Here Today... Gone To Hell!

Thanks to Archtop at mygnr for posting. Also Will at GNREvo/Chopaway for bringing the news and confirmation.


Apparently Izzy has opened a twitter account, @IzzyStradlin999.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cb2UWNsUMAAWcKS.png)

Here's the tweets:

Izzy Stradlin
‏@IzzyStradlin999

Izzy Stradlin fact..
At this point in time , I`ve no involvement in the upcoming April 2016 GNR shows .


Izzy Stradlin
‏@IzzyStradlin999

Also,I have been writing but I have not been in the studio writing or recording with any of the GNR guys recently .



EDIT: Direct link: https://twitter.com/IzzyStradlin999

Edit 2: Thread title.

I hope that's fake.

Never had the chance to see him live.. was hoping April 8 would change that.

The news originated from GNR Evolution.

http://www.gnrevolution.com/viewtopic.php?id=13709



Hi there!
At this point in time I`m not involved in the upcoming 2016 gigs . I`ve been writing new material but I have not been writing or recording anything with the GNR guys . I`m starting a twitter account @IzzyStradlin999 to drop a bit of info here and there as needed . Big "thank you" to all the people who have asked about my involvement in April shows !
If anything changes I`ll contact you
spread the word
Cheers
Izzy

bummer.

We pretty much had it figured out he wouldn't be returning full-time.

I don't know if that (full-time) is what he's referring to in the tweets, maybe there still are possibilities for surprise appearances like before.

My guess is that this is fake.

The guy posting this on GNR Evo has real links to Izzy.

He ran chopaway.com


Edit: I'm not 100% certain though, maybe someone can confirm?

Ok, I'll take your word.  I know we've seen fake Izzy accounts in the past.

If it is Izzy, sounds like the door is open on his end due "if anything changes..." written.

Izzy will do Izzy, if it fits his fancy he will do maybe his walk on guest spot if he wants, I am sure there would no objections.

From the Chopaway twitter:

Email came from the same account Izzy has always used to contact us :)

Well, if he isn't involved then as I have stated before, it isn't a reunion....just another lineup....no different than Sabbath or Deep Purple or whoever.  :-\

So would you rather they do nothing at all. Who gives a shit if its called a reunion a regrouping or whatever. 

I think ticket sales say otherwise.  :)

I am truly getting sick and tired of people complaining because izzy who hasn't been a full time member since 91 means this isn't a "reunion" the guy hasn't wanted to be back full time.  im sure if at any point in the last 20 plus years if izzy called up axl and said i want back in full time axl would have gladly had him so people please let izzy go if he shows up from time to time let it be that.

Bummer.  I guess we'll just have to see how things pan out from here.

Yes. Izzy marches to the beat of his own drummer. Let him be.

Awesome!! I was hoping that since the beginning! Fortus is a far more technical guitar player than him. 
People need to stop putting Izzy in an altar or something...the guy has zero commitments with GNR and doesnt give a f... for the the fans, He doesn't deserve all this mourning for his abcense imo. Some guest appearances and some songwriting would be enough!

It's not all about the guitar playing though.

You have songs like 14 Years and Dust N' Bones which they probably won't play without him.

That said, Fortus is probably the best replacement there is, rather him than Gilby in my book.

GNR has not used the word "reunion" in any tweets or official statement released from the band.
Not once.

Exactly!...Nobody in the GNR camp have ever used the word reunion. The only ones calling it a reunion are fans and media...then these same fans and media complain that it's not a reunion without Izzy and Steven...News flash people...It's not a reunion and never has been! I think the rumoured lineup is awesome and can't wait til April 8th!

It's not a reunion, is more of a natural evolution. It's the best possible scenario we could have taking everything into consideration.  ;)

If anything is a reunion of the Illusion tour era, with the same three original members that finished that tour. To discuss Frank vs Matt or Gilby vs Richard vs Dave is ridiculous, they're all hired hands anyway...

I just wish he would be involved in writing new GN'R songs. That is the most important thing but it doesn't seem to be the case according to his words. Similar let down to when Izzy officially dropped out of GN'R but I fully understand. Izzy is done being in the limelight with a huge band. All these years never got to see Izzy live. The only gnr member of any kind I've yet to see. Came close at Hammerstein 2006. Hopefully he joins them onstage around New York

Wow I totally spaced out... I saw Izzy at Hammerstein in 06!

Still hoping to see him come out with the band..im sure he will.

No real surprises there if that's from Izzy.

I don't really understand the love in for him either, if he doesn't want to be a part of it that's his decision, but mourning over it like its the end of the world is a little silly too. GNR has replaced him how many times over the years?

This whole deal is driven on Slash being back. The hardcores will say otherwise but it's time to let it go and get on with actually enjoying what's about to happen!

The real surprise is, if that's really Izzy, he actually made a public comment on the topic.  :hihi:

He was pretty specific about April.  Hope the door is still open.

Could be just because that's the only shows that's been announced.

If he isn't in close contact with GN'R, he knows as much as us as far as a tour goes.


But I don't think this means the door is closed on April shows either. I think he meant more 'involvement' as in full-time commitment. If Izzy calls tomorrow to ask Axl if it's ok for him to join them for a couple of songs in Vegas, I would be surprised if the answer was no.

Yeah....major bummer if Izzy isn't involved although he didn't paint the window shut.


Not all fans are obsessed with ticket sales. We all knew those shows would sellout no matter who is in the lineup besides the big 3.

The amount of tickets sold is beside the point.


Of course. It's a "regrouping". Its media and fans that have run with the reunion label.

No its a reunion when you consider Izzy has virtually retired from the business of being in the limelight with a huge band 25yrs ago and counting.

and half the fanbase don't want Steven back or simply don't care who'd behind the kit.

Axl & Slash are part of it therefore it is Guns N' Roses and indeed a reunion. Everyone and there mothers recognize the 2. Can't say the same for duff, izzy & steven or anyone else. Duff being involved just make it a more solid/firm rounded out reunion

Agree! The real news is that  he has a twitter account  ;D

well, this was kind of expected. the twitter account seems legit, confirmed by @chopaway.

Of course he wouldn't say no. He'd probably be thrilled to let him do more guest appearances like he has the last several years. I'd personally be shocked if he doesn't show up for a few songs somewhere.

Personally I've never viewed any of this as a reunion-just a continuation of a band that never stopped.

I know that.......and ticket sales are meaningless....just a bigger cash grab Gnr tour. Pretty sure none of them really need the money. Sorry, that is how I feel.

Don't get me wrong, I am glad that Slash is back and love Gnr being seen more positively in the media and public eye. But, let's call a Spade a Spade.

Izzy and Axl started the fucking band for God's sake. It would be nice if he was engaged.

Sad.  It would be great to see him up there with the boys.

Anyways, he'll probably pop up on a few shows eventually. 
I was just hoping he would be involved with some of the rumored recordings.

It is Izzy's CHOICE to do what he wants. And these GNR shows are going to be awesome. So why do people have to insult them by calling them a cash grab? It is such an exciting time to be a GNR fan. It's like seeing STAR WARS the FORCE AWAKENS on IMAX 3D. Ticket prices for great experiences often cost a little bit more.

cash grab is a bit harsh..... :hihi:

Well that?s a buzzkill.
Won?t feel like GN?R without him, but hopefully something changes and he finds his way there.

