Axl Rose Explains 'Chinese Democracy' Delay

Jada Yuan of New York magazine reports that Axl Rose started out screeching about being "just an urchin livin' under the street," but in the thirteen years he's been working on the oft-delayed Guns N' Roses album "Chinese Democracy" (at a price that's exceeded $13 million), he's had time to reflect on heavy-metal posturing.

"We thought we were so badass," he said in the greenroom at the VMAs. "Then N.W.A. came out rapping about this world where you walk out of your house and you get shot. It was just so clear what stupid little white-boy poseurs we were. It was like, 'All right, we can give up the act.' If you're talking about which lifestyle is more hard-core, the one where you get shot always wins."

So what's the holdup with "Chinese Democracy"? "It's not about being a control freak. It's about being maybe smart enough to go, 'No, that's a bad idea.' That's all it's about ? keeping the ability to at least have a shot as opposed to something that's just an obvious disaster. I want to make a good record. I don't want to throw a brick. This cannot be Shaq at the free-throw line."

Rose promises the album will be released by the end of the year, according to Blabbermouth.net.

Comments

[Thin-Lizzy]

how many bad ideas must Axl have had then???

[dcoyle4040]

Who cares if your posturing isnt that what most rock and roller are?? A bunch of kids that got beat up alot in high school that could play guitar and pretend that there a bunch of bad asses cuz they can get drunk! I mean when Axl sang "Get In The Ring" was anyone really afraid that he could kick your ass? No, but it was a great song so people bought it and its classic.

[nakki]

I have the feel that Chinese Democracy really will be out soon...

...I hope so. =)

But yeah it definately will.

[stu18visions]

That didn't really explain why it has been delayed so much lol.

[LucasPonce]

This better be the album to end all albums or else we have just been scammed.

[big-red]

13 years, this album better be DAM GOOD

[ninja3]

Whats axl talking about?...the gnr legacy was more badass than NWA. Gnr were border line street bums...they actually lived what they sang about. NWA on the otherhand were practically living with their parents when they started. I watched a documentary on NWA and even they admited that most of their toughness was a gimmick...even eazy e admited that he had to do charitable things in secret so not to hurt his reputation.
Axl should give the gnr legacy more credit than he did.

[chinesechipmunk]

^ I agree ninja3, but GnR's legacy hurt them majorly. It was the attitude and drugs that caused the split. In fact, I'm on Axl's side with the whole GnR splitting thing...

Also, out of curiosity, has anyone but me here heard the new material recorded and everything? It's better than VR's stuff, so inventive. I totally agree with the delays, because there's some absolutely killer songs, like Better and There was a Time, but tracks like Rhiad and the Bedouins or Silkworms just aren't good enough to get onto the record.

I think when he releases this, he knows it must be the best damn record he's ever released, or it'll be despised due to the bias that's coming from a lot of the music media nowadays *cough*kerrang*cough*.

He knows he's left it late, but he can't hurry it, because it'll ruin the record. So he's just gonna try to write the best damn record ever.

I reckon it'll be ace. The songs I've heard are fantastic, and the band he's got together are so strong and such a tight unit that I don't think they could release a shit album without knowing it was shit, and they're never gonna do that.

[demiphoenix]

Does anyone else smell a new sitcom comming out "Axl Rose meets the real world"?

[vanceboy]

Amazingly, what Axl said seems pretty deep. But they were bad asses, just not gangsters. I will always love the OLD Gnr's music.

[s1yfa]

Brian May appears on one of the tracks of Chinese Democracy, and he actually recorded his bit about 5 years ago! When he heard the final result a few months back his comments were something along the line of 'That is NOT what I layed down, whats happened, it's crap.'
I heard five tracks a month or two ago. All of them were pretty much final mixes, so give a good idea as to what the ablums going to be like. In my opinion, dont waste your money. It's really poor. Axl has got addicted to trying to create these huge soundscapes and everything is so perfected and processed, it's just not music from the heart. It's music from a Mac.
The amount of people that have come and gone over the years of this album all pretty much have the same opinion that Axl has lost it. He is too hard to work with. Expects too much and simply has no control over himself.
It's sad what fame has done to an otherwise amazing artist.

[TheCondomMarket]

one big disappointment is all i have to say

[Room On Fire]

I feel like theres an article with a different headline that says this same exact shit every day...we get it, chinese democracy has been delayed 13 years and its coming out at the end of the year. theres only so many ways to say that...

