Listening to "Chinese Democracy" in China

I have to assume that back when Axl Rose started writing this song, somewhere around the Dawn of Time, the phrase "Chinese Democracy" was supposed to be a thought-provoking oxymoron, like "military intelligence" or "nuanced Michael Moore film." Not that Guns N' Roses is known for provoking much of anything but headbanging, puking, and misogyny, but I get the idea that you were supposed to be, like, man, that's blowing my mind.

Musically, the song isn't bad. Ann Powers describes its "passionate weirdness," which is refreshing, even as its thick chunks of overprocessed guitar dissapoint as much as any other major rock release of the 21st century.There are a few references to Chinese-y things, and I guess there is a vague thread of political protest throughout the song (though it's hard to tell if they're using China as a metaphor for the U.S. -- the reverse is sometimes true of Chinese political comment), but there's nothing hammered home during the bombastic chorus: "all we've got is precious time." Whatever. It's already too late: in 2008, China is quickly being demystified -- the radio tuning and random voices speaking Chinese in the intro feel outdated -- and the notion of protest delivered via rock n' roll is a non-issue. Chinese rock music is about artistic expression and social misfitry, getting drunk and playing Metallica covers in warehouses.

As such, the song, if it even has a message (I'm not sure what Rose means by a "Chinese stew," but I hope it's 牛肉粉丝), feels miles away from any reality on the ground in this country. And also, the falsetto backing vocals should be louder.