Is the Guns n' Roses "Better" Video Being Delayed By Metallica's Lars Ulrich?

Axl Rose and Guns n' Roses are finally making an effort to promote the poorly selling Chinese Democracy, and oddly enough a member of Metallica might be hindering their plans: Is the album's long-promised music video for the track "Better" being delayed by Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich?

That's the story coming from the MyGNRForum, where Fernando Lebeis — the son of Axl's personal assistant — told fans, "Tell Lars to OK the vid and it's done. That's all that is pending." When pressed to explain who Lars was, Lebeis responded, "Lars Ulrich. We are pending his release form to be signed." In a message board chat weeks ago, Rose promised the "Better" video would be released in the near future and would feature live and backstage footage. Among the footage, supposedly, is Lars not only backstage with the band but also performing with Gn'R at a concert in Oakland, California in December 2006.

Of course, just hours after Lepeis posted on the forum and the firestorm began, the post was quickly pulled. Lepeis then personally contacted Blabbermouth.net, who picked up the story, and told them the post "was a fun comment and not an attack on Lars." An official statement from Gn'R soon followed which reads, "Lars isn't holding anything up with our video. Our message board comments were meant casually, in fun and amongst friends. Unfortunately, someone with Blabbermouth may have taken things a bit out of context and made them into a bit more than they are in reality. Our apologies to anyone who may have been confused. We hope to have our video out shortly. Thank you."

So, we may or may not be waiting on Lars Ulrich to finally see the "Better" video, which would be the first Guns' clip since that 1994 "Since I Don't Have You?" video which starred Gary Oldman.

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Song Stories

“All Along the Watchtower”

The Jimi Hendrix Experience | 1968

Jimi Hendrix got hold of Bob Dylan's early John Wesley Harding tapes and in late 1967 recorded a version of "All Along the Watchtower" with the Experience in London. Dissatisfied with that first development, Hendrix brought those tapes with him to New York in early 1968 when he began work on Electric Ladyland. Eddie Kramer, Hendrix's engineer at the time, told Rolling Stone that Hendrix "was still looked upon by his basically white audience as the mammoth black guitar hero. There was a constant fight within him to expand himself." Hendrix's successful take on Dylan's work has long been recognized by the songwriter. "I liked Jimi Hendrix's record of this and ever since he died I've been doing it that way," Dylan wrote in the liner notes to his Biograph box set. "Strange how when I sing it, I always feel it's a tribute to him in some kind of way."

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