Guns n' Roses Guitarist Denies "Chinese Democracy" Tour Rumor He Allegedly Started

Well, that was fast. Just days after telling a St. Louis newspaper that Guns n' Roses were planning a two-year tour set to embark in March, guitarist Richard Fortus is now saying he was "misquoted" in the article. "OK, it seems that I am being misquoted once again," Fortus told fans in a statement. "I never said that Gn'R would be playing St. Louis, nor did I say that we will be doing free shows or that we are starting a two-year tour in March! Selective hearing. Never said it." Fortus' denials come after the article printed quotes regarding Fortus and Rose joking about Gn'R's return to St. Louis.

Let's face facts: Fortus probably made some passing comments about an upcoming Chinese Democracy tour, but when word spread of Fortus' interview Guns' management probably told him to can the rumors. The "two-year tour" rumor did seem overly long, however, especially considering Axl Rose's involvement. Still, sources previously told Rolling Stone that Gn'R plan to tour in some capacity in 2009.

Denying statements you just made has become somewhat of a tradition lately in the Gn'R camp: Just yesterday, Fernando Lepeis denied the band's "Better" video was being held up legally by Metallica's Lars Ulrich, despite Lepeis making that exact statement just hours earlier. And this has been your last Guns n' Roses post of 2008 ... we think.

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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