China blasts new Guns N’ Roses album
(There’ll be no Chinese Democracy here thank you very much)
A newspaper published by China’s ruling Communist Party is blasting the latest Guns N’ Roses (GNR) album as an attack on the nation.
Meanwhile, China’s internet censors appeared to be trying to block fans from accessing websites related to the album, which is titled Chinese Democracy.
Delayed since recording began in 1994, Chinese Democracy was released in the US on Sunday. It is unlikely to be sold legally in China, where censors maintain tight control over films, music and publications.
In an article published on Monday headlined American band releases album venomously attacking China, the Global Times said unidentified Chinese internet users had described the album as part of a plot by some in the West to “grasp and control the world using democracy as a pawn.”
The record “turns its spear point on China,” the article said.
China’s Foreign Ministry did not respond to faxed questions about the article, although a spokesman said: “We don’t need to comment on that.”
The album’s official site chinesedemocracy.com was inaccessible in communist China on Monday and internet portal baidu.com blocked music-related searches for Chinese Democracy.
However, Chinese internet users were still able on Monday morning to listen to the album’s 14 songs on myspace.com, the band’s homepage remained accessible and bloggers were allowed to have their voices heard.
When asked about the album and reports that it had been banned in China, a ministry spokeswoman told Agence France-Presse: “This is the first time we’ve heard about it.”
“I don’t know if they’re banned or not,” she said.
“It might be a rumour.”
Like critics’ reviews, reaction from Chinese music fans has been mixed.
“I feel GNR has a mocking, misunderstanding and disdainful view of our country,” an internet user who identified herself as Tiffany in Guangzhou wrote on douban.com, a pop culture social networking site.
But many participants suggested an angry knee-jerk reaction was unwarranted.
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