2001.12.10 - The Lost Rose - Interview with Matt

12-10-2001

My interview with Matt

Hey Gunners! Finally after the hype, here it is! I was fortunate enough to meet Matt Sorum after a Cult concert on the November 21st and had a chance bother him a little with a couple of my silly questions. Hehe. I duno, this was the second time me meeting him, but every time I get so star-struck that I instantly become "dork-o-fied". When I listen to the tape, I must have said "that's awesome" about a million times. Hehe. That doesn't happen with other rockstars that I talked to, only Matt. I just got so nervous for some reason... I duno. But I think the interview ain't that bad. It's actually my first interview with a rock star, I talked to many other rockers, but never did an actual interview with them. Before going to the concert I was looking through some older interview with Matt trying to figure out what questions to ask him. I tried to ask him questions that weren't really discussed before. Alright, enough of my japping, enjoy the interview. Also when you have a chance, go check out The Cult. They put on a great show. Rock on!

Me: Whatever happened to Binge?

Matt: Binge?

Me: Yeah.

Matt: That was just a project man.

Me: Just a project?

Matt: Steve Canton went on the road with Tori Amos and right when he got back from the road, I rejoined The Cult. So the project, basically we created that album in my bedroom and we put it out on the internet and that was it. We never played live or anything.

Me: Never? Ahh.

Matt: Uh-huh.

Me: I was really wondering about that.

Matt: It was a cool CD though, you ever hear it?

Me: I just heard some demos on the internet, but that was it. I wanted to check it out, but I couldn't. How about your new album "Hollywood Zen"? When is that coming out?

Matt: February or March... Yeah it's done, I just got to package it, got to do the album cover and I shot the photos before I left. February...

Me: February? That's cool.

Matt: And I'm gonna have a fan site, you know, www.mattsorum.com, but it's going to be released on a label called Conspiracy Music.

Me: What kind of genre is it going to be?

Matt: Not as hard as the Cult, not as heavy as the Cult, it's more pop-y kind of cool songs, you know. It's a personal album; it's about my experiences living in Hollywood. I've been living there 21 years. So it's sort of coming to the terms living there.

Me: Cool. I heard you got Slash on one of the songs?

Matt: Slash played on a song called "Blame Game".

Me: "Blame Game"? That's awesome.

Matt: It's kind of cool, he just came over and whooped out a solo for me, came to my house. It worked out good.

Me: Speaking of Slash, like what do you think of his latest efforts like "Ain't Life Grand" and stuff like that?

Matt: I haven't heard that record.

Me: Haven't heard it?

Matt: No.

Me: Ahh, how about Izzy's "River"?

Matt: I haven't heard that record. (laughs)

Me: How about the latest GN'R stuff they released like...

Matt: I haven't heard it. (laughs)

Me: Nothing!?

Matt: Have you?

Me: Yeah.

Matt: What?

Me: Like the new song "Madagascar", "The Blues", "Oh My God"... Never heard any of that stuff?

Matt: "Madagascar"? When did that come out?

Me: It's like basically from the Rio concert.

Matt: No.

Me: No? Haven't heard it?

Matt: Not interested.

Me: Not interested?

Matt: No. No comment, not interested. (laughs)

Me: Well, this stuff is basically about GN'R. (I'm looking at my questions) Like when did you leave exactly? I've been looking on the internet, but I could never find an exact date.

Matt: An evening in 1997. (laughs) I can't remember the month. All I remember is that I was had a candle box at my house, so it was freezing. I came home, and I said "I've just been fired". I remember what time of the year it was... I think it was summer time. Might have been April... March or April. I think so, 1997.

Me: What happened, I mean was this Paul Tobias guy...

Matt: We weren't getting along. (laughs) We weren't playing live. I wanted to get out and play. But no one else wanted to play so we...

Me: It's not this Paul Tobias guy that everyone is talking about.

Matt: Who's that?

Me: Supposed to be this Axl's friend, man...

Matt: Paul Tobias? Is that his stage name? (laughs)

Me: I think he goes by another name...

Matt: Paul Hugey, you mean.

Me: Yeah, Paul Hugey.

Matt: H U G E Y. I though he should change his name to Paul Huge. (laughs)

Me: Didn't get along with the guy, huh?

Matt: Ahh, I like to call him the Yoko Ono of Guns N' Roses. (laughs)

Me: Yoko Ono, eh?

Matt: The man who broke the band up.

Me: Is that really what happened? That's what's everyone's been saying, so I duno.

Matt: You are the first guy who ever got me to say that. But, yeah. (laughs)

Me: Let me see what else....

Matt: So I guess Axl's lawyers are going to be contacting you. (laughs)

Me: Oh yeah, oh yeah. (laughs)

Matt: So go ahead.

Me: What's up with you being listed as additional musician on the Live Era credits? What's up with that?

Matt: Additional musician?

Me: Yeah, didn't you play on most of those tracks?

Matt: 21 out of 23 actually. None of those songs were recorded before 1991. So that album, saying 87 to 93 is a complete farce. There are two songs on that album recorded before 1990. But the rest of it was 1991, 1992. The big tour that we did. All of that record was recorded then. At three shows specifically... Joe Robbie Stadium, some of that stuff came from Tokyo and I believe the show in Paris, and the Patience track on that album was actually from a board tape. Recorded by our soundman, who passed away, called Dave Care. He recorded that. But we did not have a version on tape that was any good. But I wasn't involved in that record.

Me: Yeah I heard it was only Axl and Slash and they didn't even talk to each other.

Matt: Nah, not really. I mean the reason why I was listed as additional musician is because me and Axl were not getting along. He made that call.

Me: I figure.. That's sad though...

Matt: That's just the way it went down.

Me: I'm just curious, you ever met Steven Adler?

Matt: Yeah.

Me: What'd he say? How did he feel about you replacing him?

Matt: I said to him, if it wasn't me it would be someone else. You know? That's basically the truth. Unfortunately, it did not work out for him.

Me: Yeah.

Matt: So that's the story. (laughs)

Me: Got anything to say to your fans on the internet? Any message?

Matt: Are you going to put this on, on some kind of streamer?

Me: Nah, probably not. I'll just probably type it up.

Matt: (laughs) Type it up?

Me: Type it up.

Matt: Keep rocking.

Me: Keep rocking?

Matt: Keep rocking, right on.

Me: Alright man, thanks a lot.

Matt: Good luck.

https://web.archive.org/web/20011213232723/http://www.lostrose.com/news.htm