Fortus interviewed on The Radical podcast

[DeN]

well, he didn't because he was a junkie, not because he wasn't capable of.

the question is more what sort of drummer are you than can you play Dream Theater stuff.

Izzy Stradlin is not Buckethead, but he sounds good.
I never thought of Duff as a bass virtuoso like Billy Sheehan or Tony Levin, but he sounds good.
Steven is not Bill Bruford or Terry Bozzio, but he sounds good too.
in the band the only virtuoso was Slash, and he was not Jimi Hendrix or Eric Clapton either.


but they keep going together under a big name, that's the main difference.

[Wooody]

well, he didn't because he was a junkie, not because he wasn't capable of.

the question is more what sort of drummer are you than can you play Dream Theater stuff.

Izzy Stradlin is not Buckethead, but he sounds good.
I never thought of Duff as a bass virtuoso like Billy Sheehan or Tony Levin, but he sounds good.
Steven is not Bill Bruford or Terry Bozzio, but he sounds good too.
in the band the only virtuoso was Slash, and he was not Jimi Hendrix or Eric Clapton either.


but they keep going together under a big name, that's the main difference.

You could even say that virtuoso players are very often boring, lack feeling, and are more interpreters than songwriters.

[DeN]

I could, but I'm trying to avoid stereotypes, I mean, when you're an artist, the more
technical you can be, the more freedom it gets you to express whatever you want to express.

but yes if you have nothing to say it's just a technical demonstration and it's boring I agree.

[coolman78SLASH]

in the band the only virtuoso was Slash, and he was not Jimi Hendrix or Eric Clapton either.

He actually plays better technically speaking than both these two, not knocking on either and especially Clapton, Slash is a virtuoso on a way higher level

[Executioner]

and I still don't really understand why Matt was discarded to be frank (no pun intended)

Maybe when you look at his history, it becomes clearer?

Velvet Revolver - broke up.
The Cult - continued without him.

Then there was Camp Freddy, that turned into Royal Machines. Yeah, without Matt.

Fired from GN'R.






/jarmo

Slash and Duff wouldn't have worked with him in Velvet Revolver if he was difficult to work with ,can you tell us exactly how many member GnR have had since their formation it must be near 50 at this stage with one member who has never left ,that tells you all you need to know about who is difficult to work with.

[DeN]

in the band the only virtuoso was Slash, and he was not Jimi Hendrix or Eric Clapton either.

He actually plays better technically speaking than both these two, not knocking on either and especially Clapton, Slash is a virtuoso on a way higher level

ahahahahaha 

[DeN]

and I still don't really understand why Matt was discarded to be frank (no pun intended)

Maybe when you look at his history, it becomes clearer?

Velvet Revolver - broke up.
The Cult - continued without him.

Then there was Camp Freddy, that turned into Royal Machines. Yeah, without Matt.

Fired from GN'R.






/jarmo

Slash and Duff wouldn't have worked with him in Velvet Revolver if he was difficult to work with ,can you tell us exactly how many member GnR have had since their formation it must be near 50 at this stage with one member who has never left ,that tells you all you need to know about who is difficult to work with.

and Lemmy would have never called him to play on tour with Motorhead. Lemmy was bullshit free.

[Wooody]

Dude... do you play? It happens all the time.

I'm more used to hearing about people being fired for being convicted of crimes, drug problems, he can't write songs and other things. Not "he couldn't play"...




/jarmo

Yeah, but that's in the news, with famous people... which accounts to maybe 1% of all musicians... if you're in bands, and look for people to collaborate and stuff like that, then its a whole different matter.

Different how? Assholes get kicked out of cover bands, bar bands, wedding bands, local bands that never quite break, and world famous bands all the time. Regardless of playing and or songwriting ability. Skid Row for example... Sebastian Bach is an amazing talent, no major Adler like demons... if the other members could stand to be around him they would make a 10x the money they do as Skid Row featuring not Sebastian Bach on vocals. He comes off like an insufferable Douche Bag, so I'm assuming they can't be in the some room with him. That's Matt to an extent.

To the point made earlier, take boots from any era of this band and for my money the best live drumming in Matt. Brain sounded like a weak drum machine, Frank is certainly iffy on his timing, but there is a reason Frank is there.

Different because in the news, the flashy thing that we see all the time is Drama related: alcohol - women - attitude - etc. Not being able to play doesnt make the news, but I would say its one of the main reasons why someone leaves a band ... in the real world that is..

[coolman78SLASH]

in the band the only virtuoso was Slash, and he was not Jimi Hendrix or Eric Clapton either.

He actually plays better technically speaking than both these two, not knocking on either and especially Clapton, Slash is a virtuoso on a way higher level

ahahahahaha 

Do you play? Because I do, and its waaaay Harder to play Slashs riffs and solos than Claptons

[jarmo]

Slash and Duff wouldn't have worked with him in Velvet Revolver if he was difficult to work with

The fact that I used VR as an example means that it happened after they chose to be in a band with him again. And how did that band end? Matt Sorum and Weiland fighting....


Let's look at what the track record is with Matt and Slash for example.

GN'R - fired
Snakepit - quit over disagreements
VR - band broke up


To put it bluntly, there's a difference between playing live with Motorhead as a stand in drummer, and being part of a band.

Nobody's doubting his drumming skills, so relax. I'm just saying that maybe his personality doesn't work well in all bands. I know, I know, you think he's an amazing human being. That's fine.

You guys wonder why he's not back in GN'R, I give a possible reason and you get all defensive.




/jarmo

[PermissionToLand]

The fact that I used VR as an example means that it happened after they chose to be in a band with him again. And how did that band end? Matt Sorum and Weiland fighting....


Let's look at what the track record is with Matt and Slash for example.

