HAIR ONLINE: The
concert on this Velvet Revolver:
Live in Houston DVD we’re talking about actually happened
five years ago, but it’s wild to see from the fan’s perspective.
You guys are kicking out a lot of Contraband material and
showing immediate glue at this point in the band. As you
remember taking the stage for this particular gig in Houston
and any of the others around that time, did it feel like instant
magic onstage?
MATT SORUM: Well, the way I’d explain it is, that was sort of the
reason we put the DVD out. It was probably the best time for the
band, physically, mentally and professionally. We had a hit record,
we had a couple of hit songs on the radio, we’d really come back
and pulled the fat. (Scott) Weiland had cleaned up his act. We were
probably in better physical shape than we’ve ever been in,
especially myself. That’s just like looking back at some of the Guns
n’ Roses years. I was drinking too much, getting a little out of shape.
We were finally on all cylinders, if you will. We had a lot of excitement
around the band and the fans were up for it. When we were
approached to do this video, we were like, ‘You know, that kind of
makes sense now,’ because for the future we’re getting ready to pull
out the Velvet Revolver again—no pun intended—and fire it back
up. We’re going to pick a different singer and we’re confident we’re
going to be able to do that. So this video is a way for us to say we’ve
got nothing to be ashamed of with that lineup of the band. It was a
good band and that was the best phase of that band. We were in
better shape early in its incarnation.
HOH: On the video, you guys allude to the painstaking
process getting to where Weiland joined the band. You guys
had so many audition tapes to whittle through. I imagine you
were stuck with a thousand Axl clones and Perry Farrell
wannabes?
MS: Well, yeah, we had fans trying to come into Velvet Revolver. At
the time, we didn’t have a name. I think a lot of guys were thinking,
‘What do they want? Who knows what they want? Do they want
someone to sound like Axl or Ian Astbury?’ So I think people, God
bless them, they did the best possible take on what they thought we
might be interested in. The fact of the matter is, years and years
went by after the Guns n’ Roses demise of that lineup, and we were
creating a new band. The times had changed, fashion changed,
culture changed, music had changed. We’ve been through quite a
few metamorphoses of change in music, so while we were looking for
the singer, we were thinking subconsciously, ‘How are we going to
put out something that’s perceived as a new band?’ We were trying
not to recreate Guns n’ Roses with a new singer, because that’s
what a small core of it was. Only until Scott Weiland came along did
we actually hear a sound through his voice, because we were more
aggressive than Stone Temple Pilots. We liked what was coming out
of Scott’s voice. Stone Temple Pilots came more from a grunge era
of bands like Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, so it was a different
musical background that he came from. Scott left his imprint upon
ours and somehow it was perceived as a current rollout. That’s why
we had a modern rock hit. We were taken as a new band, and
obviously considered a supergroup. In our eyes, it was the best guys
we could find for the job. It wasn’t really a supergroup; it just so
happened we all came from other bands.
We tried finding another singer. It wasn’t possible. He came in and
spoke to us and we and we thought, ‘God, this guy is the next
fucking Jim Morrison!’ But when it went down like that, if someone
else came in and we felt that, we would’ve done it. We didn’t pick
Scott Weiland because it was the obvious supergroup choice. He
was a guy who had talent and was a proven entity. When I watch the
video, I’m like, ‘Oh, my God, we’re actually going to use this guy?’
We’d been through a two-year process where I was definitely the
most frustrated, if you watch the video. I’m the one who’s like, ‘Is this
a fucking hobby for you guys? Are you going to play “Sweet Child ‘O
Mine” or are we going to get going here?’ Then I say something like,
‘God, I wish I was still getting checks off of “Sweet Child ‘O Mine,” but
I didn’t write the fucking song, so let’s rock! Pick the fucking guy, put
him in some fucking tights and let’s go!’ That was totally my thing
and the guys love me and hate me for it, you know, having that kind
of outspoken voice in the band. I was like that for Guns n’ Roses too.
I was a little bit of a kick in the pants.
