Guns N' Roses/Axl Watch

[muthagoose]

GUNS N' ROSES Tour Of Japan Rolls On

Doug Miller of GunsNRoses.com reports:

Neither a typhoon nor an earthquake that measured 6.2 on the Richter scale can stop the momentum of GUNS N' ROSES' 2007 tour of Japan.

With two successful concerts at the Makuhari Messe Hall in Chiba City under their belts, the tour moves on to Nagoya this Tuesday, July 17, for a show at Nippon Gaishi Hall, and then Wednesday at Budokan Hall in Toyko. The final show is set for Saturday, July 21, at the Osaka-Jo Hall in Osaka.

"Ah, man, I can't begin to put into words what a fuckin' high it's been since we got here," reflects guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal. The whole energy of Japan, I just love it. A lot of memorable moments in these shows, a lot of love goin' back and forth, ya know? It's been pretty intense. We can't thank the fans enough for it and we hope that the next three concerts are as awesome as the first two were."

[muthagoose]

GUNS N' ROSES: Japan Tour Ends On High Note In Osaka

Doug Miller of GunsNRoses.com reports:

GUNS N' ROSES' 2007 tour of Japan came to a climactic conclusion Saturday night (July 21) at the Intex in Osaka. Another full house packed the hot venue for what would be GN'R's longest and arguably best show of the 2007 Japanese tour.

The blistering, two-hours-plus set ran in this order:

01. Welcome To The Jungle
02. It's So Easy
03. Mr. Brownstone
04. Live And Let Die
05. Robin Finck Guitar Solo
06. Sweet Child O' Mine
07. Better
08. Knockin' On Heaven's Door
09. You Could Be Mine
10. Dizzy Reed Piano Solo
11. The Blues
12. Richard Fortus Guitar Solo
13. Out Ta Get Me
14. November Rain
15. IRS
16. Bumblefoot Solo
17. Don't Cry
18. Rocket Queen
19. Used To Love Her
20. My Michelle
21. Patience
22. Nightrain
23. Chinese Democracy
24. Madagascar
25. Paradise City



Among the many highlights was when guitarist Finck jumped off stage during "Nightrain" and ran all the way to the light console located at the rear of the venue. Drummer Frank Ferrer was, once again, sporting the Bun E. Carlos (CHEAP TRICK) look.

As the band took their final bow, Axl Rose thanked the people of Japan for being so receptive and making these concerts very special. From the two shows at Makuhari Messe Hall in Chiba City to Nippon Gaishi Hall in Nagoya to Budokan Hall in Toyko and this final show at the Intex in Osaka, each concert was unique and every show was scorching.

Muthagoose Says: With the conclusion of this tour.... we go back into full on Axl Watch 2007. Stay Tuned.

[muthagoose]

GUNS N' ROSES' 'Appetite For Destruction' Honored By Rolling Stone Magazine



Rolling Stone magazine will honor the twentieth anniversary of "Appetite for Destruction" by looking back at the sex, drugs and Aqua Net that went into the making of GUNS N' ROSES' legendary debut. Check out the cover of the magazine's next issue at RollingStone.com.

As previously reported, ex-GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Izzy Stradlin has confirmed via his official web site that he "may" join his former GN'R bandmate Steven Adler at the Key Club in Hollywood on Saturday, July 28 to mark the 20th anniversary of "Appetite for Destruction".

Adler stated in a recent interview that GUNS N' ROSES' classic lineup will reform for the concert — but without lead singer Axl Rose.

According to Adler, the event will include guitarist Slash, Izzy Stradlin and bassist Duff McKagan.

The Key Club's web site advertises performances by the drummer's band ADLER'S APPETITE and L.A. GUNS — the band featuring guitarist Tracii Guns, who was a member of an early incarnation of GUNS N' ROSES.

[muthagoose]

GUNS N' ROSES 'Reunion' Fails To Materialize At ADLER'S APPETITE Concert

Former GUNS N' ROSES members Izzy Stradlin (guitar) and Duff McKagan (bass) joined ex-GN'R drummer Steven Adler and his ADLER'S APPETITE band for a couple of "Appetite for Destruction" numbers ("Mr. Brownstone" and "Paradise City") during ADLER'S APPETITE's headlining appearance at the Key Club in West Hollywood, California Saturday night (July 28). Despite heavy rumors that Slash and GUNS N' ROSES' lead singer Axl Rose would also perform with Adler, they were both no-shows at the event, which was meant to celebrate the 20th anniversary of GN'R's classic debut.

Although Rose did not make an appearance at the Key Club gig, Adler recently told GuitarWorld.com that a full reunion will eventually happen. "Axl and I spoke to each other in Las Vegas recently, and I know there's a chance," he said. "It's just too big.

"Whatever the STONES make when they play, we'd triple it. It'd be ridiculous not to do it. He can't be that goofy."

As previously reported, Rolling Stone magazine will honor the twentieth anniversary of "Appetite for Destruction" by looking back at the sex, drugs and Aqua Net that went into the making of GUNS N' ROSES' legendary debut.

[muthagoose]

VELVET REVOLVER's MATT SORUM:
AXL ROSE Is 'So Jealous Of Our Band'

VELVET REVOLVER guitarist Slash told Rolling Stone magazine (web site) that before he entered rehab last year, he was plagued by a certain rumor that some of his bandmates chose to believe: "They thought I had quit the band and joined GUNS N' ROSES," Slash said. "I would do my best to convince them that I've never even entertained that idea, and they'd be looking at me like, 'Maybe you're full of shit.'"

