GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal has issued a response to the news that the Italian GUNS N' ROSES fan site Gnronline.it has gone "on strike" to protest the lack of official information regarding the band and its long-awaited album, "Chinese Democracy".

As previously reported, the Gnronline.it administrators are claming that GN'R management is playing favorites with the two big American fan sites, while other worldwide fan sites are being left in the dark despite their efforts over the course of the last ten years to support the group. The Gnronline.it web site is not being updated and the almost 3,000-user forum is not being moderated until January 1, 2007. After that day, the entire site will be closed.

In a message that was released yesterday (Dec. 11, 2006), Thal had the following to say:

"Ron here — this is not a statement on behalf of GN'R, just speaking for myself, me to you.

"For whatever it's worth, I love you guys and appreciate all the support you guys have given the band. I haven't been in the band very long, but long enough to experience how great it is to have fans that care as much as you. Maybe it's too-little-too-late to let you know that, but that's how I feel, and it hasn't changed.

"From what I've seen, if ya give out info before it's 100% confirmed, and things don't happen as planned, it leads to people feeling betrayed, so info should only come at the final moment when all the piece are in place. That's not a GN'R thing, it's everything, every business or band or anything else.

"If you're looking for daily or weekly updates on things that are in the works, it'll become a big mess for everyone. Meanwhile, we're touring. It's been fucking great.

"Since my first show with GUNS in May, we've played nearly 70 shows, in 20 countries (if I counted right, at 3am after being up 30 hours... [***]) The way I see it, for two-and-a-half hours each of those nights, it's our time to connect with each other — we get to say *fuck it* to everything else in life and enjoy ourselves — that's what it's about. It's not about business or setlists or critics or anything else — it's about saying FUCK IT and gettin' high off it from beginning to end and a long time after.

"Hope y'all have been enjoying it to the fullest. Life's too damn short to be upset about what you don't have — enjoy what you do have.

"Not trying to change anything by writing ya, not answering the questions you want answered, just letting ya know that your support hasn't gone unnoticed, and I just wanna say *thank you* to the moderators and members of your forum. For the years you've devoted to the band, and hopefully years to come..."