HOH: In making the transition between both bands, if you
were that outspoken in Guns n’ Roses, do you think if they’d
let you speak up a bit more, that particular lineup might’ve
stayed together longer? I don’t want to speculate or
anything, but there’s a severance point with what you’re
alluding to here. I think it makes part of the difference
between the Use Your Illusion era down to Axl’s Chinese
Democracy era. I often wonder if everybody had spoken up in
the interest of preserving what Guns had then, then who
knows what might’ve been?
MS: The problem with that band is, it was too big for its own good.
The demonic animal had taken over an animal that was something
that grooved, something that was Rolling Stones level. It was a
massive entity and there was a lot going on, let me put it to you that
way. I always thought from an outside perspective, here I was, a guy
who’d replaced Steven Adler, the guy who had created the sound of
the first album, along with the collective of the band. I was only
brought in because they were already starting to lose it. The only
saving grace to me, coming in, was we were able to make another
album. If I hadn’t, then who knows? I always tell Steven this because
he kind of jumps on me all the time and he’s bitter about it. I would
say, ‘Look, if it wasn’t me, it would’ve been someone else. It definitely
wasn’t going to be you, though.’ Here’s the thing: Keith Richards
fucking shot heroin in a chandelier and he still made the music, you
know what I mean? If you’re given that opportunity to be in a rock ‘n
roll band and you don’t have a lot of other qualifications for any
other job identification, the least you could do is do a good job being
in a rock ‘n roll band. Do your fucking drugs, drink your alcohol,
bang as many chicks as you want, but show up on fucking time and
rock! That’s it, period. There’s no ifs, ands or buts about it. If you’re
going to fuck that up too, well, you’re a real idiot! (laughs) Right?
HOH: (laughs) Regarding the set list for this Velvet Revolver
DVD, was it strange for you having to throw in a couple of
Guns n’ Roses and Stone Temple Pilots songs into the mix?
Was it surreal at that beginning point of the band or was it
like, hey, let’s just get ourselves identified to the fans and let
it roll from there?
MS: We only had one album and we were going to be headlining.
Right out of the box, we were a headlining band. We were like,
‘Fuck, now we’re going to have to put together a show?’ We had 45
minutes of recorded music, and when we picked the songs from
Guns n’ Roses, I remember having a conversation with Duff
(McKagen). I’m like, ‘Dude, let’s try not to do songs like “Welcome to
the Jungle” and “Sweet Child ‘O Mine.” I’ll back Axl in telling the
world: those are his songs, you know? That’s a little bit sacrilegious
to tackle that beast! I’ve had that conversation with Slash, since he’s
been out doing them with his band. I’d say, ‘Dude, is that necessary?
Let’s do some B-sides, stuff that Duff wrote, something Duff sang.’
“It’s So Easy” was a song that was written by Duff with West Arkeen,
and he doubled the vocal with Axl, so that makes sense. The song
has something for the vocal ability of Weiland that’s different than
Axl’s.
HOH: Scott nailed that one.
MS: Yeah, because on that particular song, Axl’s vocal is the low
vocal. Duff sang above that, and it wasn’t your typical Axl high-end
yell. He was down in that baritone range. Scott said, ‘That song
really inspired me a lot as a singer for Stone Temple Pilots,’ to sing
in that baritone, Ian Astbury-Axl kind of vibe, which he’s got. Then
“Mr. Brownstone” is the same kind of thing. Izzy (Stradlin) and Axl
sang “Brownstone” together, you know, it was a lower register. For
Axl to hit the high end like “Welcome to the Jungle,” that didn’t work,
and we weren’t going to try and make it work, either.
HOH: You watch five guys in Velvet Revolver on this DVD,
they’re all pros of their positions and it’s hard for the
audience to key in on one particular artist. There’s chemistry
between the five of you onstage that creates a sensory feast.
It helps not to have something too over-the-top, vocally.
MS: I think that’s kind of the genre of rock ‘n roll that we came from,
you know? We’ve all sort of created our own identity that is visually
captivating and entertaining. If you think back to the original lineup
of Guns n’ Roses, you look at a band with Steven and Izzy included,
they were all these characters. If you were a fan in the early days of
Hollywood (hard rock scene), they used to run around with fliers,
saying ‘Izzy, Axl, Slash, Duff, Steven,’ you know? It’s almost like they
could’ve made them G.I. Joe characters! I love that, because that’s
great rock ‘n roll. They had a little bit of presage about their
reputation. When we went to do Velvet Revolver, that was the
tradition of the kind of rock ‘n roll band we were going to present
ourselves as.