Slash acknowledges that he turned up at the gates of Axl Rose's Malibu house one day in October 2005, but he says it was to try to quash a messy lawsuit over GUNS publishing royalties. In a statement GUNS N' ROSES' management released to the press, Rose claimed that during that visit, Slash insulted several members of VELVET REVOLVER, calling singer Scott Weiland "a fraud." Slash denies it all, and Weiland ended up responding on Slash's behalf, calling Rose a "fat, Botox-faced, wig-wearin' fuck" in a web site post — and when Rose ran into Sorum a few months later, he informed him that Weiland had "hurt his feelings." ("Then I felt really bad," says Weiland in turn.)

"Axl is so jealous of our band," Sorum told Rolling Stone, adding that his encounter with the singer at a New York party ended up being friendly. "Even though he's going out with his GUNS N' ROSES fucking bullshit, he's just fucking jealous and he's trying to tear us down. Fuckin' Slash is out playing rock 'n' roll and he [Axl] don't like it. It's sad."

[muthagoose]

STEVEN ADLER Holding Out Hope For GUNS N' ROSES Reunion

Gary Graff of Billboard.com reports: With the big "Appetite For Destruction" 20th anniversary show behind him, original GUNS N' ROSES drummer Steven Adler is looking forward to taking his ADLER'S APPETITE band worldwide. But he's also holding out hope for a blowout reunion bash with his former bandmates.

"I believe I made it this far for some reason," Adler tells Billboard.com. "I want to finish what we started, and ... with the love and support I got from those guys, I think we can (reunite). I'm gonna leave it up to Axl [Rose]. That's gonna be Axl's call, and I love Axl and I know he'll make the right call."

At Saturday's (July 28) show at West Hollywood's Key Club, Adler and company were joined by Gunners Izzy Stradlin and Duff McKagan, while guitarist Slash watched a few songs before leaving for a prior commitment.

Read more at Billboard.com.

[muthagoose]

SLASH Explains Why He Didn't Take Part In GUNS N' ROSES 'Reunion' Gig In Hollywood

Former GUNS N' ROSES and current VELVET REVOLVER guitarist Slash has spoken out about the recent GUNS N' ROSES near-reunion that took place at the Key Club in Hollywood, California and his reasons for not participating in it. Speaking to Mark the Shark of the TK101 radio station in Florida, Slash stated about the July 28, 2007 gig, "I went down there for a minute to say 'Hi' to Steven [Adler, original GUNS N' ROSES drummer, who was headlining the show with his band ADLER'S APPETITE] and what-not. What happened was Steven has finally come out of that sort of haze that he's been in for the last 17 years — I don't think I need to explain it any more than that. I was sort of instrumental in getting him out of the place he was in into a little bit more sober kind of environment. So I've been hanging out with him and supporting him and stuff. He had that gig that was about to happen, and I'm really jazzed that he's gotten back on the drums and he's gotten ambitious again and he's gonna go out and play. And then at some point he went public and said… Steven's just an excitable guy and he meant well when he said it, but he said that there was gonna be this reunion, that I was gonna be there and Duff [McKagan] and Izzy [Stradlin] and Axl [Rose] possibly, and that just fueled that already rapid-fire kind of GUNS N' ROSES rumors that goes on. Once I started getting phone calls and e-mails from all over the world about this gig, I said, 'You know what? I can't support it as such 'cause that's not what it is.' So I went down there but I didn't wanna get up and play because I didn't wanna fuel that any further. So I think Duff got up and played, and Izzy got up and played, and it was what it was, but I don't see any reunion happening for real."

When asked if he has heard any of the material from Axl Rose's long-awaited "Chinese Democracy" album and to provide his thoughts on the current version of GUNS N' ROSES, Slash said, "I haven't heard anything on 'Chinese Democracy' and probably won't until it's released. I'm sure at some point it will be released, but your guess is as good as mine. As far as what is happening with GUNS N' ROSES, when I quit the band, or when I left the organization, so to speak, and Axl was keeping the name, I sort of wished that he'd let the name go and done something on his own and kept the name sort of intact, but him using it and going out and doing his thing, it is what it is — I don't necessarily support it but I don't condemn it either. It's what he wanted to do."

[muthagoose]

AXL ROSE Comments On SEBASTIAN BACH Collaboration

GUNS N' ROSES singer Axl Rose will appear on the new solo album from former SKID ROW frontman Sebastian Bach.

"Angel Down", Bach's first solo disc in eight years, will be released November 20 through Merovingian Music, Ltd. and Bach's company Get Off My Bach Productions.

Rose will appear on three tracks, the lead single "(Love Is) A Bitchslap", a cover of AEROSMITH's "Back in the Saddle" and the track "Stuck Inside".

Axl has issued the following statement regarding his involvement with the project:

"Bas asked me to sing on his new record, 'Angel Down', and I agreed and came down to his studio where he played me the tracks. I really liked the title/opening track, 'Angel Down', but I didn't feel that it would be right to be on that one, although, of course, it would've been cool because it's a great rip-your-head-off track!!

"Since this session was rather a more fun atmosphere, the tracks I sang on kind of showed themselves and were also done out of curiosity on the part of Bas, myself, and his producer, Roy Z, just to see if my involvement brought something that worked for the tracks.

"Bas really wanted me on 'Bitchslap, and I got to try my own ideas on it. We're not saying much about the second track, as it may be taken a bit further, and when Bas played the third track, 'Stuck Inside', he suggested a kind of call-and-answer part. They allowed me the freedom to write my own words and melodies, and although it's only a couple of lines, it really felt great. The song has such a mean riff, and Bas' guys were so supportive in so many ways on tour and fun to hang with, that it was great to be a part of something of theirs and I think it really came out strong.