It would be... but he simply doesn't want to be...never really has.

I get your point about it being another lineup ... it's just the last few versions simply don't measure up to whats about to hit the stage in my opinion. Not a fair fight.

Counting down the days till I hit Vegas...

Where else but here would we be debating the semantics of whether it's a reunion?  "Reunion" is commonly defined as "an instance of two or more people coming together again after a period of separation" (at least, that's what my 3 second research on Google tells me).

This is a reunion...it may not be a full reunion or complete reunion, or the reunion that you want...but it's a fucking reunion.

In 2015 the most annoying word here was "hiatus"...it's now been replaced with "regrouping".   :hihi:

Seriously.   

Look, Axl has been running this "band" like a sports team for 15 years.  People come, people go.  Contracts are signed and then not renewed.

Well, now he's gone out and signed some free agents, so his team can make a legit championship run.  He's putting a better line-up on the floor.

I always get a very big kick out of the GNR community dictionary!

At least Izzy HAS fans that want him in the band...

Who cares if Fortus is a far more technical player, his contribution to GNR is exactly zero.

But I think I have to agree with Bazfreak.

If Izzy can't be bothered, how long are supposed to hold this candle light vigil?  Sure, I wish he was a part of this in some way.  But its his call, and he can't be bothered.

How is it that the man himself is more at peace with this than his fans from 25 years ago?

If Izzy doesn't want to be there, so be it.  He's a grown man, he can do whatever he wants.  I am entitled to my dissapointment about that, but that's where it ends.

What I can't stand however is how certain people dismiss genuine GNR members in favour of one or more of Axl's hired helps...

If it wasn't for Izzy, we wouldn't be discussing this band 25 years after he left ...

I see that argument.

I'm just not sure I've seen anyone passionately argue for their inclusion that didn't already have a chip on their shoulder about this tour potentially trying to erase the past 15 years like they never happened.  Tend to the same people that try and argue that like, 5 or 6 'Chinese' songs need to be played.

I think its a small minority that is wrapped up in that.  A small minority of the fanbase overall, but certainly a higher concentration of them at this particular site.

The majority is more take them or leave them, from what I see.  Maybe that's just me though.

If Izzy doesn't want to join GN'R he doesn't have any obligation to do it. However I wouldn't call that "awesome". I don't think it is awesome news for a lot  of people going to Vegas or Coachella.

At best, Izzy was going to be an added bonus though, right?

Yeah this sucks. I really love 14 Years and Dust N Bones. Hell Dust n Bones is one of my favorite songs. Damn. I mean Fortus is good, and honestly that is who I expected to be in the lineup with Izzy doing a couple things here and there. Still I'm bummed out. He is an important part of UYI and AFD.

Fortus is really good, but I'd still rather have Gilby.

if it was the case he would be already involved, right?

and if the twitter account is legit, is it a popularity test to get at the negotiating table?

Ummm nope.

I agree its been like a sports team, but he's getting the original team back together. In technical terms I guess he's signed 2 killer UFAs in Duff and Slash, but in reality... in the real world where I live. They are not just hired guns. The real band is back.

Putting a better lineup on the floor? He's better the reigning, defending... never out of retirement lineup back on the floor. Getting Slash and Duff back in the mix isn't the same as ANY other guitarist and bassist.

Stop being so liberal in your thinking. It gets washed quickly.

He is saying he won`t be involed "at this time" in the shows in April. It sounds to me he might be a guest at some point during the U.S. Tour.

Maybe it's the fact that I'm not a native English speaker, but to me "at this point" means right now. As of right now, at this moment in time.

Meaning, things could change between now and then. Or not!



/jarmo

Seems most likely. This isn't a big bomb shell he dropped. Nobody was expecting him to be a big part of this anyway, and his little announcement doesn't mean he won't hop on stage at some point.

So, should...I just stomp my feet, hem and haw, all because I'm not getting what I like and deem necessary?  Is that productive?

I have yet to hear an argument that 2016 will not be the best year to be a GNR fan in forever.  What's to be gained by sitting in the corner, rocking and back and forth, and muttering "this just isn't right, man...this just isn't right, man"?

What's that get me?

Perhaps.

But he said he was not going to be involved in the April 2016 shows.  He was specific on that front.  So no Vegas, no Coachella.

Would they be the more logical and likely times he'd turn up?

I guess, if a tour actually gets announced, he could wander onstage one night it Atlanta or something.  But it would be the very definition of random.

No man, but your terms were spot on, until you acted like Slash and Duff were just another lineup or "team".

I just hate that people are discounting Slash and Duff. Yeah Axl owns the fucking name, so whoever is in Guns N' Roses until he dies is just a "hired gun" we get it man. That still doesn't take away the reality of the situation.

He's putting the All Star team together here. Gn'R never defended their title, the other guys just kinda retired in a way and then like 8 years went by and he resigned a bunch of ufa clowns.

lol just kidding about clowns. This is different. Anyways. I'm thrilled but sad that Izzy is out for now it looks.

Izzy *is* the definition of random.

Hahahaha, true.

Agreed that this pretty much just confirms what we all expected as far as his tour participation, but I was a bit more hopeful about him being in the studio with them.  A bit bummed that he shot that down.

Still, I do wish he will be a bigger part of the tour.  Bringing him on for a random song as the 3rd or 4th guitarist with his amp turned off isn't quite the same thing.  Not be misunderstood, I'm 100% on board with this and I'm loving the whole thing with or without him.  It's just that, along with all his other great contributions to Guns, I really love the dynamic he adds to the band onstage.  His presence has always had a way of grounding certain things.  Kind of like, yes, I know the pyro and dancing strippers are a bit over the top, but that guy gives the impression that this is a genuine, down-to-earth, good fucking solid rock n' roll band.  That element gets kind of lost with any of his replacements.  

Izzy is one of my favorite people for that reason.

However, I think Fortus brings the same kind of vibe. There's nothing that says "fake" about Richard, he's a pretty straight forward rocker.

I love Fortus, don't think he's fake at all, sorry that I gave that impression.  To me, more of a contrast of down-to-earth vs. rock star vibe.  I would say that Fortus is down-to-earth to a degree, but not to the same extent as Izzy IMO.  My hope was that they'd play together. 

Let's say Izzy is not interested now, and never will be again.  Fair enough.

Let's say Axl doesn't want to work with Gilby anymore.  Nothing we can do about it.

Richard is the least desirable but most practical way forward in that case.

You can apply the same thing to the drummer situation: Matt, Steven, and then Frank.  Yes, in that order.

But, God help us, why include Pitman ???

No, I didn't mean that I thought you had that impression of Richard.

It was just my characterization/impression of the guy.

I think if you had told most people that Axl and Slash were going to be on stage in 2016, they would naturally assume it?s for a Guns N? Roses reunion.
Meaning Axl, Slash, Izzy, Duff and Steven and or Matt, whether they know them by name or not.
If everyone is alive, healthy and willing, it?s the obvious move.
Obviously you can?t please everyone, but I?d say that is by far the safest bet.