The grunge era had kind of watered down the rock star, so to speak.
(Kurt) Cobain was the anti-rock star. Here was this guy who said let’s
kibosh all rock stars, I’m going to come out wearing a flannel shirt,
be depressed, write songs with a whole different take, right? That
era came along and kiboshed it. The rap movement came over and
picked up where all the rock stars had left off and all of a sudden,
rappers were the ones drinking champagne in the strip bars. We
were like, ‘What just happened? What happened to rock ‘n roll?’
When we came back, obviously we’d gone through a lot, most of us
had sobered up, but we still had that sort of drive that spoke rock ‘n
roll as a lifestyle, which had created all of us as individuals. I think
that’s what’s represented when you watch the band. You go ‘Wow,
maybe these guys are the real deal! This isn’t completely put on.’
And it wasn’t.
HOH: The era of “big” rock has been sorely missing for a long
time now, and Velvet Revolver is still a band I believe in to
carry that forward. Buckcherry’s another one, yet there’s not
many “big” rock ‘n roll bands staking a claim in this market
today. You guys have two albums with monster hit after
monster hit. Whether they were successful on the radio or
not, they’re played with the attitude they’re monster hits. I
miss that, dude. I grew up in the eighties and while I’m an
underground hound, I do miss that era of fun and footloose
rock. Now, even with heavy metal returning in America, most
of it is so structured, so perfect, less from the hip, you know?
It’s so serious. As a drummer, I’m sure it has to be frustrating
to you that today’s metal and rock is mandated drummingwise by bpms. I personally would rather have groove instead,
you know?
MS: Right, but the metal world is whole different animal of its own. If
people have grown up in that genre, then that’s all they know. They
haven’t gone further back to steady the grade. I grew up in the
seventies, so I came from Led Zeppelin and Sabbath, Hendrix, the
Stones, Aerosmith and Cheap Trick, so they’re a part of who I am.
They’re who I represent. If you look at the era of music with Limp
Bizkit and all those bands, that rap metal kind of thing, they grew up
listening to Rage Against the Machine. Actually, if you listen to Rage
Against the Machine, the core of that band is Led Zeppelin-meetsJimi Hendrix. On top of that band is the whole political thing, but if
you listen to the music, it’s not that at all! Yet somehow that was
translated into rap rock—which came from bands like Faith No
More—you mix it with all the shit that created bands like Limp Bizkit
and Korn. I heard that shit and thought, ‘What is this?’ I didn’t get it
at all. I didn’t understand it, but those guys grew up with Metallica,
guys playing Jackson guitars and Fender Deville amps. Where did
the Les Pauls go? That’s the greatest sound ever created! One guy
stuck to his guns and kept playing it. His name’s Slash. He says, ‘I’m
going to play fucking Les Paul through a Marshall!’ It’s the greatest
guitar ever made and it has the classic rock ‘n roll sound. I do think
it’s cool that people feel they always have to push the envelope. You
can’t rest on your laurels and hope that rock ‘n roll adjusts.
HOH: Another thing I appreciate watching the DVD, you guys
get to jam a lot like on “Illegal I Song.” Unless you’re The
Black Crowes or Phish, there’s not a lot of freewheeling jam
in rock today like the old days with Deep Purple, Emerson,
Lake and Palmer or Rainbow with all those jam fests. Back
then, the jam was welcome in rock; it was so much a part of
the live experience. I was glad to see Velvet Revolver take a
chance and jam onstage.
