L.A. Weekly reporter Art Tavana was recently interviewed on Appetite for Distortion and discussed Guns N’ Roses’ rumored 2016 offer to Matt Sorum. Alternative Nation transcribed the quotes.
“This is not a secret, Matt Sorum was offered the similar kind of Steven Adler thing, where hey, you can play a couple shows.”
He added, “He was offered spots, and he refused because he wasn’t getting paid what he thought he should have gotten paid is what I’m told.”
Matt Sorum tweeted in April that he ‘wasn’t asked’ to take part in the Guns N’ Roses reunion. “No sir, they didn’t ask me.”
Tavana also discussed Steven Adler.
“[Steven] Adler’s back is too injured to be a full time member of the band. I don’t think would have ever been a full time member of the band, even if he was fully healthy, because Frank [Ferrer] is an Axl guy, the same way Richard Fortus is, so that will never change. I don’t personally think [Adler] will be involved in songwriting, I don’t think he ever was. I love Adler, I think he’s one of the best parts of [Appetite for Destruction].”
Matt Sorum was interviewed by WRIF in June, and before the pre-recorded interview played, the host mentioned that he was asked to not ask about Guns N’ Roses during the interview. Despite this, Sorum hinted and alluded to his exclusion from Guns N’ Roses’ ‘Not In This Lifetime’ tour a few times during the interview. Alternative Nation transcribed some quotes from the 25 minute interview.
Sorum discussed his place in bands he’s been in, “I’ve always been a little bit more of an outspoken guy in a band, and maybe that’s why I move around so much (laughs).”
He later said, “Obviously there’s bands of mine that I’ve been playing with over the years that are out on the road doing different things. People go, ‘Hey Matt, Don’t you wish you were doing that?’ I go, ‘No, I like what the next thing brings.'”
Sorum later discussed having faith in rock and roll, and his outlook on life, specifically when it came to being left out of things.
“Don’t ever get like oh hey, I got left out of that, or I got left out of this. The idea is gratitude. I heard Hillary Clinton talk about this the other day. They were asking her about her faith, and she said she studies gratitude every day. I thought if we have a President who is pushing a sermon of gratitude, that sounds pretty good to me. Because we’re always kind of nay saying on everything in life, but we seem to forget what we have.
I always reflect on what I’ve been given. You don’t get it for free, you’ve got to go out and work for it, and you have to have a certain talent, and I don’t take my talent for granted. So when I go into a situation, I come in there ready, professional, with the best attitude possible. I’ve been blessed, I go, I’m grateful. That’s not always been me, I’ve got to be honest, but as you get a little older in life you go oh wow, life’s pretty good.”
