Rumored where?

God I hate when that happens dude. I've ordered other stuff in the past in pre-orders, see friends getting their's shipped AND RECEIVED, and I don't even have a shipping confirmation.

It's one of the great pissers of life.

...with The General playing - hopefully.

I'm a huge new band fan and Bucket fan, and I can say with complete honesty that new GN'R was ALWAYS destined for modest success, and Axl knows that. He's not stupid.

On their best day, with full success and popularity, new GN'R were destined to only have maybe 2/3 of the popularity of the old band for a variety of reasons. 1) It ain't 1992 anymore, 2) Slash ain't there, 3) Axl is now 40+, not the young rebel anymore, 4) Every band suffers from the "been there, done that" syndrome.

If GN'R were to have reunited in 2002, and toured the world, I don't think it would've been as big as it would be now. 2002, those bands were not necessarily doing anything. Why? Because... there wasn't much interest. Even Metallica saw down time after Reload, not due to Napster, but just due to the logistics of the business at the time.

New GN'R were never poised to rule the world. Axl was never going to save the day. It was as much of a myth, as the man himself. It was a pipe dream.

VR might've sold out on curiosity, but VR had a MASSIVE media push, almost to the point of overexposure. Hell, when they originally started off, headlines were actually reading "Bandmates Slash, Duff McKagen & Matt Sorum to reform GUNS N' ROSES sans Axl Rose". That was on E! Network. A big news source. Of course, it was VR.

The Slash-biased media was alive and well, talking out of their ass as always. There was a buzz, based solely on misinformation. VR got concert tix sold, a multi-platinum... and what became of their attendence later? Libertad? That buzz that got them off the ground was gone, and their music was so lousy, no one was going to stick around for the encore. Libertad sold what it sold solely on the hardcores.

If GN'R had Slash. Say he had never left in '96. Stayed with the band. GN'R would've still faced a decline period, for sure... but I don't think GN'R-the band would've put up with 99.99999999999999999999% of the obsticles they've faced and dealt with, because it's a Slash-less GN'R. Why do you think Axl's always been so hardcore, about not having that
guy back in GN'R? Because it's a metaphoric white flag. He knows this. His ego (and I don't blame him) has to have Slash come back with his tail between his legs.

Even Pittman alluded to it in a recent interview, with the GN'R sound. Axl could very well revisit AFD, of the classic GN'R, if you will. He chooses to do something different. Which is cool, and he knows what comes with that. If Axl truely thinks he can reinvent GN'R with the new band, but on the same status as the old, he's as crazy as everyone thinks he is. I don't think he's that crazy. I think the man is happy with the fans he's got. 5,000-10,000 a show. A cozy audience. At this point he's went all Izzy on us, and more than that might scare the dude away. He's gotta have a shrink to go out and perform in front of THAT MANY. He'd have to have a psychiatric team of doctors for a world stadium tour with a reunion.

GNR's status, does have SOME to do with Axl's poor decision making, but a small minority. The reality is - some care, others don't give a fuck. And the exact same applies to Slash. Slash was a Baz-level has been, before VR. He was done. They used the supergroup gimmick to get VR off the ground, and leeched on the GN'R name. If VR's lead singer was Eric Dover, do you truely believe it would've had the same success? Or Izzy & Duff sharing frontman duties? Hell no.

The saga of Axl Rose and Chinese Democracy (although not told yet), will be the exact same imo. CD is amazing - to a diehard. To a casual - it's a good album. But past the initial multi-platinum sales, interest will die (if it's not already dead with Axl's false starts), and he'll be back to square one, just like Slash. Tour to 50% of a fan base (Slashites). Axlites doing the other 50% with new GN'R. Or do you combine forces to bring back the beast?

In the words of Gen. Patton - "you'll know what to do"

This I Love

An ode to his ex-wife, who won't shut the fuck up for 3 fuckin' seconds, so he can tell her the world is coming to an end, and save the kids.