On July 7th, former Guns N' Roses drummer Matt Sorum sent birthday wishes to The Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, who turned 80 years-old. In the message, found below, Sorum credits Starr for his decision to become a drummer.

 

 

 

 

Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy 80th Birthday Ringo , this is a shot from my upcoming book that will be out next year now . The reason I became a drummer was this man. Like many of us in the mid 60s that saw The Beatles on Tv when they first came to America.They appeared on The Ed Sullivan although I was a bit young and their 4th appearance is what captured my attention with the song I Feel Fine. I then received a 45 record from my Brother Mark of A Hard Days night and I was never the same along with the rest of the world . Over 73 million tuned in to the Sullivan show that changed Rock n’ Roll forever. I’m honored to call Ringo a friend as we’d usually be outside the Capitol building today sharing Peace And Love . You continue to be a huge inspiration in my life Ringo. Watch the Ringo celebration tonight at 5pm with a ton of cool guests @ringostarrmusic for info ..thank you for the great photo @dannybones64

Ein Beitrag geteilt von Matt Sorum (@mattsorum) am Jul 7, 2020 um 8:41 PDT

Matt Sorum will release his autobiography, Double Talkin' Jive: True Rock 'N' Roll Stories From The Drummer Of Guns N' Roses, The Cult, And Velvet Revolver, next year.

The official book description reads as follows:

Cocaine smuggling, shoot-outs, and never-ending decadent parties: Matt Sorum's 'Double Talkin' Jive' could almost be described as the autobiographical equivalent of the film, Blow. But rather than becoming a premier drug smugglers, Matt Sorum becomes a world-famous drummer in Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver and The Cult. Sorum drops out of high school to become a drummer, but turns to selling pot to support himself, and later smuggling large quantities of cocaine. When Sorum is given the chance to play in The Cult, he is finally able to make a living as a drummer. The very next year, Slash and Duff McKagan recruit Matt to join Guns N' Roses, and with that, Matt's life is transformed.

When Axl Rose starts turning up at the recording studio more and more sporadically, sometimes not at all, Matt recounts in keen detail how he and the band stagger toward their downfall. Matt and his Guns N' Roses bandmates Slash and Duff form Velvet Revolver with Dave Kushner and Scott Weiland. When Weiland suddenly leaves the band, Matt steps in as drummer for Motörhead during their U.S. tour, and then starts his own all-star band, Kings Of Chaos.

During his time as a professional drummer, Matt battles alcohol and coke addictions, but meeting his girlfriend, Ace Harper, helps him manage to go clean. Matt Sorum's autobiography, written with writer duo Leif Eriksson and Martin Svensson, avoids all the usual rock biography clichés.