- 6 minutes ago
Matt Sorum has spent decades behind the kit for some of rock’s most iconic bands, including Guns N’ Roses, The Cult, and Velvet Revolver. But these days, the drummer is just as focused on giving back, staying creative and making sure the next generation gets the same access to music that helped shape his own life. In a new interview on Joann Butler In Studio With..., Sorum talks about the inaugural Palm Springs Sound & Vision Awards, a benefit tied to his Adopt the Arts foundation. The event honored vocalist Paul Rodgers (Free, Bad Company) and Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler, and brought together an all-star lineup including Nuno Bettencourt, Steve Stevens, Corey Taylor and Lzzy Hale. The performances were captured for Sound & Vision Live, a limited-edition double-vinyl album produced by Sorum, which is limited to 2,000 copies. The album is available for pre-order through Experience Vinyl. The collector’s release directly benefits Adopt the Arts, which he co-founded with actress Jane Lynch in 2010. Sorum also looks back on the very different worlds of The Cult, Guns N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver. His work with Guns N’ Roses helped earn him induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, and he later found another major chapter with Velvet Revolver. He remembers the band as a particularly exciting rebirth and credits Scott Weiland with helping inspire its style and evolution. “Scott was just such a gem of a frontman,” Sorum says, calling him one of the best. The group’s success, including a number-one album and a Grammy win, remains one of the highlights of his career. And what if Guns N’ Roses called and asked him to come back? “I don’t know. I changed my phone number,” Sorum jokes when Butler asks him. He also weighs in on rock music today, saying the genre needs another true “cultural shift” like the one that happened when Nirvana arrived. His advice to younger musicians is to stop worrying about what sounds “modern” and concentrate on making the music they actually want to make — and writing great songs. Away from the stage, becoming a father at 60 has given Sorum a whole new perspective. He calls having his daughter “the greatest decision I ever made,” saying she inspired him to get healthier, take better care of himself and want to live a longer life. And after everything he’s experienced, Sorum says he wouldn’t change much. His advice to his younger self: “Do it exactly the way you did it, because you’re supposed to be right where you are right now.”
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00:00The Velvet Revolver and the cult.
00:02It was lightning in a bottle, as I say.
00:05That was just such a gem of a front man.
00:07An interesting character, difficult at times,
00:10but what a great front man.
00:11Rock and roll is something that I feel needs to happen again.
00:14It needs to be a cultural shift.
00:16Don't say you're old, because when you do,
00:18the universe is listening.
00:19I'm 65.
00:21I feel like I'm 20.
00:22I could kick your ass right now.
00:23No.
00:23Having a daughter at 60 was the greatest decision I ever made.
00:27Guns N' Roses is on tour right now.
00:29If you're invited back, would you go?
00:31I don't know.
00:31I changed my phone number.
00:34Hey, it's Matt Storm.
00:35You might know me from Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver, and the cult.
00:38And you're in studio with me and Joanne Butler.
00:43So Sound & Vision, a limited edition all-star double vinyl.
00:48Well, it's all based around the charity that I formed about 14 years ago, Adopt the Arts.
00:53You know, every year we got to raise money, so we throw an event.
00:56And Sound & Vision, I did with Moby and I think Sammy Hagar as this award honoring a great cultural
01:04rock and roll music icon.
01:06I've done Billy Gibbons, Glenn Hughes, many, many artists.
01:09But this year we honored Paul Rogers from Bad Company and Free and Gieser Butler of Black Sabbath.
01:15But that was really cool because Paul lives here in the desert in the wintertime and just a huge icon.
01:23And I'm a massive fan of his voice, probably one of the greatest rock singers in history.
01:29And then, of course, Black Sabbath, I mean, come on.
01:31I grew up with that.
01:33You know, and Gieser and me had a short-lived band called Deadland Ritual.
01:37So once I got those guys to say yes, I just started calling all these musicians.
