Guns N Roses Album Causes Controversy

[Tynia]

Screw those commie  bastards! 

Well said 

That news ia all over the place, for instance I found it today at various subway stations infoscreens in Warsaw 

http://www.4shared.com/file/72993653/14f9df5f/P1010155.html
 ^ My photobucket doesn't work proprely, that's why I can't post the pic itself, just the link to 4shared
The title says: Guns atackted China 

Lil' controversy for sure will help this time G N'R 

[BurningHills]

Awesome! 

[thomas]

Awesome! 

well cd will be number 1 on the charts in no time

[Lord Kayoss]

GN'R wouldn't be GN'R without some controversy.  Just more publicity for the album.

I bet Axl is eatin' this up.

[plasmabeam]

Gotta love when simple things get blown to hell out of proportion. Good to see that Chinese can't grasp the concept of a metaphor. 

[IKnowWhereIAM]

GN'R wouldn't be GN'R without some controversy.  Just more publicity for the album.

I bet Axl is eatin' this up.

This really is a 'monumental' campaign...Axl used to just piss off our parents, maybe the St. Louis/Montreal PD...now he is going after entire countries!  

[The Catcher]

All publicity is good publicity

[Ak1nney]

Why do some of the cds have the Parental Advisory and some now?

[Bumblefeet]

Screw those commie  bastards! 

SPOT ON!

[slashsbaconpit]

You know what corrupt, human rights violating, standing on the backs of the people, oppressing Chinese government? It is a conspiracy, because no matter how bad we have it here, you're people have it worse.


 Axl is gonna kick your fucking ass. 

[slashsbaconpit]

Can I also say "Yippie!" Free advertisement for my favorite album of the past couple of years!

[Genesis]

Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy 'banned' in China

Guns N' Roses' new album "Chinese Democracy" has apparently been banned by Beijing censors because of its name.
 
By Malcolm Moore in Shanghai
Last Updated: 2:19PM GMT 24 Nov 2008

In an article Monday headlined "American band releases album venomously attacking China," the Global Times said unidentified Chinese Internet users had described the album as part of a plot by the West to "grasp and control the world using democracy as a pawn."

The album "turns its spear point on China," the article said.

Reports suggested that the China National Publications Import and Export Group, the state-owned monopoly responsible for importing all music, has told record shops not to bother trying to order the long-awaited album, which took the band 17 years to produce.

In addition, the album's official website, chinesedemocracy.com, has been blocked automatically by internet censors, while Baidu, the Chinese version of Google, is self-censoring any searches for the album.

Chinesedemocracy.com has responded with a poll asking visitors if they thought the Chinese should be allowed to access it and about 70 per cent of respondents said yes.

So far, the only way Chinese fans of the rock group have been able to listen to the album is on the band's Myspace page.

Guns N' Roses became hugely popular in China in the late 1980s, when its music was associated with the rebellious student movements that flowered before the massacre in Tiananmen Square.

The album reportedly cost over ?9 million to make and may have helped speed the demise of Axl Rose's record company, Sanctuary, and its subsequent buyout by Universal Music Group. Its 14 tracks, which spread across 77 minutes, have been described by the New York Times as "the work of a fading rock star with far too much money and time on his hands, and no one around who could tell him: 'No'."

Axl Rose, the 46-year-old lead singer of Guns N' Roses, is the only original member of the band left. Chinese Democracy has been gestating since 1991, meaning that Rose recorded an average of 4.5 minutes of music a year.

In the title track, Rose sings about "missionaries", "visionaries" and "sitting in a Chinese stew".

It also contains the provocative lines: "Blame it on the Falun Gong, they've seen the end and you can't hold on now". The Chinese government has outlawed the spiritual movement as an "illegal cult" and there have been repeated accusations of the cruel treatment of Falun Gong members.

Chen Zhuo, a Beijing-based visual artist, declined an offer from Guns N' Roses when the band wanted to use his image of Tiananmen Square rendered as an amusement park for the cover of the record. Instead, the album cover features a picture of a bicycle and three red Communist stars.

However, the Ministry of Culture said it did not know whether the album was banned or not. "This is the first time we've heard about it," said a spokesman, adding that the ban "might just be a rumour".

On Chinese blog sites, a common platform for teenagers to vent their anger, few people were upset by the album's lyrics. "How can they know about China if they have never been. This explains why Americans are always clowns," said one anonymous blogger.

However, another blogger commented: "Helpless Chinese under the iron fist is a good song. Where can I buy the album? I'll get angry if I can't buy the album."

[sukeberon]

This pisses me off...

Reuters have started syndicating the following article, which is being picked up by major news outlets. However, they've made a huge mistake by stating that "The album is currently 34th in the Billboard Hot 100, according to the music chart website (www.billboard.com)." However, everyone (other than Reuters) knows that the Billboard Hot 100 is a Singles chart and the song "Chinese Democracy" is in 34 position, not the album. What annoys me the most is that they seem to use that (false) Chart position to try to back up what the Chinese are saying about the popularity of the band. 