The people that prefer Richard, Frank and Pitman are very much in the minority, and if you have the classic lineup all on board, you can bill it as a true reunion, eliminating any confusion about whom you are paying to see.

Now obviously that?s in a perfect world, and easier said than done.
As has been discussed ad nauseum, Steve and Izzy haven?t proven to be models of reliability. Nor has Axl, but that?s neither here nor there.
So is Steven involved at some capacity? I think most GN?R fans from their hey day hope he is.

If that twitter account is legit, why is Izzy not involved. Was he offered a spot? Did they lowball him?
If the splits posted were accurate, Axl 50%, Slash 25% and Duff 25%, sounds like maybe they did?

Or is that he just can?t be bothered?

No one is saying that regardless of Adler/Izzy?s involvement, that is isn?t an enormous step in the right direction.
It?s just that after watching GN?R trip over itself for two decades, it would be amazing to see them truly get this right.
I don?t think anyone is rocking back and forth muttering. It?s just some of the good old fashioned completely meaningless speculation/discussion at htgth we know and love.

Jarmo, are you able to verify if the Izzy twitter account is legit?

Yeah that would be cool. Now Eddie Money @Mygnr says his source told him Izzy will be in Vegas

Nobody is dismissing Izzy over a Axl hired help...you got it wrong. What people seem to forget is that this genuine GNR member left the band high and dry in the middle of its most successful tour, when the band was in its career most important stage.  And still, he doesn't seem to have any intention whatsoever of being involved with GNR in 2016...i just cant understand why all the commotion over his non-involvement, I really cant. I said...he could do some songwriting, that would be great! But it seems that its not happening...so lets move on and support the hired help who is in the band for the last 15 years.

Too funny. Who do we believe? Guess we will see in April.

Only in GN'R-land.   :peace:

He's just confirming what GN'R has announced. That the April shows will be the first to see the regrouping of Axl, Duff and Slash.
There's no need for him to go into specifics whether or not there's any additional shows beyond those announced and whether or not he might be involved in any capacity in those.

But my point remains, the tweet said "at this point in time".



No....

 


/jarmo

This suppose "Izzy" is twtting email address from RS and pressuring this Andy guy to check his inbox to verify the email, I say its FAKE! See you Izzy in Vegas!  :beer:

It has reached the internet media.

https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/izzy_stradlin_i_have_no_involvement_in_gnr_reunion.html


If the account turns out to be fake, it might force a comment from some "real" people.  :hihi:

I think the key word is APRIL. We might get to see him later...

If anything, Andy Greene (Rolling Stone) seems very keen on doing a GN'R cover story once the band choose to open up to the press.

As great as Fortus is, Slash and him might not get on well chemistry wise. We know that Gilby and Slash played pretty good together on tour and at least during the TSI album.

Whatever. I'll take Fortus or Gilby if Izzy doesn't want to do anything major. I think he'd be in for a new album though.

That's exactly how I feel about Izzy! He is the real deal, the guy that makes GNR feel like a band, but I did't expect to see him embracing this reunion, although I'm pretty sure this twitter account is fake and he will show up at some point. He's been doing this for years!
I love when they used to sing Dust N Bones together, even Slash would sing a little.

Anyway I'm really happy with this reunion. I haven't heard such good news in the GNR world since...I can't remember!

Where should I start with the 50 + twitter accounts claiming to be me ?
Or do you just roll with it ?

just posted from his twitter

The whole thing is very random

Pretty sure its fake

Beautiful Fake !

Izzy is a nomad ! :rofl:

Ill believe its real the day his account is verified by twitter.

Izzy don't Tweet.

Fake.

Shoot him in that boring fkn face. :hihi:

"Izzy has a twitter account" sounds weird to say!  I'll wait for formal confirmation on this one.

It is fake. The last tweet posted is more than enough evidence. The theory around is that someone has hijacked Izzy's email or something like it

Downliner now says Izzy phoned him up to confirm it is him.

I read what the guy said. Why Izzy of all people would tweet a joke about some t.v. show with an Axl impersonator? Why isn't he talking with the guy of RS magazine after telling him he would send him a email that the guy at RS never got?

April Is:

- HAPPY BIRTHDAY OF IZZY -

 :rofl:

So we get tweets from someone who might be Izzy, and we have confirmations from people who claim to be in the know that it both is and is not him, and "he" also comments on fake profiles, and any confirmation or denial from any source can be doubted.  How delightfully postmodern!  :hihi:  Eh, we'll see what happens when it happens (or doesn't happen).  Speculation and such are fine and fun, but hey-ho. 

I honestly don't know what to believe.

We are both in the same boat

Doesn't GNR management have Izzy's email? I don't think he just showed up and played at past GNR shows.

Fake... But in general, slash and axl are they key.
Without slash, axl who I saw with his new band, was awesome but received almost no Credit from press or fans outside us die hard ones.  Add slash, and instantly they get credited as GNR.  I know izzy is unreal and duff and many of them, but hard to argue that the reunion is not a reunion without izzy.
Slash and axl is what the majority of general fans consider the GNR band.

I'm enjoying this so much.  It is fun to see the world take notice of them again.

Wow! What a crazy day- I'm just catching up now  :hihi:

So the Izzy twitter is really him? Not sure what to believe.

sounds like its his account.

Izzy Stradlin: I Have No Involvement in GN'R Reunion

ormer Guns N' Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin has reportedly made a Twitter profile and informed the world that he has no involvement in the band's latest reunion.

The profile was confirmed as real and legit by a guy named Downliner, who ran the man's fansite for a decade.

Downliner noted about the profile via MyGNR: "I ran an Izzy fansite Chopaway.com for about 10 years I occasionally get emails from Izzy, like once every couple of years. That's as far as my 'direct contact' goes.

"This is definitely Izzy though, as he emailed from the same address that he has used to contact me for years, and the pic he sent has never been released before. Most old timers will know the Chopaway.com history."

He added: "If this is fake it's because Izzy's email account has been hacked. I don't play games or do the fake insider bullshit, just a fan like everyone else who has been lucky enough to get the occasional update from Izzy to pass along to fellow fans. Since he now has more followers on Twitter than me I guess I can officially retire."

Now, about that reunion thing - Izzy noted through the profile: "At this point in time, I've no involvement in the upcoming April 2016 GN'R shows," adding, "Also, I have been writing but I have not been in the studio writing or recording with any of the GN'R guys recently."

He concluded: "Just wanted to clear up some of the misinformation that is out there."

In one of the recent reports, sources close to the band noted that Slash, Duff and Izzy were reportedly spotted in the studio recording new music. Read about it here. So yes, the whole thing is fairly confusing...

Thus far, the following musicians have been confirmed or linked with the new GN'R lineup:

Officially confirmed via press release from the band: Axl Rose on vocals, Slash on lead guitar, Duff McKagan on bass.

Strongly linked and confirmed via social networks through personal posts or posts by individuals close to the band: Richard Fortus on guitar, Frank Ferrer on drums, Dizzy Reed on keyboards, multi-instrumentalist Chris Pitman.

Rumored with mild hints: Dave Kushner of Velvet Revolver on guitar, Steven Adler on drums, and Izzy Stradlin on guitar.

