Freddie Mercury | The undisputed champion male diva naturally fronted a band called Queen. In spite of bad teeth and a state trooper 'stache, Mercury was one of the most glamorous rock stars of his day.

Sir Monti Rock III | The voice of Disco Tex & His Sex-O-lettes, Sir Monti had all the props any good male diva needs: fly hats, big fur coats, and tons of jewelry. His chiffon is wet, darling.

Prince | If Prince Rogers Nelson was just your average midwestern funkateer, he'd still make this list just for changing his name to that unpronounceable symbol for nearly a decade.

Sylvester | Nicknamed the "Queen of Disco", Sylvester James was a transvestite hit-machine ('You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)' 'Dance (Disco Heat)' and more) who set the bar for disco queens who followed.

Mick Jagger | Nobody prances like Mick.

Elton John | “I'm the Connie Francis of rock 'n' roll” - Sir Elton John

Axl Rose | Forget the skin tight bicycle shorts, the habitual tardiness, and those adorable dreadlocks - only a true diva can take 10 years and spend $15 million on a single album. And besides, how could I squander this chance to put Axl and Liberace back-to-back?

Liberace | He wore more bling than the entire Wu Tang Clan, and might have had more chutzpah as well. It's quite possible that he invented this category...

Robert Plant | He's got the flowing, curly locks, and a falsetto that can crack bulletproof glass, but when Percy referred to himself as a "golden god", he cemented his place in this Top 10.

RuPaul | Is he really a musician? Does it really matter? This list is no doubt incomplete without the man born RuPaul Andre Charles.

*****

And a half dozen runners-up...

Kanye West
David Lee Roth
Tom Jones
Johnny Rotten
David Johansen
David Bowie

*****

Listen: It's Raining Men

In the late 80's and early 90's, Guns N' Roses was lead by frontman Axl Rose, guitarist Slash, and bass player Duff McKagan.  Other members included Izzy Stradlin, Steven Adler, Matt Sorum, Gilby Clarke and Dizzy Reed.

Guns N' Roses hits included...

Welcome to the Jungle
Paradise City
Sweet Child of Mine
November Rain
Live & Let Die
Patience
Civil War
You Could Be Mine
Knockin' on Heaven's Door
Don't Cry
Estranged
Since I Don't Have You

Curioso videoclip, en el que, aparte del egocéntrico Axl Rose, aparecen Izzy Stradlin (como traficante de drogas), Slash (sentado en la acera al comienzo del video) y el antiguo batería Steven Adler y su novia en la cama (imágenes que no aparecen en el video al no disponer de la versión íntegra).

Democracia china es el nombre del que será el sexto trabajo de estudio de Guns N' Roses, o eso dicen, porque de la mítica banda que rompió la pana en los ochenta sólo queda Axl Rose. Se rumorea que el vocalista es una persona de carácter complicado, dicho de otra manera, que eso de la democracia que predica en la carátula de su disco no va con él —o quizás sí y se trate de la que practican en la patria de Confucio y Jackie Chan—. Algo de esto ha de ser cierto, porque uno a uno Axl, con la ayuda de su ego y sus ansias de liderazgo, se deshizo de sus compañeros originales, siendo el caso más memorable el de Slash, con el que aún parece mantener una enemistad férrea. Aparte de la voz de los Roses, llama la atención la historia de la grabación del álbum. A pesar de comenzar en 1994 —en serio, llevan 14 años trabajando en ello y según The New York Times ha costado 13 millones de dólares— a día de hoy continuamos sin conocer la fecha de su publicación. Pero lo más curioso es que en estos momentos, después de tanto tiempo de escrupuloso hermetismo, circulan por la red al menos nueve de sus temas —entre ellos IRS, Chinese Democracy, Better, The Blues, Madagascar, There Was a Time, Rhiad and the Bedouins e If The World— perfectamente mezclados y masterizados, y que se filtraron misteriosamente... No sé vosotros, pero yo no encuentro la lógica a este asunto por ningún lado. En fin, me voy antes de morir deshidratado frente a la pantalla del ordenador, que todavía quedan muchos días (y noches) de vacaciones y no es plan. Dentro de poco, más incoherencias.