I've already sent a correction message to the editors politely alerting them to their mistake, I encourage others to do the same, so that it gets noticed and corrected ASAP... http://reuters-en.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/reuters_en.cfg/php/enduser/ps_correct_and_suggest.php   

Anyway, have a read below...
 
Beijing brushes off "Chinese Democracy"
http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE4AO2TR20081125

BEIJING (Reuters) - China gave short shrift to rockers Guns N' Roses' controversial new album "Chinese Democracy" on Tuesday, saying the music was bad and that they were not that popular anyway.

The band's first album in 17 years was released on Sunday and its Geffen Records label has already said it thinks it unlikely to be approved for release in China.

"As far as I know, many people don't like this kind of music," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told a news briefing. "It's too noisy and clamorous."

Formed in California in 1985, the band has sold over 100 million albums worldwide and won many international music awards. Their 1987 hit single "Sweet Child o' Mine" is frequently voted one of the great rock tracks of all time.

But their new album has drawn a furious response from some Chinese Internet users, who accused the band of trying to stir up ill will against China. Others were more balanced.

"Forgive them, they haven't been on top of the world for hundreds of years. It's tough to avoid becoming outdated," said one post on popular Chinese web portal Mop.com (www.mop.com).

The album is currently 34th in the Billboard Hot 100, according to the music chart website (www.billboard.com).

In one song, singer Axl Rose refers to members of the spiritual group Falun Gong, banned in China as an evil cult.

The artwork includes Beijing artist Shi Lifeng's 2008 oil painting "Red Star," which depicts the powerlessness of Chinese people in a state ruled by an iron fist. Photos of the Chinese military and the Hong Kong skyline also appear.

But the album is devoid of bad language or sexual references. That was not the case with the band's last release, which did slip through the net in China.

The two "Use Your Illusion" albums from 1991 were rife with violent sexual imagery, vicious insults, cursing and homicidal thoughts. They were distributed by Beijing-based Dunhuang.

Still, China's notorious copyright pirates may mean the last laugh could be on the Chinese government.

Beijing frequently bans films, books and songs, but they usually end up on street corners and in shops in pirated form.

[variant]

"As far as I know, many people don't like this kind of music," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told a news briefing. "It's too noisy and clamorous."

Too noisy and clamorous! 

Thats brilliant - they should include it on the billboard ads!

[gcluskey]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gO0XrOFina3OYZK7Mm9GIabjUIrw

[Annie]

I wonder if Yao Ming likes Guns N' Roses?

Me too. I researched the falungong movement on wikipedia. It's actually quite interesting.

[Leddy]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7747815.stm

China: Roses album is 'venomous'




Chinese Democracy is the band's first album in 15 years

China has dismissed the new Guns N' Roses album, Chinese Democracy, as a "venomous attack" on the nation.

An article in the Global Times, published by the ruling communist party, says the album, launched this week, "turns its spear point on China".

The title track of the album, which has not been released in China because of the sensitive material, refers to the banned Falun Gong spiritual group.

The album's official website has also been blocked in China.

Chinese Democracy is the band's first album since their covers collection The Spaghetti Incident? in 1993.


On the title track, lead singer Axl Rose sings: "If your great wall rocks, blame yourself."

Artwork for the album includes the oil painting Red Star by Beijing artist Shi Lifeng - which depicts Chinese people as powerless.

   
According to my knowledge, a lot of people don't like this kind of music because it's too noisy and too loud
Government spokesman Qin Gang


Photographs of the Chinese military and the Hong Kong skyline also feature in the artwork.

When asked about the record, foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang told the BBC's James Reynolds: "According to my knowledge, a lot of people don't like this kind of music because it's too noisy and too loud."

China frequently bans the release of foreign films and albums, although they often appear in pirated form and are sold in shops and by street vendors.


Live performances are also closely monitored with artists forced to supply set lists for approval in advance.

In July, the Chinese government said that any foreign entertainers who had attended events threatening "national sovereignty" would be banned from the country.

The ministry of culture said that any artists that "whip up ethnic hatred" during shows would also be banned.

The announcement came after Bjork shouted "Tibet, Tibet" at a Shanghai concert in March.

Any talk of Tibetan independence is considered taboo in China, which has ruled the territory for more than 50 years.

[Mobenrad]

haha..."If your great wall rocks, blame yourself..." priceless.

[Carlos_f_Rose]

Even with an iron fist... all that you got to rule the nation, when all we got is precious time.

[destry rides again]

I love this quote:

"As far as I know, many people don't like this kind of music," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told a news briefing. "It's too noisy and clamorous."

Noisy and Clamorous? It sounds like my Grandma works for the Chinese Forgeign Ministry!