http://legacy.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=172113We're now just two weeks away from GUNS N' ROSES being inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, and still, no one really knows if the original lineup of the band will perform together at the event. VH1 Radio Network's Dave Basner recently chatted with drummer Matt Sorum, who replaced Steven Adler behind the kit in 1990, and asked what he expects from the ceremony.
“Well, I don't expect really anything to happen," he said. "I think we're gonna go and accept the award, is what it's looking like. If anything, I might play drums with [fellow inductee] Donovan. I offered my services to Donovan because I played with him one time before and 'Hurdy Gurdy Man' was a song he recorded that John Bonham played drums on and Jimmy Page was the guitar player and I offered Donovan that me and Slash could play that maybe, but I haven't heard back if he wants us to do it or not.”
Since no one yet knows what is happening, VH1 Radio Network asked Matt why he can't just call singer Axl Rose and find out.
"I thought about it, but, you know, I don't think I'm the guy to do it," he said. "I asked Slash if he would do it, and Slash's answer to me was that he spoke to [guitarist] Izzy [Stradlin] and Izzy wasn't planning on coming. So I think that was like, if Izzy's not going to come and it's not all the original guys, then it doesn't make sense. I'm not sure, man. Like I said, I'm just going to go and obviously Steven's gonna be there, so I always thought, if they were going to play, they'll probably do 'Appetite' stuff and if they wanted me to play on something off 'Use Your Illusion', I would be happy to do that. If it was a perfect scenario, I would say the track list should go something like this: Go up there and play 'Welcome To The Jungle', play 'Sweet Child O' Mine', and then finish it up with 'November Rain'."
Speculation had been running rampant about a reunion ever since it was announced in December that GUNS would be inducted at the April 14 ceremony in Cleveland.
Rose himself — who, by all accounts, will never perform again with Slash — remained ambivalent about the situation, although Slash recently said in an interview that the original lineup was definitely not performing at the event.
Slash told The Pulse Of Radio that he has mixed feelings about the induction and the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in general. "There's so many artists that haven't been nominated, and it's really, really suspicious, because there's a lot of people that have been inducted that do not fall into the category of rock and roll, and it starts to seem really biased," he said. "There's a slew of artists that haven't been nominated, let alone inducted, that it's unforgivable under the moniker 'Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.'"
In addition to GUNS N' ROSES, other artists being inducted at the 27th annual ceremony include the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, the BEASTIE BOYS, the FACES/SMALL FACES, Donovan and Laura Nyro.
The ceremony will be taped for broadcast by HBO, which plans to air it in early May.
