Why was Izzy's amp unplugged during the '91 UYI tour?

[wkuk04]

Whatever you do don't criticise Slash on this board, your just placing yourself under an avalanche.

Yeah because criticizing Axl doesn't attract a lot of lunatics telling people to have sex, to stop complaining, to stop making jokes at all. Sure.

Listen dude I know we both registered on the same day and in a few months we will be 10 year members, but please...

BTW, do we get some kind of gift for ten years service?

Edited December 12, 2014 by wkuk04

[Apollo]

Whatever you do don't criticise Slash on this board, your just placing yourself under an avalanche.

That's a false statement.

I've noticed that a large portion of your posts seem specifically designed to add fuel to the idiotic slash-vs-axl stance that a few people have childishly taken.

Lots of people criticize Slash on here.

This is a fan forum for the band GnR. Most people come here to talk about the band, their past, their future, current members, past members, etc. Not every topic and conversation has to be slash-vs-axl.

There is a difference between real criticism and fake criticism (solely based on one's love of Axl).

You should get rid of that silly feud thing you've so tightly bought into and just chat with other GnR fans.

Here - watch - I'll do it. And let's see if I get an avalanche of hate:

I think Axl would have been a huge star even if he'd never hooked up with Slash in a band.

I don't think Slash would have reached his level of being a guitar God if he hadn't hooked up with Axl.

I hated Velvet Revolver. Thought they were extremely boring and clichéd.

I think Slash's new album is way too long. I can never listen to it all in one sitting as it starts to drag on.

I never liked his "image".....the hat, always smoking, always with a whisky bottle, etc.

If I had 10 concert tickets for 2015 and I could only use them on GnR or Slash shows - I'd use 9 of them for GnR and 1 to see Slash.

Edited December 12, 2014 by Apollo

[rudolf1978]

Whatever you do don't criticise Slash on this board, your just placing yourself under an avalanche.

That's a false statement.

I've noticed that a large portion of your posts seem specifically designed to add fuel to the idiotic slash-vs-axl stance that a few people have childishly taken.

Lots of people criticize Slash on here.

This is a fan forum for the band GnR. Most people come here to talk about the band, their past, their future, current members, past members, etc. Not every topic and conversation has to be slash-vs-axl.

You should get rid of that silly feud thing you've so tightly bought into and just chat with other GnR fans.

Here - watch - I'll do it. And let's see if I get an avalanche of hate:

I think Axl would have been a huge star even if he'd never hooked up with Slash in a band.

I don't think Slash would have reached his level of being a guitar God if he hadn't hooked up with Axl.

I hated Velvet Revolver. Thought they were extremely boring and clichéd.

I think Slash's new album is way too long. I can never listen to it all in one sitting as it starts to drag on.

I never liked his "image".....the hat, always smoking, always with a whisky bottle, etc.

If I had 10 concert tickets for 2015 and I could only use them on GnR or Slash shows - I'd use 9 of them for GnR and 1 to see Slash.

Axl and Slash would not be rock star if they not started to play together

Axl is a BIG LIER,we have seen many times he has lie.........or tell his truth ,wich is really weird

Slash is not good for sure,and sometimes send shit to Axl.

I think both are really finished.I dont see the mighty slash that people say,like you i dont like any album since he left Gnr.

[Apollo]

I like how everyone focuses on the fucking playing style and not the fact that, you know, Izzy wrote most of that classic shit? If Slash and the rest of the band didn't like Izzy's playing, you'd think they'd get over it because without actual SONGS, there's no records to play ON.

Izzy, Slash and Axl were all needed... then Duff... but without Izzy, none of them are famous right now. Not one.

Sorry - but I 100% disagree with that.

Izzy didn't write most of the classic sh*t. And if Izzy was the sole reason the band (and other members became famous) why didn't his career skyrocket when he left GnR? Why didn't the members he played with become superstars?

Here are songs solely written by Izzy - with no other band members getting credit:

Think About You, Patience, You Aint The First, Double Talking Jive and Pretty Tied Up.

One of those songs was a hit.

