2005.01.07 - Kerrang! - Interview with Matt

Velvet Revolver are heading back our way with their K!-sponsored Rock & Fuckin' Roll show. And drummer Matt Sorum has the ladies of Britain on his mind...

K: How's the tour going?

MATT: God, I can't really complain. We've played to so many people, so many different sized venues... I mean, Hammersmith was awesome last time. I don't like to play anything bigger than 5,000. It feels better, it sounds better. Arena rock is cool, but it's just not my thing.

K: A 5,000-seater isn't exactly intimate.

MATT: Yeah, but at least we can see who we're playing for.

K: What are the crowds like?

MATT: We get everyone! Old people, really really young people ... I noticed when we first came out it was really male-dominated, which kind of bummed me out being a single guy, but now it's like at least 50% young girls. Seventeen, 18, 19 ... very few over 30.

K: So, you're a man on the prowl?

MATT: Oh yeah! But it's also very interesting. It's either older people who probably never had a chance to see us before, or young people who aren't buying into the whole pop-fucking "ram it down your throat" sensibility.

K: Showing younger bands how it's done, eh?

MATT: Totally. We don't sit around and talk about the concept. It's just good honest rock 'n' roll. It's
coming to a show and not having to just watch someone just fucking stand there. We go out and pull the fucking trigger. We kick ass.

K: Speaking of asses, do you ever get tired of looking at Scott Weiland's backside?

MATT: Er ... I'll say of any band I've been in that this is the best time. We'll have some shows with him where we're 10 percent down but with Axl we had shows where we were 100 percent down.

K: Are you shy about playing your past hits?

MATT: No way. I took a young girlfriend of mine - this little 21-yr-old Brazilian girl I used to date -
out to see Audioslave and they didn't play any Rage Against The Machine Or Soundgarden songs. She was really disappointed. I learned something from that. It's like, "Why can't we just give the people exactly what they want?" But we could never do "Sweet Child O' Mine"

K: Why's that?

MATT: That would be contrived and cheesy. We asked Scott what he wanted to do, and he chose some like, "It's so Easy" and "Mr Brownstone" And I love playing (Stone Temple Pilots') "Crackerman" and "Sex Type Thing". That's such a great fucking song. We don't fucking dick around with the set-list. We go out there and get it done.

K: But won't that overshadow your new material?

MATT: You know what? No, because whatever anyone says, "Appetite For Destruction" is going to be around for fucking forever, and that's okay because we don't have a problem with our heritage. And the reality is we can't actually do a 90-min Velvet Revolver set, because we don't have enough songs!

K: What should a girl do to get your attention?

MATT: Just come right up to me and say hello. I usually go and introduce myself or I send my buddy at the audience ...

K: Throw a drumstick...

MATT: Oh yeah, I'll do that at the end of the night. But it's an even spread. The guys get the sticks too.

K: Just not the ones with your phone number on them...

MATT: Exactly! No, we've got a system. It's old school. Basically just go out there, and grab 'em. There's a point where it will fade but right now I'm still loving it so what the fuck? Pretty girls, playing rock 'n' roll... what more can a guy ask for?