01:42And in our world of musicians, we all bow down to these guys, right?
01:48I mean, they came before us.
01:50Typically, I'm about 10 years behind both those guys.
01:54So I grew up with that music.
01:56You know, so it's mutual respect.
01:59Not mutual.
02:01For the band, the band guys, it's mutual.
02:04But honoring these guys was a no-brainer.
02:06So Nuno Bentoncourt came, Steve Stevens, Phil X, Stevie Salas, Robert Tolillo from Stone Temple Pilots.
02:14And then the singers, Corey Taylor from Slipknot, Lizzie Hale.
02:18Amazing.
02:19You got to check out.
02:20We have two videos up right now, War Pigs, which is almost 2 million views.
02:25Wow.
02:25Corey Taylor, Steve Stevens, you know, and Gieser on bass.
02:29That's the sound of the record.
02:30So I'll get into that in a second.
02:32So I recorded this whole thing at the Plaza Theater here.
02:37And I was just going to kind of have it.
02:40And then I listened to it.
02:43And I was like, okay, this is just too good.
02:46And I felt it on the night.
02:47Everything was like, was just, everything was on, you know, felt magical.
02:52And then I'm like, well, if I put the record together, we could do this double album, one with Gieser
02:58and one with Paul.
02:59And I have their speeches on there and some other cool stuff.
03:03I have a choir called The Changels, 120 kids.
03:05And we did a whole opening with them.
03:07And I put that on the record.
03:09They do changes and all right now.
03:10The kids.
03:11So that's on the end of the album.
03:13I just liked the whole process of putting this vinyl thing together.
03:16Cause I hadn't done it in a while.
03:18I hadn't done it since Velvet Revolver.
03:20But being able to raise money with it seemed the right thing to do because I have my own vinyl
03:25company called experiencevinyl.com.
03:27That's online.
03:29Me and my partner, Seth, have 40,000 titles.
03:32I did that because I just love vinyl.
03:34And now it's like a, it's a business.
03:36We sell a lot of records.
03:37And I'm so glad it's back.
03:39It never left for me, but.
03:40It is.
03:41Yeah.
03:41To a point where it's, it's harder to make vinyl because everyone wants it.
03:47And that's.
03:47Right.
03:49People.
03:49There's always a backlash in music.
03:51If you ever noticed when people are just like, they're just getting inundated, inundated with digital.
03:57It's just like, ah, if I have to watch one more Instagram post that someone does.
04:01Right.
04:02You know, having a fight in a train station is ah.
04:06So where do I go?
04:08Right.
04:08Right.
04:09I go in my room and put it on a vinyl record and get a glass of wine and kick
04:13back and unwind
04:15and disconnect from all the crap.
04:18Hell yeah.
04:18Yep.
04:19So that's where we're at with this.
04:21You know, it's like making this record was a labor of love.
04:25Number one.
04:25Number two, it's going to raise money, which you get right away.
04:30It's not Spotify, which I don't know when you get the money.
04:34I don't know if it ever even comes.
04:35I haven't seen it.
04:38Anyway, we can raise a good a good chunk of money.
04:41It's going to go straight to the charity.
04:43Nobody's making any money on this record except for the kids.
04:46So that's a really good way to do it.
04:48And we're doing 2000 albums that are going to be limited colors variant.
04:53So Paul's got a color.
04:55He's got a color.
04:56You can go on experience final dot com right now.
04:59See what it looks like.
05:00Pre-order.
05:01And it's a feel good.
05:02You know, you're going to get a nice piece of art that I'm going to tell you, I spent
05:05six months working on it.
05:06So it's a labor.
05:08And then you're going to get a give back, too.
05:10You're going to help these kids in this program that I've been running for 14 years.
05:14So it's great.
05:16Feel good in more ways than one.
05:18That's for sure.
05:19Tell us a little bit about where the proceeds go.
05:21Adopt the Arts Foundation.