Here are songs that Izzy received no writing credits for:

Civil War, Jungle, Rocket Queen, Estranged, November Rain, Yesterdays, it's So Easy, Breakdown, Coma, Locomotive.

Was Izzy vital to the success of early guns? Without a doubt.

But to raise him to God like status and say that powerhouses like Axl and Slash wouldn't have became famous without him......utterly ridiculous and 100% false.

None of the core group has been as successful without the other guys. An Izzy Stradlin solo album is going to sell 1,800 copies.

[tentonneskeleton]

Izzy didn't write most of the classic sh*t. And if Izzy was the sole reason the band (and other members became famous) why didn't his career skyrocket when he left GnR? Why didn't the members he played with become superstars?

Didn't he release most of his albums on his own? Through iTunes?

Plus, Izzy was always kind of below the radar and he never got as much attention as any of the other members did. It's no surprise he got even less attention after the left the band.

[ludurigan]

Still a problem for him on recent tours:

How did it feel to play four or five GN’R songs every night? Did you have to learn some of them again?

Izzy: “Yes I had forgotten them almost completely. I had to learn to play them again.”

Which song was the hardest?

Izzy: "Nightrain.” I kept forgetting the part in the middle, I don’t know why, after all I wrote it!"

http://chinese-democracy.blogspot.co.uk/2008/11/exclusive-interview-with-izzy-stradlin.html

I did once ask if he was unplugged at 2012 shows, but then someone replied with a vid of 14 Years where you can see that he misses the first note and it isn't heard, I can't find it right now.

Hopefully they bring back Dust N' Bones for his next guest appearances.

In 1993, Izzy was TWO years out of Guns n' Roses but he had played those songs non-stop for basically 5 years.

In 2006, Izzy hadn't played those songs for FIFTEEN years.

[TheSeeker]

During the 2002 rant in the OP, Axl says "that worked especially well in Tel Aviv".

GNR only played Tel Aviv in 1993 during Izzy's 5-gig return stint:

05.22.93 - Hayarkon Park, Tel Aviv, Israel

opening acts: Brian May
set: It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Welcome To The Jungle, Attitude, Double Talkin' Jive, You Ain't The First, You're Crazy, Used To Love Her, Patience, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, November Rain, You Could Be Mine, Hava Nagila [intro] / Sweet Child O' Mine, Dead Horse, Paradise City
attendance: 40,000
audio/video recording?: no
notes: This setlist is not 100% correct, but as close to what was played. Thanks to Johnny G. for this info. GN'R embark on the Holy Land. Izzy returns to the band for the first of five dates. Gilby had broken his wrist in a motorcycle accident so a replacement was needed. During the show, the band played a short version of a famous Hebrew song "Hava Nagila."

​So he was whacked out of his mind in 1993, not necessarily at the beginning of the UYI tour

[ludurigan]

Axl, Duff, Slash should have begged him to stay.

How? Izzy disappeared all of the sudden.

I remember Slash saying that Izzy didn't talk to the band at all when he decided to quit, he did it through lawyers. And they were all pretty pissed about it. Why would they have begged him to stay?

I'm not surprised Axl was so butthurt about it. I would be too.

I don't remember exactly how it went, but I guess it happened like this:

Before leaving GNR, Izzy was handed a contract by Axl.

This "contract" said something like this: from that point on Izzy was going to make less money than the other guys because he didn't "move" enough onstage.

[DieselDaisy]

The problem with Axl and Slash is, Izzy is unpretentiously cool. Axl dressed - still does dress - like a moron. Slash has this stupid hat on. They had to become these big 'rock god' cartoon characters. Izzy is inherently, cool. He does not even care about celebrity or stupid videos or silliness like that - Izzy is above that. 'Moving on stage' - what idiocy is that? Has Axl never heard of John Entwhistle? Every band knows you cannot have five imbeciles up there, you need a guy to anchor things. Townsend and Moon were acting like nutters, Roger, a barechested rock god. You needed Entwhistle to bring some stability to the thing.

[Lim666]

Slash has this stupid hat on.