You can find the upcoming GN'R concert dates below.
Guns N' Roses Tour Dates 2016

04/08 Las Vegas, NV - T-Mobile Arena
04/09 Las Vegas, NV - T-Mobile Arena
04/16 Indio, CA - Coachella Festival at Empire Polo Club
04/19 Mexico City, MEX - Foro Sol
04/20 Mexico City, MEX - Foro Sol
04/23 Indio, CA ? Coachella Festival at Empire Polo Club

https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/izzy_stradlin_i_have_no_involvement_in_gnr_reunion.html

This Is CAOTIC !!!

 :hihi: :rofl: :hihi:

You Remember April 2006 ?

Yeah that's exactly what it means. He's leaving the window open a crack, which is why my panties aren't in a bunch just yet.  :hihi:

But technically this could be right.  Maybe he won't be playing with GNR in APRIL, but after April, he could.  Also, maybe he hasn't been in the studio RECENTLY.  Maybe he has written stuff, but he doesn't consider it to be RECENT.  Maybe November or December isn't recent to him. 

I do hope Izzy pops up at the April 8th show (because I'll be there), but ultimately Izzy's gonna do what he wants to do. He walked away at the height of their fame, seems to have remained friendly with all the guys, pops up when he wants to... Might not make sense to us mere mortals that he doesn't want to be more involved, but I respect it. Kinda what makes him Izzy. I do hope he's writing with the band if there is indeed going to be new music. The whole "reunion" thing is driving me crazy since, as people have pointed out, THE BAND itself is not selling this as a reunion. It's a reunion of Axl and Slash, for sure, but there's no false advertising here as the band isnt referring to this as a "classic lineup reunion". That's all media and "fans". To me, Slash and Duff have rejoined the band. That's a hell of a big deal, but I prefer the current lineup than a full blown nostalgia lineup with Gilby and Matt.  This lineup is gonna kick ass!

Recorded With GNR In 2006

 :smoking:

It's fake people, Izzy hasnt said a damn word yet

Ok, can you explain how it is fake?

So basically we've got a dude that is legit and said that Izzy is saying it is real.

Then we have people thinking it is fake cause Izzy hasn't said officially that it is real?

Personally I think that it is real. Who knows though.

Before this did anyone really think or believe that Izzy's involvement would be anything more than guest appearances at some point of time of his own choosing?  And that the entire GNR band, camp and fans are totally okay with that because it's Izzy?

Why would all of a sudden Izzy feel the need to open a twitter account to NOT explain the extent of his involvement?

And this wouldn't be the first time that someone tried to take advantage of the fans desires and gullibility by claiming to be someone they are not or to claim to be an insider.  And even real so-called insiders can be duped.

IMO, the real Izzy has too many legit outlets to confirm this is him or to get a message out to the fans if he so desired.


Under any circumstances, whether this is real or FAKE, please don't let your desires make you gullible to scams on the internet.

Agree

 : ok:

If the account is legit, Izzy is doing the opposite of that. He does explain the extent of his involvement ? there isn't any (at the moment).

Soon Is The Word

I'm pretty sure it's fake. Hope so it is.
Just a bad-taste joke.

If it's fake, most people would consider that good news yes.

Looks totally fake to me.

If it isn't it'll get verified status pretty quickly.

[UNCONFIRMED] Izzy talks: Not involved with GN'R at this point )

ajjajajajaJAja, With Slash, Without Slash, 4Ever GNR Is Mistery & Caotic

 :rofl: :hihi: :rofl:

Let's see what happens.

The two latest tweets from Andy Greene:

Andy Greene
‏@greeneandy
@emybdc Still trying to confirm. I'm much less skeptical than I was yesterday.

Andy Greene
‏@greeneandy
@emybdc I'm definitely aware of the discussion. I just can't go public until I have absolutely no doubts.

Izzy Stradlin ‏@IzzyStradlin999 7 hours ago: "The trouble with quotes on the internet is that you can never know if they are genuine."- Abraham Lincoln

I believe it's real because just as the chopaway twitter account said, the picture that was uploaded is nowhere to be found on the net, Izzy uploaded. The guy also said Izzy called him.

So what if Izzy now has a twitter account? Axl and Slash are going to share a stage again, nothing makes sense anymore in the GNR world!  :hihi:

can you delve into April of 2006? Ive been reading about Izzy and a fan site. I dont recall any of this.

Why are people having such a hard time with coming to the realization izzy is not involved in this to the level that axl, slash and duff are. Ever since we first saw the video clips eluding to this and the ones confirming it it was always Axl, Slash and Duff if Izzy was involved don't you think he would have been included in any video they put out. Izzy has probably little to no interest in social media but like most people will set up an account does it mean they will use it alot no. Anytime Izzy has made an appearance with GNR in the last several years was there ever any hint or rumor of it NO this will be no different at some point he will probably show up to do a song or two.

I don't know who this is.  I don't know who chopaway is either.
They don't appear to have a "pick up the phone to say hey" kind of relationship with Izzy so why would I care or believe them either way?

Not that it matters.  I personally am fine with Izzy showing up if/when he so chooses.  I think most fans feel the same and over the years have come to accept this too.  Izzy being Izzy.

Also, I think if you showed casual GNR fans a pic of GNR2016 with Richard standing on Axl's right and Slash & Duff on his left, 75% would probably make the comment that Izzy hasn't aged in 20 years!  :hihi:

Andy Greene works for Rolling Stone magazine. If he ends up confirming, it can be trusted.

Okay but I don't understand why that should make him trustworthy on this.  Does he have a personal connection to Izzy?  And if he does, what's taking him so long to confirm or deny this?

What I'm trying to say is that there are too many people inside the GNR camp (whose names we would all recognize as such) that I would want to hear from before believing this is really Izzy's twitter.

Not that it matters either way really.
 
Just don't like the thought that someone is using Izzy's name to dupe the fans or to make themselves appear more inside than they actually are.

I'm not honestly sure what to believe, would like to hear from a trusted and reliable source before I believe this full on.

"Won't get fooled again"- the Who.

No personal connection, but as a professional he would know the proper methods of confirming.

RS isn't exactly the WSJ.  (Not that the WSJ is the WSJ anymore either.)

Has Slash or Duff followed this Izzy999 twitter?  If not, IMO that's a telling sign.

Rolling Stone has done some mistakes in the past yes.

But I can't see that there's any chance Rolling Stone will run with a story coming from a fake twitter account. It's amateurish.

Slash doesn't follow Duff either.

I just find it unusual that it would take them so long to confirm or deny this.


:o  So Slash is confirming that Duff's twitter is fake??!!??
Guess we're going to have to wait for confirmation from Axl's cat's twitter. :hihi:


It does surprise me that they don't follow each other.

The obvious hurdle is no personal connection from before.

I'm no journalist, but if I had to guess I think they have to go through other known and trusted sources who can get to Izzy for a confirmation. It will take longer.

Does anyone know if Izzy has ever talked about his relationship with Axl lets say from 2000 and on when you had this NuGnr lineup. My reason for asking is if there is any of the original AFD5 that i feel axl would have been most likely in contact with in the last 16 years it would be izzy and seeing as izzy has performed with axl in the last 10 years im sure Axl knows exactly where izzy stands in regards to this current tour and any potential future recording. So have just a little patience and once the tour gets under way everyone will know just exactly what izzys role will be or won't be in this.