Rolling Stone once referred to Sebastian Bach as Axl Rose's mouthpiece. Maybe not, but he is awfully fond of him, as well as in awe of him. Me? I just wish he would put his f*cking album out already.

Seb says: "Axl is the most controversial lightning rod of a human being I've ever encountered in my life. He's so big that it's hard to fathom. I've walked down the street with him, and he literally stops traffic. No humans can speak the way that they normally speak, to Axl Rose. I watch people — smart, successful people — stand in front of him and try to figure out what he wants them to say so he'll like them. People think they know who he is, but they really don't. He's a very sensitive guy, and a lot of times, I wish people would just shut the fuck up about him."

Stories, photos, articles, memorabilia, contests, stats, interviews and the popular Where Are They Now section.

(AP) - Guns N' Roses are finally releasing a single -- and you've got to get Rock Band 2 to hear it.

MTV has announced that Rock Band 2 will include the Guns N' Roses song "Shackler's Revenge" from the "Chinese Democracy" album.

Axl Rose has been working on that album for 14 years.

Rock Band 2 will come out for XBox in September and for other game platforms later in the year.

I'm as curious as any Use Your Illusion II fan to hear what Axl Rose has been blowing his millions on for the past decade, but I'm not going to be fooled by the words "Guns N' Roses" on the CD cover. It's nothing more than an Axl Rose side project (or solo album, if you don't think Axl and Slash will ever settle their differences and get back in the ring).

I realize the hype machine revs into full gear for this kind of thing (see: Jimmy Fallon's uncontainable excitement announcing the "band" at the 2002 MTV Music Awards), but the musical papers don't need to play along. It's one thing for, say, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey to continue calling themselves The Who -- Keith Moon is long dead, John Entwistle was part of the band until his 2002 death, and the remaining duo are just classic rock dinosaurs at this point anyway.

But Slash and Izzy Stradlin were central to GNR's sound and success, and they shouldn't be punished in abstentia for Axl's craziness-slash-eccentricities. Anybody who writes about Chinese Democracy should call it what it is.

Meanwhile, I'm hoping that if I refer to Chinese Democracy as a "Guns N' Roses" album (note the scare quotes) or an Axl Rose vanity project enough times, Axl might get so pissed off that he calls me out by name in a song.

(Incidentally, I've always been curious about how you can blow $13 million-plus -- or twice that, if you're Michael Jackson -- making music. The last time I checked, there are no expensive CGI scenes on a CD. The figure is all the more ridiculous considering Axl must have done a lot of his Chinese Democracy noodling in the era of Pro Tools and cheap home studio setups.)

