In previous Aftershows we dabbled in how sex, drugs and rock n roll all go hand and hand but in this episode we tackle it head on… From Matt’s coke running days, to the fairly hedonistic parties, to people going missing on tours, to the stories of those who survived addiction and to those who sadly did not, like Velvet Revolver and Stone Temple Pilots front man, Scott Weiland …. in contrast we cover a lot of hysterical moments in Matt’s interview, including the remarkable partying ability and work ethic of Slash and Keith Richards and examine if there is any red underwear left in the world after Matt Sorum fulfilled his show day superstition.
To learn more about Matt, his new music, his charities and to order his book, follow him social media: @MattSorum on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
To preorder his book go to: https://rarebirdlit.com/double-talkin-jive-hardcover-limited-edition-vinyl-signed-by-matt-sorum/
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:10):
You're listening to the After Show, the bonus episode series
for on Tour with Brian Ray. This is a production
of I Heart Radio and Black Barrel Media and I'm
your host Mandy Wimmer. In the after show, we dive
a little deeper into Brian's thoughts about certain parts of
the interviews, as well as expound a bit more on
his own experiences on tour. In previous after shows, we
(00:31):
dabbled in how sex, drugs, and rock and roll all
go hand in hand, but in this episode we tackle
it head on, from Matt's coke running days, to the
fairly hedonistic parties, to people going missing on tours, to
the stories of those who survived addiction, and to those
who sadly did not, like Velvet Revolver and Stone Temple
Pilots frontman Scott Wiland. In contrast, we cover a lot
(00:55):
of hysterical moments in Matt's interview, including the remarkable partying
ability and work ethic up Slash and Keith Richard's and
we examine if there's any red underwear left in the
world after Matt sorum fulfilled his show day superstitions. Here's
my conversation with Brian Ray Brian Episode seven. Matt Sorum,
(01:27):
Hey Mandy, Mandy women my producer, thank you for inserting
the British accent. Yes, you got it. You know I
can't do it. Gratuitous and not good. I get really
jealous when people do accents because I cannot do them
to save my life. Best not to try. No, I
won't try. I'm not I'm not going to embarrass myself anyway.
Matt Sorum, I have to say I laughed out loud
(01:49):
multiple times during this interview. I mean, and editing this interview,
I you know, this interview was actually about two hours
two plus hours long, and so editing this interview was
a treat to get it down to to one hour.
There's so many great stories on the cutting room floor.
I really wish we could put it all out. It
just would have been way too long. But anyway, what
(02:10):
we did put out is great and absolutely hysterical. And
we are going to start right away with where we
started the interview, and that is the cocaine running days.
Whoa uh, you, as everybody knows, have had your time
in the sun with drugs, but this is this is
(02:32):
over the top. I mean, my heart was racing hearing
these stories about him strapping kilos of coke to his
chest and flying to Hawaiian doing drops and then coming
back with thousands of dollars. I mean, I don't know,
and he did this for years. I cannot think of
anything more stressful. Were you ever on that side of
it or what were your thoughts of stories? It would
(02:53):
have made a terrible dealer. I would have definitely used
up all the profits in knows or in my lungs. Uh.
You know what, when you're a young musician trying to
make it, you've got big dreams. None of those dreams
have come true yet you gotta make ends meet. So
what you run a couple of drugs? But what what
(03:15):
I mean? Have you guys not heard of like serving
in a restaurant or maybe Starbucks, or like, you know,
doing something on this side, I mean, like drugs? What
nine dollars? I mean, my god, But it's honest at least,
and you're not going to jail. Yeah, but then you're
not a renegade badass. I don't. I really don't know
how you guys are still among us. I don't either.
(03:39):
I mean, was that the okay? So? But to wrap
this up, was that we're hearing that story. Was was
your heart racing like mine? Were you just like this
is entertaining? It was all news to me. I had
no idea that he had that sortid tail in his past.
But it's hilarious, you know, he and I just so
the audience knows we're both a couple of sober men,
we talk about that. You know, we both have been
(04:01):
in recovery for a long time, and uh so between us,
that stuff is hilarious. We left our heads off over
that stuff all the time when we see each other
and talk about our exploits, because it's funny. This is
these are the tales of survivors. Now, sadly, for every
(04:21):
one of those stories of a survivor, there are thousands
of stories of people who didn't survive. So it's not
that cute. But in this in this case, while we're
talking about you know, an eighties style r a w
K rock musician, it's hilarious. So really, the cult is
(04:42):
what brought Matt out of his drug smuggling days. He
got an audition for the cult, thank god, because actually
the person who took a spot was then arrested and
spent ten years in federal penitentiary, which is insane, crazy,
But that's what happens when you smuggle drugs. Don't do it,
that's right, then you join a cult. Oh my god. Um.
(05:03):
So he actually says he's been in so many amazing bands,
but he says that the Cult was actually, as a
lot of people have said, apparently the best fit for
him as a drummer. So I really enjoyed the cult.
I I believe I had one of their CDs back
in the day. But knowing what I know of Matt
as a person, I didn't realize he was a drummer
at that point. I don't see that as like the
best fit, like I see him more as like straight
(05:25):
g n R. Yeah, I can see what he's getting
at there with a cult that's a very straight ahead
eighth note band, whereas g n R had a lot
bit a bit more swing and variety of fields. Maybe
Matt is talking about that that he's probably better at
that more straight ahead style. Maybe that's what he means. Yeah, interesting. Yeah,
(05:46):
I don't really know, but I thought that was that.
It was interesting also that he had to change his
entire appearance to We're All Black to fit in with
the death cult, he asked the death call. Okay. So
another laugh out loud moment in his interview was when
Slash and Duff I think it was came to a
cult show. That's how they met Matt. And then Matt
(06:09):
coming off that tour I think a dred and eighty
Days or something like that. I don't, I don't know
you hear it in the interview. But he got walking pneumonia.
