Matt Sorum: Guns N’ Roses, Kings of Chaos and Rock's Wild Ride

Matt Sorum: Guns N’ Roses, Kings of Chaos and Rock's Wild Ride

Author: Sandy Kaye June 24, 2026 Duration: 52:00

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame drummer Matt Sorum joins Sandy Kaye for an honest, funny and deeply insightful conversation about life inside some of the biggest rock bands in history.

Best known for his years with Guns N' Roses during the explosive Use Your Illusion era, Matt opens up about the journey that took him from the clubs of Hollywood’s Sunset Strip to stadiums packed with hundreds of thousands of fans around the world.

He reflects on joining Guns N’ Roses at the height of their fame, the challenges of navigating massive personalities inside legendary bands, and the lessons he’s learned after decades in the music business.

Matt also talks about his time with The Cult, why British drummers like John Bonham, Keith Moon and Ian Paice shaped his playing style, and how he eventually reunited with Slash and Duff McKagan to form the hugely successful supergroup Velvet Revolver.

Now, Matt is bringing his powerhouse supergroup Kings of Chaos to Australia as one of the headline acts aboard the Rock The Boat cruise.

Featuring an ever-changing lineup of legendary musicians from bands including ZZ Top, Deep Purple and Cheap Trick, Kings of Chaos has become Matt’s ultimate passion project — a celebration of classic rock played by the artists who helped create it.

Along the way, Matt speaks candidly about addiction, sobriety, family life, surviving the excesses of fame and why collaboration — not ego — is the true key to success in music and life.

This is a warm, revealing and entertaining conversation with one of rock’s great survivors — a drummer whose career has helped soundtrack generations of rock fans around the world.


There's a certain magic to the music that defined the '60s, '70s, and '80s, and it often lives in the stories behind the songs. In A BREATH OF FRESH AIR, host Sandy Kaye sits down for warm and candid conversations with the very artists who created those classic rock anthems and timeless hits. This multi award-winning podcast is built on in-depth interviews that feel more like a chat between old friends than a formal interrogation. You'll hear the personal anecdotes, the creative struggles, and the unexpected inspirations that fueled the soundtracks of entire generations. Sandy has a knack for drawing out those rare, behind-the-scenes moments, offering an intimate look at the lives of music legends beyond the stage and studio. Each episode invites you to relive the eras not just through the music, but through the memories of the people who made it. It's a chance to understand the human journey behind the iconic chords and lyrics. For anyone who wants to connect more deeply with the artists they've loved for decades, this podcast provides exactly that-a genuine and engaging portrait of musical history, told by the legends themselves.
Author: Language: en-au Episodes: 50

'60s '70s '80s - Warm, Candid, Classic Rock Interviews with Music Legends - A BREATH OF FRESH AIR
Podcast Episodes
How Cheap Trick Became Rock Legends Completely By Accident [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:00
Cheap Trick have been one of rock's most distinctive and enduring bands for more than five decades, creating timeless classics including I Want You To Want Me, Surrender, Dream Police and Ain't That a Shame. But behind t…
The Zombies Were World Famous... So Why Was Colin Blunstone Broke? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:00
Few voices are as instantly recognisable as Colin Blunstone's. As the lead singer of The Zombies, he helped define the sound of the British Invasion with timeless classics including She's Not There, Tell Her No, Time of…
Aussie Rock Icon Angry Anderson Fighting for Life [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:00
Australian Rock legend Angry Anderson has been hospitalised after suffering a cardiac arrest in Brussels.Rose Tattoo released a statement some three weeks after their frontman, legally Gary Anderson, 79, was hospitalised…
Steppenwolf's John Kay: From War Refugee to Rock Legend [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:00
Before stadium tours, platinum albums and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame recognition, John Kay was simply a young refugee searching for a better life. Music became his escape, his identity and ultimately the vehicle that car…
Little River Band's Derek Pellicci with the Story Behind the Hits [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:00
Few Australian bands have enjoyed the extraordinary international success of Little River Band, and few people are better placed to tell that story than original drummer Derek Pellicci.In this warm, candid and deeply ins…
Savoy Brown: The Band That Changed Blues Rock Forever [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:00
Long before blues rock became a global phenomenon, Savoy Brown was helping define the genre. Founded in London in 1965 by legendary guitarist Kim Simmonds, the band became one of the most respected names to emerge from t…
Glenn Hughes: The Untold Story of Deep Purple's Voice of Rock [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:00
Glenn Hughes is one of rock music's most enduring and distinctive talents. Known worldwide as the "Voice of Rock," he first rose to prominence with British rock band Trapeze before joining the legendary Deep Purple in 19…
Steve Porcaro: Inside Toto, Thriller & Human Nature [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:00
Few musicians have influenced popular music quite like Steve Porcaro.As a founding member of Toto, Steve helped create one of the most successful and respected bands of the late twentieth century while simultaneously bec…