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Sydney, Australia's Triple M radio station spoke with drummer Matt Sorum (VELVET REVOLVER, GUNS N' ROSES, THE CULT), who is in town for the Hard Rock Café opening down in Darling Harbour, a locality of the city center of Sydney.

Sorum will jam with a bunch of rock legends, including former AC/DC bassist Mark Evans and ROSE TATTOO's Angry Anderson.

When asked about the possibility of a reunion of GUNS N' ROSES' classic lineup to tie in with the band's possible induction at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, he responded, "You never know. Usually the way it works with GUNS N' ROSES is that it's gotta be about Slash [guitar] and Axl [Rose, vocals] first, which has been a little bit of a problem. Duff [McKagan, bass] played with Axl and actually Duff (and his band LOADED) was gonna go out on tour with Axl."

He added, "I haven't seen Axl for about six years."

Sorum told The Pulse of Radio in a 2009 interview that, if the original GUNS N' ROSES band reunites, they should perform with both him and original drummer Steven Adler. "If it's me on drums or Steven or whatever, if it happened, it'd be great, you know. I would actually say to them, 'Hey, bring both of us back,' you know. Let me play the other stuff. We'll have two drum kits. I don't care. If 'Appetite' ('For Destruction', the band's debut) sounds better with Steven playing it, have both guys up there. They can afford it."

Sorum also blasted Rose for using the name GUNS N' ROSES when the original band is no longer together. Sorum said, "I'm not saying I'm an original member, okay, but I understand the core of the band, which is Slash and Duff and probably Izzy. It's a shame, and you know what, this goes back to a Paul McCartney thing. Does he call himself THE BEATLES? Not saying we were as big as THE BEATLES, but — does Sting call himself THE POLICE? No. Does Jimmy Page and Robert Plant go out there calling themselves LED ZEPPELIN? Nope."

GUNS N' ROSES played the song "Civil War" for the first time since 1993 during the band's December 4, 2011 concert at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below.

GUNS N' ROSES kicked off its first U.S. tour since 2006 on October 28 in Orlando, Florida.

In addition to sole original member Axl Rose (vocals), the current lineup of GUNS N' ROSES includes guitarists Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, Richard Fortus and DJ Ashba, bassist Tommy Stinson, keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Chris Pitman and drummer Frank Ferrer.

"Chinese Democracy", the 2008 album released by the current edition of GUNS N' ROSES after a 15-year wait, was officially certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on February 3, 2009 for shipments in the United States in excess of one million copies. The long-in-the-making, 14-song CD finally arrived 17 years after the last full-length collections of original GUNS material, "Use Your Illusion I" and "II", were released, and nine years after the non-album track "Oh My God" surfaced on the soundtrack of the movie "End Of Days".

"Chinese Democracy" was made available exclusively through Best Buy.

Several members of GUNS N' ROSES visited the Medical City Children's Hospital in Dallas, Texas on Monday, November 7 on a day off during the band's current U.S. tour. Check out photos at this location.

GUNS N' ROSES kicked off its first U.S. tour since 2006 on October 28 in Orlando, Florida.

In addition to sole original member Axl Rose (vocals), the current lineup of GUNS N' ROSES includes guitarists Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, Richard Fortus and DJ Ashba, bassist Tommy Stinson, keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Chris Pitman and drummer Frank Ferrer.

"Chinese Democracy", the 2008 album released by the current edition of GUNS N' ROSES after a 15-year wait, was officially certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on February 3, 2009 for shipments in the United States in excess of one million copies. The long-in-the-making, 14-song CD finally arrived 17 years after the last full-length collections of original GUNS material, "Use Your Illusion I" and "II", were released, and nine years after the non-album track "Oh My God" surfaced on the soundtrack of the movie "End Of Days".

"Chinese Democracy" was made available exclusively through Best Buy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFQCTOPdYqs

Spotlight Report conducted an interview with legendary rock drummer Matt Sorum (GUNS N' ROSES, VELVET REVOLVER, THE CULT) earlier this month after the grand opening of the Hard Rock Cafe in Sydney, Australia, where he shared the stage with some Australian music talent. You can now watch the chat below.

On VELVET REVOLVER's short-lived collaboration with SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor:

Sorum: "We made some cool recordings, but [VELVET REVOLVER guitarist] Slash just wasn't feeling it. I thought it sounded cool. I mean, it was probably a little different than what Slash was used to. But I don't know… He wasn't feeling it. I have about nine demos that are pretty cool-sounding, I think they sound kind of loose and kind of fucked up like [GUNS N' ROSES' classic debut album] 'Appetite For Destruction' — not perfect, but like, something cool about it, a little dirty. Not like perfect guitars and shit, you know?! [They were basically] live recordings, where we just jammed and Corey sang. It's not the best drum sound, but it kind of works."

