VIA PRESS RELEASE | Few musical groups embody the style, sound and spirit of their genre the way Guns N’ Roses embodies rock ’n’ roll. And few musicians have lived a rock ’n’ roll life as full and storied as drummer Matt Sorum’s.
In Double Talkin’ Jive: True Rock ’n’ Roll Stories from the Drummer of Guns N’ Roses, the Cult, and Velvet Revolver (Chicago Review Press, April 7, 2020), legendary drummer Matt Sorum takes music lovers behind the scenes of a remarkable life in rock. Sorum, whose albums have sold tens of millions of copies around the world, provides an honest, engaging account of the highs and lows of superstardom. Along with co-authors Leif Eriksson and Martin Svensson, Sorum recounts his childhood years idolizing Ringo Starr and surviving an abusive stepfather. After leaving high school, Sorum sold pot to get by. Over time, his drug dealing escalated to smuggling large quantities of cocaine, a career that came to a halt following a dramatic shootout.
Sorum fled his old life and settled in Hollywood, where he’d enjoy a rapid ascension to rock ’n’ roll immortality. He caught his big break drumming for the Cult, and only a year later replaced Steven Adler as a member of Guns N’ Roses, with whom he’d record two of rock’s most iconic albums: Use Your Illusion 1 and 2.
Sorum opens up with forthright honesty, sharing never before published anecdotes from his time touring the globe, battling drug and alcohol addiction and navigating volatile relationships with Axl Rose, Slash and the rest of the GNR team. His career with the Cult, Guns N’ Roses, Velvet Revolver, Motörhead, the Hollywood Vampires and Kings of Chaos co-stars an ensemble of rock royalty, from Gene Simmons and Billy Idol to Steven Tyler and Alice Cooper.
Double Talkin’ Jive goes beyond the clichés of sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll, telling the very human story of what it takes to make it in music, and the toll stardom exacts from those who achieve success. Sorum invites fans to revel in the debauchery of the good times, but also paints a stark portrait of life after the party. Music fans of any generation will find value in the pages of this evocative, thoughtful and candid autobiography.
Matt Sorum is a former drummer for Guns N’ Roses, with whom he recorded three albums. He was also a member of the supergroup Velvet Revolver and is currently in Kings of Chaos and Billy F. Gibbons’ The Big Bad Blues. He also used to be in the Cult, Slash’s Snakepit and Neurotic Outsiders. He has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, released two solo albums and won several awards, including a Grammy. Leif Eriksson and Martin Svensson co-wrote Samantha Fox’s Forever.
