California Man Still Interested in Guns N' Roses, Guns N' Roses Are Furious

Although probably not news to many, the FBI recently arrested a man by the name of Kevin Cogill for leaking and posting nine tracks from the still unreleased Guns N' Roses album, Chinese Democracy. Pitchfork reported last Friday that Cogill is facing up to three years in prison and fines of $250,000. He has been charged under an anti-piracy law that makes it a felony to leak copyrighted material before its official release. Apparently when reached for comment by the LA Times, guitarist Slash disgustingly said, “I hope he rots in jail. It’s going to affect the sales of the record and it’s not fair.” Oh, brother.

Please remember, this quote comes from a member of a band that has been notoriously horrible to their fans for years. I’m sure any Guns N' Roses fan from St. Louis or Montreal could tell you all about it. And now they're outraged that someone has leaked their “new” album. An album that has only taken them 14 years to write and record. They should be grateful someone is still paying attention. Oh, and as above, the band still hasn't figured out a release date. We’re all on the edge of our seats, guys.

As for Cogill, even if found guilty, no sane judge would sentence him to three years in prison or of such lofty fines. I would be surprised if he received prison time at all. That notwithstanding, I’m guessing he would prefer to go through life without “convicted felon” attached to his name. If anyone has set up a fund to aid this guy’s legal defense, I’ll gladly throw my two mites into the mix.

Lastly, I didn’t even realize Slash had much to do with Chinese Democracy. Does he even play on the album? I don’t know. I guess to know would be to care.

(For those that do care, you can download Chinese Democracy here.)

--Alex