hardrockhotel.com

An amended version of the Guns 'N Roses artwork being pulled from the Hard Rock Cafe.

The Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas has apologized for controversial ads for Guns N' Roses' "Appetite for Democracy" residency there, the Las Vegas Sun reports.

The hotel has promised to modify the poster, which depicts a robotic monster standing over a woman who is slumped against a wall with a breast exposed and underwear around her ankles. The image is based on the cover art Guns N' Roses had intended to use for its 1987 album "Appetite for Destruction." The band switched the cover after several music retailers refused to stock the album.

Axl Rose promises new Guns N' Roses album "sooner" than "Chinese Democracy"

The "Appetite for Democracy" promos drew fierce criticism from  Clark County Commissioner Mary Beth Scow, as well as Safe Nest, a local women's shelter, who argued the image suggested sexual assault. The ad appears on the Guns N' Roses website selling tickets to their shows at the hotel's venue, the Joint, while a slightly cleaned-up version (without the exposed breast and underwear) appeared in mainstream advertising including newspaper promos and taxicab placards. 

"It’s very frustrating to see approval – almost a celebration – of rape and violence against women," said Lisa Lynn Chapman, a Safe Nest spokeswoman. "Our community has enough issues with domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse and so many other violent issues that to have this being paraded around town on taxicabs and in advertising is very offensive."

Axl Rose tells "Kimmel" he "leans Obama" but won't vote

The posters and show also coincided with the temporary renaming of the Vegas street Paradise Road (which runs alongside the Hard Rock) to Paradise City Road, an homage to one of Guns N' Roses biggest hits. Scow, who represented the county at the re-naming event, said she was unaware of the ad at the time, adding, "It’s clearly inappropriate. Maybe it’s the risk of doing business with a rock band, but I guess we’ll have some remorse over this decision. It’s a lesson learned."

Original ad that was pulled can be viewed here. Warning: mild nudity.

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Theo Wargo / Getty Images file

Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses performs in New York City in February.

Axl Rose has agreed to a very rare television interview on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" to promote the upcoming Guns N' Roses shows at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The "Appetite for Democracy" shows begin Oct. 31st and run for 12 dates through Nov. 24th. Axl will appear on the show on Wednesday, Oct. 24th. As is customary with the Kimmel show, the interview will be broadcast on a one-hour tape delay.

More from RollingStone.com: Guns N' Roses to take over Vegas with 'Appetite for Democracy'

Guns N' Roses have been touring pretty steadily over the past few years, but Rose has agreed to very few interviews. He did appear on VH1 Classic's "That Metal Show" in November of 2011, where he explained why he's often late to his shows. "A lot of this goes way, way back to 1991, when we were super late going on stage," Rose said. "I should not have been on tour. I went on tour for three reasons – my manager booked a tour without authorization. If Slash died of heroin,  it's my fault. And Slash pushing me." 

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A quick glance at Ticketmaster reveals that plenty of seats are still available for the Las Vegas shows, which likely explains Rose's decision to agree to this interview.

The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame earlier this year, though Rose opted to not attend the ceremony. Slash, Duff McKagan, Matt Sorum and Steven Adler performed with Alter Bridge frontman Myles Kennedy in Axl's place.

On Oct. 20th and 21st, Guns N' Roses will perform rare acoustic sets at Neil Young's annual Bridge School Benefit. 

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Less than three months after his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Slash received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Tuesday. Speakers included producer Robert Evans, radio host Jim Ladd and Charlie Sheen, who had the best line of the ceremony.

Joe Klamar / AFP - Getty Images

Charlie Sheen speaks as Slash (Saul Hudson, right) is a honored with a star on Tuesday, July 10, in Hollywood.

"It's quite fitting that Slash is getting a star on the very street Axl Rose will one day be sleeping on," he said. "This star is going to be stepped on more than the coke we did in the '80s."