On whether VELVET REVOLVER is still searching for a new singer:

Sorum: "They're home right now checking a guy out without me... I said, 'Why don't you try to just write a song and see how the guy sounds and how he writes a lyric?' Because that's been a little bit of a thing. I thought Corey had good lyrics. He's a smart guy, he writes from his background. He's gone through some stuff in his life, and he writes hard lyrics. So I liked his lyrics, I got a lot of what he was saying. So we'll see how it goes. Everyone is still into finding the guy, it's just a matter of it being [snaps fingers]."

During a recent new interview with the Too Famous To Get Fully Dressed blog, Duff McKagan's was asked about how the search for a new VELVET REVOLVER lead singer is going more than three years since the band parted ways with Scott Weiland. "I think we may be looking at somebody in December, which is fun to think about," he said. "I believe in my heart of hearts it'll happen."

Duff told OC Weekly, in October that he "played in New York [in September as part of the Road Recovery benefit concert] and Matt Sorum was there. There was a singer there [possibly referring to Jimmy Gnecco of OURS. — Ed.] we might write some songs with."

He continued, "None of us have really tried [to find anyone] in the last few years. We've all been busy with other things.

"I think once that whole thing went down with Scott, we thought we'd find a guy right away. Once a few months went by, it was like, 'Oh fuck.'"

He added, "We didn't give up on the band but you can't force a singer into a situation. It's got to just kind of happen. So playing a few weeks ago with that singer, it seemed really natural. So we'll see. I'll come back to you on that."

Jimmy Gnecco of OURS sang lead vocals on three songs ("Slither" by VELVET REVOLVER, "It's So Easy" by GUNS N' ROSES and "Hey Joe" by JIMI HENDRIX) during the Road Recovery concert with Slash, McKagan, Sorum, Gilby Clarke (ex-GUNS N' ROSES) and Dave Kushner (VELVET REVOLVER).

Jason P. Woodbury of the Phoenix New Times recently conducted an interview with GUNS N' ROSES bassist Tommy Stinson. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Phoenix New Times: You've been in GUNS N' ROSES 13 years.

Stinson: Shit, I think it will be 14 by the time fuckin' May rolls around.

Phoenix New Times: What's the secret? Not a lot of people have stayed in the band like that.

Stinson: You know, it's been a good gig for me. it's been fun, and you know, it's served me well in a lot of ways. Axl [Rose, lead vocals] and I get along pretty good, and now is kind of the time to stick it out if we're going to make another record. The lineup is working, and the camaraderie is good; it's a good fit for me.

Phoenix New Times: I thought about asking if GN'R was going to do another record, but I thought that might be the worst question in the word considering how long people asked about "Chinese Democracy".

Stinson: You know, I just see us making a record much quicker, because, in hindsight, a lot of what happened with "Chinese Democracy", we could get around now. Mostly what happened with that record, why it took so long, was we just had no help from the record company whatsoever. [Axl] got zero fucking help from anyone outside the band to fucking do it. You know, it just got stupider and stupider as the record company kept throwing bad A&R guys [at us], or producers like Roy Thomas Baker who, you know, he made things sound better, but that wasn't what we needed. We needed someone to help us fucking sow it up, and he came in fucking re-recorded everything five fucking times with every amp in the country. I just don't think that was something that was really important to making a record, that could have been taken care of in the mix.

Phoenix New Times: In the time between when Axl started talking about that album and it actually came out, the whole music industry changed.

Stinson: Oh yeah, tenfold it changed. Sadly, the help that was needed to try and capitalize [on] what could have been the biggest record of the fucking end of the industry as we know it, they just squandered it. Interscope didn't really get on board, and recognize that shit's changing pretty fast, and we can't really keep up with it. [They should have thought] "We've got this record over here, the must anticipated record in fucking forever, and we should really be helping this guy out to get this thing together." Never happened. That shit happens every day to lots of band. But if you're GUNS N' ROSES, do something before everything really hits the shitter, I think you'd want to take advantage of that, especially considering the amounts of money they could have made.

Phoenix New Times: So it's fair to say you're disappointed with the record.

Stinson: The stupid thing was, it was pulled out of [Axl's] hands. He was already ready to give it up, but there were a few minor things that meant a lot to him artistically, but they pulled it out of his hands anyway. What was another couple fucking weeks waiting for the artwork? I mean really? That's what it came down to. That's just too bad. The whole thing is a disappointment, considering how much time everyone put into it. But I still think it's a great record. I think it will go down as being a great record down the line. Compare it lyrically to past GN'R records, where his head was at and what he was trying to get out with the record, [and] I think there's some significantly deep, thought-out stuff. Down the road people will see that.

