Axl Rose Breaks His Silence
Gn'R mastermind talks "Democracy" at L.A. party
"People will hear music this year," says Axl Rose, puffing on a cigar in the early hours of Saturday morning at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
The notoriously reclusive rocker is of course referring to Guns n' Roses' decade-in-the-making Chinese Democracy, arguably the most anticipated album in rock & roll history. "It's a very complex record," says Rose, a surprise guest at Korn's tour announcement bash. (Others in the house: Jessica Alba, cast members of The OC, and members of Linkin Park, Good Charlotte and the Used.) "I'm trying to do something different. Some of the arrangements are kind of like Queen. Some people are going to say, 'It doesn't sound like Axl Rose, it doesn't sound like Guns n' Roses.'" He then smiles and adds, "But you'll like at least a few songs on there."
Dressed in a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey, cross hanging around his neck, cornrows still intact and sporting a blonde goatee, Rose strolled into the party around 1 a.m., just as the DJ was coincidentally rocking some vintage Gn'R. Approached by a steady stream of women and hard-rock disciples -- including Puddle of Mudd's Wes Scantlin and Papa Roach's Dave Buckner -- Rose is cordial and chatty as he poses for photo after photo. He seems more like an average guy out for a night with friends than the most mythical rock star on the planet in 2006.
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