Axl Rose Breaks His Silence

Axl Rose broke his silence Thursday night with his first interview -- sorta -- since the release of the 15-plus-years-in-the-making 'Chinese Democracy.' The elusive Guns N' Roses frontman unexpectedly took to the message boards of GN'R-related sites like Here Today ... Gone to Hell and MyGNR.com to answer questions posed by his fans.

"What I have to say a lot of people have no desire to hear," he said regarding his silence. He also responded to an allegation that he was a recluse, prone to ignore fans, writing, "Your misconceptions and fantasies along with your misguided sense of entitlement don't dictate my actions."

Fair enough. Rose also sounded off on his album release rival, Kanye West, who sold more copies of his '808s and Heartbreak' than 'Chinese Democracy.' "Before our release, I sent him a message that any nonsense from the media had nothing to do with us and wished him the best," Rose said. "I'm humbled we've done as well as we have considering."

But as for the big question: What the hell happened to the band? "What I can say now is you've been told a lot of things in order for others to promote themselves that factually they cannot backup in regard to either," Rose responded cryptically. "They are complicated legally, financially and have devoured a good portion of my life. The record 'Chinese Democracy' you may have is nothing short of a miracle in almost each and every way that either it or I exist, in my opinion, under the bizarre and ugly conditions of the last over 15 years."

Let's not hold our breath for a new one.

The Chinese Democracy' Controversy

Seventeen years in the making and at least $13 million spent during production, Axl Rose's 'Chinese Democracy' has become a music industry enigma.

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In all those years, Rose has gone through at least three studios, four producers and countless musicians during the recording process of 'Democracy.' Rose has notorious issues with creative control and perfectionism, and hoped 'Democracy' would be the greatest album ever made.

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Guns N' Roses was one of the most important and influential bands to come out of the '80s, as their aggressive, blues-heavy take on rock was a delight amid the rash of light hair-metal fare.

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Their landmark 1987 debut album 'Appetite for Destruction' album is often considered among the top records of the past 25 years, and some consider it to be one of the best rock records of all time.

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Clashes between the bandmates, however, did them in. Axl's unpredictable temper often wound up in him walking off of the stage mid-show, which incited riots in some cases. His bandmates eventually had enough of it.

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Slash, who was the band's lead guitarist, has been the most oustpoken against Rose, often saying that he has zero interest in ever playing with him again. He currently mans the axe for Velvet Revolver.

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For a brief time, Rose enlisted the quirky guitar genius Buckethead to replace Slash for a Guns N' Roses tour, but the stint was short-lived.

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