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If Stinson had a difficult time with Westerberg, the prospect of working with the notoriously demanding, tantrum-prone Rose seemed freighted with trouble. After all, Rose's original GNR mates had already jumped ship after releasing 1993's covers album "The Spaghetti Incident," leaving the singer-songwriter adrift in a rock 'n' roll Sargasso. Rumors abounded about endless studio sessions and lineup changes.

Sure enough, last year's eagerly awaited GNR tour -- which made a stop at the Pepsi Arena in November -- was beset by constant troubles: a tour-kickoff riot, slow ticket sales, numerous cancellations and, finally, the decision by Clear Channel Communications -- only the most powerful promoter in the business -- to pull the plug. What's more, the band's epically overdue new album, "Chinese Democracy," still lacks a release date.

"It's been going great," Stinson declares.

Huh? Really? "It's closer to the end of the record being completed than it is the beginning," he says. "And we start back up in rehearsal mode in the middle of September, which is a good sign to me that the record's going to be ready to come out soon, and we'll be out on the road again touring behind it soon after that.

"I'm not drinking the company Kool-Aid on all that. That's all straight info. I guarantee that the album's coming out. Hopefully, it'll be out sometime before the end of the year."

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