When Izzy opened his account he send a tweet to this RS assitant editor saying he was also sending him an email. But the guy never got any email from Izzy. He kept sending Izzy more tweets  asking about that email. He even sent Izzy other RS twitter/email accounts and his own phone number. But he never heard from Izzy again.

So  it's odd that Izzy started the whole thing sending a tweet to this guy. Telling him he was also sending him email that the guy never got. Nor he has heard from Izzy again.

Andy Greene is an assistant editor at RS magazine. So he is in a position to contact people and get answers

Andy Greene
‏@greeneandy
@JustinTHW There have been minor developments, but I don't want to share them until I know what's happening for sure. Sorry to be vague.

new tweet

"we are waiting on verification from Twitter
Izzy"

We are waiting on verification from Twitter . "Be patient,can take a while" according to their website .
Izzy

[twitter url="https://twitter.com/IzzyStradlin999/status/702926797407518720"]

Again, please be very careful what you believe.  Saying "waiting on verification" can just be a stalling tactic.

From Twitter:  Most celebs don't petition Twitter for a verified badge by themselves; they have an agent do it for them. Hiring an agent will lend your "public figure" status more legitimacy, especially if you can find an agency with prior connections to Twitter.

Plus anyone can fake an email address like izzystradlin999@gmail.com or @icloud.com or  some other 'hotmail' type service.

I don't think the name in the e-mail address is their big qualification.

If it gets verified, we can trust that.

I believe they try to verify it by the celebrity's OFFICIAL website but since Izzy doesn't have that, I don't know what other means of verification they use.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-SEB-64158


https://www.quora.com/How-do-social-networking-websites-like-Facebook-and-Twitter-verify-celebrity-pages-accounts

Full contact information and photo of an ID I believe.

Izzy apparently told Downliner (aka Chopaway) in an email that his tweet was intended to "have some fun with the fans" aka, he was basically getting a rise out of people...and it worked.
 
If you look at his initial tweets, he comes out and says stuff like "no longer avocado farming"  "wanted to update fans on the April gigs" "writing new music" and that "he just bought a computer"....all lighthearted stuff..... but wasn't involved in the April shows "at this point in time"....meaning if he really wanted to troll fans, he could have said it moments before signing on for the Vegas shows.

Odd sense of humor but Izzy has always had that sort of odd, recluse type of sense of humor....and that's very apparent in some of the lighter songs he's written.

I could totally see him tweeting that, then putting his phone down and signing on for Vegas.  If he wanted to get a rise out of people, that would be the way to do it.  lol

Don't think thats what I said  : ok: I just think Izzy is trolling. I've not heard from Izz since he phoned me to confirm that his email hadn't been hacked  :)

Also why do I have different usernames on every GNR forum. Definitely seems to be confusing the issue because I see people saying that chopaway has confirmed downliners story, or will has confirmed chopaways story etc. It's still just little ol' me reporting Izzy news direct from the man himself like I have for the last 10 years but suddenly a lot more people seem to take notice, and analyse or question everything I say, just because it involves reunion rumors and not his (incredible) solo albums  >:(

downliner/chopaway/will/will (uk)  :rofl:

thanks for coming by to let us know whats up. ive read up on you a bit, and for what its worth, i think you are legit and believe you about your connections with izzy.

Thanks RJ, much appreciated 8) I did post a ton of links at mygnr the other night to try and alleviate fans doubts but then Izzy went and tweeted something and everyone went back to thinking it was a fake account. I'm avoiding mygnr for the time being because I think they're all out for my blood until Izzy gets his account verified  :-\  :rofl:

So to recap: this twitter account that tweeted something we all pretty much figured to be the case was NOT verified by twitter or the Rolling Stone guy or the guy who (supposedly) has direct contact with Izzy.  And also downliner/chopaway/will/will (uk) doesn't understand why people are interested in this and not Izzy's solo music, even though it was this NOT verified twitter account that brought up Izzy's non-involvement in the reunion at this point in time, which again, we all pretty much figured to be the case since he's NOT included in any of the OFFICIAL promotions.

Got it.  Thanks.  : ok:


 

Getting verified on Twitter isn't exactly the easiest thing to get done. Especially for someone who just signed up. So I wouldn't assume the account is fake because it isn't verified. It takes some people years to get verified.

Will seems like a standup guy. I have no reason to think he's making any of this up.

youve done a lot for the izzy fanbase and you have no reason to lie or make mischief. this thing will sort itself out over time  :)

glad you could find a safe haven here at htgth in the meantime!

Even if getting verified on twitter isn't an easy thing to do, Rolling Stone mag hasn't verified it either and neither has will (uk).

If I'm reading this correctly, it does NOT address the validity of the owner of the twitter account.

If the real Izzy wants to be on twitter just to post mindless dribble, that's all well and good.  I just have my doubts that the real Izzy would join twitter and address current GNR matters.  I think he would show more respect for Axl/TB/GNR by letting any and all GNR related info come directly from official sources.

Rolling Stone isn't really in the business of verifying Twitter accounts as far as I know. I venture a guess that Izzy probably isn't the easiest guy to track down. Maybe he's being purposefully mysterious. Maybe somebody is trolling Will, but he says it's him. I have no reason not to believe him. You aren't sold. That's fine. I'm not sure what's so wrong with Izzy posting this info on Twitter, if it is indeed him. You even said, he posted what we already assumed. And it doesn't say he won't pop in or have any involvement along the way. Not sure what the harm is in that.

why doesn't Fernando just let the fans know who will be playing at Vegas and Coachella?
What's up with all the super secret Area 51 nonsense?

Not to be argumentative, but actually, it's pretty easy to get verified on twitter now if you're famous or work for a large company. In the past it was a pain in the ass, but now twitter is actually reaching out. In fact, they offered it to the folks where I work and even myself (and I'm certainly not famous) but I declined because I'd have to use my company email and not my private one.

That said, I don't know if it's him or not. LOL

Gypsy disclaimer:  I do NOT personally know Fernando NOR do I speak for him in any way.

I'm guessing that it's because Fernando is a businessman and as such probably has made contractual agreements with promoters or whomever.  Maybe in the different contracts, Fernando on behalf of GNR agreed to allow certain "firsts" for Coachella or Vegas, etc.  There will be plenty of "firsts" to go around for all the shows on the tour. If Fernando or these different promoters went back on their word and released certain info before the agreed upon timing, then it very might well fuck things up for future commitments.

And I'm guessing it's also Fernando/TB's duty to keep Axl up-to-date on any such agreements so they do not get violated inadvertently.

As in any business, your word is your bond .... especially if it's in writing.

Because since they apparently chose this mysterious approach, it would be quite counterproductive and stupid if he gave it all away on an internet forum.

Agree. 

I also think they consciously decide NOT to address any internet rumors or innuendos, whether it be unannounced tour dates or rumors or something like this thread discussion.  I think they choose NOT to be goaded into responding to bullshit and rumors so as NOT to give credence to them.

Just wait people...all you need is just a little pacience... :smoking:

We're GNR fans.  Patience is just a song title to us.  :hihi:

This is a very wise move, I think  many "newsites " and forums post absolute nonsense and basically anything that would bait somebody into reacting or responding to them, so they would have a story.

