Matt Sorum On Guns N' Roses 'I'm Just Happy We're All Still Alive'

[DieselDaisy]

The phone thing is a sad trend. The whole gigging thing these days is horribly corporate and full of casuals who just go to hear the hits and do not care about the actual band. With older acts like gnr and the stones, people go, just so they can say they have seen them one time before they all die. It is a 'tell the grandkids' moment, filed and logged away, to be trotted out when the grandkids arrive: ''you know, when I was a nipper, I once saw The Rolling Stones''. Literally that is the reason. It is basically: get your fill before Keith Richards dies. Capitalise when his respiratory system is still operating, like a bastman on a dustbowl of a wicket: get your runs in, get your batting averages up.

So you consequentially leave your four hundred at the door to hear ''Satisfaction''. There is something off putting about the experience. Robert Plant, a man who I have infinite amount of respect for, summed it up best when he said, regarding a Zeppelin reunion, ''enter town; play the hits; gather up your cash and all your remaining t-shirts; move on to the next town''. I'm quoting that from memory by the way but that is essentially why he vetoes a reunion, the cooperate shallowness of arena 'oldies circuit' rock.

It is always played in these vacuous hockey arenas and stadiums also. Horrible.

I used to be like a few people on here (like powerage and sabbath) and traveled to shows in London or Scotland. I remember travelling to Sheffield to see Slash's Snakepit! That is hardcore fandom there. Sheffield!! For Snakepit!! What an idiot. Now I tend to prefer going to sports. I always seem to enjoy it more. Probably only Neil would get me out of the house now. I would actually much prefer to see Keith Richards solo than the Stones. This is what he should be doing in his old age, little acoustic albums and theatres like the bluesmen who are his heroes - not this nostalgia stadium shit.

[passenger57]

There's definitely something more routine about Stones or U2 shows. Axl doesn't seem to be as bad with that anymore. Coincidentally seems to have lost a bit of his fire live.

I was watching a live dvd of a Stones show in Rio I think and Jagger told his tour manager he wasnt going on. Packed stadium. Tour manager is losing it. But when they hit the stage it's way more epic. Or just following Jagger to the stage is. With all the problems in the world and it all just comes down to the singer getting on stage.

Axl seems to have lost his fire because he has nothing left to prove. He is worth 100 million dollars. And he is 50 something years old and 50 pounds heavier than he was back in his prime.

Fire and going on stage on time have nothing to do with each other. Dude just isn't hungry anymore and doesn't seem to really care.

It's unfortunate. Because when Axl wants to, the guy can still be the best frontman in rock.

I agree with this. I would only hope that reuniting with Slash would make Axl want give it one last go, bring back the fire and go out on top one more time for the fans. Or maybe it's too late, time will tell. Either way he will always be the best frontman in rock to me. 'Nothing lasts forever..'

[Apollo]

There's definitely something more routine about Stones or U2 shows. Axl doesn't seem to be as bad with that anymore. Coincidentally seems to have lost a bit of his fire live.

I was watching a live dvd of a Stones show in Rio I think and Jagger told his tour manager he wasnt going on. Packed stadium. Tour manager is losing it. But when they hit the stage it's way more epic. Or just following Jagger to the stage is. With all the problems in the world and it all just comes down to the singer getting on stage.

Axl seems to have lost his fire because he has nothing left to prove. He is worth 100 million dollars. And he is 50 something years old and 50 pounds heavier than he was back in his prime.

Fire and going on stage on time have nothing to do with each other. Dude just isn't hungry anymore and doesn't seem to really care.

It's unfortunate. Because when Axl wants to, the guy can still be the best frontman in rock.

I agree with this. I would only hope that reuniting with Slash would make Axl want give it one last go, bring back the fire and go out on top one more time for the fans. Or maybe it's too late, time will tell. Either way he will always be the best frontman in rock to me. 'Nothing lasts forever..'

I think he would bring back the fire for a reunion.

Definitely for a five or six year period he was the best rock frontman in the world.

Lack of material and shotty touring prevents me from putting him at the number one spot.

[wasted]

Wasted is hoarding CD2 in his stoner flat in Beijing. You have heard it here first. The guy is blasting Atlas Shrugged and Oklahoma every night

Jump drives in escrow.

