Yeah, Right, Whatever

Personally? I can take it or leave it, but... if it's free?

Dr Pepper is making good on its promise of free soda now that the release of Guns N' Roses' "Chinese Democracy" is a reality. The soft-drink maker said in March that it would give a free soda to everyone in America if the album dropped in 2008. "Chinese Democracy," infamously delayed since recording began in 1994, goes on sale Sunday.
"We never thought this day would come," Tony Jacobs, Dr Pepper's vice president of marketing, said in a statement. "But now that it's here, all we can say is: The Dr Pepper's on us."
Beginning Sunday at 12:01 a.m., coupons for a free 20-ounce soda will be available for 24 hours on Dr Pepper's Web site. They'll be honored until Feb. 28.

Yes, I'm a little surprised that Axl got his act together long enough to get this album (cd?) released. And just in time for Christmas, no less.

Here are some reviews of Chinese Democracy. Joel Stein from Time gave it a B+ overall. Jeff Vrabel calls it "playable." Rolling Stone critic David Fricke thought it rocked. EW's Andy Greenwald had mixed feelings about it, but settled on a B-.

I love how Chuck Klosterman began his review:

Reviewing Chinese Democracy is not like reviewing music. It's more like reviewing a unicorn. Should I primarily be blown away that it exists at all? Am I supposed to compare it to conventional horses? To a rhinoceros? Does its pre-existing mythology impact its actual value, or must it be examined inside a cultural vacuum, as if this creature is no more (or less) special than the remainder of the animal kingdom? I've been thinking about this record for 15 years; during that span, I've thought about this record more than I've thought about China, and maybe as much as I've thought about the principles of democracy. This is a little like when that grizzly bear finally ate Timothy Treadwell: Intellectually, he always knew it was coming. He had to. His very existence was built around that conclusion. But you still can't psychologically prepare for the bear who eats you alive, particularly if the bear wears cornrows.

I was kind of a GnR fan way back in the day (By "back in the day," I mean "before summer of '91" and definitely "before The Spaghetti Incident?") . I lost any and all respect I may have had (and I doubt there was much to begin with) after the St. Louis riot and the Metallica incident. What did those incidents have in common? Axl, acting like a stoned, spoiled brat.

Will I run out and buy Chinese Democracy? uh... no. I'm not even sure if I'll take the time to hear any of the tracks. I'm not going to give Axl my time or money. Will I have a Pepper on the company because Axl kept it together for a few minutes? Sure... why not?