"For me, the three songs together are a good package. They are all different, with different approaches and styles from each other and from material I have on the upcoming GUNS N' ROSES record. For me, the timing couldn't be better and I'm quite surprised to be on one song, let alone three!!!

"Bas really knew where he saw my involvement on his album and had different options in mind. He knew what seemed obvious, what would be fun, what would work for his album and what he felt I would like. I really liked the energy of the tracks and since I'm rarely asked to do anything I'd actually enjoy or be glad to be a part of, I'm more than grateful for the opportunity and hope the fans get a kick out of it as well."

[muthagoose]

AXL ROSE Sued By Security Guard Over 1996 Concert Incident

TMZ.com reports that a security guard at a GUNS N' ROSES concert is suing the band and lead singer Axl Rose claiming that Rose kicked him in the head while on stage — back in 1996!

In a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on August 29, Gary Armijo claims that while he was working as a security guard stationed in front of the stage, Rose "intentionally kicked [Armijo] in the head proximately causing severe physical injuries."

The lawsuit goes on to allege that unless Rose is stopped, he "will continues to commit willful assaults of the nature described herein on innocent members of the public and security personnel, both during and outside of GUNS N' ROSES concerts."

Howard Weitzman, Rose's attorney, tells TMZ.com, "The allegations in this lawsuit are frivolous. There is video of this incident which contradicts the allegations against Axl. Axl vehemently denies he did anything wrong which will be proven via witnesses and the video. Unfortunately anyone can file a lawsuit whether it has merit or not. In my opinion this is a pathetic attempt to get money from Axl."

[muthagoose]

AXL ROSE And SEBASTIAN BACH In The Studio:
The Photographic Evidence

RollingStone.com has posted a photo of GUNS N' ROSES singer Axl Rose in the studio with former SKID ROW frontman Sebastian Bach laying down vocals on Bach's first solo album since 1999, "Angel Down".



Regarding how the studio collaboration came about, Sebastian told BLABBERMOUTH.NET last month, "I texted Axl. I go, 'Hey, dude, when are you gonna come and sing on my record?' I was just joking. But he never ceases to amaze me. And his response was, 'When? Where? Where is the studio?' I was, like, 'Pinch me, I'm dreaming.'"

Due on November 20, "Angel Down" was produced by Roy Z (BRUCE DICKINSON, HALFORD, JUDAS PRIEST), and recorded at Sound City Studios and Under City Studios in Los Angeles, CA. Joining Bach in the studio were guitarists "Metal" Mike Chlasciak and Johnny Chromatic, Bobby Jarzombek on drums, and Steve DiGiorgio on bass. Axl Rose makes a special guest appearance contributing vocals on three of the album's songs — "(Love is a) Bitchslap", a cover of AEROSMITH's "Back In the Saddle" and "Stuck Inside".

Bach recently gave a quick update on GUNS N' ROSES' long-delayed new album, "Chinese Democracy", to the Albany Times Union. "I've heard 'Chinese Democracy' and it rocks, dude," he said. "In fact, I sing on one of the songs, 'Sorry'. He's [Axl] so prolific, dude, that he's recorded enough material for at least three albums, and it's all fucking awesome. It has the rawness and the power of 'Appetite for Destruction', but it also has the grandiosity of 'November Rain'. It's just fucking awesome."

[muthagoose]

GUNS N' ROSES Keyboardist DIZZY REED Looking For Place 'To Lay His Head' When He Is In L.A.

GUNS N' ROSES keyboardist Dizzy Reed has posted the following message on his MySpace page:

"That's right, I am still looking for a place to lay my head when I am in L.A. And let me narrow it down so I don't get the multitude of useless responses I got last time: I want to rent a room FROM someone, not TO someone. It must be in L.A. (so don't bother resondoing from anywhere else saying you wish or whatever) preferably the Ho, WeHo, NoHo area. And I prefer a female roomate who doesn't have any crazy-ass drug habits (especially weed, speed) but drinkin Jager and watchin sports is way coolio. No weird ENERGY man!! Contact me if u r for real..... Diz."

Dizzy Reed has been a member of GUNS N' ROSES since 1990, playing on their 1991 blockbuster albums "Use Your Illusion I" and "Use Your Illusion II", as well as on the band's 1993 punk cover album "The Spaghetti Incident?" He is, aside from lead singer Axl Rose, the only remaining member from what is considered the band's heyday.

Outside of GUNS N' ROSES, Reed played on albums for his former band mates Slash, Duff McKagan, and Gilby Clarke in the mid-1990s. He has also guest on current GN'R bassist Tommy Stinson's 2004 solo effort "Village Gorilla Head". Reed is additionally a fan of Larry Norman, a pioneer of Christian music, and played on Norman's "Copper Wires" album.

Most recently, he has composed music for the film scores "Celebrity Art Show", "The Still Life", directed by Joel Miller and screened at the 2006 Great Lakes Independent Film Festival and went on to be released by Warner Bros. August 7, 2007.

When he is not touring or recording with GUNS N' ROSES, Reed frequently tours with his hard rock cover band HOOKERS N' BLOW, in which he has played keyboards, guitar and occasionally sung lead vocals.

[muthagoose]

SLASH Says His Autobiography Treats AXL ROSE Fairly

World Entertainment News Network reports that veteran rocker Slash insists his new autobiography isn't a veiled excuse for him to slam his former GUNS N' ROSES bandmate Axl Rose.

Slash — real name Saul Hudson — quit GUNS N' ROSES in 1996 after falling out with Rose for the umpteenth time.