05:23You're co-founder with Jane Lynch.
05:25Yeah.
05:2514 years ago.
05:26I ended up downtown at a rally where they were cutting arts in public schools.
05:30And I was like, what?
05:31Hmm.
05:32I remember going down there and I just felt like such a rebel.
05:35I'm like, I like this activist thing.
05:37I got up there on a podium and told them they couldn't do that.
05:40It's sacrilege.
05:42LA, you know, Hollywood, California, the capital of entertainment.
05:46You're going to cut the arts?
05:47Really?
05:48Right.
05:49And then I got called in by the big man, the superintendent at the time.
05:56And started my first school.
05:58I got grandfathered in by John Daisy, the old superintendent.
06:03Started at Rosewood Avenue.
06:05I've given that school to John Stamos as mentor because I moved to the desert.
06:09So I have a lot of great people involved in this charity.
06:12Ringo, Paul Rogers, Macy Gray has done stuff from a lot of people.
06:14So basically, I came here to the desert when I married my wife.
06:19And I realized that Coachella Valley needed my help.
06:22And I saw the desert community and the public schools.
06:25I've got six schools here now.
06:27We have six schools and we serve about 4,000 kids.
06:31That's awesome.
06:32And the kids here are great.
06:34And the kids in LA.
06:35We get them all together too.
06:37Like they'll do events.
06:38They'll go.
06:39They did a big event for the firefighters.
06:42And they all came when they had the big fire.
06:45And they all do events together.
06:46So they all meet up.
06:48And I said to my co-executive, I said, let's do this honor choir.
06:53And they all learn the same songs.
06:54So when they get together, they can sing together.
06:57That's so cool.
06:57My mother did that when I was a kid.
07:01And it's the idea of we all know the same material.
07:04Yeah.
07:05So they all show up and they just performed with Ringo on his birthday.
07:09Oh my gosh.
07:10Ringo's a supporter now.
07:12So beautiful.
07:13That's so cool.
07:14It's really cool.
07:15Yeah.
07:16Good for you.
07:16Congratulations.
07:17Amazing.
07:18What's the first album you ever bought?
07:20I got a Hard Day's Knife.
07:21My brother gave it.
07:22I didn't buy it.
07:23But I remember I got that.
07:24It was a 45 record though.
07:27Oh, 45s are good.
07:28I had this thing called a Crossley turntable.
07:31You could get it at Sears and Roebuck.
07:33And it had the little thing in the middle because you had to put that.
07:37Yes.
07:38Yes.
07:39I forgot about that little thing in the middle.
07:41Yeah, yeah, yeah.
07:43And then, God, I mean, I used to go to the record store when I was a kid.
07:47If I could rub two nickels together to get an album, that was a big deal, you know?
07:51I mean, I went through a lot of different styles of music in high school.
07:56And I had a buddy, me and a couple of other friends, we were all into like UFO and weird
08:01bands.
08:02I can't say they were weird, but they were different.
08:05They weren't Led Zeppelin.
08:06I got into like prog music, you know, progressive stuff.
08:10And I remember going to the record store and there was the import section.
08:14And you could find weird records that were imported from England or Europe.
08:18And you'd be like, dude, I found this album.
08:21It was just such a thing.
08:23Yeah.
08:24And there's still a lot of collectors out there that I know that are deep into that
08:28kind of a thing about collecting very rare, cool albums, you know?
08:35Yeah.
08:35So I just remember that being just such a mainstay in my life as a kid.
08:39And to have that experience now with vinyl again, it brings all that back.
08:42For sure.
08:43Yeah.
08:43It's almost like when people go to see bands that came from years and years ago and they
08:48had that experience and that feeling.
08:50And when they heard that music the first time, I feel like that's probably why a lot of people
08:53are gravitating back to that feeling.
08:56They want that experience, that special feeling.
08:58Times were a little easier, maybe.
09:00Yeah.
