Axl Rose, the lead singer of questionable sanity for legendary rock band Guns N' Roses, has pretty much dropped off the radar except for the occasional random concert appearance (or cancellation).

"Chinese Democracy," Rose's much-awaited epic that's been in the works for more than 10 years, would be the first new GnR album since 1991 -- if it ever comes out.

In other words, the closest you're likely to get to Guns N' Roses these days is by going to see Appetite for Destruction, a Raleigh, N.C., band that bills itself as "The Ultimate Tribute to Guns N' Roses."

With such a dearth of real GnR news, the band stays busy, playing upwards of 200 gigs annually for the past eight years (including a July 11 gig in Indianapolis at the Music Mill).

We caught up with Appetite for Destruction lead singer Chad Atkins at the very un-GnR hour of 8 a.m. to ask him a few questions about legend impersonation, with at least one query themed especially for our Naked Issue.

Tell me about the first time you ever heard Guns N' Roses.

Answer: I was a little late catching them, because the first time I heard them was when "Sweet Child of Mine" was released, and that was the second single. "(Welcome to the) Jungle" was the first release, and then it was re-released after "Child" came out. And I didn't like it when I heard "Child." I was like, eh. But I kind of came around after a while.

How did the whole idea to do a GnR tribute start?

Throughout high school I was pretty much called Axl because I had long red hair and was singin' in bands and stuff like that. I used to cop his style a lot, but I wouldn't admit it.

Miles (Ropelewski), our original bassist, bugged me and bugged me and bugged me about starting a tribute act, so we finally did it -- put some local musicians together and tried it out, played a show just to see what would happen. The show sold out. And so we did it again.

Have you ever had any contact with the guys from GnR? They know you guys exist, right?

I would imagine Axl knows about it. I don't have any proof of that, though. (AFD guitarist) Brandon (Sexton) and I met Slash in L.A. before we were even thinking about starting the band. Super-cool guy -- there's not a bit of rock star to him at all.

**I have to ask you this because this is "the Naked Issue." Has there ever been any nakedness or partial nudity at your shows?**

Well, yeah (laughs). A lot of girls in the crowd will treat it as if you're not a tribute band and they're flashing you or whatever. It depends. You can go a long time without seeing it at all, and then it just happens.

Do you ever get tired of playing GnR songs? Or is it fresh to you every night?

I mean, it's not exactly fresh every night (laughs), but I still like Guns N' Roses. What you can get tired of is, after eight years of doing it pretty much full-time, sometimes you kind of envy the regular nine-to-five jobs.

**If you could sit down and talk with Axl Rose, is there anything in particular you would ask him?**

Nah. I mean, not really. I'd probably be interested in seeing what kind of person he is. You hear different things. A lot of people say he's a really, really cool guy, and then you hear other things.

**How do you feel about "Chinese Democracy," the GnR album that people have been expecting for years now?**

I don't know if I really even expect it to ever come out, to be honest. I wouldn't tell anybody to hold their breath.

Appetite for Destruction

Where: Music Mill, 3720 E. 82nd St.

When: 8 p.m. (doors open); 9 p.m. (show) July 11

Cost: $15.

Tickets: Box office and all Ticketmaster locations; www.ticketmaster.com or (317) 239-5151.

- By John Staton / Indy.com correspondent