More from RollingStone.com: Slash: 'Axl Rose hates my guts'

Slash covered his face to hide his laughter during the Axl crack, but if the odds of a Guns N' Roses were a trillion-to-one before Tuesday, they just got a bit slimmer. Also, don't expect Axl to be guesting on Sheen's new show, "Anger Management," anytime soon – regardless of how badly he needs actual anger management. 

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Paul Bergen / EPA

Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses performs during a concert in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, on June 4.

Sacre bleu! Apparently someone had an appetite for Axl Rose's jewels!

Per British reports, French police are probing the theft of $200,000 worth of trinkets taken from the Guns N' Roses frontman at an afterparty following the legendary band's gig at Paris' Bercy Stadium.

"Paradise City" this was not.

MORE: Guns N' Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beastie Boys Inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

A police source told the U.K.'s Daily Mirror that three gold-and-diamond necklaces were lifted from the 50-year-old Rose while he wasn't wearing them.

No word how the culprit got his hands on them. But the oft-volatile singer was reportedly "fuming" after learning his stash had been taken.

A rep for Guns N' Roses was unavailable for comment.

Rose and his hired Gunners are in the midst of a European trek and are slated to play Menchengladbach, Germany, on Friday night.

MORE: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Responds to Axl Rose Diss

But as often happens with Guns N' Roses, the tour hasn't been without controversy -- from GNR's decision to ban fans from entering venues wearing T-shirts of ex-guitarist Slash to Axl threatening to walk off the stage at a recent London gig after audience members threw money and plastic cups at the band when they started 50 minutes late.

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And then, of course, there's the letter Rose sent the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame basically thumbing his nose at organizers when he declined to attend the group's induction in April.

Axl Rose has written another letter to fans explaining his decision to not attend the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony and apologizing to the city of Cleveland for the snub.

Last week, Axl wrote a long letter in which he said he declined his induction into the Hall of Fame. The group performed with Alter Bridge singer Myles Kennedy, and the Cleveland crowd booed every time Axl's name was mentioned during the ceremony. 

More from Rolling Stone: Complete coverage of the 2012 induction ceremony

This new letter ends with a request for the media to run the letter in full, so we'll do just that:

To: Cleveland, Ohio, Guns N' Roses Fans and everyone who's shown support for my decision regarding the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

I seriously didn't plan on or expect the overwhelmingly positive response and public support for my decision regarding the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. With such a generous outpouring of solidarity from fans, media outlets, writers and other artists, I'm truly humbled, blown away and unbelievably relieved! To be honest, I thought it would go the other way and was just hoping to weather the storm. As I said, I sincerely didn't want to disappoint anyone. It gets old being the outlaw even if "it's only rock and roll".

It took a lot of focus and soul searching to be sincere and informative while making a genuine effort to be somewhat diplomatic. We made, what I feel, are real efforts to learn about the Hall and the Board, spoke as I said with the president and various members, and though I inducted Elton John and Bernie Taupin in '94 saying something to the effect of "I'm learning what the Hall's about..."

I still don't exactly know or understand what the Hall is or how or why it makes money, where the money goes, who chooses the voters and why anyone or this board decides who, out of all the artists in the world that have contributed to this genre, officially "rock" enough to be in the Hall?

This isn't an attack. These are genuine issues I don't have enough verified information on to have more than rough ideas. Certainly not enough information to make any judgments about.

I would like to apologize to Cleveland, Ohio for not apologizing to them beforehand for not attending [the ceremony] in their city. I think they know how much I genuinely love performing there. Cleveland does in fact Rock!!

Now that the smoke's cleared a little, any desperate, misguided attacks have been just that, a pathetic stab at gossip, some lame vindictiveness, the usual entitlement crap, he's obsessed, crazy, volatile, a hater. I once bought a homeless woman a slice of pizza who yelled at me she wanted soup. We got her the soup. You can get your own.

Again: HUGE thanks to the fans and to everyone for the incredible public support. My congratulations to the other artists inducted. And my apologies to the city and people of Cleveland, Ohio. I hope you'll forgive me and we hope to see you again soon!