Ah, ok.  I totally thought you said Izzy had implied that to you.  But I agree, I think Izzy is having fun with the fans with all of this.... : ok:

I personally do not know Fernando either nor have I had any interaction with him in years.  We briefly spoke years ago when I was a moderator on another forum and he came across as a very nice and straight forward fellow.

That being said, I would tend to agree with you.  I believe there are a lot of legalities involved, between various promoters, agents/lawyers between the band, guest performers (tentative guest performers) etc and I'm sure everyone involved (including Fernando) has their hands full right now.

I'm sure as things get finalized (legally, etc) and Vegas shows come closer, we will hear more about who is involved, what dates, etc.

Well, I know some people who are pretty well known and have hundreds of thousands of followers and aren't verified. I guess it's easier for some than others.

That said, let's remember that it hasn't been verified one way or the other. That is, it hasn't been verified that it's NOT him either. Innocent until proven guilty or the other way around?

I don't see why Izzy wouldn't be involved.  There has to be more stuff still being ironed out

Del isn't verified on twitter either, but there is no doubt in my mind that it isn't him.

That's not a good comparison because Del himself verified it was his twitter by posting on his other social media and inviting people to follow him.

For those who don't know, Del's twitter handle @deljamesgang  : ok:

True, guess it will be a limbo type of situation until it is either verified or proven to be an imposter.

Izzy just posted a video, I guess the twitter account was real, what a bummer if he isnt on the Las Vegas shows!

I would say that video is confirmation enough. I still think Izzy will be involved in some manner.

I know I'm going to be mocked for this... but are people sure that is Izzy in the video?  I'm not.  And even it is, the guy behind the Twitter account could have had access to some obscure Izzy video and uploaded it as "proof." 

This needs verification from someone outside of the Twitter account itself or the Downliner guy. 

Just to let you know.

I asked Alan Niven to verify the Izzy twitter account, and he has had contact from a trusted source who had a phone call from Izzy verifying that the account is real

https://twitter.com/IzzyStradlin999/status/704537465495748608"

https://twitter.com/IzzyStradlin999/status/704537465495748608 (https://twitter.com/IzzyStradlin999/status/704537465495748608)

right on! awesome video!

thanks for the added confirmation mr. ron  :)

This is all starting to become corny and LAME.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/izzy-stradlin-no-involvement-in-guns-n-roses-reunion-20160301

While what you describe is entirely possible, at some point you have to accept the most likely scenario. In this case that would be, it's really him.

I mean, you'd be able to question just about anything for its authenticity. It's an Izzy lookalike, it's a video someone got their hands on, it's someone who sounds like Izzy, it's photoshopped, etc.

That was an awesome 20 seconds, thanks!  Izzy's great.  Shame it looks like he won't be a main part of the reunion tour (or whatever we're calling it), but I wish he'd at least do some shows of his own.  I understand that small clubs and theaters won't pay the cost of travel, but he can at least do LA shows and maybe some Vegas spots.

It is legit not sure what else you need

"At this point in time..."

We'll see.  :)

Just saw this posted over at www.gnrevolution.com by AtariLegend, in case anyone still needs further confirmation. From Rolling Stone

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/izzy-stradlin-no-involvement-in-guns-n-roses-reunion-20160301#ixzz41fG9BY5y

And now the title of the thread has changed to CONFIRMED

Yeah, that's me doing that. Just so there's no confusion, people thinking Jarmo did something that he didn't.

The Rolling Stone article and Izzy's video convinced me.  :)


Just to add, Mysteron's insight as well. Gotta credit Will/Chopaway too!

Well he's out. For now at least.

So many of you were calling fake.

Maybe this will open up the information flow from the GN'R camp a bit.

I think they wanted to have a bit of mystery surrounding these shows, but now that things are clearing up they might as well go public with the line-up for the show? Although, I think we know 99% for certain what it'll be.

The line-up in itself might not be a mystery, but if it's out there and official, I think that could lead to more pictures/videos from rehearsals for instance.

Now that we know it's him, any theories as to whether he's not involved due to his choice or a failure to come to terms?  His tweets don't seem to indicate anything about the reason why he's not involved. 

By the way, who would have guessed that the only guys publicly commenting on all this would be Izzy and Pitman?   :hihi:

Bummer.
Hopefully that changes.
Definitely a fuck ton less exciting without Izzy on board, but cool that he let people know what?s up beforehand.
I'm sure the shows would have sold out regardless, but I'm sure the mystery didn't do GN'R much harm in terms of sales either.
Who would have thought Izzy would be the most vocal of the bunch in 2016?

Everybody knew izzy is out, as ever. He just need an Axl's call and if he wants he can join the guys here and there. That's it.

What i cannot understand is adler's silence, i think he's in, somehow...

Izzy Stradlin Will Have 'No Involvement' in Guns N' Roses Reunion

Reclusive guitarist won't tour with former bandmates and denies rumors of new studio recordings

Reclusive former Guns N' Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin has stepped forward to tell fans that he will not be participating in the band's upcoming reunion concerts. "At this point in time, I will not be playing at any of the April 2016 GNR shows," the guitarist said in an e-mail to Rolling Stone.

"I've also not been in the studio recording or writing with any of the others recently. There is so much speculation, but so very little info, [that] I thought I should reach out."

Stradlin began communicating with the public via the Twitter account @IzzyStradlin999 early last week. It caused a frenzy in the online Guns N' Roses fan community, with many speculating on the account's authenticity. On Tuesday morning, Stradlin confirmed it was him behind the account with a new 20-second video showing the musician singing a snippet of the 1971 Jonathan Edwards song "Sunshine."

"I know there's a lot of questions regarding my Twitter account," he said in a voicemail to Rolling Stone. "But it's me. I opened the Twitter account. There was just so much speculation going on regarding my involvement and studio recording. There?s so much misinformation, so I wanted to clarify that I'm not in the studio recording with any of the Guns N' Roses guys. At this point in time, I'm not involved in the actual shows ... A lot of stuff [fans] are reading isn't true."

Stradlin co-founded Guns N' Roses with childhood friend Axl Rose in 1985. He played a crucial role in creating their 1987 debut LP Appetite for Destruction and the two Use Your Illusion albums in 1991, but quit the group that same year. The guitarist maintained a low profile over the next 15 years, recording under-the-radar solo albums, but in 2006 he made a surprise appearance at a Guns N' Roses show and continued to periodically guest with them through 2014. He is the first member of the classic lineup of the group to publicly comment on the reunion.

I think it may not be a coincidence if we hear some more official news from GNR camp today. I've felt that we would by March 1st.

Agreed.
I've always expected Izzy would just show up a few days, as he's been doing for the last years.
But Steven's silence is really weird. If he's out he would be complaining by now. If he's in somehow or has any hopes to be in...that's the only reason I can imagine for this silence.

Man, it would be nice for Izzy to be there for a guest slot occasionally but to be honest the prospect of ONLY having Slash and Fortus on 6 string duties is nothing short of phenomenal.

Seriously, I really can't think of a better combo.  Fortus is hands down one of the best rock rhythm players out there.  In addition he also has wicked lead chops for an alternative and complimentary tone for solos.   As for Slash, the guy has the most emotive leads going.... This is truly going to be an amazing line up.  