Axl has aswell since about 2010. He still loves Slash ;-)

[Rustycage]

Axl wanted GNR to be animated and the pioneers of this stage set:

[Nosaj Thing]

Here we can hear Axl completely out of breath trying to rant like in the old days. Embarrassing. Plus, Izzy was clean in 1993, so here we have Axl lying once again about his former bandmates.

Axl is an even bigger liar than you thought. Izzy has been sober since December 15th 1989!

Yes, he's been always full of shit. I'm glad there's a SBD recording of that show, so we have proof of his lies and bullshit.

So what about the Slash quotes posted that corroborate much of the story? Is he full of 'lies and bullshit' too?

Either way, petty as they both can be, I don't believe they're dumb enough to have been turning down his amp if he sounded really great.

Did Slash imply that they had to turn Izzy's amp down in Tel Aviv because he was so whacked out of his mind? I'm not questioning if they did turn his amp down or not, I'm questioning why. By 1993 Izzy was clean, so whatever the reason was, it wasn't because of drugs. Axl, as always, was lying about Izzy in that 2002 rant.

As for the other quotes about Slash saying that "he didn't know Izzy hadn't picked up a guitar in a about year!", yeah, that's bullshit too. They were all talking shit about Izzy because he left them hanging -- twice.

Edited December 13, 2014 by Nosaj Thing

[DieselDaisy]

Here we can hear Axl completely out of breath trying to rant like in the old days. Embarrassing. Plus, Izzy was clean in 1993, so here we have Axl lying once again about his former bandmates.

Axl is an even bigger liar than you thought. Izzy has been sober since December 15th 1989!

Yes, he's been always full of shit. I'm glad there's a SBD recording of that show, so we have proof of his lies and bullshit.

So what about the Slash quotes posted that corroborate much of the story? Is he full of 'lies and bullshit' too?

Either way, petty as they both can be, I don't believe they're dumb enough to have been turning down his amp if he sounded really great.

Did Slash imply that they had to turn Izzy's amp down in Tel Aviv because he was so whacked out of his mind? I'm not questioning if they did turn his amp down or not, I'm questioning why. By 1993 Izzy was clean, so whatever the reason was, it wasn't because of drugs. Axl, as always, was lying about Izzy in that 2002 rant.

As for the other quotes about Slash saying that "he didn't know Izzy hadn't picked up a guitar in a about year!", yeah, that's bullshit too. They were all talking shit about Izzy because he left them hanging -- twice.

These two individuals, Axl and Slash, are pathological liars. Izzy and Duff are the only ones I believe.

[stella]

Izzy said in his interview in the beginning of UYI tour that they have so many new songs he can't even remember all of them. And he sounded like he doesn't give a shit about it. Maybe there is a reason.

That would be my guess...he wasn't unable to play the songs because of chemical impairment or because of lack of ability; he was unwilling to play them because he was indifferent.

Edited December 13, 2014 by stella

[ludurigan]

These Slash 1993 quotes badtalking Izzy are really hard to believe because everybody knows that Slash and Duff were out of this planet during the Illusion era.

According to everybody around them, and according to themselves, they were basically zombie-like-drunks-and-junkies in 1991-1992-1993. Many people have described them like that in that era, including Axl, Izzy and Slash and Duff themselves.

That doesn't mean they are unable to express discontent with a fellow band mate, does it?

On "general comments about his playing style and contributions", please add what Slash (now sober) had to say about Izzy in a very recent interview, he seems to have changed his mind a lot.

Sure! Slash has said lots of nice things about Izzy's guitar skills. The reason why I didn't post them was that my objective was to substantiate the argument that Izzy wasn't cutting it during the 5 shows in 1993. Slash comments from that period clearly imply that Izzy was ill-prepared, didn't make an effort, and that the shows suffered as a result.