Keep Rockin',

Axl

Unlike my open letter to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, Guns N' Roses Fans and Whom It May Concern this was written for GNR's official website, Facebook account and my personal twitter account and not intended as a press release. If anyone does choose to pick this up as has been done previously I'd appreciate if you'd run in full including this paragraph so as not to give a partial picture, have things taken out of context or to imply or inadvertently give the impression this was intended for other outlets.

What do you think of his latest letter? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page!

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Axl Rose

Axl Rose caused a media firestorm yesterday when he announced that he won't be attending this weekend's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony with Guns N' Roses. "I strongly request that I not be inducted in absentia," Rose said in a very long statement. "Please know that no one is authorized nor may anyone be permitted to accept any induction for me or speak on my behalf."

Despite that request, it looks as though the Hall of Fame will induct Rose anyway and put his name on the wall in Cleveland alongside all the other inductees. "We are sorry Axl will not be able to accept his Induction in person," the Hall of Fame said in a statement. It's like saying you don't want to win an Oscar after getting named Best Director. You are free to not attend the ceremony or accept the statue, but that doesn't mean you didn't win.

Making matters even stranger, Rose ends his letter by thanking the Hall of Fame. "I'd like to sincerely thank the board for their nomination and their votes for Guns' induction," he wrote. "More importantly, I'd like to thank the fans for being there over the years, making any success we've had possible and for enjoying and supporting Guns N' Roses music. I wish the Hall a great show, congratulations to all the other artists being inducted and to our fans we look forward to seeing you on tour!

Rose is far from the only Hall of Fame inductee to skip out on the ceremony. Here is a (probably incomplete) history of Rock Hall no-shows:

Diana Ross, 1988
The original lineup of the Supremes has been feuding ever since 1967, when the group changed its name to Diana Ross & the Supremes. Ross, Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong last performed together in March of 1983 at the Motown 25th anniversary concert. In 1986, Mary Wilson published her memoir, "Dreamgirls: My Life As A Supreme," which painted a very negative portrait of Ross. The Supremes were inducted two years later into the Hall of Fame, and Ross was a no-show. She claimed it was because she had given birth to her son Ross three months earlier, but many speculated that the feud between Ross and the other members played a role.

Axl Rose Will Not Attend Rock and Roll Hall Induction Ceremony

Paul McCartney, 1988
Relations between the surviving Beatles were also strained in 1988. Four years earlier, Yoko Ono, George Harrison and Ringo Starr started a royalty dispute with Paul McCartney, who opted to not attend the 1988 ceremony. In perhaps the most notorious speech in Hall of Fame history,  Mike Love addressed McCartney's absence that night when the Beach Boys were inducted. "It's sad that there are other people who aren't here tonight," he said. "People like Paul McCartney who couldn't be here because he's in a lawsuit with Ringo and Yoko. That's why he sent in a telegram to some high-priced attorney in the room." 

Van Morrison, 1993
The induction ceremony in 1993 boasted reunions of the Doors and Cream, as well as a surprising appearance by the extremely reclusive Sly Stone. The three surviving members of Creedence Clearwater Revival showed up, but John Fogerty caused major drama when he refused to perform with them. Van Morrison didn't show, so the Counting Crows performed "Caravan" in his absence. This was months before they released their debut LP, August and Everything After, so the induction ceremony was where many critics and fans first learned of them. 

Jerry Garcia, 1994
The Grateful Dead frontman didn't show up at his induction, reportedly because he was opposed to the whole idea of a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The rest of the Dead disagreed, and they brought a cardboard cut-out of the singer onstage. 

Levon Helm, 1994
The 1994 ceremony was full of no-shows. Levon Helm didn't attend the Band's induction due to lingering bitterness towards Robbie Robertson. Rick Danko, Garth Hudson and Robbie Robertson did show up, though, and they performed "The Weight" together. It's the only time Robertson has performed with his former bandmates since The Last Waltz.