Read the entire interview from Phoenix New Times.

On Thursday evening, February 16, GUNS N' ROSES played a private, invite-only show at Hiro Ballroom that closed out New York Fashion Week. A number of celebrities attended the concert, including Matt Damon and his wife Luciana Barroso, who sat in a VIP section with Chelsea Clinton, Justin Timberlake, Sienna Miller and Tom Sturridge, Taylor Momsen, Alexandra Richards, Jared Leto, Evan Rachel Wood, Danny Masterson, Mario Sorrenti and the Winklevoss twins.

GUNS N' ROSES reportedly hit the stage on time and played "Welcome To The Jungle", "It's So Easy" and "Mr. Brownstone" as part of a set that went well past 2 a.m.

According to Women's Wear Daily, two men in the crowd got into a fight minutes before the show started and ended up getting whisked away by security.

After GUNS N' ROSES took the stage, a member of the audience threw a glass. Axl Rose stopped singing and yelled to the offender, "You little [bleep], you want to throw a glass?"

"See ya, wouldn't wanna be ya," said Rose, as GN'R guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal ran after the perpetrator.

In addition to sole original member Axl Rose, the current lineup of GUNS N' ROSES includes guitarists Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, Richard Fortus and DJ Ashba, bassist Tommy Stinson, keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Chris Pitman and drummer Frank Ferrer.

The original five-piece group, along with drummer Matt Sorum and keyboardist Dizzy Reed, will be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in Cleveland on April 14.

L.A. GUNS — featuring Phil Lewis, Steve Riley, Stacey Blades and Scotty Griffin — performed at the M3 Rock Festival on Saturday, May 12 at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. Professionally filmed video footage of the entire concert can be seen below.

L.A. GUNS' new album, "Hollywood Forever", is scheduled for release on June 5 via via Cleopatra Records. The CD was recorded with legendary producer, and old friend, Andy Johns, who has previously worked with LED ZEPPELIN, THE ROLLING STONES, CINDERELLA and VAN HALEN, and who collaborated with L.A. GUNS on their last three albums. A CD and vinyl release, as well as bonus tracks available only on iTunes, is planned. A nine-month world tour following the release is also in the works.

L.A. GUNS spent a few days in Los Angeles shooting three videos to support the record, and will make the track "You Better Not Love Me" available online soon. Videos for "Requiem (Hollywood Forever)" and "Aranga Nigre" were also filmed. Videographer Jack Foster was behind the lens for the shoot at the legendary Circus Disco in Hollywood. With an LED logo in the background, the band meshed theatrics with its expected rock energy on the big stage. Later, additional scenes were filmed in L.A.'s colorful Little Mexico and the landmark Hollywood Forever cemetery. Stacey Blades said, "It was a blast hammin' it up in a big venue and stage for the cameras." He added, "We are so excited about the new album coming out and videos to boot. 2012 is the year of L.A.GUNS!"

"Hollywood Forever" track listing:

01. Hollywood Forever
02. You Better Not Love Me
03. Sweet Mystery
04. Eel Pie
05. Burn
06. Requiem (Hollywood Forever)
07. I Won't Play
08. Vine St. Shimmy
09. Arana Negra (originally recorded by THE BICICLETAS)
10. Gonna Take You Down
11. Queenie
12. Underneath The Sun
13. Venus Bomb
14. Dirty Black Night
15. Rattlesnake

Phil Lewis' L.A. GUNS is not to be confused with the Tracii Guns-led version of the group, which is also continuing to record and perform under the L.A. GUNS moniker.

Former GUNS N' ROSES bassist Duff McKagan spoke to RollingStone.com about the band's upcoming induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

The 27th annual ceremony will be held on April 14, 2012 in Cleveland, Ohio, home to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame And Museum. Also scheduled to be inducted are RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, BEASTIE BOYS, THE SMALL FACES/FACES, Donovan and Laura Nyro. Freddie King well enter the Hall Of Fame as an Early Influence, while the late producer and TV host Don Kirshner will receive the Ahmet Ertegun (nonperformer) Award and producers Cosimo Matassa, Tom Dowd and Glyn Johns will receive the Award For Musical Excellence.

The ceremony will be taped for broadcast by HBO, which plans to air it in early May.

