March 27, 2008 16:50

Axl Rose is 'very happy' about Dr Pepper's Guns N' Roses pledge

Singer says he'll share his drink with Buckethead

Axl Rose has responded to an offer by soft drink company Dr Pepper in which they promised a free can of their drink to every American - except Slash and Buckethead - if the band releases their 'Chinese Democracy' album this year.

Rose said he was "surprised and very happy" about the offer, but denied the record label or himself were involved in the pledge.

Posting on Guns N' Roses' website, Rose stated: "We are surprised and very happy to have the support of Dr Pepper with our album 'Chinese Democracy', as for us, this came totally out of the blue.

"If there is any involvement with this promotion by our record company or others, we are unaware of such at this time. And as some of Buckethead's performances are on our album, I'll share my Dr Pepper with him."

As reported yesterday, Dr Pepper's Marketing Director Jaxie Alt made the offer, explaining: “We completely understand and empathise with Axl's quest for perfection – for something more than the average album."

Rose's inclusion of former guitarist Buckethead in the offer means Slash, guitarist in the band during their 'golden' period, is now the only American on the planet who would not get a free drink.

'Chinese Democracy' has been in the pipeline since 1993, when the group released their covers album 'The Spaghetti Incident?', but its release date has continually been pushed back.

An estimated $13m in recording expenses have been built up in the making of 'Chinese Democracy'.

To join Dr Pepper campaign, visit Chinesedemocracy.blogspot.com.

--By our New York staff.
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