Here are all my quotes where Slash talks about Izzy's guitar playing (please send me more if you have!):

When we first met we didn't click musically at all. lzzy and Axl had a band together. I wanted to get Axl and I didn't want to work with another guitar player because I'd never done it before. Working with other guitar players. I couldn't be in control of what was happening on the guitar. I wanted to get Axl away from lzzy, which was impossible. At the time when I met Axl we started a band and lzzy was in it, but he split to join a band called London. which I had just quit. That was cool, so me and Axl had a band going. That broke up. Eventually Axl joined L.A. Guns. Then lzzy joined L.A. Guns because everybody just wanted to be in a band and be working. That didn't work out and I got this call that said, do you want to come back and play with us? At first I didn't want to do it because me and Axl had been through some bad times together. I did it and worked with lzzy because that's what was happening. It was the only band I could find that I could relate to. If you listen to the record, me and lzzy don't play anything alike. Our sound is completely different. He doesn't play lead hardly at all, but his rhythm style is cool. I was a lot heavier than he was. But we worked it out and it wasn't even a conscious thing. We just played together and eventually got better and better and now we sort of jell more [Guitar For The Practising Musician, September 1988]

About Izzy's contributions to Appetite for Destruction: Izzy's stuff was one take - there's no way he was going to come down and rerecord it, and he didn't have to: his playing is so here and there, just the essence of great rhythm guitar playing, that spending too much time on it, or recording it on top of the live track, is just silly. Basically, what Izzy played was the simple heart of the songs, no matter who wrote them; if everything else was taken off one of our songs, you'd hear the grace of Izzy's simple scratch rhythms (...) Izzy played all around the riffs that I'd be playing beside Duff: he and I would do Led Zeppelin-style single.note riffs while Izzy brought simple chords patterns that fell around the beat instead of on it. For every downbeat, Izzy had an upbeat. It made for a pretty complex-sounding rock-and-roll band, but at its core it was very simple executed [bozza, Anthony, & Slash (2007). Slash. Harper Entertainment: New York. p. 172]

We don't work out our parts. If it's Izzy's song I might turn the riff around a little bit and add something. But he'll play his part the way he wrote it - very loose, very Stonesy. When it comes to my tunes, I write riffs that are a lot more intricate - that's my style. So he just takes his style and and adds it to my riffs. Usually, for every five notes on that side [points left and chuckles]. [...] Izzy keeps it loose; he's got a great rhythm style [slash - The Hands Behind The Hype, Guitar Player, December 2012]

About The Spaghetti Incident?: I love recording like this. During Appetite..., Lies and Use Your... I had to put up with Izzy the whole time. I never liked playing with him. It was wonderful to escape him on this record. It sounds tighter and so much cooler than anything we've done before. I always got irritated over Izzy's way of playing. It didn't sound right. Before "Spaghetti", we erased his guitar and Gilby put on a new one. It sounded perfect! [Okej, November? 1993]

I really looked forward to playing with him again and really hoped that he had changed. I booked a place before the first gigs in Tel Aviv to rehearse. But Izzy thought it was unnecessary, that it was just wasted time. He hadn't changed one bit and therefore the gigs turned out the way they did. [...] Izzy simply doesn't like playing rock at the level where we are right no. We understand it no and I'm personally very fucking disappointed at his previous behavior slash#1234">[Metal Zone, December 1993]

Izzy basically left while we were recording the "...Illusion" records. He's not on half of those records. He hardly even played on his own songs! [Kerrang! January 1994]

It was my idea to call Izzy; I thought it would be interesting. I didn't know he hadn't picked up his guitar in the last fucking year! It was really nice at first, because regardless of whatever animosity, it wasn't anything so deep-rooted that it didn't blow over. So, we hung out, we went shopping in London together, we had fun. Then right towards the end he turned around and did certain things that were so fucked. Right towards the fifth date, because of his hand Gilby still wasn't sure if he was going to be able to play, and Izzy all of a sudden turned around and stabbed us in the back again, asked for an amazing amount of money to do one show - it's like, 'I can't believe this, go home!'. That's the last time we talked. I don't know what's going on in his head...I have this great photo of Gilby, Izzy and Ronnie Wood together - the flunkies from hell [Kerrang! March 1994]

Talking about Izzy replacing Gilby: "Fuck it," Axl said. "Let's call Izzy." I was surprised and happy to hear that Izzy went for it (...). Izzy showed up...with dreadlocks...and hadn't practised one song. So we did what we could [bozza, Anthony, & Slash (2007). Slash. Harper Entertainment: New York, p.369-370]