Official Rock Band 2 Track List

1 AC/DC - Let There Be Rock

2 AFI - Girl's Gone Grey

3 Alanis Morissette - You Oughta Know

4 Alice in Chains - Man in the Box

5 Allman Brothers – Ramblin’ Man

6 Avenged Sevenfold - Almost Easy

7 Bad Company - Shooting Star

8 Beastie Boys - So Whatcha Want

9 Beck - E-Pro

10 Bikini Kill - Rebel Girl

11 Billy Idol - White Wedding Pt I

12 Blondie - One Way or Another

13 Bob Dylan - Tangled Up in Blue

14 Bon Jovi - Livin' on a Prayer

15 Cheap Trick - Hello There

16 Devo - Uncontrollable Urge

17 Dinosaur Jr - Feel the Pain

18 Disturbed - Down with the Sickness

19 Donnas, The - New Kid in School

20 Dream Theater - Panic Attack

21 Duran Duran - Hungry Like the Wolf

22 Elvis Costello - Pump It Up

23 Fleetwood Mac - Go Your Own Way

24 Foo Fighters - Everlong

25 Go-Go's, The - We Got the Beat

26 Grateful Dead, The - Alabama Getaway

27 Guess Who, The - American Woman

28 Guns N' Roses - Shackler's Revenge

29 Interpol - PDA

30 Jane's Addiction - Mountain Song

31 Jethro Tull - Aqualung

32 Jimmy Eat World - The Middle

33 Joan Jett - Bad Reputation

34 Journey - Anyway You Want It

35 Judas Priest - Painkiller

36 Kansas - Carry on Wayward Son

37 L7 - Pretend We're Dead

38 Lacuna Coil - Our Truth

39 Linkin Park - One Step Closer

40 Lit - My Own Worst Enemy

41 Lush - De-Luxe

42 Mastodon - Colony of Birchmen

43 Megadeth - Peace Sells

44 Metallica - Battery

45 Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Where'd You Go

46 Modest Mouse - Float On

47 Motorhead - Ace of Spades

48 Muffs, The - Kids in America

49 Nirvana - Drain You

50 Norman Greenbaum - Spirit in the Sky

51 Offspring, The - Come Out & Play (Keep 'em Seperated)

52 Panic at the Disco - Nine in the Afternoon

53 Paramore - That's What You Get

54 Pearl Jam - Alive

55 Presidents of the USA - Lump

56 Rage Against the Machine - Testify

57 Ratt - Round & Round

58 Red Hot Chili Peppers - Give It Away

59 Replacements, The - Alex Chilton

60 Rise Against - Give it All

61 Rush - The Trees

62 Silversun Pickups - Lazy Eye

63 Smashing Pumpkins - Today

64 Social Distortion - I Was Wrong

65 Sonic Youth - Teenage Riot

66 Soundgarden - Spoonman

67 Squeeze - Cool for Cats

68 Steely Dan - Bodhitsattva

69 Steve Miller Band - Rock'n Me

70 Survivor - Eye of the Tiger

71 System of a Down - Chop Suey

72 Talking Heads - Psycho Killer

73 Tenacious D - Master Exploder

74 Testament - Souls of Black

75 Who, The - Pinball Wizard

BONUS SONGS (all HMX bands)

76 Abnormality - Visions

77 Anarchy Club - Get Clean

78 Bang Camaro - Night Lies

79 Breaking Wheel - Shoulder to the Plow

80 Libyans, The - Neighborhood

81 Main Drag, The - A Jagged Georgeous Winter.

82 Speck - Conventional Lover

83 Sterns, The - Supreme Girl

84 That Handsome Devil - Rob the Prez-O-Dent

From:

http://www.guitarworld.com/article/rock_band_2_song_list_including_new_guns_n039_roses_track_announced?page=0%2C0

I guess the new Guns N' Roses song is the real deal, the band didn't deny it on their official website yet, so it is indeed true that a song from "Chinese Democracy" will get on there.

The name of the new Guns N' Roses song is "Shackler's Revenge".

Maybe this is a sign that "Chinese Democracy" may see the light of day this year?

Anyhow, as far as "Rock Band 2" goes, it sounds like a good set of songs. I don't think I'll buy any "Rock Band" video games, I like "Guitar Hero" better. I'll stick with the "Guitar Hero" franchise, thank you.

Kev

Axl Rose, of Guns n' Roses fame, will debut a brand new song from the supposedly upcoming "Chinese Democracy" album to Rock Band 2, the sequel to the game where you pretend to be a musician with your friends. The song is called “Shackler’s Revenge," and "Chinese Democracy" has been in the making for more than a decade.

I heard some of the leaked tracks from "Chinese Democracy" and wasn't very impressed. Is it supposed to be like Bryan Wilson's "Smile," his big magnum opus that'll take a lifetime to finish? Or is he just washed up and biding his time before people realize it?

Ugh. I wish there were something more important to talk about.

Link:http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/14/arts/music/14guns.html

According to sources, the band Guns N' Roses is set to release a new song from their long awaited album "Chinese Democracy" for the upcoming "Rock Band 2" video game set to release this coming September. It appears that Axl Rose himself is a huge fan of the first "Rock Band" video game and he plays it himself. Yep, you heard that right, they will release a song from "Chinese Democracy" even if the album isn't out yet.