He was home with his mom. His mom was taking
care of him, which is so cute, and Slash calls
his house and his mom says, there's someone named Slush
on the phone video. Oh my god, It's like, it's
(06:33):
such a mom thing to say. That is so cute.
Next time I see Slash, I'm gonna call him Slush. Well,
the best part about this is a that story that
isn't just great. But Slush says to Matt, our drummer
is in rehab and so we need a new drummer. Okay.
So then Matt, having walking pneumonia, goes and basically auditions
(06:55):
or starts working with them the next day while having pneumonia.
So I mean, obviously there's no stop stop switch for him.
But then we're going to talk about drugs a little
bit longer, because I find this really interesting that their
drummers in rehab. Matt comes to take the place of
the drummer and he finds out that everybody in g
n R is on heroin and everyone's like falling asleep.
(07:17):
He's like, it's like an opium den, which I think
straight like Deadwood or Tombstone or something like that opium den.
But then so he credits himself for getting the band
to do more cocaine. Well, you know, when you're going nowhere,
you want to get there as fast as possible. No,
g n R was clearly going places, and it's hard
to go places when you're sleeping, unless, of course, you're
(07:41):
a sleepwalker. Okay, but anyway, I'm going to get into
that right and we're not going to get into that
right now. But people, that's for another episode. You can
ask in your questions about the sleepwalking. I will talk
about it at some point. I might never talk about it,
but well I will anyway. Uh yeah, I mean that's
hilarious the drug that the drugs have taken control of
(08:04):
the band and they're all like nodding out all day long.
And then Matt convinces them that a better drug would
be cocaine. But guess what, they didn't stop doing heroin.
They did both. I mean, so what happens like, so,
so cocaine obviously makes you really hyper and heroin puts
you to sleep? Is that the difference? Basically and basically
(08:25):
and in a nutshell? Yeah? Okay, So like if you're
doing both, then I don't even understand what you would
be like if you would be given your heart a
real hard time because you're you're your brain is going fast,
but your mouth is still going slow. Just I don't understand.
Had you guys never heard of like um soda or
(08:46):
coffee or anything like that to like, I mean, I
I've worked insanely long hours doing Super Bowls, I mean
eighteen hour days, seven days a week, and I don't
recall any at any point looking at my events team
and saying, we really need to get some cocaine in here. Well,
you would have been sent to jail if you did,
because you know, the NFL isn't really kind towards drug addiction.
(09:09):
But you know you used exorbitant amounts of of caffeine.
That's true, that that was our drug of choice. That
will work. The way you do it. It's like rocket fuel.
It is it actually is seen you work. I guess
I am addicted to fresh cup over here right now.
Let me look in there halfway down, still warm fifth cup.
(09:31):
It goes with me everywhere. I am never without my coffee.
It's like a sippy cup. Do you have like one
of those helmets with a hose that goes like coffee
all day? I should actually have one. I think that's
a good idea, and then I don't have to keep
going back for refills. It takes way too much time.
Perhaps you could do some Starbucks branding on the side. Also,
(10:09):
very very very funny, so we brought in the Rolling
Stones in this episode. Keith Richards, I this was another
laugh out loud moment for me. When Matt was talking
about the work ethic of bands. I mean, among in
and among all of the drugs and all of the alcohol,
they also play shows. I know, they also record albums.
I mean, I don't know how this all gets done.
(10:30):
You have to do something to afford all those drugs.
It's true, it's true. So we're paying them for their music.
Keith Richards is probably the biggest icon for how is
he still functioning as a human with all of the
drugs and the smoking and I'm sure the alcohol. I
don't know Keith personally, so I don't know what all
he does. But in his shows he's smoking, So I
(10:51):
mean that you do see that all the time. And
he's known as a party animal, of course. So Matt
talks about a story about um axel was had was
late to a sound check or something like that for
the Rolling Stones, and and Keith Richards looks at him
and says, I slept in the chandelier last night. What's
(11:12):
your excuse? And Matt talks about going missing in Venezuela
and they find him on some hotel balcony. I don't
think a hotel he was staying in. That's point in
the story was that Slash has the best work ethic
of just about anybody, where he can be out all
night partying and he can still be at sound check
(11:35):
at New Is that a thing like back in your heyday,
were you struggling to actually do your job? No? You know, uh,
there were times erewhere like I remember being in I
think it was Chile when I was playing with Laura
Brannigan in the mid eighties, back when all the drugs
were still working for me. Uh well, you know, you'd
(11:57):
have jet lag and these were very long flights. So
we had found out about a sleeping pill and it
was a very strong but over the counter sleeping pill
down there in South America and Chile, and so apparently
you could take half of one of these tiny little
pills and you'd be out for your whole flight back.
So you know, I was excited about that because I
(12:19):
don't sleep that well on a flight. Was this legal
or not legal? Yeah? Legal there? Okay, you're not supposed
to have it here. You can't pronounce the name and
they don't know what it is, so they'll view it
as illegal anyway. So um well, I of course I
had to sample something, of course while I was down there,
and then I took a couple smuggled a couple home.