Eric Burdon, 1994
Animals frontman Eric Burdon didn't come to his own induction in 1994 because he had a gig booked in Dusseldorf, Germany. He made up for it in 2010, when he performed "We Gotta Get Out of This Place" at the ceremony to honor songwriting team Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.

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Rod Stewart, 1994
Two days before the 1994 Hall of Fame inductions, a massive earthquake hit Los Angeles. "Two of my children, Renee and Liam, they were just one and three, they were just terrified," Steward told Rolling Stone in December. "Absolutely terrified. I just couldn't leave them, so I missed it. But I'll be there this time!"

David Bowie, 1996
David Bowie was in Helsinki, Finland, touring in support of "Outside" when he entered the Hall of Fame in 1996. Madonna accepted on his behalf, and Marianne Faithful performed "Rebel Rebel." 

Roger Waters, 1996
Roger Waters and Pink Floyd weren't getting along very well in 1996. Two years earlier, the group went on a enormous stadium tour sans Waters and grossed hundreds of millions of dollars. They invited Waters to join them for a performance of "Dark Side of the Moon" in England towards the end of the tour, but he declined. Waters was still fuming over the fact that the band carried on without him, while his 1987 Radio K.A.O.S. tour played to half-full arenas. They patched things up a few years later – in part because Gilmour had quietly disbanded Floyd by that point – but in 1996, Waters had no interest in sitting in the same ballroom as the rest of Pink Floyd.

Grace Slick, 1996
The Jefferson Airplane frontwoman has a firm belief that "all rock-and-rollers over the age of 50 look stupid and should retire." She briefly toured with a reunited Jefferson Airplane in 1989, but ever since has basically stayed away from the stage. The rest of the Airplane did show up for their induction and played a great set. 

Neil Young, 1997
Reports vary about why exactly Neil Young didn't show up and reunite with Buffalo Springfield at their 1997 induction, but the most likely explanation is that he was fuming over the fact that his bandmates had to shell out big bucks to get their friends and family into the ceremony. Thirteen years later, Young did agree to a Buffalo Springfield reunion, but by that point original members Bruce Palmer and Dewey Martin had died.

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Joni Mitchell, 1997
In 1965, a 21-year-old Joni Mitchell gave up a daughter for adoption. Shortly before her 1997 induction into the Hall of Fame, the mother and daughter had a highly emotional reunion and Mitchell skipped the Cleveland ceremony to focus on re-establishing a relationship with her child. Graham Nash accepted on her behalf.

John Deacon, 2001
The Queen bassist largely retired from music when Freddy Mercury died in 1991. He did join his bandmates at a Mercury tribute show in 1992 and again to perform with Elton John in 1997, but since then he's been completely off the radar. He refused to participate in Queen's tour with Paul Rodgers, and he didn't show up at the Hall of Fame induction in 2001. 

The Sex Pistols, 2006
The punk band's open letter said it all: "Next to the SEX-PISTOLS rock and roll and that hall of fame is a piss stain. Your museum. Urine in wine. Were not coming. Were not your monkey and so what? Fame at $25,000 if we paid for a table, or $15000 to squeak up in the gallery, goes to a non-profit organisation [SIC] selling us a load of old famous. Congradulations [SIC]. If you voted for us, hope you noted your reasons. Your anonymous as judges, but your still music industry people. Were not coming. Your not paying attention. Outside the s**t-stem is a real SEX PISTOL."

Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, David Lee Roth, 2007
Van Halen's 2007 induction into the Hall of Fame came at a very bad time for the group. Bassist Michael Anthony was just kicked out of the band, and they were plotting a reunion tour with David Lee Roth – but that couldn't start until Eddie Van Halen went to rehab. There was simply too much drama, and no member of the current Van Halen lineup showed up. Roth was in talks to come, but he wasn't happy that Velvet Revolver were going to perform. In the end, only Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony showed up.

Peter Gabriel, 2010
Genesis fans have been praying for a reunion of the classic Peter Gabriel lineup for the past 30 years. They didn't get it when the group was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010. Gabriel was in rehearsals for an upcoming symphonic tour in England and didn't make the trip overseas. The rest of the band went and watched Phish perform "Watcher of the Skies" and "No Reply at All."