But the guitarist, who now plays in VELVET REVOLVER, claims he has tried to make sure his new book, Slash, is as even-handed as possible.

He says, "This is not a vehicle for me to vent. It's not to lambast Axl or to talk shit about anybody else. It's just telling the story as I knew it."

Slash's autobiography, entitled "Slash" (cover), will hit store shelves on October 16, according to the HarperCollins site.

The autobiography, penned by Slash and Anthony Bozza, entices readers with the line "It seems excessive… but that doesn't mean it didn't happen" on the cover. The book will retail for $27.95.

Former Rolling Stone contributor Anthony Bozza also helped Tommy Lee on his tell-all tome, "Tommyland".



In a recent interview with E! Online, Slash said the book will include a bunch of stuff about his years with GUNS 'N' ROSES, but not necessarily because he was feeling nostalgic on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of "Appetite for Destruction".

"I never wanted to write a book, because it would be too final," Slash explained. "The only reason I wrote it is because a lot of the stuff I was reading and seeing about the band got pretty frustrating. I just had to straighten out some shit."

"It almost reads like a journal, except for the fact that I never wrote anything down," Slash said. "It was a hard book to make, because I was pretty fucked up from 1980 to 2000-something. I really had to dig deep to try and remember a lot of shit."

Slash added that the book is now being edited and will hopefully be out before the end of the year. He told Glam-Metal.com that the book has "some funny shit in it. It's not really a book that I'm out attacking anybody or venting all my grievances."

Slash told The Pulse of Radio that for him and the other members of VELVET REVOLVER, making music has always been a central focus of their lives. "I think the most important thing is, from wherever it is that we come from back when we were kids, when we first got inspired to be musicians and we were huge rock fans, and the whole nine yards, that's never left us," he said. "So we never got jaded in the sense that — the business might have had some certain effect on us over the years, but as far as where our roots are, and what drives us to stay in and keep doing what we're doing, that's never changed."

[muthagoose]

Slash memoir recounts Guns N' Roses mayhem

NEW YORK (Billboard) - He was the chain-smoking, Jack Daniels-drinking guitarist for one of the most explosive bands in history. But in his memoir "Slash," out October 30 via HarperEntertainment, the former Guns N' Roses member wants to set the record straight.

Fans can take note: riots, overdoses and controversies all make appearances. There are also surprises, from how Saul Hudson was dubbed Slash, to what it was like living with mercurial singer Axl Rose in their rehearsal space.

Just don't bother asking Slash, now sober and playing guitar in Velvet Revolver, if the original Guns will get back together, because he insists it won't happen. Ever.

BILLBOARD: IN THE BOOK, YOU MENTION THAT YOU FELT ROCK BIOGRAPHIES WERE "INACCURATE AND FULL OF S---." HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT SETTING THE TONE TO AVOID THIS?

SLASH: I've been approached about doing a book for probably all the wrong reasons so many times, I couldn't validate it in my own mind. For one, it seemed very self-indulgent, very self-centered and very final -- and I have no plans of retiring. Finally, I started to realize all this Guns hype that goes on, all this bull--- that surrounds that band, it's inaccurate, and most isn't even inaccurate, it's just made up. I got fed up with it. (The book will) answer a lot of these questions. I just figured, "Be as honest as possible."
DRUGS AND DRINKING ARE A BIG PART OF THE STORY. HOW DID IT FEEL TO SEE THIS DOWN ON PAPER?

SLASH: A lot of that stuff I came back and cut out because I didn't want it to be one of those books that basically bragged about how hardcore (we were), blah, blah, blah. Especially nowadays, (because) a lot of musicians and rock bands have this badge they wear that says that they can party really hard, and I hate that. But I probably talk more about that than I actually talk about music. The music was sort of a natural thing you don't have to talk about, but chemical abuse was sort of every living, breathing moment.

BILLBOARD: A HUGE PART OF THE BOOK IS GUNS AS YOU'RE TOURING AND THE TARDINESS OF AXL ROSE. WAS THERE EVER ANY EXPLANATION OF WHAT WAS BEHIND THAT?

SLASH: There's no mention of that in the book at all because it's not my place. In other words, if there was some sort of history that was common knowledge, it would be different. Because there was no real logic behind any of it, the only thing I could do was sort of put the facts there the way I saw it. There could be a lot of stuff that I don't know about that goes on even behind the scenes, behind the scenes, behind the scenes.

BILLBOARD: THERE'S TWO YEARS OF FOOTAGE FROM THE "USE YOUR ILLUSION" TOUR. ANY CHANCE A FILM WILL BE MADE?

SLASH: I know right now there's no rhyme or reason behind the business really that is the Guns N' Roses original lineup or as close to the original lineup as we ended up with. All that stuff is in such a topsy-turvy state, and there's really no relationship -- a healthy, positive relationship, at least -- between myself and Axl. (So) I really don't have any idea as to how any of that stuff will see the light of day. The situation will hopefully be rectified at one point.

ARE YOU WRITING NEW MATERIAL FOR VELVET REVOLVER? ARE THERE ANY PLANS TO ADD DATES TO THE CURRENT ITINERARY?

SLASH: We have Japan and Australia booked for November and December, and then I think we'll probably be heading to Europe at the beginning of the year. We're going until the end of next summer for sure. We just got started touring, so as a group I can't say that we're actively working on the new record, but I've got my little recording apparatus on my guitar in my room, and that's what I do during the days off on the tour. That's where I start putting ideas down.

FINALLY, (AXL ROSE'S GUNS PROJECT) "CHINESE DEMOCRACY." WILL IT EVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY?

