Matt Sorum Says He Has a Different Attitude Now Towards Not Being Included in Guns N’ Roses Reunion

Former Guns N’ Roses drummer Matt Sorum says he has changed his attitude about not being included in his former band’s recent series of tours. In a recent interview with the San Francisco-area rock radio station 107.7 The Bone, Sorum shared his thoughts. He noted he has a more positive outlook about not being asked to rejoin the group, featuring founding guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan.

“In the beginning, it was a little weird. I was, like, ‘I didn’t even get a call,’” Sorum admitted. “But now I look at it different. I look at it like … I’m not supposed to be there. I got a child. I got a beautiful wife. The old me, the old Matt, the old guy, if I got up there, I don’t know what would happen to me.”

[RELATED: Matt Sorum Reflects on Time With Guns N’ Roses, Admits “It Got Scary”]

Sorum played with Guns N’ Roses from 1990 to 1997, and contributed to three of the band’s albums—Use Your Illusion I, Use Your Illusion II, and The Spaghetti Incident. Slash and McKagan both exited GN’R around the same time Sorum did. Yet, the two subsequently returned to the group in 2016.

In his 2022 memoir, Double Talkin’ Jive, Sorum revealed that while he was a member of Guns N’ Roses, he experienced serious issues with drugs and alcohol.

Sorum Reflected on His Years with Guns N’ Roses

During the interview, Sorum also reflected on his volatile time with Guns N’ Roses. He talked about GN’R frontman Axl Rose’s notorious reputation for showing up late for concerts, while also praising the band’s performances.

“It was chaotic. It was crazy. Of course, Axl was late sometimes,” the 63-year-old rocker said. “Who cares? That was the energy. If people complained, by the time he came on stage, it was just … game on.”

He added, “Some of us were angry—I could say me included. We were like, ‘Where is he?’ but once we got up there, we were, like, ‘Ahhhh!’ And talk about taking it all out, we did.”

Sorum on the “Fringe Benefits” He Enjoys Because He Was in GN’R

Sorum, who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of GN’R in 2012, said many good things have come out of him being part of the group.

“I still get a lot of accolades, and I always get these weird fringe benefits—still, 30 years later,” he noted. Sorum continued, “I have businesses because of it. I do other things philanthropically. I’m able to put the word out, because I’m the guy from that band. ‘Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Guns N’ Roses drummer has charity for kids.’ It gets press … So, all that being said, I’m in a really good place.”

About Sorum’s Recent Concert with Kings of Chaos

Sorum was speaking with the radio station to promote the latest show by his all-star supergroup Kings of Chaos. The band played a concert on May 26 in the San Francisco suburb of Gilroy, California. The event raised money for St. Joseph’s Family Center, a charity that seeks to “alleviate hunger and prevent homelessness in [California’s] South Santa Clara County.”

Sorum was joined at the show by fellow GN’R alum Gilby Clarke, Sebastian Bach, Cheap Trick’s Robin Zander, Lita Ford, Orianthi, and other rockers. The concert featured Bach performing the Guns N’ Roses tunes “It’s So Easy” and “Welcome to the Jungle.” The event’s finale included an all-star rendition of GN’R’s “Paradise City.”