If only as many people cared about Velvet Revolver’s music as they did about the machinations behind the sorta-supergroup, which sort of imploded back in April when Scott Weiland was pushed out of the band by former Guns N’ Roses members Slash, Duff, and Matt Sorum/jumped to cash in on a Stone Temple Pilots reunion tour. In the ensuing months, while Weiland was falling into drum risers and making porny videos, pretty much every male hard-rock singer between the ages of 31 and 49 was rumored to have been a favorite for the vocalist gig. A look back on the top contenders after the jump.

Chester Bennington. This was one of those rumors started by those British magazines that seem to think playing telephone while drunk is how to report, and was quickly scuttled by the singer himself. Not surprising, given that he’s in a successful band and all.

Royston Langdon. The former Spacehog singer was the No. 1 rumored candidate for a good chunk of the summer, and despite being “fucking awesome” according to Duff, he was a no go.

Lenny Kravitz. Well, he is friends with Slash. Just think how “Always On The Run ‘09″ would sound!

Some Australian guy. We got a tip about an unnamed dude who could apparently “sing up a storm” who was the front-runner for the job. Sadly, it didn’t seem to pan out, perhaps because reanimating the corpse of Bon Scott for a full arena tour proved too hard for scientists (and too expensive after the band and its label parted ways).

Axl Rose. OK, this was more “fan fiction written by every former Guns N’ Roses fan” than “actual possibility borne by the two camps making up” (they haven’t), but who here doesn’t think that an album by this lineup wouldn’t sell better than Chinese Democracy and Libertad combined?

80 ‘08 (and Heartbreak)