SLASH: Everybody asks me that. I didn't mention that in the book because it's on Axl's watch. It'll get done, and it'll come out when he feels comfortable with putting it out. And Axl works in a different time zone than I do. So what may seem like a long time to other people is a tick of the clock to him. It'll come out though. It will.

[muthagoose]

SEBASTIAN BACH:
"The World's Not Prepared For What I've Heard From AXL ROSE"

Metal Edge magazine recently conducted an interview with former SKID ROW frontman Sebastian Bach. An excerpt from the chat follows:

Metal Edge: Do you ever get [Axl Rose] on the phone and say, "Will you just put your fuckin record out already?"

Bach: I said that to him once, and it was one of the only times he bristled at me. He goes, "Oh, everybody, Sebastian's got a great fucking idea. Hey! I should put out a record! Thanks, man what would I do without you dude... that's awesome." I was like, "OK, I get it. Ill never say that again." See, the thing that nobody gets, that I get, is that he has like four albums done. I've heard it. So get ready! All you people who don't think he's gonna put out a record are sadly mistaken. He just takes his time. It's his album. Axl does what he wants to do, that's the way it is. And just 'cause you havent heard it doesn't mean it's not done."



Metal Edge: Well, I've heard the six tracks that were leaked, and they're amazing.

Bach: But those aren't the final versions. He laughed about those. Those aren't the record. Those are some other version of whatever. One of my favorite songs — I asked Axl if I could mention the song titles and he said "Fine" — and one of my favorite songs is this song called "The General", which is so… it's by far the heaviest metal tune I think ive ever heard Axl do, this slow, grinding riff with these high, peircing vocals, screaming vocals. I was like, "When is this coming out?" And he said "2012" I was like, "Dude, you're killin' me!" He goes, "Well, this comes out on the third record. It relates to this song, it's a trilogy, this goes with this lyrically." He's got it all figured out, he's just different than other people. He does things on his own time, in his own way, but you know...the world's not prepared for what I've heard from this guy. It's got the grandness and the epic-ness of "November Rain" but with the snarl, the attitude of "Appetite". Because the album that I've heard, a lot of the drumming is by Brain, who plays so heavy and mean. It's a really...grand is the word for it, but its still got that attitude. There's some great music comin' your way.

[muthagoose]

Guns N' Roses 'to release trilogy'

A friend of Guns N' Roses' front man Axl Rose claims the wayward singer plans to release a trilogy of albums by 2012.

Former Skid Row front man Sebastian Bach, who opened for Guns N' Roses during their recent New Zealand tour, told Metal Edge magazine Rose had finished up to four albums.

He didn't say whether one of the them was Chinese Democracy - the much-delayed new album from Guns N' Roses.

"The thing that nobody gets, that I get, is that he has like four albums done," Bach told the magazine.

"All you people who don't think he's gonna put out a record are sadly mistaken. He just takes his time. It's his album. Axl does what he wants to do, that's the way it is."

Bach said Axl planned to release a trilogy of records, with the third to be released by 2012.

When asked what the new songs sounded like, Bach said "the world's not prepared for what I've heard from this guy".

"It's got the grandness and epic-ness of November Rain but with the snarl, the attitude of Appetite (For Destruction.

"There's some great music coming your way."

Guns N' Roses' last album was 1993's The Spaghetti Incident. Rose brought a new-look line-up to New Zealand for two sold-out shows earlier this year.

[muthagoose]

SLASH Planning Solo Album

VELVET REVOLVER guitarist Slash recently published his autobiography and now has a solo album in his sights. Although he doesn't have a timetable for the project, Slash told The Pulse of Radio he already has a lot of ideas for what direction he wants it to take. "I really want to do a solo record and play with a lot of different people that I've worked with before, maybe some people I haven't worked with, and just do something really, really sort of interesting," he said. "'Cause I've played on so many other people's records, you know, and I want to write material for, like, different individuals to sing on and whatnot. So that's sort of like the main sort of backburner kind of thing going on at the moment."

Meanwhile, VELVET REVOLVER was forced to cancel a four-city Japanese tour after the band members were denied visas. A spokesperson for concert promoter Creativeman Productions noted in a statement that the group had previously toured Japan in 2005, but now explained, "The increasingly tough Japanese immigration officials are taking exception with the backgrounds of various band members, which have included arrests." VELVET REVOLVER is appealing the decision, but the process could take months to resolve. "We want to apologize to our fans in Japan that we won't be able to perform our scheduled concerts," the band said in a statement. "We don't understand why the authorities won't give us visas when they granted them for us in 2005 for what was a successful tour and a great experience. We love Japan and look forward to our return there."

VELVET REVOLVER is still scheduled to tour Australia in early December.

The group wrapped up a North American tour with ALICE IN CHAINS last month as it continues promoting its second album, "Libertad". The record has sold 250,000 copies in the United Staes since its release last July, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Slash will appear as a presenter at the 35th annual American Music Awards, which will broadcast live on ABC this Sunday (November 18) from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, beginning at 8 p.m. ET.

[muthagoose]

Guns N'Roses N'promises

by Peter Hartlaub

There's something missing this holiday season, and it's not just the lack of inclement weather.

For the first time in years, nobody is spreading rumors about the imminent arrival of a new Guns N' Roses album. "Chinese Democracy," which has been on the verge of coming out for the better part of a decade, currently has no pre-release buzz, a fact that makes us want to start a rumor right now. Things are a little bit too quiet ...