09:01You know, a little more gentle.
09:03Yeah.
09:04Well, I'm glad you're bringing it back.
09:06Who are some of your other influences?
09:08You know, it started with Ringo and then my brother was into the cream.
09:11And I remember Ginger Baker.
09:13And I remember in high school, when we went to get my high school photo, I wrote my name
09:18as Ginger Baker and it came out in the yearbook that way.
09:22Just because I was trying to be a little trickster.
09:24You line up, you know, they go, write your name.
09:27And I'm like, I can't believe they missed that.
09:30I love the who.
09:31Keep moving.
09:32I idolized Ian Payson and be purple.
09:37So when I get to play with Glenn Hughes, you know, that's just for me.
09:42When I play Burn or Highway Star, it's like, that's in my DNA.
09:48I'm like, I can play that tomorrow without rehearsing it.
09:52Like it's part of who I am.
09:54Same with Sabbath.
09:55You know, Sabbath is a big thing for me.
09:57Yeah.
09:58So cool.
09:58What else are you working on right now?
10:00Kings of Chaos, Billy Gibbons.
10:02I'm actually heading to Japan.
10:03I just released six songs of the band called Tak Matsumoto Group in Japan with Eric Martin from Mr. Big
10:10and Jack Blades from Night Ranger.
10:13We're playing with the biggest rock star in Japan, Tak Matsumoto from the band Bees.
10:18So I'm leaving to Japan next week.
10:19Wow.
10:20Be there for five weeks.
10:22Then I get straight to Sydney where I'm jumping on a boat with Billy Gibbons, Robin Zander and Richie Sambora.
10:29Oh, my God.
10:32Yeah.
10:33I've asked you, my wife, like, I'm not coming on that one.
10:36No.
10:37I'd go on that one.
10:39Why not?
10:39Why don't you want to go on that one?
10:40I'm just kidding.
10:41My wife's coming to join me in Tokyo.
10:43Oh, cool.
10:45My daughter.
10:45I have a five-year-old daughter.
10:46I know.
10:47Oh, she's on the list.
10:48She's coming.
10:50She's coming to Tokyo.
10:51She's been already.
10:52I'm like, my daughter went to Japan when she was three.
10:55I did the Twitter talk before.
10:57I said, I didn't get to go to Japan until I was like 25 years old.
11:04Hysterical.
11:05I just want to show, I'm taking her out of school for a couple of weeks, but I'm like,
11:09look, what kid gets to go to Japan and meet Japanese?
11:13Right.
11:13This is education.
11:15Oh, for sure.
11:16For sure.
11:17I would say my education was traveling the world.
11:19Yeah.
11:20When I traveled the world and went around the world with my bands, which I've been in
11:24a bunch.
11:25Yeah.
11:25I learned more just meeting people and culture and learning about life.
11:31So I want that for my kid too.
11:33Absolutely.
11:34How has being a dad changed you?
11:36Well, when I got up this morning at six o'clock to start doing 15 radio interviews.
11:41Oh, geez.
11:42In the old days, I would have told my manager, no way.
11:45I'm not even here until noon.
11:46Are you kidding me?
11:48So my kid was up, my kid gets up every day at six to go to school.
11:52So I'm like, okay, but like, how the heck am I going to do this?
11:57Cause my kid's there.
11:58She's like, daddy.
12:00And I came to my studio.
12:02I said, honey, I got to go.
12:03Daddy's got to go.
12:03I hate when I have to say I have to go to work.
12:05I know.
12:07The beauty of it is right now I'm running my own show.
12:10I'm a one man shop here.
12:12That's right.
12:13It has to be an offer.
12:14I can't refuse.
12:15And can I bring the kid?
12:16Yes.
12:17I love it.
12:18Awesome.
12:19I think, I think having a daughter at 60 was the greatest decision I ever made because
12:24first of all, my health's better than ever.
12:27I'm taking better care of myself based on my daughter.