I never really have to go, "Izzy, play this part this way." He just plays his thing his own way, and we never really talk about it much. Last night, we went in and took two songs from scratch, just basic chord changes, and worked them into full songs. That's one of the things about me and Izzy working together, he knows where I'm at, and I know where he's at. And that's the way it's always been. I make up something that accompanies his part, and at the same time accents it, and he does the same with my parts. We have that kind of chemistry. We've always been good friends, so for us to get in a room and play is a very easy thing to do [Guitar One Magazine, 2002]

Dave [Kushner] and Izzy are the only two guitar players I really mesh with [Velvet Revolver, Total Guitar #121 April 2004]

It is interesting to look at the dates of the quotes, as well as other quotes of Slash talking about Izzy, and put them in the context of what was happening at the time. Slash was supportive of Izzy in the beggining before Izzy left, after all, they were a "band of brothers"; then slammed him for quitting the band, as Axl also did; then slammed him again for the debacle in 1993 when Izzy met unprepared yet wanted more money from appearing with the band; when Velvet Revolver started and they were buddies again and Slash would make more comoplimentary comments; and in more recent years when I guess Slashs allows himself to be more gracious towards him again.

thanks for posting these, great to read all that stuff.

where do you find all these? a collection of articles? amazing!

agree with your coments on the last paragraph

i just can't agree that izzy was unprepared in 1993, i have listened to both Milton Keynes shows and izzy sounds terrific (as always)

[SoulMonster]

These Slash 1993 quotes badtalking Izzy are really hard to believe because everybody knows that Slash and Duff were out of this planet during the Illusion era.

According to everybody around them, and according to themselves, they were basically zombie-like-drunks-and-junkies in 1991-1992-1993. Many people have described them like that in that era, including Axl, Izzy and Slash and Duff themselves.

That doesn't mean they are unable to express discontent with a fellow band mate, does it?

On "general comments about his playing style and contributions", please add what Slash (now sober) had to say about Izzy in a very recent interview, he seems to have changed his mind a lot.

Sure! Slash has said lots of nice things about Izzy's guitar skills. The reason why I didn't post them was that my objective was to substantiate the argument that Izzy wasn't cutting it during the 5 shows in 1993. Slash comments from that period clearly imply that Izzy was ill-prepared, didn't make an effort, and that the shows suffered as a result.

Here are all my quotes where Slash talks about Izzy's guitar playing (please send me more if you have!):

When we first met we didn't click musically at all. lzzy and Axl had a band together. I wanted to get Axl and I didn't want to work with another guitar player because I'd never done it before. Working with other guitar players. I couldn't be in control of what was happening on the guitar. I wanted to get Axl away from lzzy, which was impossible. At the time when I met Axl we started a band and lzzy was in it, but he split to join a band called London. which I had just quit. That was cool, so me and Axl had a band going. That broke up. Eventually Axl joined L.A. Guns. Then lzzy joined L.A. Guns because everybody just wanted to be in a band and be working. That didn't work out and I got this call that said, do you want to come back and play with us? At first I didn't want to do it because me and Axl had been through some bad times together. I did it and worked with lzzy because that's what was happening. It was the only band I could find that I could relate to. If you listen to the record, me and lzzy don't play anything alike. Our sound is completely different. He doesn't play lead hardly at all, but his rhythm style is cool. I was a lot heavier than he was. But we worked it out and it wasn't even a conscious thing. We just played together and eventually got better and better and now we sort of jell more [Guitar For The Practising Musician, September 1988]

About Izzy's contributions to Appetite for Destruction: Izzy's stuff was one take - there's no way he was going to come down and rerecord it, and he didn't have to: his playing is so here and there, just the essence of great rhythm guitar playing, that spending too much time on it, or recording it on top of the live track, is just silly. Basically, what Izzy played was the simple heart of the songs, no matter who wrote them; if everything else was taken off one of our songs, you'd hear the grace of Izzy's simple scratch rhythms (...) Izzy played all around the riffs that I'd be playing beside Duff: he and I would do Led Zeppelin-style single.note riffs while Izzy brought simple chords patterns that fell around the beat instead of on it. For every downbeat, Izzy had an upbeat. It made for a pretty complex-sounding rock-and-roll band, but at its core it was very simple executed [bozza, Anthony, & Slash (2007). Slash. Harper Entertainment: New York. p. 172]