It's "Rock Band" vs. "Guitar Hero" at war competing with each other and that's what this is all about. Music video games are becoming a hit and more mainstream in the music business, Axl feels this will be good marketing for "Chinese Democracy".

More on it here:

http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/new-guns-n-roses-track-coming-to-rock-band-2-164797?cpn=RSS&source=MRNEWS

This is gonna make Guitar Hero jealous, I'm sure they wanted a new song from Guns N' Roses too.

Kev

*Videogames: Guns 'n Roses is putting one of the tunes from the forthcoming Chinese Democracy, "Shackler's Revenge," on Rock Band 2. [daily swarm] I want my free Dr. Pepper.

*Money: For rockers, the money isn't in the album, it's in the old crap. (Rock memorabilia prices surge.) [pop candy]

*Localish: Pitchfork gives The Hold Steady's Stay Positive an 8.4. I didn't even know they were still doing these score things!

*Food: Make your own guitar lunchbox. Or lunchbox guitar.

*Speakers: Who doesn't want stereo system components shaped like nuts? Peanuts, people. Peanuts.

*Wisdom: Esquire's What I've Learned column by Snoop Dogg. Esquire needs help with their web strategy. They also need a music blogger. I'm just saying.

*Off topic: Apparently, the city in which I attended high school is the best place to live in the country. If that's the case, though, why am I so bald?

MTV is expected to announce on Monday that Rock Band 2 will feature the new Guns N Roses track "Shackler's Revenge".  The song is from an album 10 years in the making...ho..hum...from "Chinese Democracy".

This is sparking speculaction that Chinese Democracy will finally see the light of day.  Axl Rose's label, Universal Music, declined to comment.

At the doctor's office we are asking our patients to not hold thier breath.-Dr.FB

Sério, corra pro MySpace dos caras e ouça -- djá! -- suas músicas, entre elas "Apocalypso", uma resposta heavy-black-metal aos traidores do movimento guitarrada (como você já leu e debateu aqui) do Calypso, e o "Funk do Maçon", onde a maçonaria é embalada ao ritmo predileto de 10 entre 10 moradores dos morros cariocas.

No blog da Trintaeum Filmes rola de ver os vídeos de um show inteiro deles e como se não bastasse se auto-apresentarem como "nós somos o Teatro Mágico", eles mandam uma homenagem ao Rei Roberto (qual? ambos!) em "Justus Cristo" (o refrão é impagável!). Entre cover de GWAR e a explicação para "Song In American" (que quem ouvia metal e estudou em colégio público vai se identificar), há a primeira balada black metal do mundo: "But Rachel...", com direito a trocadilho com o Living Colour. Até Stênio Garcia é homenageado em um som que levou seu nome.

Por falar em homenagem, lembramos do tributo (?) Chinese Hypocrisy, bem caça-níquel intencionado, com participação daquele guitarrista farofa que veio na primeira tour brasileira do Ignite (hmmm Mr. Zoli, o vocalista machocore também está no disco, apesar de chiveta achar que ele deveria coverizar o Scorpions).

Retomando, gosta de Comunidade Nin-Jitsu, Green Jellÿ, UDR, GWAR, Massacration e outras bandas true?! Então, The Milk Fellas é o caminho!

The Milk Fellas: Cowboys from Brokeback Hell

Avant de commencer, notez quand même que cet album a été (et est toujours) médiatisé. Du grand art, et peut-être le meilleur album de la carrière de GNR contenant le chef-d'oeuvre Welcome To The Jungle ... Mais arrêtons les compliments pour nous attarder sur l'album en lui-même ;)

Niveau tempo, c'est du Hard made in USA donc ça bouge, ça balance des textes crus donc pas de grandes nouveautés. Il n'empêche que les lyrics des morceaux d'Appetite For Destruction soulignent cette capacité de GNR à écrire du bon lorsqu'ils le veulent (exemple de Paradise City).