[tommyt]

i think we all saw this coming

[redrum58]

buckethead plays guitar on chinese democracy. itll be the best ****ing guns and roses album ever

[Y-y-yeah]

hahahahaha

this cannot be shaq at the freethrow line

that shit is funny

[DaBlackE]

It's funny how he mentioned Shaq at the end cuz I read in Guitar World that he appears on the Chinese Democracy album.

[NoiseBox]

keep explaining, its just more of the same. I wonder which is better--- to be a wash out like axl, or to just never get big at all...

[[NIN]_ROCK!]

It doesn't matter anymore, this album lost its interest years ago

[jof1029]

from the stuff ive heard, my reaction has been more on the line of 'this is kinda interesting' than 'wow this is awesome.' from interviews ive read with people who played on the album and what ive heard, i really dont think that this is going to be worth the wait. not that it wont be a good album, just not an album that should take this long.

[Anarion614]

a 13 year $13 million album? thats ridiculous, better be the best ****ing album in the world lol
GNR owns...generally....

[mmcintosh]

$13 million dollars and 10 years or more and thats all he has to say for himself, he reminds me of our singer in our old band never wrote lyrics always had excuses but had all the great ideas (not!!!!) and considered himself a genius, every week he would make up excues from writers block to change the verse i cant play like that, he reminds me of axl full of piss and wind and thinks about things to much and analises everything till the idea is ****ed maybe thats what happened to axl , he lost his best song writers ?? well anyway guns n roses are dead anyway go axl and his backup band

[victimized124]

yeah, as good as this cd might be, it's not gonna be true "guns n roses". they died a long time ago. This is just gonna be a band with the same name and same singer.

[jmag]

It seems like he's trying to find a way of not making himself look like an idiot, after an enormously expensive album that most likely won't be that good.
But the fact is, after so many delays and $13 mil, he will always look like a middle aged man who tries too hard.

[scarfacesuit]

Leeviva wrote:

Axl Rose is clueless. FACT.

haha yeah dude. and besides, it doesn't take this long to make and release an album. tweaking it too much is gonna make it suck. a good artist goes in the studio, does his thing, and is out. i mean i can understand a little work on some things, but if you come up with a good idea, you don't change it. so obviously axl has no good ideas, and the album's gonna blow

[Andras5soul]

I dont believe most things i hear about ANYTHING, but for some reason, i have a feeling it will be out. i just do. With the maiden album, the coming up megadeth album, the new alice in chains tour, the next metallica album, this supergroup thing, axl rose needs to stay on top of things. He'll release it, im sure he will.

[ArcherTheVMan]

Thin-Lizzy wrote:

how many bad ideas must Axl have had then???

They all were (and are) but he had to choose between them.

[supersonic23]

still not counting on its release no matter what he says but ill buy whenever its out

[jahyarain]

i think he thinks he's making "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot"

[DJG_GNR]

the new GNR band is great, Buckethead is grrrrreat. but one issue is that he keeps delaying.. if we do see this album, and it has the songs i've heard on the internet and from their concert, i will be very proud of that guy

[clarkson101]

We're gonna see velvet revolvers new album out before this, so lets just look forward to that instead.
I think Axl is taking notice of all the bad talk about him, cos this kinda sounds like an apology for being a dick.

[MedicreDemon]

cant wait for the album

[frizzle fry]

we know from GNR that axl is a good songwriter if he thinks an idea is good then it must be. This will be the most landmark album since Appitete

[brian_s]

So, are they still recording it or what?

[ready4thebreak]

as much time as he's spent doing interviews and talking about the record, how the hell could he possibly get anything done? If he keeps talking about it people are just gonna start writing him off and will get tired of NOT hearing THE MUSIC, The most important part.

[Robman2k9]

From what I've heard of all the songs on CD they are awesome, if you hear "better", it's probably one of the best GNR songs of all time, fact.

[Tulkas]

It's about being maybe smart enough to go, 'No, that's a bad idea.'

[bMaybe I have not given Axl enough credit. Because this idea (i.e., "Chinese Democracy" can be nothing but bad.[/b]


That's all it's about ? keeping the ability to at least have a shot as opposed to something that's just an obvious disaster.


Obviously

I want to make a good record. I don't want to throw a brick. This cannot be Shaq at the free-throw line."


He's Shaq spotted up from 3!