We don't work out our parts. If it's Izzy's song I might turn the riff around a little bit and add something. But he'll play his part the way he wrote it - very loose, very Stonesy. When it comes to my tunes, I write riffs that are a lot more intricate - that's my style. So he just takes his style and and adds it to my riffs. Usually, for every five notes on that side [points left and chuckles]. [...] Izzy keeps it loose; he's got a great rhythm style [slash - The Hands Behind The Hype, Guitar Player, December 2012]

About The Spaghetti Incident?: I love recording like this. During Appetite..., Lies and Use Your... I had to put up with Izzy the whole time. I never liked playing with him. It was wonderful to escape him on this record. It sounds tighter and so much cooler than anything we've done before. I always got irritated over Izzy's way of playing. It didn't sound right. Before "Spaghetti", we erased his guitar and Gilby put on a new one. It sounded perfect! [Okej, November? 1993]

I really looked forward to playing with him again and really hoped that he had changed. I booked a place before the first gigs in Tel Aviv to rehearse. But Izzy thought it was unnecessary, that it was just wasted time. He hadn't changed one bit and therefore the gigs turned out the way they did. [...] Izzy simply doesn't like playing rock at the level where we are right no. We understand it no and I'm personally very fucking disappointed at his previous behavior slash#1234">[Metal Zone, December 1993]

Izzy basically left while we were recording the "...Illusion" records. He's not on half of those records. He hardly even played on his own songs! [Kerrang! January 1994]

It was my idea to call Izzy; I thought it would be interesting. I didn't know he hadn't picked up his guitar in the last fucking year! It was really nice at first, because regardless of whatever animosity, it wasn't anything so deep-rooted that it didn't blow over. So, we hung out, we went shopping in London together, we had fun. Then right towards the end he turned around and did certain things that were so fucked. Right towards the fifth date, because of his hand Gilby still wasn't sure if he was going to be able to play, and Izzy all of a sudden turned around and stabbed us in the back again, asked for an amazing amount of money to do one show - it's like, 'I can't believe this, go home!'. That's the last time we talked. I don't know what's going on in his head...I have this great photo of Gilby, Izzy and Ronnie Wood together - the flunkies from hell [Kerrang! March 1994]

Talking about Izzy replacing Gilby: "Fuck it," Axl said. "Let's call Izzy." I was surprised and happy to hear that Izzy went for it (...). Izzy showed up...with dreadlocks...and hadn't practised one song. So we did what we could [bozza, Anthony, & Slash (2007). Slash. Harper Entertainment: New York, p.369-370]

I never really have to go, "Izzy, play this part this way." He just plays his thing his own way, and we never really talk about it much. Last night, we went in and took two songs from scratch, just basic chord changes, and worked them into full songs. That's one of the things about me and Izzy working together, he knows where I'm at, and I know where he's at. And that's the way it's always been. I make up something that accompanies his part, and at the same time accents it, and he does the same with my parts. We have that kind of chemistry. We've always been good friends, so for us to get in a room and play is a very easy thing to do [Guitar One Magazine, 2002]

Dave [Kushner] and Izzy are the only two guitar players I really mesh with [Velvet Revolver, Total Guitar #121 April 2004]

It is interesting to look at the dates of the quotes, as well as other quotes of Slash talking about Izzy, and put them in the context of what was happening at the time. Slash was supportive of Izzy in the beggining before Izzy left, after all, they were a "band of brothers"; then slammed him for quitting the band, as Axl also did; then slammed him again for the debacle in 1993 when Izzy met unprepared yet wanted more money from appearing with the band; when Velvet Revolver started and they were buddies again and Slash would make more comoplimentary comments; and in more recent years when I guess Slashs allows himself to be more gracious towards him again.

thanks for posting these, great to read all that stuff.

where do you find all these? a collection of articles? amazing!

agree with your coments on the last paragraph

i just can't agree that izzy was unprepared in 1993, i have listened to both Milton Keynes shows and izzy sounds terrific (as always)

This is my source, incidentally also created by myself: http://www.a-4-d.com/t89-izzy-stradlin

I am not saying Izzy WAS unprepared, I am saying that that is what Slash and Axl was claiming.