Les titres forgés hard, agrémenté d'une image rebelle, offrent un plus à cet album, ce qui fait défaut au reste de la discographie de GNR. Welcome To The Jungle, Paradise City, Rocket Queen, My Michelle entre autre, font référence à la créativité pure et dure du groupe !!!

Cet album est l'apogée d'Axl Rose au chant, de Slash à la gratte, de McKagan, d'Adler et d'Izzy Stradlin. Ils se la jouent rock n' roll attitude et plaisent aux jeunes ... belles performances des cinq rockers, et surtout des médias !!! Un pilier du hard, mais sans cet appui des médias, la situation aurait-elle été la même ???

01- Welcome To The Jungle
02- It’s So Easy
03- Nightrain
04- Out Ta Get Me
05- Mr.Brownstone
06- Paradise City
07- My Michelle
08- Think About You
09- Sweet Child O’Mine
10- You’re Crazy
11- Anything Goes
12- Rocket Queen

We made it! The week's almost over y'all, and before I blow this popsicle stand for cold beer, fattening food and the refreshment of an ocean breeze, I want to bring you this week's Freaky Friday Flashback.

This week's WTF? moment in pop culture takes us all the way back to 1989. It was a special year. A year when rock stars looked like these two guys. Makeup and long hair on boys was not only acceptable, it was fucking sexy. Jeans were acid washed, bangs were teased to the sky and yours truly was just discovering her burgeoning womanhood and getting special feelings inside every time she watched Headbanger's Ball.

This was also the year that one of rock's greatest feuds erupted: The Axl Rose vs. Vince Neil feud.

First, let's set the scene: 1989, MTV Music Awards, backstage. Flaxen-haired Motley Crue lead singer Neil walks up to Guns 'n Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin and decks him for allegedly harassing Neil's wife a few nights earlier at the Cathouse, the metal club run by Headbanger's Ball host, Riki Rachtman. Axl Rose, the flame-haired frontman of GNR, is incensed that Neil attacked his buddy/bandmate. What ensued was a ridiculous feud of words, aired on MTV in various interviews. Neither singer ever met up with the other for a fight, and as far as we know the dispute was never settled.

But how awesome would it be to see these two duke it out today, especially since they now look like this:

Guns N’Roses’ Axl Rose comes in at No.1 for the sheer number of fan versus band scuffles he’s racked up. While other musicians have the odd angry incident hidden in their past, Mr Rose’s battles number too many to name. But let us give you our favourites. There’s was the time he stopped an Argentina show to tell off the audience like pre-schoolers (watch here). There was the time he stopped a Philadelphia show to tell the audience he had a “couple of major arseholes down here,” before threatening “a stupid m***** f****”. (watch here). And let’s not forget the time he confiscated the shirt of a fan he didn’t like and then had him thrown out (watch here).

But it’s not just a numbers game, Rose has gravitas on his side. During a 1991 concert in St Louis, he clocked a fan making an illegal video of the performance and ordered security to confiscate the camera. When they didn’t move quickly enough for his liking, he dived into the crowd and, wrestled the camera off the fan. After making it back to the stagem he threw down his mike and screamed: “Thanks to the lame-arse security, I’m going home.” As the lights went up and the band left the stage, a riot began. The arena was badly damaged and Rose, blamed for inciting the riot, was found guilty on several counts of assault and property damage.

Taken from the Top Ten Fans VS Bands list (Times Online)

Queen - Sail Away Sweet Sister

Sail away sweet sister
sail across the sea
Maybe you'll find somebody
that'll love half as much as me
My heart is always with you
no matter what you do
So sail away sweet sister
'cause I'll always be in love with you.

Grand Funk Railroad - Bad Time

But let her be somebody else's queen
I don't wanna know about you
'cause there's too many others
who know what I mean
and that's why I got to live without you
I'm in love with a girl
I'm talking about
I'm in love with a girl
that I can't live without
I'm in love
but I feel like I'm living it out
I'm in love
but I must've picked a bad time
to be in love.

