2009.09.28 - Blistering - Matt Sorum: No Rest for the Wicked [incomplete]

Matt Sorum – No Rest for the Wicked

By: Greg Dixon

Not one sit around and twiddle his thumbs, Velvet Revolver/ex-Guns N Roses drummer Matt Sorum is currently pounding the sticks on Motorhead’s North American tour as a fill-in for Mikkey Dee. A tall order indeed (Dee took time off to film a Swedish reality TV show), but for a veteran like Sorum, it’s business as usual. We caught up with Sorum in Orlando and prodded him on his stint with Motorhead, the status of Velvet Revolver and his extra-curricular activities, which include lots ‘o film scores, apparently…

Blistering.com: How did you get on this tour with Motorhead?

Matt Sorum: I have no idea…[laughs] No, I just happened to be at the Rainbow, [laughs]. No, I have played with Lemmy a few times out in L.A. guess he liked the way I played “Ace of Spades.” So he figured I could play the rest of the stuff [laughs]. He called me up, well he texted me first cause he does not do email, and he asked would I be up to coming out and playing. I thought that was a real honor you know, so I called him back right away, asked when can we get together and rehearse.

Blistering.com: Lemmy rehearses?

Sorum:We don’t have time to do that. So I flew out, met the band on the road, watched some of the shows and I joined the band in Washington DC and started the tour with them.

Blistering.com: What were you doing before the tour?

Sorum: Not much…waiting to get Velvet Revolver back, doing some film scores, producing my girlfriends band, Darling Stilettos, and playing in my band Camp Freddy. It was really cool to get the phone call. I was very happy to get the call!

Blistering.com: How’s the tour been for you so far?

Sorum: Great man, it’s been fun.

Blistering.com: So how did this tour happen between Motorhead and Reverend Horton Heat?

Sorum: Well you would have to ask Phil.

Blistering.com: Why is Reverend on tour with Motorhead?

Phil Campbell [Motorhead guitarist]: I don’t know, Lemmy did a recoding with them. So I think they are friends. I have grown to like the band, great musicians; they are great at what they do. I don’t really care for the rockabilly scene, but I think Lemmy likes it so it is a good thing.

Blistering.com: So are you a fan of Reverend Horton Heat?

Sorum: Of course! Yeah man they are great! I really like them.

Blistering.com: Do you think Velvet Revolver will get back together?

Sorum: I think it will. We have been emailing back and forth, in search of a singer, so we have high expectations. We want to make sure this singer will work and be a better thing. We looked a long time before we got Scott [Weiland] and I don’t know if we got Scott because it seemed like an easy way to fill the bill. I know we want to take it up a notch and make it better. When we got Scott, we jumped into it pretty quick. Even though Me, Slash, Duff [McKagen] and Dave [Kushner] have been working together on the first record before Scott came on, then Scott jumped on and we went on the road and did the record pretty quick. The second album I think we fell prey to more of what Scott wanted to do and we wanted to straight up rock-n-roll. I think this time around we would like to make a real strong rock album and stick with more of our roots.

Blistering.com: I know you, Slash and Duff had your own chemistry, was it hard to mesh with Scott when he came in?

Sorum: No not really, the first record he picked the songs. We had about fifty songs written. We just started to sing on them, that album happened real organically and really quickly. When we went to write the second album it seemed to take different road, which I always wanted to make a harder record, but I think we went a little lighter and the fans didn’t really care for that much. I think the second record is a good one but we did what we did. I think it was a weird chemistry between us.

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