I just ran a Google image search for “Slash” and the above photo is what came up. Hm.

ANYWAY, Blabbermouth reports that in a recent interview, Slash claims to have heard Axl Rose’s Chinese Democracy, a.k.a. the first Guns N’ Roses album he himself with which he himself was not involved. Here’s what Slash had to say:

“At first I thought that I would never listen to it until it’s released, but someone handed it to me and I was in my car and I was like, ‘Okay, let’s give it a try.’ So I listened to it: It’s a really good record. It’s very different from what the original Guns N’ Roses sounded like, but it’s a great statement by Axl. Now you understand where he was heading all this time. It’s a record that the original Guns N’ Roses could never possibly make. And at the same time it just shows you how brilliant Axl is. So it was a relief for me to actually hear it.”

Well, that’s a fairly classy answer. I wonder if what Slash heard was the actual Chinese Democracy or just the same leaks we’ve all gotten over the past couple of years (which may or may not be the final mixes for the album).

In any case, the rumors that the album is getting released soon as a Best Buy exclusive continue to swirl. I tend to be in the “I’ll believe it when I have it in my hands” camp, but I guess we’ll find out the hard way.

-AR