[ludurigan]

This is my source, incidentally also created by myself: http://www.a-4-d.com/t89-izzy-stradlin

I am not saying Izzy WAS unprepared, I am saying that that is what Slash and Axl was claiming.

great, i understand it now, thanks

[Strange Broue]

This thread needs a bump for people who think Izzy is really neccessary

[RockerRoller]

These Slash 1993 quotes badtalking Izzy are really hard to believe because everybody knows that Slash and Duff were out of this planet during the Illusion era.

According to everybody around them, and according to themselves, they were basically zombie-like-drunks-and-junkies in 1991-1992-1993. Many people have described them like that in that era, including Axl, Izzy and Slash and Duff themselves.

That doesn't mean they are unable to express discontent with a fellow band mate, does it?

On "general comments about his playing style and contributions", please add what Slash (now sober) had to say about Izzy in a very recent interview, he seems to have changed his mind a lot.

Sure! Slash has said lots of nice things about Izzy's guitar skills. The reason why I didn't post them was that my objective was to substantiate the argument that Izzy wasn't cutting it during the 5 shows in 1993. Slash comments from that period clearly imply that Izzy was ill-prepared, didn't make an effort, and that the shows suffered as a result.

Here are all my quotes where Slash talks about Izzy's guitar playing (please send me more if you have!):

When we first met we didn't click musically at all. lzzy and Axl had a band together. I wanted to get Axl and I didn't want to work with another guitar player because I'd never done it before. Working with other guitar players. I couldn't be in control of what was happening on the guitar. I wanted to get Axl away from lzzy, which was impossible. At the time when I met Axl we started a band and lzzy was in it, but he split to join a band called London. which I had just quit. That was cool, so me and Axl had a band going. That broke up. Eventually Axl joined L.A. Guns. Then lzzy joined L.A. Guns because everybody just wanted to be in a band and be working. That didn't work out and I got this call that said, do you want to come back and play with us? At first I didn't want to do it because me and Axl had been through some bad times together. I did it and worked with lzzy because that's what was happening. It was the only band I could find that I could relate to. If you listen to the record, me and lzzy don't play anything alike. Our sound is completely different. He doesn't play lead hardly at all, but his rhythm style is cool. I was a lot heavier than he was. But we worked it out and it wasn't even a conscious thing. We just played together and eventually got better and better and now we sort of jell more [Guitar For The Practising Musician, September 1988]

About Izzy's contributions to Appetite for Destruction: Izzy's stuff was one take - there's no way he was going to come down and rerecord it, and he didn't have to: his playing is so here and there, just the essence of great rhythm guitar playing, that spending too much time on it, or recording it on top of the live track, is just silly. Basically, what Izzy played was the simple heart of the songs, no matter who wrote them; if everything else was taken off one of our songs, you'd hear the grace of Izzy's simple scratch rhythms (...) Izzy played all around the riffs that I'd be playing beside Duff: he and I would do Led Zeppelin-style single.note riffs while Izzy brought simple chords patterns that fell around the beat instead of on it. For every downbeat, Izzy had an upbeat. It made for a pretty complex-sounding rock-and-roll band, but at its core it was very simple executed [bozza, Anthony, & Slash (2007). Slash. Harper Entertainment: New York. p. 172]

We don't work out our parts. If it's Izzy's song I might turn the riff around a little bit and add something. But he'll play his part the way he wrote it - very loose, very Stonesy. When it comes to my tunes, I write riffs that are a lot more intricate - that's my style. So he just takes his style and and adds it to my riffs. Usually, for every five notes on that side [points left and chuckles]. [...] Izzy keeps it loose; he's got a great rhythm style [slash - The Hands Behind The Hype, Guitar Player, December 2012]

About The Spaghetti Incident?: I love recording like this. During Appetite..., Lies and Use Your... I had to put up with Izzy the whole time. I never liked playing with him. It was wonderful to escape him on this record. It sounds tighter and so much cooler than anything we've done before. I always got irritated over Izzy's way of playing. It didn't sound right. Before "Spaghetti", we erased his guitar and Gilby put on a new one. It sounded perfect! [Okej, November? 1993]