(12:40):
You know, but this is lightweight. I was, okay a
little bit, but not for money. That's the thing. Smuggling
is for money. It okay, you know, just bringing in
a little something something. Those of us, non drug addicts
and non smugglers don't really understand these things. We have
to be told. But anyway, that was when I was
coming to the end of my um my drug abuse
(13:01):
and alcohol abuse career in the mid eighties. It was
still kind of working but kind of not really. But anyway,
I brought it one of the guys, but I should
say this, one of the guys in the tour guitar
tech for the other guitar player, went to a strip
club and uh, he went to go enjoy himself down
(13:23):
in Chile and woke up at ten in the morning
out in an alley with his wallet gone. Well, they'd
given him a whole one of these things and he
was out like a lot. Yeah, they put him out,
So it's a little bit dangerous. Yeah, but um in general, Yeah,
for myself, I didn't have too difficult of time with
(13:45):
balancing work and uh those things. But at a certain
point I knew that the gig was up, And at
a certain point I had friends later tell me after
I was sober man that session you look rough, and
I'm like, what's session? Oh my god? Yeah, So you know,
I mean you just learn and hopefully, you know, like
(14:06):
in my case, in a Matt's case, we found another
path where we could find a life truly worth living
that was a lot better and rewarding with all without
all that chaos and danger. Okay, So there's one part
of this that, I mean, a lot of it was
very funny now obviously in looking at all of this
(14:27):
stuff retrospect, and then there was part of it that
made me cringe a little bit. Some of it we've
already talked about. So the other part of it that
I really think that we need to address address is
the hedonistic nature of rock and roll. Uh in the
fact that you guys talk about how it was a
time and that time has changed. He talks about this
(14:49):
story where people are rolling down the aisles of the
seven Is, they're taking off and everybody's sleeping with everybody,
and they're picking up girls in strip clubs in Houston
and sending them back home on a Southwest ticket. I mean,
it's just chaos. I mean it was pure chaos, right,
and I mean me as a female, of course, I'm
cringing hearing the story. And but Matt talks about how
(15:12):
he looks back on it again not with pride, but
and and recognizes that it was very hedonistic, but that
he has completely changed now at this point. But what
are your thoughts on that time? Versus this time, and
how rock and roll was versus how it is now.
And do you guys have more respect than you showed?
Oh yeah, we do, trust me. Look in my eyes,
(15:35):
you looking right at me. I know there's a devilish glint,
but there is respect behind that devilish glint. No, it's
not like a me to moment. It's more like a
me fourteen moment. It's terrible, but you know, I guess um,
rock and roll went through a phase and and and
some would say that that was it's a death rattle.
(15:56):
To be honest with you. What started out in rock
and roll, in my opinion, was a fantastic outlet for
teens uh and people of any age who needed that outlet,
full of energy, danger, uh, the forbidden thing and uh
fun and rebelliousness. Uh. But it turned into just like
(16:21):
you know, hedonistic you know, naval gazing, excess and abuse
of people and drugs, you know. And it's sad, but
that's what happened to rock and roll unfortunately. Right now.
I do think that we it's important that we say that.
Matt is, you know, the posit or child of the
fact that people do actually change. I don't know about
(16:43):
poster child in an example of someone who might have changed. No,
Matt is happily married and they have a kid on
the way. And you know, he's sober, he's sober long time.
He's an industrious man. He does charity work, trying to
rub out a record, what can I say? And they
(17:04):
just you know, they live really close to my getaway
pad in Palm Springs. And yeah, he's a very good dude.
Yeah yeah, no completely, I mean, very very impressive how
he's done all of this. But now is is so different.
So next time someone says to people, don't change, refer
them to the Matt Sarm episode on that's right here
(17:27):
exhibit A. Yes, yes they do change. So okay, the
last thing that I want to talk about kind of
in the Guns and Roses, heydays when Axel does end
up firing Matt, and he leaves his firing, he goes home.
He lives in this huge rock star pad and he
pulls into his he pulls into his garage and he
finds a black Porsche in his garage and he rolls
(17:49):
in in a black porch. He now has two black
Porsches because he literally forgot about the first one. I
know it's so hard. It's tough. I mean, finding your
way the music business can be so challenging. I mean,
I think that that's a new life goal. Have enough
money that you're buying two cars because I don't know.
I mean, if I had that much money, I would
spend it all on I would give it all the
(18:10):
animal shelters lets. You know, but it's a fun thing
to think about. You wouldn't forget that you'd give into
an app No, I would not. I would just and
it wouldn't matter. I just keep giving two quick things.
(18:34):
We're going to wrap it up here. We did talk
about the semi glamorous side of the drug business, which
we don't condone, but there is a sad side to
this as well. When Matt Swarm was with Velvet Revolver,
the frontman of that band was Scott Wyland or Weland Wyland, Okay,
(18:54):
who lost his life to addiction, very very very sad.
He was the frontman also for Stone Temple Pilots, an
amazing band. Um. You know, I didn't know much about Scott,
but what was your experience with him? Yeah, well I
got to meet Scott. Uh lovely guy. Uh. We rehearsed
one day and then played a big charity on the
(19:15):
beach in Santa Monica behind a large mansion. It was
just one of those sort of all star bands. It
was Matt on drums, Dave Kushner also from from Velvet
Revolver on guitar, and a bunch of other people, Steve
Jones from the Sex Pistols and uh I did a
handful of songs with Scott Wiland singing. And he was
(19:38):
a great performer, really magnificent, very charismatic. Uh an interesting singer,
had a very good voice. As you said, Stone Temple
Pilots is a really important band from the nineties, and
uh so his contribution to that era of rock and
(19:59):
roll when grunge music came to save rock and roll,
which had gone so far south and so far into
the excess of the eighties. They were one of the
bands that led the charge to try to save rock
and roll. And so imagine my sadness when I saw
that Scott Whyland was struggling with drugs and alcohol to
(20:23):
a great degree and basically was never able to control that.
And um though he tried, he could never slay that
dragon and his demons won out and unfortunately there's no
more Scott Wiland except in video and in recordings. And
it's a shame. It's a real shame. Oh man, Yeah,
(20:45):
a complete shame. Um. So we're gonna we're gonna end
this on a light notes because I think that probably
one of the funniest parts of this interview was when
Matt was talking about his superstitions that he does not
do as much anymore, but but did do them at
one time for a long time. And they were literally
laugh out loud funny. Hopefully you heard them in the episode.
