Pitchfork

Axl Rose photo by George Chin

Dr Pepper Snapple Group has responded to Axl Rose & Co.'s whining about not enough of the singer's fans getting the free Dr Peppers they were promised when he finally released Chinese Democracy late last month. In a statement quoted by Rolling Stone's Rock & Roll Daily, the folks at Dr Pepper said, "We are disappointed that GN'R's lawyers are turning a fun giveaway into a legal dispute." Ditto.

The statement also says, "We simply commented on the delayed release of Chinese Democracy and openly encouraged the band to release it before the end of the year. Axl even expressed support for our efforts earlier in the year."

Let's all just get this straight: There was no official partnership between Guns N' Roses and Dr Pepper on this promotion!

Also, how is it that people are taking a soda promotion this seriously? Are there actually any disgruntled GN'R fans that want a free can of Dr Pepper this bad? Do they not realize those things are like 70 cents? Did I not wake up today, and this is all a really lame dream?