2002.01.13 - The Santa Fe New Mexican - Guns N' Roses

Guns N’ Roses

Remember that hit album Chinese Democracy that Axl Rose and a reconstituted Guns N' Roses put out in 1999? Yeah, neither do we. That’s because hard rock’s Howard Hughes has yet to put out the disc, which has a release date that's been pushed back more times than the QEII.

Rose’s rep as an iconic front man has long since fizzled, and now even his high jinks as a reclusive eccentric seem stale. To win back any of his fans, Axl — who turns 40 on Feb. 6 — will have to release nothing short of a masterpiece, something that’s timely but still showcases his blend of blues-rock holla and hair-metal bombast.

Make-or-break moment: Geffen/Interscope, the current label for Axl and his ever-changing roster of band mates, claims it will release Chinese Democracy sometime in 2002.

Odds of success: The old Guns N’ Roses song One in a Million comes to mind; we’re more likely to see Glitter II in theaters.