Rose promises the album will be released by the end of the year,


Is Vegas even taking odds on this? If so, I've got to get a loan so I can retire off this screw up.

[EpitaphMan440]

No matter how bad or good this album is going to be, it's will still go triple platium at the minimum. Personally I can't wait.

[chillllllllllll]

"We thought we were so badass," he said in the greenroom at the VMAs. "Then N.W.A. came out rapping about this world where you walk out of your house and you get shot. It was just so clear what stupid little white-boy poseurs we were. It was like, 'All right, we can give up the act.' If you're talking about which lifestyle is more hard-core, the one where you get shot always wins."

did anyone else rofl when they read this. Axle is such a fukin poser to think that nwa is better than them cus theyre worried bout being shot. wow. i cant believe anybody would say this.

[guitarfreakktb]

Questions that no one can answer:

Is there a God?
What is the meaning of life?
If a tree falls in the forest.....?
Will Chineese Democracy ever come out?

[Kobrakai]

After over a decade and a string of piss-poor shows does anyone out there care any more? I know I don't. His Download gig was appauling. I'll stick with "Appetite for Destruction" thanks!

[Guitar_Poet]

dcoyle4040 wrote:

Who cares if your posturing isnt that what most rock and roller are?? A bunch of kids that got beat up alot in high school that could play guitar and pretend that there a bunch of bad asses cuz they can get drunk! I mean when Axl sang "Get In The Ring" was anyone really afraid that he could kick your ass? No, but it was a great song so people bought it and its classic.

sounds like someone has a pessimistic view of rock and roll. too bad, your loss. axl is a fruit anyway though.

[Ibanezguy350]

victimized124 wrote:

yeah, as good as this cd might be, it's not gonna be true "guns n roses". they died a long time ago. This is just gonna be a band with the same name and same singer.

you pretty much summed up the truth of the whole matter.

axl needs to stop making excuses. if this album really is the album that he and everyone else hype it up to be, than he should just release it and put his money where his mouth is. hes covering up and delaying because he knows what he claimed to do can never be done. if u ask me, hell never release it.

[Goin' Mobile]

GN'R is Adler, Slash, Duff, Axl, and Izzy.

Who the heck are these posers with Axl now?

[jim quimby]

does anyone still care about this album anyway? i am sure it will be self indulgent crap

[fiftysteps]

i am losing interest. And doesn't Axl know that this ISNT the last album out in the world. If he messes this one up, fine, move on to the next. He makes it sound like this is his last chance, after all this time, i might as well be.

[ibanez87]

Axl seems to keep making the UG news. Maybe it will come out.....
nah.

[jim quimby]

just give it up. release the album as axl rose and you can stop trying to live up to your old band. i mean how many of those g n r riffs you think axl wrote anyway.

[Gratefully_dead]

theres no god damn way chinese democracy is ever gonna be released i mean mi a big fan of Guns but what Axl's doing now isnt even Guns N' Roses i mean Velvet Revolver has more claim to the name Guns N' Roses than Axl ever will i hate to say it but Guns N' Roses is dead it died when Slash quit and maybe if Axl changed the name and kind of started anew with a whole new band and direction then this album might actually come out and it might be good but he's livin in the past man

[i_eat_souls]

i hate to break it to everyone, but chinese democracy is never gonna be released, the country of china will actually become democratic before this hits the shelf

[chilibassist]

this cannot be worth the wait, but it will get sales anyways. i love GNR, and i liked IRS, but come on guys, lets go listen to VR... (runs away sobbing)

[TheCondomMarket]

let face it GnR will never return to there former glory. They are history. They were awsome but now their done.

[MTVget0FFtheAIR]

i vote it will be awesome.

[catchtherainbow]

he should release an album...coz GnR never had a whole album full with chart toppers...

[Children Of War]

theyre has beens....not to hate or bash or anything,but its true...

I guess axl has seen the last article where everybody complains about the new albums delay

[red star]

dang man thats a sucky excuss. many bands have come up with a god like album at a fraction of the cost and time. hes definately a perfectionit/control freak

[lespaul_rentals]

I think now that Axl Rose is the strongest leader of the new GN'R, and he doesn't have Slash, Izzy, and Duff to put him back in his place, he's overstepping his boundaries. That's why "Chinese Democracy" is taking so long.

