Jump to content

Matt Sorum's Autobiography


Recommended Posts

12 hours ago, Amaya said:

The Cult ,Metallica ,story of typical groupies,rocker stuff. ok. Nothing out of the norm. I dare ask and dont know if I should or if you should post,  how old was he with his neighbor? Tell me 7 and not 13 ?

It says "We were only seven...." so apparently they were both seven years old.

Arguably, Matt himself was a victim in this situation if the girl was more developed and the one who was touching him and telling him what to do.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, Scream of the Butterfly said:

It says "We were only seven...." so apparently they were both seven years old.

Arguably, Matt himself was a victim in this situation if the girl was more developed and the one who was touching him and telling him what to do.

This story is either way disgusting to tell, Matt should rather look out for a good therapist than a new publisher for his book, if he's struggling with things like this.

Edited by EricA
  • Like 3
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Amaya said:

@The Holographic Universe@Brownstone drum                                     Do you think those relationships are forever  broken? I do.

I would say so.

I don't think he had a chance of getting back in if that's how he's behaved in previous bands, maybe he would have changed?

His behaviour seemed a bit extreme

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, DurhamGirl said:

I have not  read the book but two seven year olds...isnt this just kids playing about?

that (if true) is just kids playing around :blink:

"I mean, she knew exactly what she was doing and told me how to please her while she played with my dick."

 

  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, EricA said:

This story is either way disgusting to tell, Matt should rather look out for a good therapist than a new publisher for his book, if he's struggling with things like this.

I disagree. He has a right to tell his story even if it isn't a pleasant one.

 

1 hour ago, DurhamGirl said:

I have not  read the book but two seven year olds...isnt this just kids playing about?

Could be. Apparently, it isn't unusual for children to engage in sexual activities with other children. However, even Matt with the benefit of hindsight felt something wasn't right with the girl.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This book skips over way too many important things. No flow whatsoever!

I remember he first talked about this book right after the RHOF, in 2012. So he had eight years and two ghostwriters and THIS was the best he could do?!

Edited by rocknroll41
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, rocknroll41 said:

This book skips over way too many important things. No flow whatsoever!

I remember he first talked about this book right after the RHOF, in 2012. So he had eight years and two ghostwriters and THIS was the best he could do?!

Rumor has it the ghostwriters were Charlie Sheen and Bill Clinton.

  • Thanks 1
  • Haha 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you are a fan of GNR then you know that Matt Sorum is an abrasive character. Furthermore, his playing added a grand stadiumesque quality to GNR for Illusions et al.  He admits in his book having a mercenary quality. It’s understandable that from 2014 he held out in hope that Axl would let him back and that Duff would have his back, but whatever your think of Axl, he tries to do right by his band mates, in particular his current band mates and their families (according to Sean Beavan). If Frank Ferrer is good enough to play in concert with super drummer Danny Carey. Then best to eat humble pie and move on with your life. Matt’s disappointment is understandable but need note have publicly shamed Duff. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, Amaya said:

@The Holographic Universe@Brownstone drum                                     Do you think those relationships are forever  broken? I do.

Yes. For many reasons,  it they are all 60 or close to that age, so there is zero room for drama. And Matt sounds like drama.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have read most of it and I have to say, this is the lowest grade  GNR related book of any kind to date. And I've read 'em all.

While there are some interesting insights, tidbits and alternate perspectives it's largely coloured by a real sense of insincerity,  insecurity, boastfulness and outright boorishness. I am definitely no prude, but the way he talks about groupies and women in general is toe-curlingly cringeworthy. I can't begin to imagine what his wife makes of some of the excerpts. 

As to why he is not on the NITL tour - if you read this book, I think it will become abundantly clear why. If I had not read this book I would still probably consider he was the best option for the reunion but its very obvious now that his general douchery is the main reason and he has no one to blame but himself.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, themadcaplaughs said:

I pretty much agree with what everyone says about the book. Just a few GN'R tidbits I noticed that I haven't seen mentioned here:

-The first day Matt rehearsed with the band, it started with him just hanging out with Duff and Slash. Izzy came in after a while, and played acoustic demos of a couple of songs (I cannot remember which ones he said, but they are both songs that made the album). He describes the demos as very "raw." After going over the chord changes with Izzy, Slash and Duff start playing over Izzy's song. Matt describes it as basically two different things going on: Izzy playing with the underlying song with his roots-y sound, and Slash and Duff doing their own thing over the song (he specifically mentions how Slash's guitar parts and Duff's bass lines play off each other perfectly). Matt says the second he heard this jamming, he realized this was the Guns N' Roses "sound" and what made them so distinctive. To Matt's credit, I think this may be the most detailed and accurate description of the GN'R dynamic. 

-Lars has been mentioned here a few times, and I think everyone knows Lars is a very competitive man, but it seems like Lars really felt a bit jealous/threatened of Guns N' Roses' success and the amount of their output during the Use Your Illusion era. At different times, Matt mentions Slash and management both getting mad at him for "talking shop" with Lars.

-On the Metallica note, Matt does go out of his way to stick up for Axl in regards to the Montreal riot. As stated earlier on the thread, Metallica kept adding more and more pyro to the show to upstage Guns N' Roses (to the point that Matt believed they had broken their contract - which specifically addressed such matters). Matt says he was a little pissed off when Metallica said the band was just "chilling backstage." Apparently they were all together, and as soon as they got the word, Axl immediately got up and said "let's get out there as quickly as possible." Metallica had insisted on using their own lighting rig and sound equipment/PA, so during a normal show, it would usually take 55 minutes to an hour to get Guns N' Roses' rig ready. That night, the crew managed to do it in 45 minutes, but Matt says that Axl was not lying when he said the PA was malfunctioning. He could hear it from the drum set.

