British rock journalist Mick Wall, who released a biography of GUNS N' ROSES frontman Axl Rose, "W.A.R.: The Unauthorized Biography of William Axl Rose", in February 2008, has posted the following message on his blog:

"Seeing as people keep asking: yeah, I think [GUNS N' ROSES' long-awaited new album] 'Chinese Democracy' is not bad at all. It is what it is, you know, an over-reaching, self-pitying piece of inspired lunacy by someone who should really know better but is surrounded by weak-willied wankers too scared of and/or reliant on him for their paychecks to tell him the truth. 'Better' is good though. As is 'There Was A Time', 'IRS', 'Madagascar' and a couple of others. 'If The World' would have been a much better Bond movie theme than the awful shite Jack White and wassername came up with. 12 years and $13 million, though. Gimme a break. Sitting there listening to the 'finished' album in Universal last week the two things I kept thinking as it was playing were: a) Axl would shit if he knew his record company were actually playing me this, but then looking around at the kids working there most of them weren't born when 'Appetite For Destruction' came out and probably think Slash is the singer. And b) yaaawwwnnnn, is it finished yet?

"Seriously, it was such an anti-climax. Partly because I already knew nine of the tracks well from the Internet bootlegs that have been circulating for at least two years and which the 'finished' album sound exactly alike. Partly because, come on, 400 years and $50 trillion, I mean, who fucking cares anymore? And where's Slash when you need him? Ultimately, what I'd like to ask Axl Rose at this point is this: like, what's for dessert, dude?"

Mick Wall's unauthorized GN'R biography, "Guns N Roses: The Most Dangerous Band In The World", first published in Britain by Sidgwick & Jackson in 1991 (and in America, in updated form, the following year, by Hyperion) so incensed W. Axl Rose that he wrote a song about it, "Get In The Ring", from GN'R's 1991 zillion-selling "Use Your Illusion II" album.

-Blabbermouth-

Mick Wall. Still riding the coattails of a 17 year old dis.

The Rockerrazzi web site conducted an interview with GUNS N' ROSES co-manager Andy Gould on the eve of the long-awaited release of the band's new album, "Chinese Democracy". Watch the chat below.

"Chinese Democracy" was released in the U.S. exclusively through Best Buy. The 14-song set is available on CD, vinyl, and as a download. While singer Axl Rose has remained silent, Gould and co-manager Irving Azoff said in a statement, "The release of 'Chinese Democracy' marks a historic moment in rock n'roll. We're launching with a monumental campaign...that matches the groundbreaking sound of the album itself. GUNS N' ROSES fans have every reason to celebrate, for this is only the beginning."

-Blabbermouth-

The Rockerrazzi web site recently conducted an interview with Perla Hudson, the wife of former GUNS N' ROSES and current VELVET REVOLVER guitarist Slash (real name: Saul Hudson). During the chat, Perla revealed that Slash's forthcoming album will feature a plethora of special guests, including Ozzy Osbourne and pop/R&B singer, rapper and actress Fergie (a.k.a. Stacy Ann Ferguson). Watch the two-and-a-half-minute interview below.

As previously reported, Slash will play his only European solo concert of 2009 at next year's edition of the Quart festival, set to take place June 30 - July 4 in Kristiansand, Norway. Slash will headline the event on the festival's opening day. He will be joined by a number of as-yet-undisclosed guests and promises to perform a mixture of old and new material.

Slash left GUNS N' ROSES in the mid-'90s, forming SLASH'S SNAKEPIT before later assembling VELVET REVOLVER with several other ex-members of GUNS N' ROSES and STONE TEMPLE PILOTS singer Scott Weiland.

VELVET REVOLVER is currently searching for a replacement for Weiland, who was dismissed last April. Slash told Billboard.com on October 24 that the band has been approached by some well-known names, saying, "There's been a couple that might have been interesting, but...it's really hard to make something sound original if you've got somebody people are so familiar with hearing somewhere else."

-Blabbermouth-