(21:07):
But one of them was that he would have to
wear red underwear every single night when he played. I
cannot imagine the amount of red underwear that must be.
I hope he had to read underwear sponsor there's all
of the red underwear on Earth is now gone. Basically,
that's why he doesn't do it as much anymore. Matt
Sorum has all the Earth's red underwear. Um, and then
(21:29):
he could then he had to chew gum for the
first three songs, and as we all know, they only
take pictures of the first three songs in the press pit.
So and as you know, there's nothing that I hate
worse than people chewing gums. So I was completely on
board of that one going away. I've heard that about you.
The truth is is that when you chew gum and
somebody's taking a photo, you're likely to be making a
(21:52):
funny face if you're in the middle of chewing gum.
I don't think anyone looks attractive while chewing gum. Yeah,
picture or no picture, no one looks attract to chewing gup.
I'm just I'm going on the record with that. Let's
just talk about the sound of chewing gum. I can't
even go there. Absolutely disgusting. Okay. So the last one
that his absolutely hysterical. So Matt had a chrome chain
(22:15):
that he had to wear at every single show, and
on his way from his dressing room to the stage
at a Guns n' Roses show, he realized he didn't
have it, and he starts screaming at his golf cart
driver that he's got to go back, he has to
go back. He cannot go on stage without this chain.
Oh my god, just absolutely hysterical. So you have your
(22:36):
ring that Johnny Holiday gave you. That's been brought up
in a few of these after shows. I mean, how
dire is it that you have this ring on? I mean,
do you can you not perform? Would you have a
horrible show? Would you have a great show and then
go cry back stage like how do you get through? Well?
I don't think that I would have a struggle doing
(22:58):
the show or drying after, although I might, but I
might do that anyway. You know, I don't think that
it would be a struggle to do a show without it.
It's just that it's it became a part of me
ever since Johnny Halliday gave me that ring in whatever
that was two thousand, Um, It's been on my finger
on my right hand, my middle finger, uh, for every
(23:21):
show that I've played since then. So I think I
would just feel naked without it, And uh yeah, I
don't think I've played a single show without it. And
I almost lost it in New York City. I almost
lost the ring. We checked out of our hotel there
and I'm on the way to the airport in our
in our suv and I go, oh my god, my
(23:44):
heart just sank. I don't have my ring on, and
then my my head instantly went to I remember taking
it off on top of the bed, and so I
instantly call our tour manager. Uh, Phil and Phil, this
is a crazy request. I don't do this to you often,
but would you please see if you can get the
(24:07):
keys to my room on the thirty third floor and
go in there and see if you can find my
big old ring. It's probably right in the middle of
the bed. And he goes, we'll do And he called
me back in like ten minutes he says, I got it.
Thank god. Oh my god. You can't imagine what I
was stressed out over that one that happened to me
(24:27):
in a hotel once I left my prized ring in
the bathroom and I called them immediately, but it mysteriously
could not be found. Yeah. I think we've all got
sad stories about that. But this is a story that
ended on a happiness, thank God, because it is one
of your faiths. All right, So we are going to
wrap up with the lightning round. First question, music related.
(24:50):
Who is the one artist that you are a pretty
big fan of that people might not expect. Mmm. Interesting,
let me see here. That's a good question. Um, Little
Feet a band from the very late sixties, early seventies
and all through the seventies and eighties. Kind of uh,
(25:14):
multi ethnicity, uh cross genre. It's sort of like R
and B rock and roll, sometimes roots, sometimes country. And
I loved him. I was so addicted to that band.
Also Ray couder I. There's a time when that's all
I listened to those two? Are you used to listen
to them? Now? Not as much now, I mean, but
(25:34):
that's also because I wore it out. I listened to
it every day, all day, on tour, off tour, all
the time, right right, Okay, So the non music related question,
if you could live anywhere outside of the United States,
where would you live? Canada or France? Canada France? Yes? Interesting?
(25:57):
So why Canada or Buenos Aires? I know, I know
you love France. You said that that's your favorite place
to tour, Buenos Aires. Let's go there. Okay, let's go there. Okay,
why why would so? What is it about Buenos Aires
that you love? Buenos Aires? Okay? So that place is magnificent.
It is its own architecture, its own vibe, very different
(26:20):
from any South American city. It's got a lot of
Art Deco architecture and as you know, very into architecture.
So it's got a lot of this sort of twenties
and thirties architecture sort of. Uh. One of the main
features is big round corners instead of uh, you know,
ninety degree angles, very rounded. And the city was planned
(26:43):
by one of the people that helped to plan Paris.
The way the city of Paris ended up sort of
expanding out, uh, was sort of very similar to the
way Buenos Aires is. And it just feels like a
European city other than being in South America. And I
just love it down there. And the people are also
(27:04):
so friendly and so fun. You've you've toured there with
the Bayonets as well. I have and Solo a few times.
I've gone down there a few times. It's a great
rock and roll crowd in bueness Aures. He's just wonderful.
But uh. And then Canada because for the most part
they speak English and find that comforting because I'm too
(27:25):
lazy now to learn another language. But so they speak
English very well, and uh, and it's so beautiful up there,
and there's so many lakes and rivers and streams and
snow and beach just a lot. And it's filled with
lovely Canadians. All right, So thank you very much, Brian,
and thank you to Matt Sorum for the incredibly entertaining episode. Yeah,
(27:49):
it was a great, great fun too. Uh, Yeah, it
was great, great fun to sit down with my old buddy,
Matt Sorum. He's a lovely guy and uh, I'm really
happy for him the way they start turning out now
and he's got a kid on the way. It's and
it's lovely, awesome. All right, Brian, We'll see you next week. Okay,
(28:16):
thank you everyone for listening. On tour in the After
Show are productions of iHeart Radio and Black Barrel Media.