MS: I think that middle section of “Illegal I Song” and on “Slither” a
bit, I remember telling the band, ‘Let’s kick it out there a little bit.’ I’d
gone to see Lenny Kravitz and his thing was like a superjam. A little
bit too much, you know, but I like that. When you’re doing a set and
you’ve been on the road for a year, you’re pretty much bringing
down the shit every night. It’s kind of cool, because you get to take a
section where everyone is kind of in freeform and you have some
fun for yourself. It’s not fun playing songs correctly in their sound
form. As a musician, you need some kind of outlet to look forward to
when you’re on a gig every night. It keeps you fresh, you know? It’s
fun to take some chances. That’s something I’d want to do again in
the new lineup when we go out again.
HOH: Let me get your impressions of playing those dates with
Motorhead for Mikkey Dee.
MS: Well, the fact they even asked me was a great honor. I have no
idea why that transpired. I’m not a Mikkey Dee kind of drummer, but
Lemmy asked me because he always claims Motorhead isn’t a metal
band. Metal is something that was attached to Motorhead.
Motorhead is more of a punk rock band mixed with fifties and sixties
elements, which came from Lemmy’s background playing hippie
music. If you listen to his music, it’s real rhythm and blues. When I
came in to play, I tried to do my best to give an interpretation
between Mikkey Dee and “Philthy” Phil Taylor. “Philthy” Taylor was
like a Steven Adler kind of drummer. He was not a technicallyproficient drummer by any means, but he had a vibe and a soul to
his drumming that helped create a sound that was the original
Motorhead. It was kind of a sloppy boogie rock thing, right? I’m the
kind of guy who’s a real steady drummer. Some people claim that’s
maybe a little too steady for their liking, but most bands that I’m in
like it because I don’t fucking drop the beat. I keep it pretty much
together and when I played with Motorhead, Lemmy really liked it,
because I played it a little more rock ‘n roll than metal.
HOH: Yeah, I was concerned about that, since Mikkey is
primarily a double-hammer kind of guy, one of the best at it,
actually.
MS: I used a double bass drum pedal. Before I joined The Cult, I
auditioned for David Lee Roth years ago, right after he was out of
Van Halen. I didn’t play double bass drum at all, and after I didn’t get
the gig with David Lee Roth, I found out Gregg Bissonette got the
gig and he was getting $8,000.00 a week. I just about killed myself,
because at the time I was broke, I didn’t have anything, so I went out
in a woodshed and got a double bass drum. I sat there and I played
double bass drum for like, ten years. I was fucking flying; I could play
(Motorhead’s) “Bomber” for two hours or “Overkill.” Then when I
auditioned for The Cult, they were like, ‘Why do you have the other
bass drum?’ (laughs) ‘Get rid of the other bass drum, we don’t ever
want to hear you do that!’ They wanted more of that AC/DC groove,
you know? So when it came time to go out for Motorhead, Lemmy
had asked Dave Grohl to play, but Dave doesn’t play double bass
drum. Lemmy asked me if I could play “Overkill,” and I said, ‘No
problem.’ I played “Bomber” and “Overkill” and I played a few songs
off the new record with double bass. That was fun! It was good
workout! I’m not claiming to be any Dave Lombardo, but I’ve got the
double bass drum chops! Lemmy’s interesting to talk to; he always
has funny anecdotes.
HOH: Tell me about you, Slash and Duff collaborating with
Macy Gray on “Kiss It.” Man, I’m sure that was a blast.
MS: Yeah, Macy’s a friend. I had her up at my studio and she asked
me, ‘Matt, can you call Slash and Duff?’ I said, ‘Well, yeah, baby!’
That’s pretty much how it went down. I think it’s a good track and a
good song. Slash is a funk master. He’s got that soulful kind of style,
anyway. I love Macy. I think she’s a super talent.
HOH: So, everybody’s reporting about the current Velvet
Revolver vocalist auditions. How’re things going to this
point? Any front runners?
MS: We’ve had more guys in the studio last month than we’ve had in
the last two-and-a-half years, so we’re going to make a point of
getting back out there in 2011. That’s the plan. We’ve been saying it
awhile and people are probably like, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever,’
but we haven’t given up hope. It’s a big animal to fill those shoes.
We want to make the right decision. We don’t want to come out halfcocked and let people down, and let ourselves down. We’re taking
our time, but we’re not going to take much more time, I can tell you
that. We’re ready to crank up again.