I really looked forward to playing with him again and really hoped that he had changed. I booked a place before the first gigs in Tel Aviv to rehearse. But Izzy thought it was unnecessary, that it was just wasted time. He hadn't changed one bit and therefore the gigs turned out the way they did. [...] Izzy simply doesn't like playing rock at the level where we are right no. We understand it no and I'm personally very fucking disappointed at his previous behavior slash#1234">[Metal Zone, December 1993]

Izzy basically left while we were recording the "...Illusion" records. He's not on half of those records. He hardly even played on his own songs! [Kerrang! January 1994]

It was my idea to call Izzy; I thought it would be interesting. I didn't know he hadn't picked up his guitar in the last fucking year! It was really nice at first, because regardless of whatever animosity, it wasn't anything so deep-rooted that it didn't blow over. So, we hung out, we went shopping in London together, we had fun. Then right towards the end he turned around and did certain things that were so fucked. Right towards the fifth date, because of his hand Gilby still wasn't sure if he was going to be able to play, and Izzy all of a sudden turned around and stabbed us in the back again, asked for an amazing amount of money to do one show - it's like, 'I can't believe this, go home!'. That's the last time we talked. I don't know what's going on in his head...I have this great photo of Gilby, Izzy and Ronnie Wood together - the flunkies from hell [Kerrang! March 1994]

Talking about Izzy replacing Gilby: "Fuck it," Axl said. "Let's call Izzy." I was surprised and happy to hear that Izzy went for it (...). Izzy showed up...with dreadlocks...and hadn't practised one song. So we did what we could [bozza, Anthony, & Slash (2007). Slash. Harper Entertainment: New York, p.369-370]

I never really have to go, "Izzy, play this part this way." He just plays his thing his own way, and we never really talk about it much. Last night, we went in and took two songs from scratch, just basic chord changes, and worked them into full songs. That's one of the things about me and Izzy working together, he knows where I'm at, and I know where he's at. And that's the way it's always been. I make up something that accompanies his part, and at the same time accents it, and he does the same with my parts. We have that kind of chemistry. We've always been good friends, so for us to get in a room and play is a very easy thing to do [Guitar One Magazine, 2002]

Dave [Kushner] and Izzy are the only two guitar players I really mesh with [Velvet Revolver, Total Guitar #121 April 2004]

It is interesting to look at the dates of the quotes, as well as other quotes of Slash talking about Izzy, and put them in the context of what was happening at the time. Slash was supportive of Izzy in the beggining before Izzy left, after all, they were a "band of brothers"; then slammed him for quitting the band, as Axl also did; then slammed him again for the debacle in 1993 when Izzy met unprepared yet wanted more money from appearing with the band; when Velvet Revolver started and they were buddies again and Slash would make more comoplimentary comments; and in more recent years when I guess Slashs allows himself to be more gracious towards him again.

thanks for posting these, great to read all that stuff.

where do you find all these? a collection of articles? amazing!

agree with your coments on the last paragraph

i just can't agree that izzy was unprepared in 1993, i have listened to both Milton Keynes shows and izzy sounds terrific (as always)

This is my source, incidentally also created by myself: http://www.a-4-d.com/t89-izzy-stradlin

I am not saying Izzy WAS unprepared, I am saying that that is what Slash and Axl was claiming.

Didn't you borrow almost all the info for a-4-d from gnrinfo.tk? That was the original GNR song info site

[Tom-Ass]

Izzy's amp wasn't unplugged.. Go listen to or watch the performances.. Just another Axl lie when he was trying to belittle the ex members.

[James Bond]

It was mixed way low half the time (as was Gilby's), but it wasn't unplugged.

[sonofnazareth]

because the people who turned off his amp were bullies.

[The Macaroni Incident?]

Fuck 'em.

GNR hasn't done jackshit since Izzy left in 1991.

[superloconoriega]

Izzy > GNR

[Estranged1]

Shoulda unplugged DJ last tour