Original Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan recently revealed that the band was listening to some surprising albums when they recorded 'Appetite for Destruction.' In other words, it wasn't a steady diet of Aerosmith and Mötley Crüe. The same holds true for him now in Velvet Revolver: He points to Beyoncé's 'Single Ladies' as one of those tunes that'll get stuck in your head. "Killer song," he says.

Well, it wasn't 15 years -- Guns N' Roses fans need only wait until this Tuesday (less than 6 months after the official album release) to get the 'Rock Band' version of 'Chinese Democracy.'

With the song 'Shackler's Revenge' already on the 'Rock Band 2' soundtrack, the game version of 'Chinese Democracy' will feature the 13 remaining tracks, available bundled or as individual songs for most platforms. And you don't even need to go to Best Buy to get them -- they'll be offered as downloads beginning next week.

Virtual guitarists take note: For true simulation mode, you may wish to purchase an optional bucket of KFC to place over your head.


Axl Rose Spinner Interview

Nearly 10 years after leaving Guns N' Roses to become a founding member of A Perfect Circle, drummer Josh Freese is still involved in the maelstrom with Axl Rose. And, as Freese tells it, that's a good thing.

During an extensive Spinner Q&A, Rose said that Freese was one of the easiest drummers to work with -- and friendliest. When Spinner spoke to Freese, he took the time to return the compliment. "Everyone always baits me to give them a crazy Axl story," he admits. "I don't really have any. I spent two years in a studio with him [and] I never saw any mood swings. He was never not cool to me. So, I am always quick to defend the guy, even though I know his reality is different than mine. Then again, everyone has a different reality."

Guns N' Roses have a new lead guitarist: DJ (real name Darren Jay) Ashba. Ashba is one of the founding members of Nikki Sixx's Sixx A.M. and previously played in Beautiful Creatures.

"DJ's a gifted, energetic guitarist that Guns N' Roses is proud to have on board!" Rose said. "We're very excited to have the opportunity to work together. Guns' radar has silently been aware of DJ's presence for quite some time. He brings a fresh approach to our particular brand of mayhem expanding the tapestry of Guns N' Roses live. Once DJ's name was in the hat, the hat disappeared!"

"It's an honor to have the opportunity to be a part of a band that I have always loved and respected," Ashba said. "I'm looking forward to working with Axl, who is not only one of the few great front men of our generation, but a true artist."

To be clear, the Offspring never actually tried to steal any material or recordings from Guns N' Roses -- they merely considered stealing the long-awaited album's title, just for laughs. "I think it got blown up a little more than we intended it to," singer Dexter Holland tells Spinner.

While recording in 2003, the band was at a loss for an album title. "When the record's coming together, you try to seriously think of a title for ten minutes and then everyone in the band jokes around for the next two hours with ideas like 'Offspring Bloody Offspring,'" Holland says. "One day, somebody suggested 'Chinese Democrarcy' and we couldn't stop laughing about it." At that point, the Guns N' Roses album had been in the works for nearly a decade.

Since releasing the long-awaited Guns N' Roses album 'Chinese Democracy' this past November, Axl Rose has said very little about it, taking to message boards and e-mails for the few comments he has made. But if there's one person who could get him to break his silence it's Del James, Rose's longtime friend, road manager and the man whose short story, 'Without You,' inspired the epic clip for 'November Rain.'

James, a music journalist who has covered G N' R for years, dating back to his days at metal mag Rip, as well as in several Rolling Stone articles, spoke with Rose and is sharing the results of that one-on-one exclusively with Spinner. Yes, here he is, W. Axl Rose, letting loose on Slash, answering whether he was trying to make the best album ever and waxing philosophically on when the original G N' R lineup really died.

Del James: As reported, were you, either in your mind or otherwise, trying to create the "best album ever made"?

Axl Rose: No. That's f---ing ridiculous and more negative media nonsense. We were all just trying to do our best for the fans and ourselves.

At any point did you feel or say either you or the band had to make a "masterpiece"?

Of course not -- more unaccountable nonsense. Obviously, media, elements of the public, fans and our detractors had all kinds of things going on such as high hopes, expectations, pressure, naysayers, etc. I don't think anyone would mind discovering a diamond mine and I don't think anyone in any competitive field would get very far if they didn't have dreams, aspirations or simply hope to do well. That said, these types of comments are more from our detractors, pulled out of their ass if not thin air.

Do you feel that your alleged sense of perfectionism has delayed the release of the album?

No. Guns in any lineup wasn't going to release anything all that great any sooner. And no matter how any of us tried, that didn't happen, and often while any number of us were pushing to try and do so with whatever we had going at the time. In regard to so-called perfectionism, I feel that has a lot to do with your goals or requirements with whatever one's doing or creating. Different levels may be required for different objectives. If you're making brakes for a vehicle, what's required? It's all relative, right? You try to make the best calls you can at any given moment and go from there. Generally, when this term is used by others in regard to me or how I work, it's said in a negative way or as an excuse for their shortcomings -- and again by my detractors. Whether they are open about such or not, some people love putting others in a negative light; helps them feel better about themselves. Too many ears and too many stupid comments have proven that.

"One of the two of us will die before a reunion." --Axl Rose

In a recent interview, the Guns N' Roses frontman squashed any remaining glimmer of hope for a reunion with former guitarist Slash.