12:31My daughter's inspired me to be better.
12:33And I know I want to live a long, longer life because of her.
12:36That inspires me.
12:38You know, I'm looking at, I just say a hundred.
12:40I'm going a hundred.
12:41I don't say, and I would say this to anybody that says you're old.
12:45I'm 65.
12:46That's unbelievable.
12:47I feel like I'm 20.
12:48I could kick your ass right now.
12:49No.
12:49I'm just saying.
12:50You look like it.
12:51You look, you do not look 65.
12:53So I'm just saying, look, it's all mindset.
12:57Absolutely.
12:58Don't say you're old because when you do, the universe is listening.
13:02So, and then, oh God, if I could live to be 80.
13:05No.
13:06You're going to live to be a hundred because I'm telling you there's stuff coming that's
13:10going to allow that.
13:11I hope so.
13:12And it makes you feel good.
13:14So that's what my daughter's done for me.
13:17She's brought me back to my youth where the gifts of life are the, all the things that
13:22I get to do with my kid.
13:23I took her to Hawaii this year.
13:24I took her to Lake Tahoe.
13:26We went to the beach like five times.
13:28And back in the day when I was just being me, I'm like, I don't know.
13:32I got to work.
13:33I'm like, you know.
13:35Now you can actually enjoy her.
13:37You're old enough to appreciate it.
13:39You know, it's smart.
13:40Yeah.
13:41It's all about the kids.
13:43It's not about me.
13:43Yeah.
13:44You wake up.
13:45It's like, hello.
13:47It's on.
13:48You know, do you have kids?
13:50I too.
13:5121 and 16.
13:52They're older than yours.
13:54I had them too young.
13:55I was 40 when I had my little one.
13:57I thought I was old, but you know, us women just have to whip them out.
14:00But you're lucky men can have them later.
14:03My wife's 41.
14:04So we had, we had Lou at 37.
14:07She was 37.
14:07That's how old I was when I had my first.
14:09Oh.
14:10I'm 56.
14:11I know.
14:12I look younger.
14:13You do.
14:14Yeah.
14:17See, that's why I say.
14:19My uncle was 104.
14:20There you go.
14:21My grandma had to be 106.
14:24106?
14:25Wow.
14:25My grandma, yeah.
14:26My mother's 93.
14:27No wonder why you look so good.
14:28You got good genes.
14:30Oh, thanks.
14:31Well, like I said, my daughter's really, I've lost a lot of weight.
14:35I've gotten a good shave.
14:37I haven't drank in 18 years.
14:39Wow.
14:40Awesome.
14:41That's awesome.
14:41Those keys are behind me.
14:42Yeah.
14:43Good.
14:44But they were fun too.
14:45Don't get me wrong.
14:45Well, obviously.
14:46And you've been in at least two of my favorite bands, Velvet Revolver and The Cult.
14:51I like those two bands too.
14:53Did you?
14:53Did you?
14:55How did your drumming style change from one band to the other?
14:59Or has it not?
15:00Would you say it has?
15:01Actually, I would say all three styles are completely different.
15:04Wow.
15:04And I've had to morph as a musician through life, including the clothing I wore.
15:09You know?
15:10When I joined The Cult, I remember, I better wear all black all the time.
15:15And I had my hair slicked back.
15:17And it was like a different thing because it was all part of the picture.
15:20And when I joined GNR, we were more like bikers.
15:23You know, I had a headband and my hair was like, ah.
15:27But it was the 90s too.
15:29Yeah.
15:29Yeah.
15:30Like almost a bad fashion era.
15:32Yes.
15:33I mean, it was like, what am I wearing?
15:35I look at him.
15:36I was like thinking, but what's going on with my hair?
15:40Oh my God.
15:41Then Velvet Revolver came along.
15:43And that was more of a modern band.
15:46And we never talked about this kind of stuff.
15:48Like Slash, you better do.
