MATT SORUM On GUNS N' ROSES' 2016 Reunion: 'When They Got Back Together, I Didn't Know Anything About It'

In a new interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station, Matt Sorum was asked if he was surprised when guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan reunited with singer Axl Rose in GUNS N' ROSES more than a decade ago. The former GUNS N' ROSES drummer responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Not really. I guess it was gonna be coming down the pike eventually. But like I say, when they got back together, I didn't know anything about it, to be honest with you. So when it happened, they did it the way they wanted to, and they're off doing that."

Sorum went on to say that he is perfectly content having the freedom to pick and choose the projects that he gets involved with right now.

"I'm being creative in my own way," he said. "I got a lot of cool stuff. I kind of run in my own universe. I let my higher power lead the way. [Laughs] And my mother used to say, 'God's rejection is God's protection.' It's sort of, like, 'Don't fight it. Just go with it.' And I've done that in my life a lot more. As I get a little older, things become a little bit more clear. So everything's great in my life. I've got a five-year-old daughter who sees me a lot. That's probably one of the most important [things]. You got kids. You're there for them. They're gonna come out. I wanna be around. I wanna be here. I wanna live. I'm taking good care of myself. I'm 65. I'm in the best shape I've ever been. I haven't had a drink in 18 years. No drugs. I can look back at year 19, and I can't say it was the same. So all those things are a gift and a blessing, and that turns into this charity and what I'm able to do consciously. So, I'm super, super grateful."

Sorum also talked about the importance of getting the right mix of personalities in a group and communicating effectively with other bandmembers.

"I think when you get too big, that could be challenging," he explained. "When GUNS N' ROSES got huge, when we came out with 'Use Your Illusion' and everything, but after that is when things got very challenging. You're so big, what do you do next? When I see these bands that are out touring and have a career that spans the test of time — obviously GN'R, it took them 25 years to get back together, but what I'm saying is it can be a little bit daunting when you're big like that. METALLICA's pulled it off because they're a machine. They understand. And obviously you saw the documentary ['Some Kind Of Monster'] about what they went through. But they figured it out. And I've said to people, 'Look, I could be a counselor for your band if you're having problems.' [Laughs] 'Cause I know what not to do."

Matt continued: "The music part is the easy part. The business part is the hard part. Navigating the business, the things that trickle through — the agents, the managers, the business, the publishing, the songs, all that stuff is what causes problems in bands. And bands break up over typically money or ego. So ego and money don't make a good combo platter. [Laughs] So [METALLICA], they figured out how to keep it going… And METALLICA's a machine. And the way they run it and the way they deal with each other, and they're, like, 'Look, we got a good thing here. Why screw it up?' And THE ROLLING STONES.

"Being a musician, when you have the opportunity to play with other great musicians and the collaboration clicks and all of a sudden you're successful, is the moment when... I don't think I knew the word 'grateful' until I got older, and especially sober. [Laughs] It was just all a wild ride. It was like being on 'Mr. Toad's Wild Ride'. It's confusing. And you're a younger guy, and mixing alcohol and things like that, things just get blurry and weird. So I'm just in a really good place."

Sorum added: "I would say — this is a pretty good expression of what I would say: communication is key. And resentment is a killer. So if there's a resentment about something, you keep it inside, you walk around with it, it's very painful for yourself. So if you're not able to communicate that feeling or talk to somebody about it, especially the person that you may be of the resentment with, how about call and say, 'I'm sorry. I apologize.' That's a really good way to get that off your chest and figure out that it might not even be that difficult, but except as you're walking around thinking it is. You have an idea of what the other person's thinking about you: 'Oh, he hates me.' Communication is key in anything — relationships. And being in a band is like being in a relationship. It's like a marriage times five. So if you don't converse and say, 'Hey, man, I got...' I remember with working with [legendary producer] Rick Rubin one time. He came in with VELVET REVOLVER, and he asked us all — the first thing he asked us was how we were all getting along. [VELVET REVOLVER singer] Scott Weiland said, 'Me and Matt aren't getting along.' I said, 'What, Scott? I haven't seen you in six months.' So he had this feeling that me and him had an issue. And I said, 'Scott, I have no issues with you, man. You're a great frontman. Let's make some music.' And that's the kind of stuff I'm talking about.

"I think, for me, being a one-man show and doing my thing solo feels really good because I've been in a lot of bands," Matt concluded. "Most of them haven't been easy. [Laughs]"

Five years ago, Matt revealed in his book "Double Talkin' Jive: True Rock 'N' Roll Stories" that he learned of the 2016 partial reunion of GUNS N' ROSES' classic lineup via the rumor mill even though he was on a South American tour with Slash and Duff when the Internet chatter first reached him. After he confronted Duff, the bassist told him: "Axl wants to use his drummer [Frank Ferrer]." "Go to Axl and tell him you want me on drums," Sorum responded. "Period. Now's the time." "Oh, man," Duff replied. "I already signed the deal."

Sorum told Rolling Stone in a 2021 interview that he had gotten over the fact that he will probably never play with GUNS N' ROSES again. "I've come to terms with the fact that they're doing their own thing, and I'm doing mine," he said. "I can't say that when it went down, I was completely happy with the circumstances. At the same time, I feel really good about my time in the band."

Asked why he thinks he wasn't invited on the reunion tour, Matt said: "I think Axl is a loyal guy. He likes his band he's had for a long time. He didn't look at it that way. … If anyone in that band is loyal, it's probably him. He was like, 'I'm going to bring my guy [Frank Ferrer]. If I get Slash, that's cool. If I get Duff, that's cool too. And that's enough.' That's how it went down, and that's what they're doing."

Matt also told Rolling Stone that he was invited to appear as a guest on the GUNS N' ROSES reunion tour but that he didn't do it because there was no money involved. Asked if he would show up and do it if he was approached about it again, he said: "I guess I'd have to wait until that call comes to make that decision. I have a lot of different things going on in my life… I'm a busy guy. It's gotta be what works with my life. I feel really good about my time in the band. And I always thank GUNS N' ROSES for my legacy going forward."

GN'R's hugely successful reunion features Rose, Slash and McKagan alongside drummer Isaac Carpenter, keyboardist Dizzy Reed, guitarist Richard Fortus and second keyboardist Melissa Reese. Carpenter replaced Ferrer in March 2025.

Sorum recorded the GUNS N' ROSES albums "Use Your Illusion I" and "Use Your Illusion II" (both 1991) and "The Spaghetti Incident" (1994). He also supported the group on the "Use Your Illusion" tour and can be heard on GUNS N' ROSES' "Live Era: '87-'93" (1999) and "Greatest Hits" (2004).

Matt was among the GUNS N' ROSES members who were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in April 2012. He, Adler, Slash and McKagan attended the ceremony, while Rose and founding guitarist Izzy Stradlin stayed home.

Back in 2018, Izzy blamed his non-involvement with the GUNS N' ROSES reunion tour on the fact that he and the other guys in the band were unable "to reach a happy middle ground through the negotiation process." He also previously claimed that he stepped away from the reunion because the band didn't want to "split the loot equally."

Photo credit: Jonas Åkerlund (courtesy of AFM Records / Ken Phillips Publicity Group, Inc.)