When asked if he knows what is going to happen at the ceremony, Duff said, "I don't. I know I'm going to go. I can't, at all, speak for anybody else. And won't. I'll be there with bells on. Is the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame that important to me? No. Is it something I've aspired towards? No. It's not sports. You get into the Baseball Hall Of Fame, that's bad-ass. But that's a competitive sport. You have stats. Look, we were a good band — but there were a lot of good bands. A lot of people liked our band, eventually. And that's kick ass."

He added, "What I found out when we got nominated is that there's just a shit ton of fans around the world who are really psyched. In that case, it's more about them and the people that believed in us and bought our records and came and saw us. Imagine that? All those people believing in our band — a thing we created out of thin air. That part of it is an honor. The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as an institution? I really don't know much about it."

On the topic of whether he hopes the classic lineup of GUNS N' ROSES will reunite and play at the induction ceremony, Duff said, "I think it would be killer. Do I hope to? That's a tricky question. It would be awesome. You have those day dreams like, 'We'll go up and play 'Nightrain' and 'Brownstone' and throw down the microphone and drop off! That'll be killer!' But I doubt that'll happen."

He continued, "There's been no communication about anyone playing. There was probably a day in the mid-1990s where I would have tried to gather the troops, but I'm just not that guy anymore. It's too frustrating to change anyone else… I'm not even sure I'd want to change how anyone else sees a situation. But I'm going."

Singer Axl Rose, guitarists Slash and Izzy Stradlin, Duff McKagan and drummer Steven Adler will all be inducted into the Hall, along with later members, keyboardist Dizzy Reed and drummer Matt Sorum.

Although Rose has made his peace with various members of the group over the years, including McKagan, Stradlin and Adler, there doesn't seem to be any change in his non-friendly stance toward Slash.

Questions remain about which members of GUNS N' ROSES will show up for their April 14 induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. Slash, Duff McKagan, Steven Adler, Matt Sorum and Dizzy Reed will all be there, but it was reported a few days ago that Izzy Stradlin won't attend and Axl Rose's participation is still unclear.

Slash said last week that GUNS N' ROSES will not perform at the event, and Stradlin's absence would seem to confirm that whether Rose shows up or not.

Slash told Rolling Stone earlier this week that Rose "hates my guts." The two have not performed together since 1993. Rose currently tours with a completely different version of GUNS N' ROSES featuring no original members but him.

During a 2009 interview with longtime friend and former road manager Del James, first published on Spinner, Rose called Slash a "cancer."

"There's zero possibility of me having anything to do with Slash other than by ambush, and that wouldn't be pretty," Rose told James. "There is the distinct possibility that having his intentions in regard to me so deeply ingrained and his personal, though guarded, distaste for much of 'Appetite [For Destruction'] the band's diamond-certified debut album] other than his or Duff's playing, Slash either should not have been in GUNS to begin with or should have left after 'Lies'. In a nutshell, personally I consider him a cancer and better removed, avoided — and the less anyone heard of him or his supporters, the better."

Speaking to the Artisan News last week (see video below), Adler stated about the bad blood between Rose and Slash, "I have no idea why [Axl] would hate [Slash]. I don't think Axl knows why he hates him. It's been too many years. And my grandmother always said, 'Stevie, time heals all wounds.' And my grandmother has always been right — pretty much through my life, everything she said pretty much came to pass. And there's been many times [where I thought], 'Yeah, grandmother said that was gonna happen.' [Laughs]"

TMZ.com has posted video footage of GUNS N' ROSES frontman Axl Rose leaving the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood, California last night (Friday, April 6) with 25-year-old singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey.

When asked by the cameraman if there is any chance of GUNS N' ROSES doing a reunion tour with the "full lineup," Axl replied, "Not in this lifetime."

Rose, drummer Steven Adler, guitarist Slash, bassist Duff McKagan, and guitarist Izzy Stradlin will all be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame next weekend in Cleveland, along with later GUNS N' ROSES members, keyboardist Dizzy Reed and drummer Matt Sorum.

As previously reported, GREEN DAY has been confirmed to induct GUNS N' ROSES into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, according to RollingStone.com. Their participation this year ends the speculation about who was going to induct GUNS, but questions still remain about which members of the band will show up for the April 14 ceremony in Cleveland. Slash, Duff McKagan, Steven Adler, Matt Sorum and Dizzy Reed will all be there, but it was reported this week that Izzy Stradlin won't attend and Axl Rose's participation is still unclear.

According to The Pulse Of Radio, Slash said last week that GUNS N' ROSES will not perform at the event, and Stradlin's absence would seem to confirm that whether Rose shows up or not.

Slash told RollingStone.com earlier this week that Rose "hates my guts." The two have not performed together since 1993. Rose currently tours with a completely different version of GUNS N' ROSES featuring no original members but him.