15:50Slash is Slash.
15:51He's always going to look like he's got the hat and the hair.
15:53Yeah.
15:53Yeah.
15:54And I remember me and Scott Weiland, that was just such a, such a gem of a front man.
16:02Yeah.
16:03An interesting character, difficult at times, but what a, what a, what a great front man.
16:08Oh.
16:09My opinion.
16:10Yeah.
16:10It was a huge loss.
16:12I was devastated when we lost him.
16:14Yeah.
16:14And we just, I kind of, people go, okay, dude, you're kind of looking like Scott Weiland.
16:20He inspired me to like step it up.
16:22Like, you know, he loved Bowie and I remember me and him got a couple of suits.
16:28We started like dressing more like Savile Row, like kind of old Rolling Stones kind of
16:33look.
16:33Yep.
16:34I remember.
16:35He was inspiring to me in a lot of ways and to try to like, just move with the times
16:39a little bit, but stay true to yourself at the same time.
16:42So I cut my hair off and, and I just remember that band, when we came out, there was a
16:50lot
16:50of younger bands coming up and we were all listening to Queens of the Stone Age.
16:54And we had to kind of like, just take it all in.
16:59It was like, what's on the street?
17:02It wasn't like we were trying to copy anything of it.
17:04It was like a feeling of what was right.
17:06We couldn't make another Guns N' Roses album with Scott Weiland singing on it.
17:10So we said, let's make a, a modern record for ourselves.
17:15And we came up with this aggressive record contraband and it felt right for the times.
17:19We came out youthful.
17:21We were all fired up.
17:22Everyone got cleaned up and it was a great time.
17:25It was one of the greatest times of my life because we were able to come back.
17:28And I remember when the album went number one, we'd signed with Clive Davis.
17:33We won our Grammy.
17:35Clive got us three Grammy nominations and it was just epic.
17:39I mean, to do it again after G&R was a real feather in my cap.
17:44And I remember younger people coming to our shows, not knowing Guns N' Roses, you know,
17:50and me and Duff came out of the subway one time.
17:52Cause here we are, we're going to the gym.
17:55We'll get up and go to the gym.
17:57When do we do that on G&R?
17:59Never.
18:00Right.
18:00So, so we came out of the subway, like ours.
18:03We were, we went to some gym in New York, in Manhattan, and we come up out of the subway
18:07and we heard this, this kid go, Hey, you're tough and mad from Velvet Revolver.
18:12And we looked at each other and we went, like dude, Velvet Revolver, man.
18:19Awesome.
18:19That was a big moment because, you know, after the breakup of that, of G&R and we got this
18:25new band together, we really were like off and running.
18:31Yeah.
18:31You know, played sold out arenas and really good run.
18:35And then, you know, the old, the old stuff came back.
18:38The train went off the tracks, but that's a classic rock and roll story, but it was lightning
18:44in a bottle, as I say.
18:46And God bless Scott Weiland because, you know, I really feel that the mold has been broken
18:51for great front men.
18:53And I hope I see some young guys come out that can do that kind of .
18:57I really do.
18:59Me too.
19:00Rock and roll is something that I feel needs to happen again, but we have to, it needs to
19:04be a cultural shift.
19:06It's like when you first saw Nirvana and you went, what's that?
19:09I'm not sure if you remember that cultural shift.
19:12Of course.
19:13Yeah.
19:13Yeah.
19:14But it wasn't something I was like too excited about at first, but I understand the cultural
19:20shift.
19:21Right.
19:22It's like it hits and then boom, all of a sudden it's grunge music.
19:27Right.
19:28Like, wouldn't it be beautiful if something came out that exciting?
19:33When Youngblood came out, I mean, I played on the Youngblood stuff with Aerosmith.
19:37I gave it hope, but I'm not sure if it hit the mark.
19:41It didn't change the culture.
19:44It didn't bring other rock.