Bjorn Ulvaeus and Agnetha Fältskog, 2010
ABBA have reportedly turned down a billion-dollar offer for a reunion tour, so it was no surprise that they didn't all show up to their Hall of Fame induction. Agnetha Fältskog rarely leaves her native Stockholm, and Bjorn Ulvaeus has dealt with health issues in recent years. The Bee Gees inducted ABBA into the Hall of Fame, and Benny Anderson performed "The Winner Takes It All" with Faith Hill. 

Tony Hicks and Bobby Elliott, 2010
The classic lineup of the Hollies hasn't toured in decades, but original members Tony Hicks and Bobby Elliott have carried on the band's name with new members. They had a gig in Europe at the same time as their 2010 HOF induction and opted not to cancel. Founding members Graham Nash and Allan Clarke played a few Hollies classics with Paul Shaffer and his band, and latter members Terry Clarke burst onto the stage uninvited to join them on "Long Cool Woman."

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Well, we already know that Axl Rose won't be knockin' on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's door.

After all, the singer made it more than perfectly clear in an open letter yesterday that he has no desire to be inducted this Saturday as a founding member of Guns N' Roses.

So what does the music shrine in Cleveland have to say about the singer's decision?

MORE: Sorry, Guns N' Roses Fans--Axl Rose Rejects Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

"We are sorry Axl will not be able to accept his induction in person," a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame spokesperson tells E! News. "We are looking forward to still inducting Guns N' Roses this weekend and will proceed forward with our original plan whether Axl is present or not."

While Rose himself obviously has no plans on being there for the ceremony, the Los Angeles Times reports that other members of the band are still expected to attend, including Slash and Duff McKagan.

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In his letter, Rose wrote, in part: "I strongly request that I not be inducted in absentia and please know that no one is authorized nor may anyone be permitted to accept any induction for me or speak on my behalf. Neither former members, label representatives nor the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame should imply whether directly, indirectly or by omission that I am included in any purported induction of Guns N' Roses."

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Roadrunner Records via AP

Slash says his relationship with Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose will keep the band from playing together when they are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this month.

When Guns N' Roses get inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 14, nobody knows exactly what else will happen -- including Slash. "This is a subject I'm dead sick of talking about," the guitarist says. "Everyone has been asking me what's going to happen, and they know as much as I do. I feel you're totally obligated to be present and I would love to [expletive] play, but it's just something that's not gonna happen for whatever reason."

Slash, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Steven Adler are all committed to going to the Cleveland ceremony, but it's unclear whether guitarist Izzy Stradlin or Axl Rose will be present. One sticking point for Axl may be the presence of Slash, whom he called a "cancer" in 2009.

"He hates my guts," says Slash. "It's over a lot of different stuff; I don't even know. There's just no communication between us. I talk to Duff and Steven, but when it comes to old Guns N' Roses, there really isn't anybody that makes decisions."

Slash recently patched up his troubles with former Velvet Revolver frontman Scott Weiland, to the point where the group was able to reform for a four-song set at a Los Angeles charity concert in January. "It was great to see Scott," says Slash. "I hadn't seen him in a while. He sang great, and afterwards we all shook hands and took off."

Besides that one-off show, Velvet Revolver have been completely inactive since Scott Weiland quit in 2008. "We've been looking for singers and we talk on a regular basis," says Slash. "Every so often, Duff and I get together behind the scenes, reconvene and audition people and so on. So it's still active."

The rehearsals have been conducted largely in secret, though the fact that they considered Slipsknot's Corey Taylor did leak to the press. "There was a rehearsal with Corey," says Slash. "It was a songwriting session and nothing really came of it. It's more my fault than anybody's because I was like, 'I don't know if this is the right thing.' Corey is obviously a [expletive] awesome frontman and he's a great singer, but it's just a different style than what I had in mind for Velvet. I was the odd man out on that one."

