Axl Rose instructs his lawyers

Axl Rose has launched a lawsuit which, besides much else, seems to construct a conspiracy theory claiming his ex-manager has tried to force Guns N Roses to reunite. How would that work?

What [Irving] Azoff wanted, the rocker says, was the reunion of Guns N' Roses. To execute this, he would sabotage Rose and his new band so that Rose would have no option but to reunite.

According to the filing, "Upon realizing that he couldn't bully Rose and accomplish his scheme, Azoff resigned and abandoned Guns N' Roses on the eve of a major tour, filing suit for commissions he didn't earn and had no right to receive."

Further, Axl says the botched tour cost him money in production startup and rehearsal expenses. Claiming breach of fiduciary duty, constructive fraud and breach of contract, the singer wants at least $5 million in damages.

The Rose lawsuit is a riposte to Irving's good-luck-with-that attempt to claim a large slice of the earnings from a tour - Irving claims Axl violated an oral agreement to shovel over 15% of the take from it.

You'd have to wonder at the business skillz of a man who hangs his potential two million dollar payday on an oral agreement, wouldn't you?

Rose brings the Ticketmaster merger into the expensively-staffed row as well:

Azoff, is CEO, director and majority shareholder of Front Line, whose roster of artists include the Eagles, Neil Diamond, Jimmy Buffett, Christina Aguilera and John Mayer. In 2008, Front Line was acquired by Ticketmaster.

You've got to love the way people will now throw Ticketmaster into the mix as there's just an aura of evil clinging to them.

The good news for lawyers is that both sides have so much money they can probably keep this battle going for years.

[Thanks to Mike E for the story]