19:47And can you say it's completely rock would probably not be the right word, but it's
19:53hard to say because people were scared to call it that because it's not modern.
19:58What's modern?
19:59It's like, hmm, Jack White made a lot of records that weren't modern.
20:04He's Jack White and he can do whatever he wants.
20:07Right.
20:07Create your own universe.
20:09Jack White's going to always be there doing what he wants.
20:13And I always say that to young artists, I'm like, make the kind of music you want to
20:17make first.
20:18Quit thinking about what's modern.
20:20Just make some good, write some good songs.
20:23Yeah.
20:23You know, it's like, that's the way I look at when I made this record with these epic
20:29guys.
20:29And I go, well, oh God, you know, this is like classic rock and da da da da da.
20:35It's great music.
20:36It's great songs.
20:37They're never going anywhere.
20:39Yeah.
20:39Yeah.
20:40They could save it past the time.
20:42Who's the underrepresentation?
20:45Maybe.
20:46She's a younger singer.
20:47Corey's probably, he's younger than me.
20:50So he's cool.
20:51Bringing that music forward to a new generation.
20:55You know, they're going to discover it.
20:57There's so many people out there.
20:59There's a kid right now who's 12 years old listening to Black Sabbath.
21:03And he's going, wow, I love this.
21:05Yes.
21:06They're out there.
21:08Yes.
21:08Did you always know you wanted to play drums?
21:10Yeah, I did.
21:11I saw the Beatles and that kind of was it.
21:13It was weird.
21:14It was like this, this thing.
21:16It was like a sign.
21:17It was always said, I had friends of mine, you know, a fire truck would go by.
21:20Hey, I want to be a fireman.
21:22The train would go by and I want to be a conductor.
21:25And I saw the Beatles.
21:26I go, I want to be that drummer.
21:28You know, it's like.
21:28Oh my God.
21:30Yeah.
21:30Yeah.
21:31Did you have any formal training or.
21:33Well, just to go backtrack on the charity a little bit.
21:37The.
21:38The upbringing I had in public school gave me the tools to be able to become a percussionist,
21:45if you will.
21:45I played in three band classes in high school.
21:48Wow.
21:48And then my mother was a music teacher.
21:50My grandfather was a music teacher.
21:51So I had that sort of education around me.
21:54And then, you know, in the seventies, when I put together my first little band, you know,
21:58we'd play like all the little parties and the school dances and stuff.
22:03I'm like, and then all of a sudden, you know, girls would start looking at me different.
22:08And I'm like, wow, I think I got here.
22:11And this is like, you know, because you're a young kid, you know, you're like a boy.
22:16And you're just trying to like find yourself.
22:19And I definitely found it.
22:20I was like, this is this.
22:23I started going to Hollywood 14 years old.
22:26Soon as I graduated high school, I got out and went straight to Hollywood, never came back.
22:30But what does music do for people?
22:33Pretty much everything.
22:34I think it's one thing we can all agree on that we all like music.
22:37Right.
22:37I think it's the place we go when we're having a feeling, whatever feeling that is up, down or sideways.
22:45You know, it brings you joy.
22:47When you're feeling low, when you're feeling melancholy, you can go there.
22:51Listen to some Joni Mitchell.
22:55That's the one thing I don't.
22:57You don't like Joni Mitchell?
22:58Nah, I'll do Velvet Revolver.
23:02Okay.
23:03Let me ask you a question.
23:05Where do you go?
23:06Where do you feel when you're doing a melancholy?
23:08When you're a little.
23:09Where?
23:10In retrospect, maybe having some love issues, whatever it is, you know, having a bad day.
23:17And you just want to kind of like, sit down and just relax and listen to something cool.
23:22What would you go to?
23:23Velvet Revolver.
23:24Velvet Revolver?
23:24I go.
23:25Velvet Revolver?
23:25Yes.
23:26It's always on the playlist.
23:28Velvet Revolver.
