Axl Rose has suddenly emerged to do interviews for the first time in years and what he's saying might make former Guns N' Roses bandmates Slash and Duff McKagan a little uncomfortable. Including former girlfriend Stephanie Seymour, Rose says the the trio broke his songwriting spirit.

"To those three, it was all crap," he said during an interview with USA Today. "It beat me down so much. At the time of the (Use Your Illusion) tours, Slash and Duff said, 'You're an idiot, you're a loser.' I didn't write for years. I felt I was hindered for a very long time."

Combined with unresolved personal issues from his childhood, these insults caused him to spiral, eventually leading to a media seclusion. "If the place to go was some restaurant in Hollywood, I went to the Valley," he says. "There was so much negativity, I didn't see any way to go public. I felt I was going to be slammed."

Having now worked out many of the psychological issues of his past Rose says he's writing again. In fact everyone in the new GNR is writing, and they've recorded new music already. The new album will come quicker than 'Chinese Democracy' he says.

"Here's what I miss about old Guns the most," Roses says before brushing off ideas of a reunion. "In the very beginning, you had three people (Rose, Slash and guitarist Izzy Stradlin) on the same page for a short period looking out for the best interest of that band and its goals ... I had two other guys I could rely on. I don't necessarily have that now because it is more my thing, but I do ask everyone's opinion about everything."

Beginning tonight (Oct 31), Guns N' Roses will take the stage at the Joint in side the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. It's the first of 12 shows in Vegas.

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