This show is produced by me Mandy Wimmer with executive
producer Noel Brown. For more information about on Tour, visit
our website black Barrel Media dot com. From behind the
scenes photos from these interviews, or to submit questions for
the after show, visit our social media at on Tour
(28:39):
on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. For more shows from I
Heart Radio and Black Barrel Media, visit the I Heart
Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your favorite podcasts.
You're listening to the After Show, the bonus episode series
for on Tour with Brian Ray. This is a production
of I Heart Radio and Black Barrel Media and I'm
your host Mandy Wimmer. In the after show, we dive
a little deeper into Brian's thoughts about certain parts of
the interviews, as well as expound a bit more on
his own experiences on tour. In previous after shows, we
(00:31):
dabbled in how sex, drugs, and rock and roll all
go hand in hand, but in this episode we tackle
it head on, from Matt's coke running days, to the
fairly hedonistic parties, to people going missing on tours, to
the stories of those who survived addiction, and to those
who sadly did not, like Velvet Revolver and Stone Temple
Pilots frontman Scott Wiland. In contrast, we cover a lot
(00:55):
of hysterical moments in Matt's interview, including the remarkable partying
ability and work ethic up Slash and Keith Richard's and
we examine if there's any red underwear left in the
world after Matt sorum fulfilled his show day superstitions. Here's
my conversation with Brian Ray Brian Episode seven. Matt Sorum,
(01:27):
Hey Mandy, Mandy women my producer, thank you for inserting
the British accent. Yes, you got it. You know I
can't do it. Gratuitous and not good. I get really
jealous when people do accents because I cannot do them
to save my life. Best not to try. No, I
won't try. I'm not I'm not going to embarrass myself anyway.
Matt Sorum, I have to say I laughed out loud
(01:49):
multiple times during this interview. I mean, and editing this interview,
I you know, this interview was actually about two hours
two plus hours long, and so editing this interview was
a treat to get it down to to one hour.
There's so many great stories on the cutting room floor.
I really wish we could put it all out. It
just would have been way too long. But anyway, what
(02:10):
we did put out is great and absolutely hysterical. And
we are going to start right away with where we
started the interview, and that is the cocaine running days.
Whoa uh, you, as everybody knows, have had your time
in the sun with drugs, but this is this is
(02:32):
over the top. I mean, my heart was racing hearing
these stories about him strapping kilos of coke to his
chest and flying to Hawaiian doing drops and then coming
back with thousands of dollars. I mean, I don't know,
and he did this for years. I cannot think of
anything more stressful. Were you ever on that side of
it or what were your thoughts of stories? It would
(02:53):
have made a terrible dealer. I would have definitely used
up all the profits in knows or in my lungs. Uh.
You know what, when you're a young musician trying to
make it, you've got big dreams. None of those dreams
have come true yet you gotta make ends meet. So
what you run a couple of drugs? But what what
(03:15):
I mean? Have you guys not heard of like serving
in a restaurant or maybe Starbucks, or like, you know,
doing something on this side, I mean, like drugs? What
nine dollars? I mean, my god, But it's honest at least,
and you're not going to jail. Yeah, but then you're
not a renegade badass. I don't. I really don't know
how you guys are still among us. I don't either.
(03:39):
I mean, was that the okay? So? But to wrap
this up, was that we're hearing that story. Was was
your heart racing like mine? Were you just like this
is entertaining? It was all news to me. I had
no idea that he had that sortid tail in his past.
But it's hilarious, you know, he and I just so
the audience knows we're both a couple of sober men,
we talk about that. You know, we both have been
(04:01):
in recovery for a long time, and uh so between us,
that stuff is hilarious. We left our heads off over
that stuff all the time when we see each other
and talk about our exploits, because it's funny. This is
these are the tales of survivors. Now, sadly, for every
(04:21):
one of those stories of a survivor, there are thousands
of stories of people who didn't survive. So it's not
that cute. But in this in this case, while we're
talking about you know, an eighties style r a w
K rock musician, it's hilarious. So really, the cult is
(04:42):
what brought Matt out of his drug smuggling days. He
got an audition for the cult, thank god, because actually
the person who took a spot was then arrested and
spent ten years in federal penitentiary, which is insane, crazy,
But that's what happens when you smuggle drugs. Don't do it,
that's right, then you join a cult. Oh my god. Um.
(05:03):
So he actually says he's been in so many amazing bands,
but he says that the Cult was actually, as a
lot of people have said, apparently the best fit for
him as a drummer. So I really enjoyed the cult.
I I believe I had one of their CDs back
in the day. But knowing what I know of Matt
as a person, I didn't realize he was a drummer
at that point. I don't see that as like the
best fit, like I see him more as like straight
(05:25):
g n R. Yeah, I can see what he's getting
at there with a cult that's a very straight ahead
eighth note band, whereas g n R had a lot
bit a bit more swing and variety of fields. Maybe
Matt is talking about that that he's probably better at
that more straight ahead style. Maybe that's what he means. Yeah, interesting. Yeah,
(05:46):
I don't really know, but I thought that was that.
It was interesting also that he had to change his
entire appearance to We're All Black to fit in with
the death cult, he asked the death call. Okay. So
another laugh out loud moment in his interview was when
Slash and Duff I think it was came to a
cult show. That's how they met Matt. And then Matt
(06:09):
coming off that tour I think a dred and eighty
Days or something like that. I don't, I don't know
you hear it in the interview. But he got walking pneumonia.
He was home with his mom. His mom was taking
care of him, which is so cute, and Slash calls
his house and his mom says, there's someone named Slush
on the phone video. Oh my god, It's like, it's
(06:33):
such a mom thing to say. That is so cute.