-Dizzy knocked up three different women during the Use Your Illusion tour. Matt suggests child support may be the biggest reason Dizzy stayed with Guns N' Roses through the 1990s. 

-One day during the late 1993-1997 era, Axl came into the studio in a particularly good mood and exclaimed that "I think we may have a good verse and a good chorus." Matt asked Axl to clarify what he mean, and Axl said that he had one good verse for a song, and a good chorus for another song. This was after approximately four years of work. Matt states that this was when he really lost all hope that anything could come of the sessions. 

-During the same time period, Matt was the one who first explained the looping process to Axl. Axl apparently heard some loops in a song Matt produced for another artist. Matt explained the whole concept of Pro-Tools and looping to Axl (Axl had never worked on anything but tape before). After that, Axl became obsessed with looping. This was all at the same time Slash had all but officially left, and Axl was learning guitar. During the few times Axl came in and rehearsed with Matt and Duff, Axl would play some terrible guitar part, immediately scream for the engineer to "loop it," and make Slash and Duff jam on that riff for hours. 

-At one point in 1994/1995, the band finally decided to have the entire band at that point - Slash, Axl, Duff, Dizzy, and Matt meet in one room to have a meeting, air out any grievances, and genuinely try to pave a path forward for the band. Apparently, it mainly turned into Axl bringing up random issues he had with Slash and Duff from the early and mid 1980s; things that neither Slash or Duff actually remembered. When the band finally got to discussing music, Axl brought up "modernizing" the band with synthesizers. Slash went back and forth with Axl on this for a while, but eventually gave up and left the room. This was the last time Slash did anything with the band before officially leaving in 1996.

-Matt actually likes the Libertad record a lot, and says he considers it even more impressive given how fractured the relationship in the band was at that point between Scott and everyone else. As had been stated before, Rubin was supposed to produce the record, but basically dismissed all the songs the band had brought to the table and told them "keep writing." Scott brought up the idea of Brendan O' Brien. Slash and Duff were against the idea because they thought it would just fuel the idea that Velvet Revolver was a Stone Temple Pilots/Guns N' Roses mash-up rather than a true band. Matt, however, was all for the idea just to keep the ball rolling, and Duff and Slash eventually gave in. Brendan apparently really liked all of the songs, and made some "solid" suggestions to improve them; at which point the band commenced recording. I thought this was particularly interesting given how Dave Kushner told this story on Appetite for Distortion a few years back, but saw it as a negative (he felt the band rushed into the second album way too quickly, and should have spent more time working on better material). 

This was really interesting and informative - thank you.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Malcolm Malcolm  Thnx for that was informative and he should have more in his book. Sex- we know .Tell only the funny stories.  Drugs, yeah, but make it funny and and and give the reader a chance to cheer for him as he figured, drugs dont work. Okokok. If you had a dollar everytime these guys had sex, was sexed, used drugs, you would be rich. His book should have been 20% sex, 20% drugs. 60% all about the music, making the music. That about his first day rehearsal with GnR, WoW. So that is how they created their sound. OK! Tell the reader what they don't know. The inner workings of GnR, VR. Backstage private things.The band and staff as a company secrets. I would like to know from him, he should have written, The Cult job was great because it was a big, major touring band and that got him to GnR. At G, how did it feel to say, he made it. Life game changer up. 

Edited by Amaya
Typo
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, jimmythegent said:

Have read most of it and I have to say, this is the lowest grade  GNR related book of any kind to date. And I've read 'em all.

While there are some interesting insights, tidbits and alternate perspectives it's largely coloured by a real sense of insincerity,  insecurity, boastfulness and outright boorishness. I am definitely no prude, but the way he talks about groupies and women in general is toe-curlingly cringeworthy. I can't begin to imagine what his wife makes of some of the excerpts. 

As to why he is not on the NITL tour - if you read this book, I think it will become abundantly clear why. If I had not read this book I would still probably consider he was the best option for the reunion but its very obvious now that his general douchery is the main reason and he has no one to blame but himself.

Well said

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This  long delay could be really good for him.Blessing in disguise kind of thing  He should really revise his book. There should be lots of  people in his inner world who read it  and should see it needs changes. It can make a difference between Peoole magazine, RS good reviews and  being on sale at book retailers  for a nice run or being in the bargain bin retailers.  The pandemic and everything  else going this year, so far, for some people can be a positive wait or positive time to change. Ex. I  know of friends move on hold so they can build  a house  and a wedding postponed.

Edited by Amaya
Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 minutes ago, Amaya said:

This  long delay could be really good for him.Blessing in disguise kind of thing  He should really revise his book. There should be lots of  people in his inner world who read it  and should see it needs changes. It can make a difference between Peoole magazine, RS good reviews and  being on sale at book retailers  for a nice run or being in the bargain bin retailers.  The pandemic and everything  else going this year, so far, for some people can be a positive wait or positive time to change. Ex. I  know of friends move on hold so they can build  a house  and a wedding postponed.

I think it will ultimately come out and no-one will really read it enough to care. It's of such minority interest really, and the fact that it really isn't either very good or very informative means it will just sink like a stone anyway. 

I don't actually think too much time/effort was expended into writing it anyway really, so I doubt commercial hopes were ever very high. 

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...