At this point, though, it might be better if the album didn't come out. A release of "Chinese Democracy" would be like O.J. Simpson suddenly finding the real killer. Aging metal-heads' hearts would give out. Stock markets would crash. MTV newsman Kurt Loder would probably have to stop working, and so would Larry King. (At this point, does anyone doubt that they're the same person?)

When Peanuts creator Charles Schulz announced his retirement in the late 1990s, there was much talk about his final strip. One popular prediction was that Charlie Brown would finally get to kick the football - advice that Schulz very wisely didn't take. If Charlie Brown kicked the football, it would undo 50 years of good comics with one bad one.

That's exactly how I feel about "Chinese Democracy." We, the remaining Guns N' Roses fan base, are Charlie Brown. The album is the football. And Axl Rose is Lucy, repeatedly setting deadlines he knows he'll never make, because the public is gullible enough to believe him. (I think Slash is Schroeder in this analogy, and Stephanie Seymour is the Little Red-Haired Girl, although I haven't totally thought that part out.)

The last time Rose announced a "tentative" release date of March 2007, no less than three dozen different news agencies reported it, including the Chicago Tribune, Hollywood Reporter and Agence France-Presse. March 2007 has come and gone, and here we are, still clutching worn-out copies of "Lose Your Illusion II" to our chests, waiting anxiously for the next rumor. There's something that's so sweet and human about the whole charade.

Below is a brief timeline, culled from a three-hour-long LexisNexis search, which contains just a fraction of the "Chinese Democracy" fake-outs that fans have endured. A new GNR album has been rumored to be in the works since 1994, but purists consider the "Chinese Democracy" AD mark to be late 1999, when the name of the new album was announced.

Nov. 7, 1999: Guns N' Roses manager Doug Goldstein says "Chinese Democracy" is nearly complete, and should be out in early 2000. "It's not entirely indicative of what the album's going to be," he says of "Oh My God," a Guns track that appears on the soundtrack to "End of Days," a 1999 action picture starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. "It's a song that seemed to fit the movie."

January 2000: Rolling Stone magazine interviews Rose and reports that the new album is penciled in for a summer 2000 release. "I'd like to take some of the old Guns fans along with me into the 21st Century," Rose tells the magazine.

May 11, 2001: The New York Daily News quotes an "insider," who says the album is basically done. "The album has been finished to everybody else's satisfaction for over a year now," the source says. "But Axl keeps going back to remix it and add vocals."

November 2002: Guns N' Roses keyboard player Dizzy Reed tells the Cleveland Plain Dealer that the album should be out by summer 2003. "There are just a few odds and ends left to do - a couple of finishing touches, a couple of vocals - and we need to mix it," Reed says.

Aug. 21, 2003: Guns N' Roses bass player Tommy Stinson tells the Albany Times-Union that work on the album has "been going great." "It's closer to the end of the record being completed than the beginning," he says. "... I'm not drinking the company Kool-Aid on all that. That's all straight info. I guarantee that the album's coming out. Hopefully it'll be out sometime before the end of the year."

April 5, 2004: After new Guns N' Roses guitarist Buckethead quits, Rose says in a release, "We hope to announce a release date within the next few months."

January 2006: On a Philadelphia radio show, former Guns guitarist Slash says of "Chinese Democracy," "It's coming out in March ... I've been told a lot of things over the years, but it definitely sounds like it's coming out in March."

January 2006: Rose tells Rolling Stone that the band is working on 32 songs, with 13 expected to make the final cut. "People will hear the music this year," he says.

November 2006: Several publications report that the album will be released by the end of the year, with the band's Web site strongly suggesting it will be released on a Tuesday in November or December.

Dec. 15, 2006: Rose puts a statement on the official Guns N' Roses Web site, announcing a tentative March 6, 2007, release date. "To say the making of this album has been an unbearably long and incomprehensible journey would be an understatement," Rose says.

March 2007 passed, and we haven't heard another definitive word about the album, which reportedly has accumulated more than $10 million in recording costs. Meanwhile, the band continued on a short world tour in June and July.

Whatever minor inconvenience Guns N' Roses fans are enduring, I feel much more sympathy for W. Axl Rose, whose life at this point must be like Bill Murray in "Groundhog Day." (Axl's Journal: Clock radio wakes me up at noon. That f- Velvet Revolver song is on again ... Come to the slow realization that for the 3,126th day, "Chinese Democracy" isn't done ... Have breakfast with Andie MacDowell and Chris Elliot ...)

The delay of the album, which was frustrating at first, has become a more entertaining spectacle than anything that could possibly be on the album. Every generation has its crazy musicians, and for the children of the 1980s, Axl Rose is definitely our heaviest hitter. Although the unreleased GNR album hasn't yet approached the madness surrounding Brian Wilson's 37-years-in-the-making "Smile," I'm definitely rooting for it to break the record. If "Chinese Democracy" comes out a year before 2031, it will be too soon.

It's also hard to feel like I'm missing out on new Guns N' Roses, because I've already heard most of the content. Between the songs that have already commercial airplay, the tracks I've heard in concert (Axl has been playing "Chinese Democracy" content since a 2001 Guns tour) and a mysterious Internet download that arrived on my desk in CD form last year, I feel like I've listened to the entire album three or four times. I've certainly listened to more of the new album than "The Spaghetti Incident," the last GNR album, which came out in 1993.

The "Chinese Democracy" tracks that have surfaced offer no clues as to why the album has been delayed so long. The songs are actually not that bad. And other than a slight industrial edge (and an exodus of nearly every band member other than Rose), it barely differs from the last two original Guns N' Roses albums. "Chinese Democracy" could be "Use Your Illusion III."