[Route66]

Matt contradicts himself like fuck. On the one hand he comments about Axl being late as disrespectful and on the other he's saying the Foo's lack "danger" and unpredictability. He's always nice when i've met him (several times now) but i wish he'd get a grip on stuff like this and be consistent. When VR broke up in Glasgow his comments on their site were also very ill thought out.

[Mr. Dude]

The phone thing is a sad trend. The whole gigging thing these days is horribly corporate and full of casuals who just go to hear the hits and do not care about the actual band. With older acts like gnr and the stones, people go, just so they can say they have seen them one time before they all die. It is a 'tell the grandkids' moment, filed and logged away, to be trotted out when the grandkids arrive: ''you know, when I was a nipper, I once saw The Rolling Stones''. Literally that is the reason. It is basically: get your fill before Keith Richards dies. Capitalise when his respiratory system is still operating, like a bastman on a dustbowl of a wicket: get your runs in, get your batting averages up.

So you consequentially leave your four hundred at the door to hear ''Satisfaction''. There is something off putting about the experience. Robert Plant, a man who I have infinite amount of respect for, summed it up best when he said, regarding a Zeppelin reunion, ''enter town; play the hits; gather up your cash and all your remaining t-shirts; move on to the next town''. I'm quoting that from memory by the way but that is essentially why he vetoes a reunion, the cooperate shallowness of arena 'oldies circuit' rock.

It is always played in these vacuous hockey arenas and stadiums also. Horrible.

I used to be like a few people on here (like powerage and sabbath) and traveled to shows in London or Scotland. I remember travelling to Sheffield to see Slash's Snakepit! That is hardcore fandom there. Sheffield!! For Snakepit!! What an idiot. Now I tend to prefer going to sports. I always seem to enjoy it more. Probably only Neil would get me out of the house now. I would actually much prefer to see Keith Richards solo than the Stones. This is what he should be doing in his old age, little acoustic albums and theatres like the bluesmen who are his heroes - not this nostalgia stadium shit.

I couldn't agree more about the phone bit. People will debate whether it was the record companies, the artists, etc that ruined rock n roll. Well, it was the people, the fans that killed rock n roll. People are so disconnected from reality and the experience that lies before them. How idiotic is it that people watch concerts through a shitty piece of plastic with a lens? They're more concerned with letting people know that they were there than they actually are with being there. In the words of the late great George Carlin "this whole generation has been bought off with cheap, plastic gadgets" and my personal favorite "Fuck the public." The last one should be a campaign slogan. Truth in advertising.

[HOOSIER GUNZ]

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I can see where your coming from dude. But I like being able to capture some or all of the show/sounds and bring them home with me. I mean I pay 50 to 150 for seat/ticket I wanna relive it and show my buddies. I've found it really does not depreciate my experience, however some fans get annoyed but there again most in attendance whip out there camera or device at some point in the show to record something.

[DieselDaisy]

One simply has to be able to relive the wonderful experience of holding your arm aloft for two-three hours!

[-W.A.R-]

So much rock n' roll. An old, bitter, full of anger man forced to perform because he couldn't afford a riot. That said, he sounds excellent!

as unenthusiastic and boring as that was, the vocals weren't that bad

Edited November 5, 2015 by -HollywoodRose-

[Mr. Dude]

One simply has to be able to relive the wonderful experience of holding your arm aloft for two-three hours!

Maybe I can do that the next time Axl's late. Good thinking.

[Billsfan]

Well, I get what Matt is sayin but those days are over.. It was cool to shoot heroin do blow drunk snort smoke shoot.. Then you see the damage that is done. I get it and I get why he has the balls to attack the foo fighters since they're the only great consistent rock band anymore still proucing hits.. However, his tactics to apply motivation will fail.

Man it was so cool when I ran that red light the other day. And I had s few beers in me.. Holy shit I should have done jail times. But then again, shouldn't I have?!

Just because I felt like a bad ass for getting away with something I shouldn't have, doesn't make it right or acceptable to pass the torch. I get it was bad ass for a lot of rock stars to get away with what they did but THEY WERE LUCKY.. Not everyone else is and not everyone will be.

Get s grip sorum

[wasted]

It's pretty standard rock legend stuff. We should've died. If they lived like they do now they would never been that big. The successors to Aerosmith or The Stones had to have the outlaw lifestyle. They became legends and now it's time to cash that reunion cheque.

[Snowmass]