Legal Commentary

I would be excited enough at the news -- could it finally be true? -- that Chinese Democracy, by "Guns 'n' Roses," is finally going to be released in a few weeks.  Appetite for Destruction is a classic.  I also remember listening fervently to every song on Use Your Illusion -- for the few weeks until Nevermind and Ten came along and rewrote the map of rock music in the early 90s, putting Use Your Illusion in something of the position of the world's best horseshoe being released shortly before the first factory rollout of the Model T.  Notwithstanding its almost instant obsolescence, Use Your Illusion is a great, sprawling, incoherent, overdone, overspent, but completely enjoyable product: a truly American piece of music, in other words.  I still enjoy it.  Although the current "band" lacks many of the best aspects of the true band -- not least Duff McKagan -- I'm still looking forward to the new album.

How much sweeter it is, then -- literally -- to find that Dr. Pepper, which had promised to give a free soda to everyone in America if Chinese Democracy actually, improbably, came out in this calendar year, is ready to deliver on its promise.  They aren't making it especially easy -- you have to register your personal information online and sign up to receive a coupon -- but kudos to them for following up on their somewhat opportunistic alliance with the Axl of Evil. 

I'll leave it to others -- Nate Oman? -- to discuss whether the promise was ever binding in the first place.  For myself, I'll marvel at how far the good Doctor's musical stylings have changed from this.