8. Axl Rose Proves More Is Less
Simpson did manage to produce some original music in 2004 and turn up to her gigs on time, which is more than can be said for charmless egotist Axl Rose of Motley Crue tribute act Guns 'N' Roses. The stetsoned boor has spent most of his career living off the glories of his late 80's/early 90's work, but at least he had an eternal carrot to dangle in front of his dwindling fan base at one point with the promise of Chinese Democracy to come. As the millennia changed over, this was no longer the case. Rose is a byword in the music world for trying your patience: in his mind he is still the ultimate badass rock star, pulling the strings of his fans like a puppeteer while flouncing onstage whenever the whim takes him. This would be fine if the body of work he produces lived up to his own inflated opinion of itself but, inevitably, it doesn't. Chinese Democracy took 20 years to record and cost an astonishing $13 million. Was the wait and cost worth it? Of course not. The album was uneven and the material largely sub-standard, a poor footnote to the largely excellent Use Your Illusion duology. The gigs to promote it were nothing short of a disgrace, Rose surrounding himself with session musicians and turning up so late that irate fans were already waiting in line for refunds. The most embarrassing aspect of the whole Chinese Democracy debacle centred on a publicity stunt that the makers of Dr Pepper concocted before the release of the album. Following yet another delay, the fizzy drinks giant promised a free drink to everyone in America, save guitarists Buckethead and Slash, should the album see the light of day. Following the release and the shortfall in drinks available, Rose's people had the cheek to file a lawsuit claiming that the stunt diminished the impact of the album. You would hope Rose would still be blushing furiously enough to be seen from space to this day. Odds are short that he won't be.