Sure, he has played with The Cult, Guns N’ Roses, Velvet Revolver, and most recently joined Billy Gibbons on the ZZ Top guitarist’s “Big Bad Blues” tour. But we learn a hell of a lot more about drummer Matt Sorum than just what we know of his musical career in his autobiography, Double Talkin’ Jive.
Taking us as much ‘behind-the-music,’ Sorum reveals the warts and all of his growing up and surviving as an L.A. musician and the adventures that brought him to such legendary skin-man status. I love how easy-breezy Sorum gets us through these chapters, most of them short, peppering in as much about this childhood and teen years as painting a pretty distinct picture of the Hollywood music scene when he was first making his way.
I love books that as much give me an insight into the author as well as his time, and Double Talkin’ Jive certainly does this in rich detail, with the patina of Sorum’s style and POV on every page. This is not a staid account of “sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll,” although all three figure into Sorum’s life for sure. At one point, he had a part-time gig smuggling cocaine into Hawaii. God knows there are enough of those cliché rock and roll books on bookstores shelves to last us a lifetime.
Instead, Double Talkin’ Jive is a matter-of-fact, well-written account of one man’s rise and lots of his falling through stardom and excess. And most importantly, his survival. Today, Sorum is a family man with a wife and baby — his wild days behind him. A quick read any music fan is likely to enjoy, Matt Sorum’s Double Talkin’ Jive will surely keep the beat for your reading pleasure.
~ Ralph Greco, Jr.
