So, what was your journey to Chinese Democracy?

[Thorned Rose]

Here you can post your journey and feelings up to this huge moment to the album's release.

I almost can't believe that it is coming in 2 days. It's unreal.

[Continental Drift]

Not my whole journey by any means... but right now I keep thinking about a small blurb I read somewhere in 1997 or so stating that "Guns N' Roses" was basically Axl Rose, Paul Huge and Robin Finck meeting at a studio once a week late at night to "chart" music and try out new riffs. No actual music was being written or recorded and that Axl had no interest in writing lyrics or vocals whatsoever....

We've come a LONG DAMN WAY my friends!!!    

[Alfie Bones]

Here you can post your journey and feelings up to this huge moment to the album's release.

I almost can't believe that it is coming in 2 days. It's unreal.

I was born the year GN'R released "Live Like a Suicide".

Discovered the band at age six. The Illusions were already out. My folks just got cable, and I saw November Rain on MTV. I asked for a keyboard for Christmas because I wanted to grow up to be Axl Rose. They bought it for me.

Growing up, there was never any new material. Slash quit, and I disowned him. Sorum quit, but by then I'd decided that I liked Steven Adler better, so I shrugged him off. When Duff quit, I was sure that the band was going to die... and then it didn't.

My sister was a huge Nine Inch Nails fan, so when Finck and Freese joined, I heard stories and was a lot more hopeful.

And now a decade later, those of us who have stuck it out, and most importantly Axl and Dizzy get what they have coming to them...

While Slash, Duff, and Sorum have been dropped from their label, and their last album was a festering, unlistenable piece of shit. Good riddance to bad rubbish!

[demo23nz]

I was working at a gas station when some friends came in and happened to tell me it had been in the paper that Slash had left Guns n Roses.

I've been waiting to see what that would mean for the next album ever since.


That said, I didn't have a journey to Chinese Democracy so much as I would just tune in every now and then, see what was happening and then, upon finding nothing was imminent, go buy other great albums instead. My record collection has grown thirty-fold since that first day, so hopefully new Axl material will still stand out in the crowd.

[Chuzeville]

I remember reading an interview with Slash back in 1994: he said that he had plenty of material for a new album that was likely to be released in 1995.  This material became Snakepit?s first album, which I liked. I lost interest in Slash?s efforts after that. Never lost interest in Axl.

In 1994, while we were already waiting, Oasis released their first singles. Hearing Live Forever one night on MTV literally changed my life. Oasis became my favourite band and they released 7 albums + countless great b-sides in the time it took Axl to get his things together. They nearly split several times and Axl even referenced them onstage in 2002 as a band that was able to overcome their differences?
Other favourites of mine that appeared while Guns n?Roses was away: Arcade Fire, Radiohead, Supergrass...

In september 1996, I told a friend that I had two cultural events to look forward to in the following months: a new movie by Stanley Kubrick and a new record by Guns n?Roses. Stanley Kubrick?s movie came out at the end 1999; its director had died upon completing it. Let?s hope the same thing doesn?t happen to Axl.

At some point in 1999, I got the Internet, discovered forums & heard about a new GnR CD called 2000 intentions. I thought that was a terrible title and I?m glad it was ditched.

Other than that, just the long, incredulous wait?

[LIGuns]

I've traversed  a sea of horrors to be w/ you all tonight" Axl, New Years Day 2001.

That wasn't a concert, that was an Event..Axl's 1st show in nearly 8 years.
Chinese Democracy Starts Now was the t-shirt selling that night....Obviously that was the 1st night CD was played for a crowd. So it's been exciting hearing CD from it's infancie that New Years morning in 2001 to the final version in 2008...The song will always mean something to me for that reason..