[ChubbyLove]

This better be good...im at the point where i dont care anymore

[Guns N Roses]

dont know why people keep saying "lets listen to VR" when I dont even think there that good at all. Way to overrated.

Knowing Axl he probably has a really good album on the way. Better,IRS,Chinese Democracy. Those aren't bad songs and those are the released ones. This is going to be good. People just need to ahve faith.....alot of it.

[james86]

yeah right they just say it but nothing happens

[faqu]

Checked.

[gary1412]

If the album had of been realesed a few years earlier it would have been a classic, but 13 years is a bit much

[suicidalmoose]

oh man, taking this long to make an album is going to lead to a lot of expectation. it'll have to be the best GNR album ever made to be able to live up to that expectation.

[eisaac]

the man is seriously gone in the head, that entire article made absolutely no sense at all

[irotinmyskin]

ALL I HAVE TO SAY IS, AXL, MAN, ITS BEEN 13 YEARS, NO ONE REALLY CARES ABOUT GNR, AND ANYBODY WHO DOES, IS PROBABLY 35-40 YRS OLD....
YES YES, THEY WERE BIG ONE TIME, BUT THEN NIRVANA CAME OUT, AND THAT WHOLE LOOK, PUFF-HAIR, TIGHT PANTS, SHINY RED GUITARS, LADIES AND BOOZE ...WEL PRETTY MUCH DIED, THEN NIRVANA DISSAPEARED AND THAT WHOLE THING DIED TOO, AND THE LIMP BIZKIT CAME ALONG, THEN THEY DIED TOO, AND THEN .....(GOES ON AND ON AND ON AND ON)

[Frusciante007]

Ilove this!(I'm so sorry kiedis I'll always love your band)

[kt_guitarist]

i think it bull crap to take 13 years to make one record. Thats no matter of waiting for the good songs i think its just lame. a bit of an artist can write and record and produce one album every other year. it wont bee filled up with 100 % of the greatest songs. but if thats your aim take 4 years

[StratSlinger421]

But seriously, don't you think there will be enough curiousity from Guns n' Roses fans that will make this album sell a lot. I know if it did come out this year, I would get it, even if it is reall awful. I would still check it out to see wtf has been taking so long. And obviously we will never get some of the members back (R.I.P.), but personally I think GNR is nothing without Slash. Axl certainly brought a shitload of energy to the concoction, but how can you get the Guns sound if you can't get the original guns? No offense to Buckethead at all, I mean he totally rocks and all, but Slash is the man, and Guns can't be anywhere near the same as it used to be no matter how many millions of dollars and years it takes. I am getting fed up with Axl parading around with some band that nobody's geard of, calling himself Guns N' Roses. I really do love Axl, and I think what he did for rock and roll was revolutionary (once and for all crushing glam metal >:-X ), but he needs to just sit back and take a break from trying to create so much hype about frickin Chinese Democracy. Who knows though, it might be the album of the millenium.

[ninja3]

irotinmyskin wrote:

ALL I HAVE TO SAY IS, AXL, MAN, ITS BEEN 13 YEARS, NO ONE REALLY CARES ABOUT GNR, AND ANYBODY WHO DOES, IS PROBABLY 35-40 YRS OLD....
YES YES, THEY WERE BIG ONE TIME, BUT THEN NIRVANA CAME OUT, AND THAT WHOLE LOOK, PUFF-HAIR, TIGHT PANTS, SHINY RED GUITARS, LADIES AND BOOZE ...WEL PRETTY MUCH DIED, THEN NIRVANA DISSAPEARED AND THAT WHOLE THING DIED TOO, AND THE LIMP BIZKIT CAME ALONG, THEN THEY DIED TOO, AND THEN .....(GOES ON AND ON AND ON AND ON)

GnR is not a forgettable band....The whole tragedy of gnr splitting up was that they were suppose to have legendary status that would be timeless. They were to be the next rolling stones. They are in the category of led zeppelin, beatles, aerosmith, stones, metallica...they were next in line to be timeless. Thats why people care so much about the new album regardless of how long it takes. They were not another gimmick group or a genre group...they were the real thing.

Thats why the rolling stones are still going...they won't stop until someone is worthy in enough to take there place. If gnr didnt stop, the stones would of retired years ago in good faith that rock n roll will live on.