The CD era 3rd guitarist concept added too much weight to the sound IMO and would frustrate me at times when they'd split all the solos amongst the players, to the detriment of the continuity and expression in the music.   Personally, I'm hoping for around a 70%-30% split between Slash and Fortus... enough for contrast in leads whilst keeping the continuity going.

I'm sure there will be some kick ass improvised jams.  Just imagine Slash jamming with Fortus to something like this before launching into Patience... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZppN76mOms   :drool:

The only guy that?s not involved in this GNR reunion decided to speek out, that?s why I think we will see Steven and even Sorum on some shows

maybe they are just going with a new, set lineup and are moving forward....maybe none of them will be involved.... :P

Disappointing but not surprising or unexpected.

Andy Greene (the author of the Rolling Stone article) has extended an invitation to Izzy to do an interview where he can talk about the matter in more detail.

It would be nice to know if he's holding the door open for guest appearances with GN'R.

It sounds like he wants to be a part of it in some capacity. Most assume the most likely role for him to pop in from time to time. But maybe he wants more than that. Maybe he does want a full time role. Seems like he wants to talk, so maybe he will and clear some things up.

Do you know how Andy Greene initially got involved with this?  Since Izzy's unannounced guest appearances in 2006, we are all fine with the unspoken fact that Izzy's going to show up if and whenever he would like to.  No one has ever had a problem with that.  No one expected it to be any other way for the upcoming GNR2016 tour.  In other words, we are all fine with the enigma that is Izzy Stradlin.

That's what made the validity of that first Izzy999 tweet so questionable.  It is so out-of-character from what we have all come to accept of Izzy's interaction (or lack thereof) with the fans.  Add to that the tweet just restated what we all accepted to be the case since Izzy wasn't included in the promotions that ONLY show Axl n' Slash n' Duff.  We all expect that at some point in time, Izzy is going to show up.  Without fanfare.  Without advanced notice.

For me personally, I can't imagine that Izzy would have anything to say to Andy Greene on this matter.  But then again, I can't imagine Izzy tweeting in the first place so I wish Andy all the best and look forward to reading his take on all this.

Andy was the first person Izzy reached out to via twitter, to inform him of his involvement with GN'R.

Really?  Interesting.  Wonder why he wouldn't verify who he was to Andy if that's the case?

Andy was probably thinking like the rest of us that it can't be the real Izzy because Izzy would never ever never twitter.  It's just not Izzy.

That was the discussion a few pages back. We waited for Izzy to confirm his identity to Rolling Stone.

http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2016/03/01/yes-that-is-guns-n-roses-co-founder-izzy-stradlin-on-twitter/

Are we even 100% sure Axl is in the band? LOL. Wouldn't that be funny as shit if you all went to the first show in Vegas and out comes that dude who was singing with Slash's Snakepit or Adler's Appetite. It would suck, but man would I laugh.

Anyway....

By the way, Izzy has posted the full version of the Jonathan Edwards cover "Sunshine".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr-exhTinXk

Steven is quiet because he finally grew up. Why keep crying? Hes just living his life imo...

Here are the lyrics.  If he's not involved because the level of participation (and/or $$) that's been offered to him is not to his liking, then these lyrics seem to be directed at someone...

Sunshine go away today, I don't feel much like dancing
Some man's come he's trying to run my life, don't know what he's asking
When he tells me I better get in line, can't hear what he's saying
Someday soon, I'm gonna make him mine, these ain't dues I been paying

How much does it cost?
I'll buy it!
The time is all we've lost
I'll try it!
He can't even run his own life,
I'll be damned if he'll run mine--sunshine

Sunshine, go away today, I don't feel much like dancing
Some man's come he's trying to run my life, don't know what he's asking
Working starts to make me wonder where fruits of what I do are going
When he says in love and war all is fair, he's got cards he ain't showing

How much does it cost?
I'll buy it!
The time is all we've lost--I'll try it!
He can't even run his own life,
I'll be damned if he'll run mine--sunshine

Sunshine, come on back another day,
I promise you I'll be singing
This old world, she's gonna turn around,
brand new bells will be ringing

It's impossible to know, it would be pure speculation.

He might just like that song.

Yes, impossible to know for sure, but to me the circumstances suggest a likelihood that it's more than just a random song he likes.   

I agree!  :peace:

My guess would be that Izzy is suggesting he's in a similar situation as Axl was when Azoff was trying to force a reunion at a time when Axl was not inclined to do so.

With this scenario it makes sense to me why Izzy would (IMO) so out-of-character join twitter just to state something that as fans we all expected to be the case and accept it as the way/extent Izzy chooses to be involved with GNR.

With these song lyrics, Izzy could be very well sending a FU/not-gonna-happen message to those who want to force him into a larger/permanent role.

IMO, everyone - Axl and the entire GNR band/camp and the fans and Izzy himself - are all fine with Izzy showing up whenever he feels like it.  I think this is something that "the suits" have a hard time comprehending.

Of course everyone who has bought or buys a ticket to shows hopes that their show is one that Izzy chooses to show up at.  ;D


But I'm still not going to follow this twitter page so I thank and am depending on all of you to keep me updated if he posts anything I might be interested in.  As I've said before, I like my Izzy being an enigma.  IMO, his being on twitter just makes him too "normal" for my liking.  :nervous:

Bullshit, contemplation and gossip, eh?  :hihi:

Sure does.

Makes 'King Nothing' look subtle.

Gypsy's theory that he's being pressured into a bigger role might be the case, but we have so little to go by.  Maybe this time he wanted a bigger role given the money involved with this reunion, maybe he did not appreciate that Axl/Slash/Duff negotiated everything without him and then was approached after the fact with basically a mascot role.   It sure was an aggressive move, for him at least, to come out so publicly, as if he wanted to make sure that no part of this would be marketed with his participation.

I wouldn't think that is the case only because the initial tweet specified he would not be involved in the April shows.  Most of us are guessing/hoping that he deliberately left the door open for future shows of his choosing.

Could be, but there are no other shows other than the April shows, though I understand that's likely to change (I sure hope so).  Anyway, if he was leaving the door open for future shows (I'm not too confident that he was), it may be that he's only open if they come more in his direction of the terms he's asking for. 

My feeling is that he sees this tour as different from the Guns concerts he's made cameo appearances at in recent years.  It's a legacy tour in many ways and, as a co-founder, perhaps he would feel slighted just being an appendage on stage in that context instead of his past role as the primary rhythm guitarist.  Granted, I don't have much to back that up and, being such a big fan of his, maybe my own baggage is influencing how I'm seeing this, but that's how I'm seeing this. 

TBH, I hadn't noticed that only April shows were announced.  :-[

Obviously none of us know for sure.  I think before the tweet, everyone just figured that Izzy's involvement was going to be what it has been for the past 10 years.  And since it seemed that Izzy only wanted to be a guest participant, it was a natural thought that Richard would continue in his current role in the band.

By his past actions, I can't imagine Izzy wanting to be a permanent addition to GNR.  (I still can't imagine Izzy tweeting either.)  I do see the dilemma you're suggesting since Richard (IMO) is an integral part of the CD-era songs as well as proven more than capable of doing proper homage to the material prior to his joining GNR.

