The Chinese Democracy Years – 1997: Matt & Duff Leave

No one’s position was certain: Prince collaborator Michael Bland auditioned for the drumstool in January.  Long-time producer Mike Clink went to rehearsals but didn’t fit.

“Axl is trying to define his direction and trying out a lot of different collaborators,” a diplomatic Clink said later.

A Geffen executive, Todd Sullivan, sent Axl a bunch of albums produced by different people, encouraging Rose to choose someone he liked. Instead he received a call telling him that Axl had run over the albums with his car. Later Sullivan recalled: “Most of the stuff he played me was just sketches. I said, ‘Look, Axl, this is some great, promising stuff here. Why don’t you consider just bearing down and completing some of these songs?’ He goes, ‘Hmm, bear down and complete some of these songs?’. Next day I get a call from Eddie [Rosenblatt, Geffen chairman], saying I was off the project.”

The direction of the music became apparent when dance-rock supremo Moby entered into talks with Axl in February. “At the risk of sounding like a sleazy music biz guy, I met with Axl last week to hear their new demos,” said Moby at the time. “They’re writing with a lot of loops, and believe it or not, they’re doing it better than anybody I’ve heard lately.” One of the demos Moby might’ve been presented with was the work-in-progress track, Oh My God. “Musically the song was primarily written by Paul Huge [in 1997],” Axl said later, “with Dizzy Reed writing the musical hook of the chorus. Former member Duff McKagan as well as former employee Matt Sorum failed to see its potential and showed no interest in exploring, let alone recording the piece.”

Matt Sorum, meanwhile, introduced Rose to former Nine Inch Nails guitarist Robin Finck. Sorum later told Spin: “I told Axl to see him and he said ‘That’s our guitar player,’” says Sorum. “I said, ‘Bring in Robin to play alongside Slash,’ but Axl said, ‘I want him to play lead.’”

The inclusion of Robin proved out to be Matt’s last significant contribution for the band. Sorum later recalled the incident that ended it all: “Paul Huge walked into the studio and made a bad comment about Slash. I said, ‘You don’t say that when I’m in the room’. Then Axl laid in, I argued with him and it was over.
“Huge followed me out into the parking lot and said, ‘Come back’. I said, ‘I can’t come back, he’s fired me. Do you feel good about breaking up one of the greatest bands that ever lived?’”

Another NIN alumni, Chris Vrenna, was approached to replace Matt Sorum (“They wanted the option of experimenting with electronics… My role was supposed to be drumming and programming,” said Vrenna), then former Pearl Jam member Dave Abbruzzese. Robin Finck, meanwhile, was signed to a two year contract with GN’R – and then Duff McKagan left the band.

“I left the band two weeks before my daughter Grace was born [August 27, 1997],” Duff later told Burrn magazine.

“It was not fun. That’s the reason. The reason why I stayed in the band was to be a bridge between Axl and Slash… I went to dinner with Axl and his manager… I said ‘Axl, we had [a lot of] fun together, but it’s your own band now. I’m not interested in you as a dictator. I didn’t come here to talk about the money advanced for next record. You can have it.’”