Welcome To The Bungle

There's no way you can live like a rock star if you've only put out one album in the last 15 years.  How else can you justify Axl Rose's $20 million lawsuit against "Guitar Hero" maker Activision and his claim their use of "Welcome to the Jungle" violated a deal not to include any imagery of ex-guitarist Slash. That ego of his more bloated than his current pasty, haggard self.

If Rose is to be believed, Activision fraudulently induced him into authorizing "Jungle" for use in Guitar Hero III by telling him during negotiations that the game wouldn't feature any reference to his former bandmate or Slash's subsequent band Velvet Revolver...because that's a completely normal subject to come up during negotiations. When Rose found out that a "Slash-like character" and Velvet Revolver songs would be included, he said he immediately rescinded the authorization for "Jungle," but the game company lied and told him the inclusion was just for the purposes of a trade show.  So a trade show is okay, but not actual inclusion?  That's the fine line between acceptable and acrimony?

When Guitar Hero III came out and its box cover featured "an animated depiction of Slash, with his signature black top hat, long dark curly hair, dark sunglasses and nose-piercing", Rose was enraged - much like most Guns N' Roses fans after a decade-plus wait for new music that failed to deliver. In addition to that grievous offense, "Sweet Child 'O Mine" was used in an online promotion for Guitar Hero III, despite only being licensed for Guitar Hero II...oh my!  Naturally, he wants $20 million in damages from sales of the popular game.

Activision has not yet responded to the complaint, but I have an idea what might be appropriate...suck it up you fragile has-been and get over yourself.  You're lucky anyone still gives two shits about your glam-rock band, who only survived the culling by alternative music because you had the least make-up of all the others.