Sweet Child Of Mine
She's got a smile that it seems to me
Reminds me of childhood memories
Where everything
Was as fresh as the bright blue sky
Now and then when I see her face
She takes me away to that special place
And if I'd stare too long
I'd probably break down and cry

She's got eyes of the bluest skies
As if they thought of rain
I hate to look into those eyes
And see an ounce of pain
Her hair reminds me of a warm safe place
Where as a child I'd hide
And pray for the thunder
And the rain
To quietly pass me by

Sweet love of mine
Sweet child o' mine

When Guns 'N' Roses debuted with the masterpiece "Appetite For Destruction" it seemed like this was a band destined to attain legendary status. Unfortunately the legend goes something like this; drummer gets booted for hogging all the heroin, band shows up late for gigs or not at all, follow-up album sucks hind teat, lead singer gets a God complex and we're left with the wreckage of what might have been something truly special.

"Chinese Democracy" has been on its way to record store shelves for over a decade now, and even though we know it's not really GNR any more than Velvet Revolver was, it's still Axl screaming and he still does it well.

What he doesn't do well is everything else. Basic things like co-existing with his band members, treating other people with respect, realizing he's really not the greatest thing since Our Savior The Lord, and learning the simple direct act of compromise. The reason this album has taken so long to arrive (and still hasn't, technically), is because Axl cannot cede total control. He's a power-mad douchebag.

It was inevitable that this album would be leaked by some disgruntled grunt involved in the production process - and this is no bootleg. These songs are mastered, high-quality and will likely be exactly what you'll get if you're stupid enough to buy this album, which will just encourage him. Don't buy it. Just take it for free. All hail BitTorrent.

The song I'm dropping here is called "Better" and it's the first song on the leaked release, although where it finally ends up probably won't be settled until the day the CDs are pressed, since I'm sure Axl wants the mix to be His and His Only.

What a tool.

Left-click to play the song in a new browser window, or right-click and save to your computer.

'Better' from Chinese Democracy

...little patience, mm yeah, ooh yeah,
Need a little patience, yeah
Just a little patience, yeah
Some more pati... (ence, yeah)
I've been walking these streets at night
Just trying to get it right (Need some patience, yeah)
It's hard to see with so many around
You know I don't like being stuck in a crowd (Could use some patience, yeah)
And the streets don't change but maybe the name
I ain't got time for the game
'Cause I need you (Patience, yeah)
Yeah, yeah well I need you
Oh, I need you (Take some patience)
Whoa, I need you (Just a little patience is all we need)
Ooh, this ti- me....

As we boarded the elevator he continued, not skipping a beat and just as we reached the 7th floor, the doors opened and he finished the song. I smiled, and said, "Have a nice day." He smiled back and said, with the conviction of a pope, "Have a nice life."

"While Tim was performing at the White River Amphitheater in Auburn, Washington last night, he watched a man rush to the front of the stage. This overly aggressive fan attacked a female fan and Tim witnessed this incident. Tim called for security, but when they could not respond quick enough Tim and several crew members removed the fan from the audience where he was then turned over to the local authorities."

That dude is no small emo boy, either, quite a sizable redneck. Tim handled it rather well, all things considered.

Now, here's how you handle an unruly fan, a classic demonstration by Axl Rose, lead singer of Guns'N Roses. During a show in St. Louis in 1991, Rose became irate because a fan in the crowd was taking his picture. Rose asked security to remove the fan and or camera, and when they didn't move quick enough, he jumped into the crowd to handle the situation. You can see a few blows exchanged, and then the situation just goes haywire.

Je reste toujours dans le registre musical que j'aime pour donner un hommage. En l'occurrence ce titre: Madagascar par Guns N Roses. Un extrait:

No, I...
Forgive that they teared down my soul
Bless them that they might grow old
Oh, and free them so that they may know
That it's never too late

Ohh, et puis comme c'est jour de candy-eye: I'm still loving former Axl Rose look :-D