Even if it's another "Appetite for Destruction," it can't possibly eclipse the fun journalists have had writing about the album. My search revealed at least a dozen different writers who used the same punch line, speculating whether there will be a democracy in China before we see "Chinese Democracy."

Axl Rose may get wrinkly and gray before his next album drops, but that joke will never, ever grow old.

[muthagoose]

GUNS N' ROSES 'Biography' To Air Tonight

According to The Pulse of Radio, GUNS N' ROSES is the subject of a new episode of the A&E series "Biography" airing Thursday night (November 29) at 9 p.m. ET on the cable channel. The one-hour documentary charts the band's history from its earliest days on the Los Angeles rock scene to its breakthrough debut album "Appetite for Destruction" to its current incarnation, of which singer W. Axl Rose is the only original member. The show also addresses the mystery of "Chinese Democracy", the "new" GN'R album that Rose has been working on for 13 years with no release in sight.

GUNS N' ROSES was founded in 1985 by Rose and guitarist Tracii Guns, who left before the band was signed.

The "classic" GUNS lineup, which recorded "Appetite", consisted of Rose, bassist Duff McKagan, guitarists Slash and Izzy Stradlin and drummer Steven Adler. McKagan recalled for "Biography" the first time the band played together: "They came in and like, the first couple of chords, the five of us in the same room, it was like lightning really struck."

McKagan also told "Biography" that although the members of GN'R had all played in other bands, they knew that this was the one: "It was the best band we'd all been in, and we knew. For us, this was it, musically."

The bassist also recalled the group's first tour outside Los Angeles, during which its van broke down: "We ended up hitchhiking. Five guys wearing, you know, leather jackets, carrying guitars, hitchhiking, you're not gonna get a lot of rides, and if you, not for very far. We hitchhiked for a thousand miles."

Slash and McKagan now play in VELVET REVOLVER, while Adler has his own band called ADLER'S APPETITE. Stradlin is a solo artist.

Although the current GUNS N' ROSES toured last year and Rose said that "Chinese Democracy" would come out in 2007, speculation persists that the record will never be released.

[muthagoose]

SLASH's Co-Author Launches MySpace Blog

The co-author of VELVET REVOLVER/ex-GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash's self-titled memoir Anthony Bozza has teamed up with MySpace to post an exclusive blog titled "The Soundtrack" in which he gives his suggested tracks by Slash to listen to while reading the book. Here is an excerpt from the blog:

"It took exactly eight seconds for me to become a fan of GUNS N' ROSES; the first time I heard the jagged, foreboding opening riff of 'Welcome to the Jungle', I was all in. I saw GUNS many times over the years, and when(ever) they took the stage, they never disappointed (for however long they played, that is). Even when GUNS were a bit raw and wasted as they were when I saw them at The Ritz, in New York City in 1988, or polished and (perhaps too) professional as they were on the Illusion tours, they had electricity — a tangible reckless abandon that cemented the music to the scrappy renegades that made it.

"When I was given the opportunity to work directly with Slash to write his memoir, I jumped at it — who wouldn't? All of the original five members made 'Appetite for Destruction' one of the greatest rock and roll albums of all time — one which seems to do nothing but get better with age — but if there are two defining sounds to the band, Slash is the Gun and Axl is the Roses. Rarely are a guitarist and a singer's sounds fused so organically that the product becomes a new instrument - the band's musical identity. There are others of course; Jagger and Richards, Tyler and Perry and Page and Plant — all of them legends. When that chemistry is right, it's as if there are two singers working together to tell the story — one of them just happens to be a guitar.

"During the course of poring through the hours of interview transcript we complied and writing the resulting narrative that you all know as Slash, I of course called upon Mr. Hudson's entire catalog, with and without GUNS, for inspiration during many a late night. The book was intense work; we interviewed five nights a week from around midnight until the wee hours for a few months, and my writing took place over the next four months (I don't suggest trying this if you don't have to), typically on the same schedule. It seemed fitting; I wanted to write under the same conditions in which I'd learned all that I never knew about Slash and Saul Hudson. Besides, I'd learned pretty quickly that the twilight hours are Slash's prime time, and most nights I could expect a long phone call to go over the finer points of a story or hear a freshly recalled, always-compelling, tale for the first time."

Read more at www.myspace.com/slashbook.

[muthagoose]

GUNS N' ROSES' 'Chinese Democracy' Album 'Was Finished Before Christmas'

UK's Classic Rock recently tracked down Beta Lebeis, personal manager of Axl Rose, who confirmed to the magazine that GUNS N' ROSES' "Chinese Democracy" album "was finished before Christmas."

She added: "Everybody knows that."

Lebeis said Axl is currently "in negotiations" with unspecified parties to arrange to album's on-sale date.

However, Classic Rock believes that "Chinese Democracy" may not be "released" in the traditional sense — at least not initially.

The magazine suspects that GN'R may follow the RADIOHEAD route of pay-as-you-like downloads. But the publications stresses that this has not been confirmed.

Another source close to the GN'R camp also suggested that "Chinese Democracy" may gain a conventional release in late summer, with a view to it becoming "a big Christmas album."

[muthagoose]

A PERFECT CIRCLE Guitarist Talks About His Work
On GUNS N' ROSES' 'Chinese Democracy'

The Pulse of Radio reports that ASHES DIVIDE, the new project fronted by A PERFECT CIRCLE guitarist Billy Howerdel, has launched its own YouTube channel at this location. An initial group of interviews between Howerdel and MTV personality Matt Pinfield has been posted at the site. In the exchanges, Howerdel discusses his musical upbringing, recording with A PERFECT CIRCLE, the assembly of the ASHES DIVIDE touring band and the inspiration behind some of the project's songs.