[kuetastic]

I went from a eleven or twelve year old kid to a twenty six year old with a kid waiting for this day. My cousin dubbed me UYI2 after I heard Don't Cry and I bought Appetite shortly there after on cassette (Along with Poisons Swallow This Live). First music I ever bought personally and since then I had hungered to hear new, origibnal Axl material. I went through all types of music from then till now, grunge, rap, country, everything but have played G'N'R consistently for the last fourteen years above all.
One day, long after I had given up hope of a Guns reunion and oblivious to Chinese Democracy I randomly Googled guitar tabs (from memory) and seen a listing for Madagascar. Found my way here and read non stop all night, catching up on what seemed a new imminent release, D/L a live version of Maddy with an interpreter introduction which gave me chills and instantly knew Axl could do this without the former members. Its was hard to stomach the image but the music was glorious. Eventually the hope faded, I lost touch but would check Here Today for the odd update. The New York night was a highlight, reading the reports and letting my imagination run wild was incredible, seeing the pictures and videos and hearing the songs was when I knew he had it right and the album was on its way. The band was epic again, rather then a side show of talent. Its was Guns'N'Roses.
Everything went quickly from then on, I got married to my high school sweat heart and my wife was pregnant with our first child when I flew interstate to see my first concert (Adelaide 07). The band was intense, I wasn't allowed to tag along for the Sydney show in 93' so this was pretty significant to me and they didn't let me down in anyway. I rang my wife when they played Sweet Child, giddy, tired jet lagged and drunk, still thinking about how she was the only person who had any true understanding of what it meant for me to be there. I'm not sure she made out what was happening and probably doesn't appreciate the moment at all but its something I'll hold forever, playing Sweet child for her and my unborn daughter and something G'N'R gave me. Memories.
I can pin point parts of my life and remember past the beer haze simply for the songs I could relate to at particular times, I'll remember tonight, having the CD in my hands, another child on the way, a mountain of problems to overcome or ignore outside of that and another experience I'm sure nobody other then a select few will appreciate this band has given me. More inspiration and arrogance, desire and morale to keep me head where it belongs and to keep sane.

And thats the simple take, I could have been a whole lot more detasiled and melodramatic as to how much of a part this group has been in my life  

[CheapJon]

my journey on monday when i go to the recordstore or my journey since i became i GNRdiehard?

[justincrowe]

first of all, i've been a fan since around 1988/1989. i own every GNR release and have seen them live 2 times so far. i have books, dvd's etc.

now, i still remember picking up The Spaghetti Incident on the day of release 15 years ago. got it from a record store in central helsinki that no longer exists. (Fazer music on Aleksanterinkatu.) i remember not being blown away by it at all. and shocked by that reaction.

i remember enjoying the fuck out of Sympathy for the Devil though a year later when i saw Interview with the Vampire for the first time. still love that version today.

the following years after that i kinda forgot about GNR. i never really stopped listening to their records but i wasnt really paying attention either. i guess i kinda thought, like everyone else, that they were done for good. i didnt particulary like any of the solo releases that came out. Alice in Chains was my main band for many years. (coincidentally, 2009 will see the first new AIC record in 14 years, lol)

in 1999 when Live Era came out i picked it up, cant remember where from, but it wasnt on the day of release. around this time i got into internet and message boards, and one of the main reasons was Oh My God which was available online. i liked the song and kinda understood what Axl was trying to do with it, although it seemed i was the only one. picked up the soundtrack for End of Days although there wasnt a lot i liked on that disc. Axl mentioned in an interview that he was working on an album called Chinese Democracy and i got curious.

(as a sidenote, in 2000 Slash's Snakepit released Ain't Life Grand which was my favourite album that year.)

2001 saw Axl playing some shows and bootlegs appeared online. the new songs sounded interesting, especially the Blues. 2002 had some more of that.

in 2004 the Greatest Hits came out and i picked it up because the songs were remastered and it included Sympathy for the Devil which i didnt previously have on cd. i was not a first day buyer though. i also tried getting into Velvet Revolver and had high hopes for them, but they never really delivered. some ok songs came out of that though.

around that time i was starting to get sure CD was never coming out and kinda gave up on GNR again until the leaks in 2006. i was blown away by TWAT and Better. i started believing again. the tour followed and i saw GNR again (first time was in 1991) in Helsinki and enjoyed the show a lot.

and now, after all the bullshit and internet rumours and more leaks and what not, i'm about to get the new cd tonight. a midnight buyer. it's been a long time coming but here it is now. it is almost unbelievable. i've already heard the album of course due to leaks and feel that it's very strong and delivers the goods 100%.

can't wait for the next one