The New York Times has published an article entitled "Success, excess and a music industry phantom" about GUNS N' ROSES' long-awaited "Chinese Democracy" album, which is dubbed by the paper "probably the most expensive recording never released." A couple of excerpts from the article follow:

When Rose missed a March 1999 deadline [to deliver "Chinese Democracy"], he set a pattern that would repeat itself for years to come: a flurry of energetic activity, followed by creative chaos and a withdrawal from the studio.

At MTV's annual awards show in 2002, publicists buzzed through the audience whispering about a big finale. And with just minutes to go in the broadcast, a screen lifted away to reveal the band and Rose, in cornrows and a sports jersey, looking strikingly young. The musicians burst into "Welcome to the Jungle", one of the original band's biggest hits, and the crowd went wild. But on television Rose quickly seemed out of breath and out of tune. He ended the performance, which included the new song "Madagascar" and the original band's hit "Paradise City", in a messianic stance, raising his arms and closing his eyes. He left the audience with a cryptic but tantalizing message: "Round one."

Round two never came.

Rose is reportedly working on the album even now. "The 'Chinese Democracy' album is very close to being completed," Merck Mercuriadis, chief executive officer of Sanctuary Group, which manages Rose, wrote in a statement. He added that other artists, including Peter Gabriel and Stevie Wonder, "have throughout their careers consistently taken similar periods of time without undeserved scrutiny as the world respects that this is what it can sometimes take to make great art." But of course, rumors of the album's imminent release have circulated since almost the very beginning of the tale, more than a decade ago.

He hasn't disappeared entirely. His voice can be heard on the latest edition in the "Grand Theft Auto" video game series, in the character of a grizzled '70s-style rock D.J. "Remember," he advises the radio station's audience, "we're not outdated, and neither is our music."

Interscope has taken "Chinese Democracy" off its schedule. Rose hasn't been seen there since last year, when he was spotted leaving the parking area beneath Interscope's offices, where witnesses reported that a small traffic jam had congealed when attendants halted other cars to clear a path for his silver Ferrari. Rose punched the gas and cruised into the day.

Read the entire article at this location.