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COULD THE ILLUSION ERA GUNS N ROSES LINE-UP REALLY RETURN?:
Is the impossible actually being considered? Rumors of a Guns N Roses re-union appear to be gathering strength. It all started at British photographer/journalist Ross Halfin's website when he stated that the original Guns N' Roses lineup would get back together in June to play at the Download Festival in England, with Metallica also lined up to play.

That comment was soon withdrawn. Posted was: "I have to write some copy this weekend on Guns 'N Roses for a feature to go with my photos. My mind is blank at the moment. The thing is if you tell the truth it sets off too many wars, or egos way out of control. The original line-up is supposed to play Download in June with their metal chums, Metallica, if Lars can be bothered to turn up."

Now this - on the official Cult message board, frontman Ian Astbury has responded to a post asking after the possible 2006 touring line-up for The Cult. His response: "I love Matt he is a sweetheart..........Velvet Revolver Guns and Roses rumoured return W/SLASH and AXL .......Hey the Cult can barly contain Billy and Myself......But we will have a SHITHOT band for you so patience please."

So Use Your Illusion drummer Matt Sorum appears too busy for Cult duties it seems! Whether this will happen, if it will be a one-off performance or where this will leave the Chinese Democracy release and new Velvet Revolver releases are all questions to be answered in the coming weeks.

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Leaked Guns N' Roses Tracks Give Fans Hope

NEW YORK - Guns N' Roses fans went into frenzied overdrive when three studio-quality tracks from the mythical "Chinese Democracy" album were leaked onto the Internet.

The leaks came just weeks after frontman Axl Rose ended his hermit-like lifestyle by venturing out to a Korn tour launch party in Los Angeles and to trendy nightclubs for some post-birthday bashes (his 44th) in Manhattan.

Asked at the Korn bash about "Chinese Democracy," which has been in the making for a decade, Rose told Rolling Stone.com that "people will hear music this year."

The tracks leaked Wednesday take a different direction from Rose's traditional raunchy Sunset Strip-style rock. "Better" has emo/industrial touches mixed with Rose's trademark vocals and hard rock backdrop. "There Was A Time" is a rough studio mix of a power ballad with similarities to GNR's classic "Estranged." "IRS" is closer to the sound of yesteryear, with powerful guitar solos and classic rock flavor.

Rose's manager, Merck Mercuriadis, ordered the Internet sites to remove the links, but declined to comment on them. Fans also sent one of the leaked tracks to radio stations. Mercuriadis said cease-and-desist orders were sent to the stations, but some, such as WAAF in Boston, still had "IRS" in heavy rotation Monday night.

News also surfaced Monday that several music festivals, such as the Rock in Rio-Lisboa and the NovaRock festival in Austria, had booked the band to play in May and June, respectively.

Lisa Reed, wife of keyboard player Dizzy Reed, said on her husband's web site that "all signs point to (the album) getting closer and closer," and she pleaded with fans not to leak the rest of the album.

"It's like shaking all your Christmas presents on the 23rd of December," she wrote, "and figuring out what they are."

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I'm listening to Def Leppard right now and Joe Elliot's voice is very similiar to Axl's.

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March 06, 2006 12:30 PM US Eastern Timezone
Axl Rose Responds to Lawsuit

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 6, 2006--W. Axl Rose, on Friday March 3, 2006 responded to one of Saul "Slash" Hudson's baseless lawsuits by filing a counterclaim asking the Federal Court to confirm his ownership of his own creative works. Slash and Michael "Duff" McKagan had previously filed cases both in Federal Court and in the Los Angeles Superior Court making numerous false allegations about Axl. Mr. Rose believes that once apprised of the true facts the Judge or Jury deciding these lawsuits will rule in Axl's favor on every issue before them.

More surprising to Axl are recent media reports that Slash (Saul Hudson) is claiming that he has always been supportive of Axl Rose and the new Guns N' Roses. Slash's actions in recent years have in fact been anything but supportive. Besides the lawsuits filed against Axl Rose, claiming, among other things, that Axl does not own the copyright in the songs that Axl co-authored with his former Guns N' Roses band mates, Slash has continually made negative and malicious statements about Axl in order to garner publicity for himself.

As an example the Federal lawsuit Hudson and McKagan filed was based on a faulty premise from the start. What Hudson and McKagan attempted to portray as egregious misconduct by Axl was in fact -- as Slash and Duff have learned -- nothing more than a clerical error committed by ASCAP. Had Slash and Duff or their representatives bothered to pick up the phone the clerical error could have been easily sorted out without the need for filing an utterly baseless lawsuit which one can only assume had been filed for the purposes of self-publicity at Axl's expense.

The lawsuit also attacks Axl's integrity as Slash and Duff, in a vindictive attempt to aggrandize their own stature, re-write history through false statements, which have been repeated by the media. Their attacks on Axl stand in sharp contrast to Rose's conduct. Axl has at all times worked diligently to maintain the artistic integrity of the band by choosing with great care which properties to license Guns N' Roses songs to and refusing to participate in what he believed were potentially embarrassing projects. He has fought to avoid the release of material that does not live up to the highest of standards demanded by the band's history and it's followers. Axl chose not to respond through the media while taking the high road in the face of Slash and Duff's attacks. Hudson and McKagan, by contrast, have told ever changing - and false - stories regarding the formation of the band and it's history and believe that the band's catalogue should be exploited without careful consideration - for the Guns N' Roses brand and their loyal audience - or Axl's input as if it were fast food by anyone willing to pay for it.

For over 10 years Slash, a consummate press, photo and media opportunist and manipulator, has attacked Axl Rose on a number of levels. Slash's actions whether in or out of Gun's N' Roses have been a complete betrayal across the board of his alleged friendship and business relationship with Axl and the so called brotherhood and band loyalties that are supposed to have existed. Instead Slash has publicly attempted, by soliciting public and media support, to take credit for something that was not his or anyone else's to take, notwithstanding that Slash played a major part in the success of the band as Axl has continually acknowledged.

Mr. Rose's attorney Howard Weitzman commented, "Axl regrets having to spend time and energy on these distractions but he has a responsibility to protect the Guns N' Roses legacy and expose the truth. Axl believes he has been left with no alternative but to respond to these lawsuits. It would have been Axl's preference to resolve disputes with Slash and Duff in private. The courthouse is not his choice of forum. However, Axl could no longer sit quietly and allow the continuing dissemination of falsehoods and half-truths by his former band-mates."

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