23:30Oh, there's a song too.
23:31The Cult I still listen to.
23:33So you listen.
23:34I like all the stuff.
23:35Purple.
23:36Little Black Sabbath.
23:38Jeez.
23:38I like, I like Soundgarden.
23:40I like Eleven.
23:41Chris Cornell's band.
23:43Actually, Alan Johannes' band that Chris Cornell was in.
23:48That is some deep stuff.
23:50Oh, yes.
23:51I was on the road with Eleven when Chris Cornell was in the band.
23:55Are you?
23:55How did I not know that?
23:57Well, I do know my mind.
23:59No, we were all in Europe together and they were all in the same festivals.
24:03I love that.
24:04And I have a picture of me and Chris Cornell and Alan Johannes in his hotel room hanging
24:09out in, I think, Amsterdam or something crazy.
24:14Aww.
24:15In Eleven.
24:16Alan Johannes mixed my second solo album.
24:18I made a record called Fierce Joy.
24:20It's not a rock album.
24:21So don't be bummed out when you hear it.
24:23Alan Johannes mixed my second solo album.
24:26Oh, cool.
24:27Oh, my gosh.
24:28Well, that makes a lot of sense.
24:30He's the coolest.
24:31I love him.
24:31He's great.
24:32What was your favorite band to play in?
24:34Do you have one?
24:35I would say that the Colt was probably right in my lane as far as kind of how I like
24:40to
24:40approach the drum kit.
24:41Just the grooves of that band, as Billy Duffy would call it, below the waist rock and roll.
24:48It's got a swagger.
24:50It's got a swagger.
24:51Yes.
24:52You know, it's got a good pocket in the ACDC sort of just that British thing.
24:58And they had me this California dude somehow.
25:01And it was my first big band.
25:04And I still go back.
25:05And I just talked to Billy Duffy today and we're going to play some Colt on this cruise
25:09that I'm doing.
25:10Oh, cool.
25:12And then Velvet was more punky.
25:14I was more like, I don't know.
25:16I just felt on fire.
25:17I felt like when I made that record, I was very, I was hungry again.
25:23And that was a nice feeling to have when you're in your 40s, to be hungry to have success.
25:28When we made that record, it was on fire.
25:31I remember when we went in there, we were all fired up.
25:33And I remember being in the studio going, this is going to be a kick ass album.
25:37Because we were just in it.
25:39Yeah.
25:40Yeah.
25:41And it was.
25:42I have to ask you this.
25:44Guns N' Roses is on tour right now.
25:45If you're invited back, would you go?
25:47I don't know.
25:48I changed my phone number.
25:50I don't blame you.
25:51DM me on Instagram.
25:53PayPal me.
25:54This is PayPal me.
25:55I don't know.
25:57Let me see.
25:58Venmo.
26:01Don't get me wrong.
26:02I like them.
26:02I like them too.
26:04You know, when you're in them.
26:05I was standing next to Debbie Harry, watching Guns N' Roses at the felt forum, I think open
26:10for Aerosmith.
26:13So I liked guns way back in the day, but.
26:16There you go.
26:17There you go.
26:17Take my velvet revolver and my cult.
26:20I love it.
26:20I talk to you.
26:21I agree.
26:22So it's all good.
26:24What would your current self tell your younger?
26:26Oh God.
26:27Do it exactly the way you did it because you're supposed to be there.
26:30You're right where you are right now.
26:32Awesome.
26:33I love it.
26:34Don't change a thing.
26:35It's every you were a little crazy in that.
26:36The, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the.
26:39There's a few little things, man, might, you know, go back and change just a few.
26:45Not too many, but.
26:48Yeah.
26:48I think you did it right.
26:49Matt.
26:50Thanks so much for talking to us.
26:51You're the coolest.
26:52Good luck with everything.
26:53Thanks for having me.
26:56...
26:56Why are you the coolest mode?
26:58You