The rare and affectionate mentions of Izzy Stradlin at Guns N’ Roses shows

In 2016, the Armas e Rosas announced the return of the guitarist slash and the bassist Duff McKagan. Many fans were still waiting for the guitarist to return. Izzy Stradlin and the drummer Steve Adler, closing the classic line-up with the vocalist Axl Rose, but that ended up not happening.

Adler He even participated in some shows, but everything indicates that physical problems prevented him from touring with long performances with the band. In the case of Stradlin, the situation is a little more delicate.

In interviews, Rose, Slash and McKagan They said they did not understand why the rhythm guitarist, duly called to return, denied the invitation. It got to the point where Stradlin affirm, through social media, that former colleagues do know the reason: the financial division would not have been equal.

Barbs aside, Axl made two mentions of Izzy during shows in recent times that showed how, despite the problems, the vocalist has affection for his former colleague. The first took place in September 2021, during a presentation in the American city of Atlantic City.

On the occasion (via the Igor Miranda website), the singer told the story of the composition of “Don’t Cry.” Although it was only released in 1991, the song is the first creation of guns, being dated between 1985 and 1986.

“I went to the house Izzy and threw some rocks at his window. He came to the window, he was worried that I had gone there to hit him. We were fighting for months. But it was like Blues Brothers: ‘we have to get the band back together’. We sat down and I said, ‘Hey, I have some depressing lyrics here.’ And he: ‘I have a depressing guitar melody’. Perfect, it worked.” Via Twitter

Guns N’ Roses and “Mr. Brownstone”

The second and most recent situation where Axl Rose quote Izzy Stradlin took place on August 8th. During a presentation in Montreal, Canada (via website Igor Miranda), the vocalist of Armas e Rosas briefly commented on an amusing detail in the lyrics of “Mr. Brownstone” before touching it.

“I remember when we started playing this song, rehearsing, and I asked the Izzy, I was like, ‘What the f##k are you talking about? Get up or wake up around 7’. And he says: ‘Of the night, man, Of the night’.” Via Youtube

The opening verses translated from “Mr. Brownstone” — whose lyrics address how heroin addiction affected his Guns — they say: “I wake up around seven; I get out of bed around nine; And I don’t worry about anything, no; Because worry is a waste of my time | The show typically starts around seven; We go to the stage around nine; We caught the bus around eleven; Having a sip and feeling good.”

It is worth remembering that chemical dependency was one of the reasons that led Stradlinauthor of the lyrics, to leave the GN’R at the end of 1991. The guitarist had recently gained his sobriety and felt out of place, as well as vulnerable to relapse, being on long tours with other addicts. Furthermore, Izzy cited relationship problems with his former colleagues, including his own Axl, with whom he had been friends since school days.