Axl Rose said in an interview with USA Today that the next Guns N' Roses album won't take as long as the delay-plagued Chinese Democracy. When asked about the long wait for the band's 2008 album, Rose pointed to complications with personnel. "I had to deal with so many other things that don't have to do with music but have to do with the industry. There's such a loss of time," he said. "It was more about survival. There wasn't anyone to work with or trust. Someone would come in to help produce and the reality was they just wanted to mix it and get it out the door. They had a different agenda. [The next album] will come out sooner."

Rose also had harsh words for ex-girlfriend Stephanie Seymour and former bandmates Slash and Duff McKagan, saying the trio damaged his ability as a writer. "To those three, it was all crap. It beat me down so much," he said. "At the time of the [Use Your Illusion] tours, Slash and Duff said, 'You're an idiot, you're a loser.' I didn't write for years. I felt I was hindered for a very long time. I was also trying to figure out what I wanted to say, when it's right to be venting and when you're digging a bigger hole. Lyrics on Chinese took a long time."

The singer also played down a possible Guns N' Roses truce. "I feel that ball's not in my court," said Rose. "I'm surviving this war, not the one who created this war."

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