In the meantime, Slash is focused on his new solo album "Apocalyptic Love," which hits shelves on May 22. Unlike his 2010 debut "Slash," which was recorded with a rotating cast of all-star singers, Alter Bridge's Myles Kennedy sings on every track on the LP. They first met just a few years ago, when Kennedy was recruited to sing a track on "Slash." The guitarist called him up when he learned that Kennedy had auditioned to sing on Led Zeppelin's planned (but ultimately aborted) 2008 tour. "I was like, 'This guy's gotta be [expletive] good,'" says Slash. "Jimmy Page was calling him up!"

In 2010, Slash went on a grueling world tour with Kennedy, bassist Todd Kerns and Brent Fitz. "I didn't know any of them at the time," says Slash. "It turned out to be this one in a million thing. They were one of the most bitching rock and roll bands and groups of musicians that I'd ever worked with. So I thought, '[expletive], if I'm gonna make another record, I'll just do it with these guys.' And that's what happened." The group wrote the songs for "Apocalyptic Love" during downtime from the tour. "If I had any ideas, I would record them in the middle of the night in my hotel room or bus," says Slash. "I would e-mail them to Myles, and either in sound check or in the dressing room or whatever, we'd start honing in on some of these ideas. By the end of the tour we'd have, like, 20 songs." They recorded the album in late 2011 and early this year, after Kennedy finished up a tour with Alter Bridge. "He's got a great work ethic," says Slash. "He doesn't know what to do with himself when he's not busy."

The group kicks off an American tour this May, and if their March 23 warm-up show in Toronto was any indication, expect a lot of Guns N' Roses classics mixed in with solo material and cuts from Velvet Revolver and Slash's Snakepit. "There's a lot of Guns stuff that has so many lyrics per measure that it's not worth getting into," says Slash. "Some stuff is very signature Guns, to the point where I don't want to go there. We know 'Welcome To The Jungle,' we played it before, but I don't feel comfortable doing it. But there's other Guns standards that I really feel at ease playing every night. It's the same with Velvet Revolver."

After going through extremely tumultuous breakups with Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver, Slash is thrilled to be in a group that functions peacefully. "I didn't know it could be as easy as this, because it just really hadn't ever been like that for me," says Slash. "The inspiration for me to play and go out and kick ass every night is very strong with these guys. That's all anybody wants to do. So the hassles of the road are totally tolerable when there's not a lot of unnecessary baggage that we have to navigate every [expletive] day."

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Marc S. Canter / Getty Images file

Guns N' Roses, from left, Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin, Slash, Steven Adler and Duff McKagan in Los Angeles in 1985.

There's something strange about watching the hair metal giants of our youth creep into the creepy years. Not that turning 50 is creepy. It's just different when you do it in a kilt or tight leather pants.

Ethan Miller / Getty Images

Axl Rose at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on Dec. 30.

Axl Rose, lead singer of the all-American hard rockers Guns N' Roses, hits the half-century mark today. Let's celebrate by aiming the hairspray can at THAT birthday cake.

It's hard to argue against Rose's place among rock's biggest success stories of the '80s and '90s. His voice and stage presence were a big arena rock middle finger to dance and pop music. And love him or hate him for it, Rose and his band gave some an antidote to the grunge movement and a moping class of Northwest rockers.

Think back on MTV and remember the distinctive voice of megahits like "Sweet Child o' Mine" and "Welcome to the Jungle." "Axl sings the most beautiful melodies with the most aggressive tones and the most outrageous, freakish range," Skid Row's Sebastian Bach told Rolling Stone in 2008.

And who could forget Rose's skinny blond frame doing that trademark shoulder shuffle dance? It was like a moonwalk for mallrats.

Rose is still at it today as the only remaining member of GNR. The band just announced it would be doing a series of smaller club shows. Short of catching one of your high school classmates whistling through that opening to "Patience" at the local karaoke bar, this is your chance to re-live rock history.

So, happy birthday, Axl. Rock on.

Got any favorite Axl Rose memories? We're turning the volume up on that over on Facebook.