Drinking Snakebites With Guns N’ Roses And Velvet Revolver Drummer Matt Sorum: Part II

22.09.2023 - 14:25 / forbes.com

Rockers from Guns N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver to Tori Amos and Billy Gibbons have all been lucky enough to turn around and see drummer Matt Sorum behind them on stage keeping the rhythm going. In the second part of my interview I spoke with Sorum about his healing work with the Raven Drum Foundation , how you get backstage at a Rolling Stones concert and a rock star move anyone can pull at a bar.

Let’s talk about your work with the Raven Drum Foundation .

My good pal Rick Allen (Def Leppard) and his wife Lauren Monroe are amazing. We sponsor veterans, first responders, people that have been through very traumatic situations to come in and join us in a circle of drummers. The old version was kind of a hippie thing but we're using it as a therapeutic approach to connecting people and feeling the same heart rhythm. And it really is a beautiful ceremony. These people come in with us and work through things that they aren’t able to vocal vocalize and just be able to find some center.

For this next event we're going to Wyoming to a really cool ranch. A lot of great drummers are coming. Rick and his wife will be there, and I'm traveling up. I find it very impactful. We all have fears. We all have anxiety. We all have complications in our life and trauma on a daily basis. The Raven Drum Foundation is an amazing group of people. I'm really excited to go.

Have you ever shared a drink with one of your idols?

At The Central club in those early days I remember hunkering up to the bar and and there was Robin Williams doing shots. He looked over and said ‘hey kid, do you want one?’ And I did a shot with Robin Williams. Then I ended up going down to this basement with him and hanging with John Belushi and Angie Bowie. I’m a kid. I just arrived in Hollywood and I’m freaking out. This is it! This is my life. I’m not going anywhere else.

Not a bad crowd when you’re 19.

My friend who is my old manager from Velvet Revolver — he used to throw these really eclectic dinner parties where he'd invite different, interesting people — not all celebrities. Like he'd invite like the L.A. Coroner.

What’s appropriate dinner conversation with a coroner?

I asked him ‘what was the craziest murder scene you've ever seen?’ And he said ‘this guy melted his wife in a vat of acid and the only thing that we found was one tooth. But we caught him.’

One night I sat between Priscilla Presley and Al Pacino. And Al's drinking wine and reciting Shakespeare. It’s insane. I get into this deep conversation with him about drinking after the gig. About why we need to. Is it celebrating that we’ve just done the performance or are we trying to fill the void of what we just experienced with the audience?

What did Al Pacino say?

He's like ‘t