GN'R - fired
Snakepit - quit over disagreements
VR - band broke up

You're omitting almost all context though.

GNR - fired by Axl, not Slash. Many people have been fired by Axl over the years. It's also ignoring the power dynamic; if the exact same things happened but Matt lead the band, he probably would have fired Axl. Would that mean Axl was the troublemaker even though the actual behavior from either of them did not change, only the power dynamic? Is every employee that gets fired from a job automatically a bad employee?
Snakepit - Not true. He was still in GNR and Axl called him back to Guns so he couldn't tour the album.
VR - the entire band had relapsed and Scott Weiland bounced around between bands ever since because nobody could work with him. He may have had particular trouble getting along with Matt, but it's anyone's guess who was really in the wrong, and like most things in life, I'm sure both sides were being difficult.

[DeN]

plus, Jarmo, what you're saying about Matt is also true for Duff & Slash.

GNR? problems with lead singer
Velvet Revolver? problems with lead singer
Snakepit? two albums, two different lead singers

but I hear you, and I know what Scott said about Matt :

"The relationship I had with Matt became horrendous. He and I had come close to fist-fights
so many times that it’s ridiculous. He has an attitude with lead singers. It’s a problem he had
before Revolver – in Guns N’ Roses and The Cult. And, who knows, maybe even before that."

so yeah, probably the most difficult one of the 3 to deal with when you're a singer.

but he said too :

"When you think about it, isn’t it ironic that the band is regurgitating the same story that they did
with Axl Rose in their last band, where the lead singer was being demonised? Originally I thought:
“What a troll he must have been. What an evil man.” But you know what? I have to say that I have
an entirely different opinion of him today."

[DeN]

so, to end with this Matt thing before people think I'm a huge fan of the guy and collect all his cds & beers  :

I understand he's difficult to deal with at some point when you're a singer, but not that much than the others.
I think there's a financial aspect to it, he's not that famous in the common public eye so why waste big money on him?
Frank is established as the GNR drummer since years now, and he's loyal to Axl.

[jarmo]

You're omitting almost all context though.

No. I explained it all. Personality, not playing. Doesn't matter who did the firing....

Two people don't get along.

So when you know there's a risk of one person constantly creating drama, and all you want is a smooth sailing, maybe you see if there are other alternatives....



/jarmo

[D-GenerationX]

plus, Jarmo, what you're saying about Matt is also true for Duff & Slash.

GNR? problems with lead singer
Velvet Revolver? problems with lead singer
Snakepit? two albums, two different lead singers

Yep.

Good rules of thumb in life :

- don't get involved in a land war in Asia
- don't travel anywhere with The Rock
- don't join a band with Slash in it

[DeN]

 

to be fair he found a guy who can sing, write songs and has no bigger ego
than him and it works (yes, I'm talking about Myles Kennedy of course)

[LunsJail]

You're omitting almost all context though.

No. I explained it all. Personality, not playing. Doesn't matter who did the firing....

Two people don't get along.

So when you know there's a risk of one person constantly creating drama, and all you want is a smooth sailing, maybe you see if there are other alternatives....



/jarmo

I listened to a podcast awhile back with someone involved in the business side of VR. Matt had a disagreement in that band about how much screen time he was getting in the videos compared to the others. So yeah, maybe these guys realized there are easier people to work with..

[NaturalLight]

I’m not trying to pick a side in this whole Matt debate but ... I mean Jarmo does tour with all these guys so I’m sure he’s got some insight into what went on. I mean he’s pretty much spelled it out without exactly saying it upfront. To paraphrase ... Matt might be a great player but he’s a dick to play with long term. Just my two cents. Not even sure how this debate started. Heck, I thought the dude was still in the Cult until I saw the Atlanta show and realized he wasn’t. Although now that I think about it, isn’t Ian Astbury a dick, too? Haha. Cheers 

[jarmo]

I don't really remember hearing about the subject to be honest... But it's just common sense to me.

You have a drummer, who's been in the band for years. Two guys are re-joining, and a new member is joining. That alone is some uncertainty in itself. Will everything work? Will everyone get along? Etc.

So why add more by bringing someone back who you might not have had such an amazing working relationship with in the past?




/jarmo

[PermissionToLand]

but I hear you, and I know what Scott said about Matt :

"The relationship I had with Matt became horrendous. He and I had come close to fist-fights
so many times that it’s ridiculous. He has an attitude with lead singers. It’s a problem he had
before Revolver – in Guns N’ Roses and The Cult. And, who knows, maybe even before that."

so yeah, probably the most difficult one of the 3 to deal with when you're a singer.

but he said too :

"When you think about it, isn’t it ironic that the band is regurgitating the same story that they did
with Axl Rose in their last band, where the lead singer was being demonised? Originally I thought:
“What a troll he must have been. What an evil man.” But you know what? I have to say that I have
an entirely different opinion of him today."

Again, that's Scott's opinion, which is obviously biased being one of the two people involved in said conflict. I could just as easily find an interview where Matt says he couldn't work with Scott and no wonder STP couldn't either.

 

to be fair he found a guy who can sing, write songs and has no bigger ego
than him and it works (yes, I'm talking about Myles Kennedy of course)

Amazing how once he's not in a band with a singer who is bipolar or a notoriously hardcore addict, things go pretty smoothly.

Also, to act like Snakepit "broke up twice" is just false. The first album was a side project that wasn't intended to continue on. In fact, Slash wanted to keep touring but the support from Geffen was pulled once they broke even so he would return to Guns. Eric Dover still talks highly of Slash to this day. The 2nd incarnation had a junkie for a singer and Slash was the one who ended it because he had cleaned up. That's a sign of maturity and responsibility, if anything.