[vbackseatromeov]

A lot of people say some really stupid stuff here. It didn't take him all 13 of those years to make that record. He wasn't doing anything for like the first 6. He statted around '99, and it would have been released had not Buckethead quit the band. Then they had to start all over with the shit, kinda. So in reality its only been about 3/4 years of an album in the making. And giving the quality of it, which ive heard, it's very well deserved of that time. I'm still wondering how he spent 13 million on it, but that's besides the fact. He IS releasing it, and it's gonna kick ass.

[MonsterOfRock]

Rock didnt appear to die with Cobain, rock almost died with Mercury. Cobain's death is was a new beginning to Rock 'n Roll. Yet we havnt really used it. I mean we really got nothing now. So yes, we are looking forward to the new GnR record or the new Metallica record. And technically, nothing's gonna change that. Upon release, even the Anti-Axls will buy Chinese Democracy. People shouldnt care what THEY want. If artists made albums that people liked, the world music would never have evolved.

[MonsterOfRock]

And yes, GnR music isnt outdated, Axl rockin out with his fluro-colored mic, wearing a kilt, is still as rock as ever.

[killing_inc]

I am the biggest Gn'R fan in the world, but no freakin' album is worth 13 years of a wait, I will buy it, if it ever comes out, but it won't be worth 13 years even if its the best ever...

[uuhi]

Jesus, in 13 years time Tangerine Dream would have been able to produce atleast 13-20 albums. Sure, they're no rock but they've got 20min long synth songs.
If the album ever comes out it will be perfectioned to the last note. That's not really rock now is it? It's supposed to be rough and done in a few takes. Not 13 years.

[fuzzy_0005]

My arse !!! GNR said it would be out last year and it didn't. I bet this album won't be out this year neither.
But anyway me too, I can't wait till it will be out. I've heard some demos.....fxxking fantastic !!!!!

[thefoldarsoldar]

the 13 years is just to make sure everybody will go out and buy it, not to make it good.

[fuzzy_0005]

sorry to be rude, by the way !!!

[paul_wilson]

Exactly, it could take 20 years and still be pure excrement.

Axl is an over rate tosser. Gotta love his spandex short shorts though...

[SlashNX]

mm

[drunk_rocker89]

I think that the album may actually be released on time just because of the tour and all his media hype he's had lately(which isn't alot)but he appeared on the VMA's not too long ago.It just seems like his manager is trying to get him exposure and then release.Whether the album will be good or not is a whole other matter.Personally I think it will be mediocre at best,but I really think it will suck.Axl's had the pressure of coming out with this album for 13 years so he's going to have critiqued and edited the album until there's no ROCK left.You can't do that and have the rock feel to an album.Also,the other members of GNR had as much influence as Axl if not more.Slash was the true wild,unpredictable,and creative ingredient in the band.Axl's now a middle aged man who's used too much botox and has corn-rows.With that comment he made up above,it sounds like this will be a damn rap album or some bull$hit.It'll be part of his NEW IMAGE.Wait and see....

[BleedBlack247]

wasnt he on the VMA's like 4 years ago??

[Danis1]

AXL ROSE just loves his delays people, its his trademark, so leave him to his delays, its him who misses out due to his delays, and he knows it!

[fender24_70]

Axl is a no talent singer. He draged down G-n-R for years. Your lucky you even got in that band. They must have been drunk to think you can sing. Oh Axl i'm nameing my kid after you.

[Nofx_Just_Me]

Axl does what Axl wants. I'm not surprised that the CD got delayed. He pissed off a lot of people by canceling shows and showing up late. His ego is huge! No wonder why GNR broke up. And besides, the dreadlocks don't help either. I mean WTF?

[Untold_69]

Chinese Democracy will not come out any time soon because Axl Rose is a prick faced diva ass!! He is too old now and it won't be the same old GnR! He is a waste of space!!

[pod112]

Apologies for bringing up an old thread but seriously, how thick are you people? The whole things a statement on behalf of Rose. It’s about his discernment with an industry & payback. I said this 5 years ago! A final finger to the fans and an industry which broke him.

2008 now, Mark this post and a few ppl who siad the same above- this albums NEVER coming out. EVER. It’s an elaborate hoax designed to waste as much time & money as possible. You roped-in idiots are just helping perpetuate interest in something which’ll never happen. This hoax is what he will be remembered for, and he knows it. The guy can’t even keep an appointment; he hires & fires more than the average crack addicts daily hit, he’s conned and wasted other, more credible, artists time. You seriously think an album is coming out? He’s laughing at you, and rightly so.