Next time I see Slash, I'm gonna call him Slush. Well,
the best part about this is a that story that
isn't just great. But Slush says to Matt, our drummer
is in rehab and so we need a new drummer. Okay.
So then Matt, having walking pneumonia, goes and basically auditions
(06:55):
or starts working with them the next day while having pneumonia.
So I mean, obviously there's no stop stop switch for him.
But then we're going to talk about drugs a little
bit longer, because I find this really interesting that their
drummers in rehab. Matt comes to take the place of
the drummer and he finds out that everybody in g
n R is on heroin and everyone's like falling asleep.
(07:17):
He's like, it's like an opium den, which I think
straight like Deadwood or Tombstone or something like that opium den.
But then so he credits himself for getting the band
to do more cocaine. Well, you know, when you're going nowhere,
you want to get there as fast as possible. No,
g n R was clearly going places, and it's hard
to go places when you're sleeping, unless, of course, you're
(07:41):
a sleepwalker. Okay, but anyway, I'm going to get into
that right and we're not going to get into that
right now. But people, that's for another episode. You can
ask in your questions about the sleepwalking. I will talk
about it at some point. I might never talk about it,
but well I will anyway. Uh yeah, I mean that's
hilarious the drug that the drugs have taken control of
(08:04):
the band and they're all like nodding out all day long.
And then Matt convinces them that a better drug would
be cocaine. But guess what, they didn't stop doing heroin.
They did both. I mean, so what happens like, so,
so cocaine obviously makes you really hyper and heroin puts
you to sleep? Is that the difference? Basically and basically
(08:25):
and in a nutshell? Yeah? Okay, So like if you're
doing both, then I don't even understand what you would
be like if you would be given your heart a
real hard time because you're you're your brain is going fast,
but your mouth is still going slow. Just I don't understand.
Had you guys never heard of like um soda or
(08:46):
coffee or anything like that to like, I mean, I
I've worked insanely long hours doing Super Bowls, I mean
eighteen hour days, seven days a week, and I don't
recall any at any point looking at my events team
and saying, we really need to get some cocaine in here. Well,
you would have been sent to jail if you did,
because you know, the NFL isn't really kind towards drug addiction.
(09:09):
But you know you used exorbitant amounts of of caffeine.
That's true, that that was our drug of choice. That
will work. The way you do it. It's like rocket fuel.
It is it actually is seen you work. I guess
I am addicted to fresh cup over here right now.
Let me look in there halfway down, still warm fifth cup.
(09:31):
It goes with me everywhere. I am never without my coffee.
It's like a sippy cup. Do you have like one
of those helmets with a hose that goes like coffee
all day? I should actually have one. I think that's
a good idea, and then I don't have to keep
going back for refills. It takes way too much time.
Perhaps you could do some Starbucks branding on the side. Also,
(10:09):
very very very funny, so we brought in the Rolling
Stones in this episode. Keith Richards, I this was another
laugh out loud moment for me. When Matt was talking
about the work ethic of bands. I mean, among in
and among all of the drugs and all of the alcohol,
they also play shows. I know, they also record albums.
I mean, I don't know how this all gets done.
(10:30):
You have to do something to afford all those drugs.
It's true, it's true. So we're paying them for their music.
Keith Richards is probably the biggest icon for how is
he still functioning as a human with all of the
drugs and the smoking and I'm sure the alcohol. I
don't know Keith personally, so I don't know what all
he does. But in his shows he's smoking, So I
(10:51):
mean that you do see that all the time. And
he's known as a party animal, of course. So Matt
talks about a story about um axel was had was
late to a sound check or something like that for
the Rolling Stones, and and Keith Richards looks at him
and says, I slept in the chandelier last night. What's
(11:12):
your excuse? And Matt talks about going missing in Venezuela
and they find him on some hotel balcony. I don't
think a hotel he was staying in. That's point in
the story was that Slash has the best work ethic
of just about anybody, where he can be out all
night partying and he can still be at sound check
(11:35):
at New Is that a thing like back in your heyday,
were you struggling to actually do your job? No? You know, uh,
there were times erewhere like I remember being in I
think it was Chile when I was playing with Laura
Brannigan in the mid eighties, back when all the drugs
were still working for me. Uh well, you know, you'd
(11:57):
have jet lag and these were very long flights. So
we had found out about a sleeping pill and it
was a very strong but over the counter sleeping pill
down there in South America and Chile, and so apparently
you could take half of one of these tiny little
pills and you'd be out for your whole flight back.
So you know, I was excited about that because I
(12:19):
don't sleep that well on a flight. Was this legal
or not legal? Yeah? Legal there? Okay, you're not supposed
to have it here. You can't pronounce the name and
they don't know what it is, so they'll view it
as illegal anyway. So um well, I of course I
had to sample something, of course while I was down there,
and then I took a couple smuggled a couple home.
