Guns N' Roses

If you need proof that it’s better to burn out than to fade away, look no further than Guns N’ Roses. Had Axl Rose let the group disappear after its early ’90s heyday and subsequent implosion, GNR would have entered 2012’s Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame class this spring as an impeccable icon of the form. Instead, he followed that with one of the longest delayed albums in pop history, the middling Chinese Democracy, which couldn’t have lived up to the hype and anticipation if it had been twice the album Appetite For Destruction had been. Since then, he’s been busy embarrassing himself and the GNR name with a series of live performances that have showcased just how out of touch, out of shape, and out of time he really is.

Updated 02/08/2012