One little-known fact about Howerdel is that before forming A PERFECT CIRCLE with TOOL singer Maynard James Keenan in 2000, he spent several years working on the still-unreleased GUNS N' ROSES album, "Chinese Democracy". Howerdel told The Pulse of Radio what he contributed to the record. "I came in there initially to program some guitar sounds, and then wound up hitting it off with Axl (Rose, GUNS frontman), and then my job kind of migrated into the computer guy. I don't know what you would call me exactly. I kind of was there all night with Axl as he would work. The band came in during the day with a producer and would work most of the day, and then I would come in ten o'clock at night, say goodbye to those guys, Axl would show up later on, and then we'd do our thing all night and then do it the next day."

ASHES DIVIDE's debut album, "Keep Telling Myself It's All Right", is due out on April 8. The first single is called "The Stone". Howerdel sings and plays guitar, bass and keyboard on the album, which also features A PERFECT CIRCLE's Josh Freese on drums and Maynard James Keenan's 11-year-old son Devo on cello.

ASHES DIVIDE has yet to announce tour plans or a live lineup.

[muthagoose]

AXL ROSE Negotiating For More Money Before Releasing 'Chinese Democracy'?

According to The Pulse of Radio, recent reports have indicated that GUNS N' ROSES' long-awaited new album, "Chinese Democracy", is finished and the group's frontman W. Axl Rose is negotiating for more money with his record label before he will release the masters.

The ever-shifting GUNS N' ROSES lineup began working on "Chinese Democracy" sometime in the mid-'90s, and has reportedly spent $13 million recording the effort. Promised release dates in 2006 and 2007 did not materialize.

GUNS N' ROSES has only toured twice in the last 14 years: an aborted 2002 run that only lasted for a few shows, and a far more successful 2006 trek that took the latest lineup around the world.

Although Rose is considered one of rock's greatest frontmen, his sometimes irrational behavior onstage, reclusive lifestyle and notoriety for feuding with other rock stars has also earned him a reputation as one of rock's true eccentrics.

[muthagoose]

Malibu Woman Credits AXL ROSE With Helping Save Her Home

A Malibu, California woman who lives next door to GUNS N' ROSES frontman Axl Rose with her husband and three children credits the reclusive singer with helping save her home during the wildfire in Southern California that left six firefighters hurt and destroyed dozens last November.

A two-minute interview with the woman, who was not identified, conducted in November 2007 by the Los Angeles TV station Fox KTTV can be viewed below. A transcript of the chat follows:

Axl Rose's neighbor: "We just got home. We were in Santa Barbara for our anniversary — my husband and I had our 24th anniversary — and our daughter called us at 5 o'clock in the morning. I heard the words 'fire' and 'evacuation,' and I immediately knew, 'cause I've lived here for so long that I know what that means. And we tried to come back here, but, this fire was roaring in Malibu and, of course, they wouldn't let us in. So our children went to a friend's house in Beverly Hills and waited for us. We were there until this morning 'cause they didn't let us back in — it was too dangerous to be up here."

Reporter: So you didn't know at all whether your house was OK until this morning?

Axl Rose's neighbor: "No, I did. I did. And the reason I did is that we have a neighbor that is just — and I hope it's OK to say his name — we have Axl Rose as our neighbor, and him and Beta [Lebeis], his manager, they saved our house together with the firefighters. Because they pushed the gate open and took the hoses that were lying around and they just hosed down whatever fire there was in the trees, in the palm trees, and they saved our house, they literally saved our house — I mean, they literally saved our house. And my husband was in contact with Beta, but they didn't let us up, so we couldn't do anything, we just had to surrender and pray and hope."

Reporter: So it was because of them that your home…

Axl Rose's neighbor: "Yes, it was because of them and that one firefighter — I mean, all the firefighters, but there was one in particular; I forgot his name now, 'cause I'm still a little nervous. Yeah, they saved our house. We're just blessed."

Reporter: How long have you lived here? And you have your son that lives with you?

Axl Rose's neighbor: "Yeah, we have actually three children. We've been here for 13 years, so we've been through many fires, but this was really the worst. The '96 fire was bad, because it was also in the Corral Canyon and then came here, but this one, it was just [that] the winds were so bad — I mean, they were just roaring through the canyon. And it was so hot. We're very lucky. We're just so… I mean, I feel so blessed, I can't tell you.

Reporter: And good neighbors.

Axl Rose's neighbor: "Yes, we do. We have good neighbors."

Beta Lebeis, who lives on Rose's property, told the California TV station KCAL-TV that the rock legend also fought to save his own home. "He helped a lot," she said. "He did a lot. He was with the hose everywhere. Then the firetruck came in and locked us. So then they told us, 'Just close the garage doors and just go back in. There's nothing you can do,' because it was like an inferno outside."

[muthagoose]

Bumblefoot presents:
THE GREAT 2008 OPERA CHALLENGE


GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal is looking for a backing vocalist to lay down some tracks on his brand new solo CD, to be released sometime this year.

View Ron's request at this location:

youtube.com/v/ZKhJlbP-a_A





Related Links:

www.myspace.com/bumblefoot

www.bumblefoot.com

[muthagoose]

GUNS N' ROSES Drummer To Perform In New York City

According to GnrDaily.com, GUNS N' ROSES drummer Frank Ferrer will perform with his band PISSER at Snitch in New York City on February 28.

Earlier this month Frank Ferrer and GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Richard Fortus performed together with former HANOI ROCKS and current NEW YORK DOLLS bass player Sami Yaffa during the New York Fashion week.