(12:40):
You know, but this is lightweight. I was, okay a
little bit, but not for money. That's the thing. Smuggling
is for money. It okay, you know, just bringing in
a little something something. Those of us, non drug addicts
and non smugglers don't really understand these things. We have
to be told. But anyway, that was when I was
coming to the end of my um my drug abuse
(13:01):
and alcohol abuse career in the mid eighties. It was
still kind of working but kind of not really. But anyway,
I brought it one of the guys, but I should
say this, one of the guys in the tour guitar
tech for the other guitar player, went to a strip
club and uh, he went to go enjoy himself down
(13:23):
in Chile and woke up at ten in the morning
out in an alley with his wallet gone. Well, they'd
given him a whole one of these things and he
was out like a lot. Yeah, they put him out,
So it's a little bit dangerous. Yeah, but um in general, Yeah,
for myself, I didn't have too difficult of time with
(13:45):
balancing work and uh those things. But at a certain
point I knew that the gig was up, And at
a certain point I had friends later tell me after
I was sober man that session you look rough, and
I'm like, what's session? Oh my god? Yeah, So you know,
I mean you just learn and hopefully, you know, like
(14:06):
in my case, in a Matt's case, we found another
path where we could find a life truly worth living
that was a lot better and rewarding with all without
all that chaos and danger. Okay, So there's one part
of this that, I mean, a lot of it was
very funny now obviously in looking at all of this
(14:27):
stuff retrospect, and then there was part of it that
made me cringe a little bit. Some of it we've
already talked about. So the other part of it that
I really think that we need to address address is
the hedonistic nature of rock and roll. Uh in the
fact that you guys talk about how it was a
time and that time has changed. He talks about this
(14:49):
story where people are rolling down the aisles of the
seven Is, they're taking off and everybody's sleeping with everybody,
and they're picking up girls in strip clubs in Houston
and sending them back home on a Southwest ticket. I mean,
it's just chaos. I mean it was pure chaos, right,
and I mean me as a female, of course, I'm
cringing hearing the story. And but Matt talks about how
(15:12):
he looks back on it again not with pride, but
and and recognizes that it was very hedonistic, but that
he has completely changed now at this point. But what
are your thoughts on that time? Versus this time, and
how rock and roll was versus how it is now.
And do you guys have more respect than you showed?
Oh yeah, we do, trust me. Look in my eyes,
(15:35):
you looking right at me. I know there's a devilish glint,
but there is respect behind that devilish glint. No, it's
not like a me to moment. It's more like a
me fourteen moment. It's terrible, but you know, I guess um,
rock and roll went through a phase and and and
some would say that that was it's a death rattle.
(15:56):
To be honest with you. What started out in rock
and roll, in my opinion, was a fantastic outlet for
teens uh and people of any age who needed that outlet,
full of energy, danger, uh, the forbidden thing and uh
fun and rebelliousness. Uh. But it turned into just like
(16:21):
you know, hedonistic you know, naval gazing, excess and abuse
of people and drugs, you know. And it's sad, but
that's what happened to rock and roll unfortunately. Right now.
I do think that we it's important that we say that.
Matt is, you know, the posit or child of the
fact that people do actually change. I don't know about
(16:43):
poster child in an example of someone who might have changed. No,
Matt is happily married and they have a kid on
the way. And you know, he's sober, he's sober long time.
He's an industrious man. He does charity work, trying to
rub out a record, what can I say? And they
(17:04):
just you know, they live really close to my getaway
pad in Palm Springs. And yeah, he's a very good dude.
Yeah yeah, no completely, I mean, very very impressive how
he's done all of this. But now is is so different.
So next time someone says to people, don't change, refer
them to the Matt Sarm episode on that's right here
(17:27):
exhibit A. Yes, yes they do change. So okay, the
last thing that I want to talk about kind of
in the Guns and Roses, heydays when Axel does end
up firing Matt, and he leaves his firing, he goes home.
He lives in this huge rock star pad and he
pulls into his he pulls into his garage and he
finds a black Porsche in his garage and he rolls
(17:49):
in in a black porch. He now has two black
Porsches because he literally forgot about the first one. I
know it's so hard. It's tough. I mean, finding your
way the music business can be so challenging. I mean,
I think that that's a new life goal. Have enough
money that you're buying two cars because I don't know.
I mean, if I had that much money, I would
spend it all on I would give it all the
(18:10):
animal shelters lets. You know, but it's a fun thing
to think about. You wouldn't forget that you'd give into
an app No, I would not. I would just and
it wouldn't matter. I just keep giving two quick things.
(18:34):
We're going to wrap it up here. We did talk
about the semi glamorous side of the drug business, which
we don't condone, but there is a sad side to
this as well. When Matt Swarm was with Velvet Revolver,
the frontman of that band was Scott Wyland or Weland Wyland, Okay,
(18:54):
who lost his life to addiction, very very very sad.
He was the frontman also for Stone Temple Pilots, an
amazing band. Um. You know, I didn't know much about Scott,
but what was your experience with him? Yeah, well I
got to meet Scott. Uh lovely guy. Uh. We rehearsed
one day and then played a big charity on the
(19:15):
beach in Santa Monica behind a large mansion. It was
just one of those sort of all star bands. It
was Matt on drums, Dave Kushner also from from Velvet
Revolver on guitar, and a bunch of other people, Steve
Jones from the Sex Pistols and uh I did a
handful of songs with Scott Wiland singing. And he was
(19:38):
a great performer, really magnificent, very charismatic. Uh an interesting singer,
had a very good voice. As you said, Stone Temple
Pilots is a really important band from the nineties, and
uh so his contribution to that era of rock and
(19:59):
roll when grunge music came to save rock and roll,
which had gone so far south and so far into
the excess of the eighties. They were one of the
bands that led the charge to try to save rock
and roll. And so imagine my sadness when I saw
that Scott Whyland was struggling with drugs and alcohol to
(20:23):
a great degree and basically was never able to control that.
And um though he tried, he could never slay that
dragon and his demons won out and unfortunately there's no
more Scott Wiland except in video and in recordings. And
it's a shame. It's a real shame. Oh man, Yeah,
(20:45):
a complete shame. Um. So we're gonna we're gonna end
this on a light notes because I think that probably
one of the funniest parts of this interview was when
Matt was talking about his superstitions that he does not
do as much anymore, but but did do them at
one time for a long time. And they were literally
laugh out loud funny. Hopefully you heard them in the episode.
(21:07):
But one of them was that he would have to
wear red underwear every single night when he played. I
cannot imagine the amount of red underwear that must be.
I hope he had to read underwear sponsor there's all
of the red underwear on Earth is now gone. Basically,
that's why he doesn't do it as much anymore. Matt
Sorum has all the Earth's red underwear. Um, and then
(21:29):
he could then he had to chew gum for the
first three songs, and as we all know, they only
take pictures of the first three songs in the press pit.
So and as you know, there's nothing that I hate
worse than people chewing gums. So I was completely on
board of that one going away. I've heard that about you.
The truth is is that when you chew gum and
somebody's taking a photo, you're likely to be making a
(21:52):
funny face if you're in the middle of chewing gum.
I don't think anyone looks attractive while chewing gum. Yeah,
picture or no picture, no one looks attract to chewing gup.
I'm just I'm going on the record with that. Let's
just talk about the sound of chewing gum. I can't
even go there. Absolutely disgusting. Okay. So the last one
that his absolutely hysterical. So Matt had a chrome chain
(22:15):
that he had to wear at every single show, and
on his way from his dressing room to the stage
at a Guns n' Roses show, he realized he didn't
have it, and he starts screaming at his golf cart
driver that he's got to go back, he has to
go back. He cannot go on stage without this chain.
Oh my god, just absolutely hysterical. So you have your
(22:36):
ring that Johnny Holiday gave you. That's been brought up
in a few of these after shows. I mean, how
dire is it that you have this ring on? I mean,
do you can you not perform? Would you have a
horrible show? Would you have a great show and then
go cry back stage like how do you get through? Well?
I don't think that I would have a struggle doing
(22:58):
the show or drying after, although I might, but I
might do that anyway. You know, I don't think that
it would be a struggle to do a show without it.
It's just that it's it became a part of me
ever since Johnny Halliday gave me that ring in whatever
that was two thousand, Um, It's been on my finger
on my right hand, my middle finger, uh, for every
(23:21):
show that I've played since then. So I think I
would just feel naked without it, And uh yeah, I
don't think I've played a single show without it. And
I almost lost it in New York City. I almost
lost the ring. We checked out of our hotel there
and I'm on the way to the airport in our
in our suv and I go, oh my god, my
(23:44):
heart just sank. I don't have my ring on, and
then my my head instantly went to I remember taking
it off on top of the bed, and so I
instantly call our tour manager. Uh, Phil and Phil, this
is a crazy request. I don't do this to you often,
but would you please see if you can get the
(24:07):
keys to my room on the thirty third floor and
go in there and see if you can find my
big old ring. It's probably right in the middle of
the bed. And he goes, we'll do And he called
me back in like ten minutes he says, I got it.
Thank god. Oh my god. You can't imagine what I
was stressed out over that one that happened to me
(24:27):
in a hotel once I left my prized ring in
the bathroom and I called them immediately, but it mysteriously
could not be found. Yeah. I think we've all got
sad stories about that. But this is a story that
ended on a happiness, thank God, because it is one
of your faiths. All right, So we are going to
wrap up with the lightning round. First question, music related.
(24:50):
Who is the one artist that you are a pretty
big fan of that people might not expect. Mmm. Interesting,
let me see here. That's a good question. Um, Little
Feet a band from the very late sixties, early seventies
and all through the seventies and eighties. Kind of uh,
(25:14):
multi ethnicity, uh cross genre. It's sort of like R
and B rock and roll, sometimes roots, sometimes country. And
I loved him. I was so addicted to that band.
Also Ray couder I. There's a time when that's all
I listened to those two? Are you used to listen
to them? Now? Not as much now, I mean, but
(25:34):
that's also because I wore it out. I listened to
it every day, all day, on tour, off tour, all
the time, right right, Okay, So the non music related question,
if you could live anywhere outside of the United States,
where would you live? Canada or France? Canada France? Yes? Interesting?
(25:57):
So why Canada or Buenos Aires? I know, I know
you love France. You said that that's your favorite place
to tour, Buenos Aires. Let's go there. Okay, let's go there. Okay,
why why would so? What is it about Buenos Aires
that you love? Buenos Aires? Okay? So that place is magnificent.
It is its own architecture, its own vibe, very different
(26:20):
from any South American city. It's got a lot of
Art Deco architecture and as you know, very into architecture.
So it's got a lot of this sort of twenties
and thirties architecture sort of. Uh. One of the main
features is big round corners instead of uh, you know,
ninety degree angles, very rounded. And the city was planned
(26:43):
by one of the people that helped to plan Paris.
The way the city of Paris ended up sort of
expanding out, uh, was sort of very similar to the
way Buenos Aires is. And it just feels like a
European city other than being in South America. And I
just love it down there. And the people are also
(27:04):
so friendly and so fun. You've you've toured there with
the Bayonets as well. I have and Solo a few times.
I've gone down there a few times. It's a great
rock and roll crowd in bueness Aures. He's just wonderful.
But uh. And then Canada because for the most part
they speak English and find that comforting because I'm too
(27:25):
lazy now to learn another language. But so they speak
English very well, and uh, and it's so beautiful up there,
and there's so many lakes and rivers and streams and
snow and beach just a lot. And it's filled with
lovely Canadians. All right, So thank you very much, Brian,
and thank you to Matt Sorum for the incredibly entertaining episode. Yeah,
(27:49):
it was a great, great fun too. Uh, Yeah, it
was great, great fun to sit down with my old buddy,
Matt Sorum. He's a lovely guy and uh, I'm really
happy for him the way they start turning out now
and he's got a kid on the way. It's and
it's lovely, awesome. All right, Brian, We'll see you next week. Okay,
(28:16):
thank you everyone for listening. On tour in the After
Show are productions of iHeart Radio and Black Barrel Media.
This show is produced by me Mandy Wimmer with executive
producer Noel Brown. For more information about on Tour, visit
our website black Barrel Media dot com. From behind the
scenes photos from these interviews, or to submit questions for
the after show, visit our social media at on Tour
(28:39):
on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. For more shows from I
Heart Radio and Black Barrel Media, visit the I Heart
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