So if Izzy does want his part back permanently that certainly would be a conundrum for what the identity of GNR would represent, i.e., nostalgia band vs next (final?) phase of the evolution.

Technically, this is NOT a double post because I'm about to question this post of mine and again GeorgeSteele's.

I failed to take into consideration the fact that for the past 15-ish years, GNR has had three guitarists.  If Izzy wanted to be a permanent member again, he could reestablish his role on all the AFD and whichever of the UYI stuff he wants to do.  Richard would have this role on the CD-era stuff plus the second lead on anything Izzy wants rhythm on.   


For this to be case, Axl AND Slash AND Duff would have had to ALL mutually agree to slight Izzy.  And if Izzy believed that ALL three of them conspired against him and his equal rightful place in a GNR legacy tour, I think Izzy's reaction would be a little more intense than an unverified twitter account post and a cryptic message in a cover song video.

I still think that when the rest of the tour dates are set, Izzy is going to be involved to whatever extent he chooses.  And everyone will be more than okay with that.

Yeah, that's a good point re: 3 guitarists.  I was likely off on that, unlikely that he wants anything permanent or more solid.  I think there's 2 issues going on.  On Axl's side, he may feel that Izzy's appearances can't be as random as they had been, whether because of that fact that this tour is just a bigger deal and they need some reliability or because they're talking to Adler and they need to coordinate Adler's and Izzy's appearances so that they're onstage together at specific dates/times/songs.  Izzy may want to come and go where and when as he pleases but probably wants much more money for his involvement than he's gotten in recent years simply because this tour will be making much more money than tours from the past 15 years.  Bottom line, this has a 1991 deja vu vibe to it --- Izzy wanting things a certain way, Axl saying 'fine, but then you get less money and no control' and then Izzy quitting. 


Not necessarily.  Most things GNR are Axl decisions, I don't think that's changed with Slash and Duff back in the picture.  For all we know, they probably sympathize with Izzy on this but that wouldn't be the hill they die on if there comes a time they need to hold firm with Axl on something.



I hope so, but clearly the guy is pissed, so something, whether it's what we're speculating or something else entirely, needs to get resolved. 

I agree. This isn't about Slash and Duff but between Axl and Izzy whatever it is.

I am pretty sure it is money related and they offered him just a few bucks to show up to the early gigs and make cameos. I think that is what this is about. Lack of respect in his mind. These are just my thoughts.

I hope this hasn't sparked a feud between Izzy and Axl and or the other two guys.

Gotta admit... it all sounds very plausible.

I think the questions that need to be answered are in regards to Izzy's commitment to a tour.
Was he offered back in the band? Does he just want to tour? Did he agree and something has changed?  Or does he want to have his cake and eat it too(the occasional appearance but on his terms)? Does he want to write with the band? Basically...Izzy....what do you want! ? And that is an important factor because everything will fall into place after that question is answered. It all starts with Izzy and his commitment.

New Izzy video!

Full song tomorrow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmHn-ra9-xI



"Izzy Stradlin: The Twitter Sessions"  :peace:


Edit: Before anyone asks, the youtube account "Guns N' Roses 2016" is not Izzy's, someone just uploaded his twitter video to youtube.

Yep.. and I wouldn't expect an explanation any time soon!

I'd find it hard to believe they didn't ask him if he wanted to be a full participant. So maybe they did but not pay him an equal share?

Who knows... i'd give anything to be a fly on the wall inside those discussions.

Why would that be hard to believe?

Hypothetically speaking. If you think about it, the whole reunion tour is something that's been pretty much created by outsiders. Maybe for the band members themselves, it's more about Axl regrouping with Duff and Slash again.

If that's the case, then I can see why Izzy (and/or Steven and so on) weren't asked to take part full time (or part time).
In other words, if the tour isn't meant to be some kind of reunion of a specific line up from a specific era, then why would they have to ask everyone involved in said era to be part of the shows?

I hope that makes sense.



/jarmo

Actually, the whole 'reunion' / 'not a reunion' issue may be what prompted Izzy to speak out, particularly if he was not asked to participate. 

Let's say hypothetically, Izzy wasn't asked.  I would imagine that would piss him off.  Also, it's probably a thorn in his side that the media is characterizing it as a reunion even though he, the band's co-founder, is not involved.  I understand the band has done nothing to characterize it as a reunion, but they haven't done much to dispel that, nor have they denied rumors of Izzy's involvement in terms of tour appearances and being in the studio with them.  If we're being cynical here, it's not really in their interest to dispel that, is it?

So Izzy may have seen that as pouring salt in his wound in that, not only he wasn't asked, but the band is still benefitting from the media's characterization that it's a reunion and from rumors that he's a part of it.  So he then felt the need to make clear that he has nothing to do with this. 

Of course, the band is not responsible for rumors spread in the media and everyone calling it a reunion, but regardless, Izzy coming out like this can affect how well the tour does.  Maybe the band doesn't care one way or the other that Izzy went public with this, but I'm sure that some promoters are pretty angry about it. 

I agree the reunion narrative is created by fans and media. People heard Slash and Duff was back, so immediately it's a full reunion.

The thing that makes me think it's plausible Izzy has been asked is the case of Duff. Slash comes in to the band not replacing anybody really, both the lead players had already left, while Duff comes in while Tommy presumably still is in the band. From what I can gather, Tommy stepped aside to let Duff back in.

That makes it plausible that they could've had the same plan with Izzy coming back, replacing Richard.


On the other hand, we have the quotes from Axl in 2012 where he says a "reunion" would only work with Slash and Duff. I think Axl views Izzy and Steven as too unreliable for a full tour. Izzy might not have been asked to participate full time for that reason.

Always with the semantics here.  People will call it a reunion because its Axl and Slash.  That's all that matters to most people.  Izzy and Steven would not have generated much more interest than what we have today.  Certainly no impact to ticket sales.  Izzy hasn't toured in years so what makes anyone think he'd want to be part of this?  He clearly isn't driven by money.  And he has maintained relationships to some extent with everyone, so can't see him being bitter about a reunion between Axl, Slash and Duff. 

I agree that Izzy and Steven not being in the band doesn't seem to affect ticket sales. Slash and Axl is what matters here.

I have seen quite a lot of articles attacking the band and Axl for excluding Izzy and Steven as if we were promised a full reunion. People have created the reunion conception themselves, then gets mad when they find out it's not a full reunion, when in fact, the band has never advertised this as a full reunion.

I guess this boils down to the Axl/Slash feud. People thought "oh, Slash and Axl are getting back together, then there's nothing stopping them from putting the full AFD5 together". Slash was viewed as the most impossible comeback of all former band members.

Legitimately though.

Axl's rhetoric about him was over the top, to almost cartoonish levels.

So what, are people speculating that Izzy was bummed he was asked to take part in a reduced roll?

It must burn Izzy that the media and general public equates 'Axl and Slash reunion' with 'Guns N' Roses reunion'.  He co-founded the band and was a primary songwriter on some of the most iconic songs of the biggest rock band of its generation, yet he hardly registers in the public consciousness.  That's a shame. 

People in general don't have the same strong feelings for him as with Axl and Slash, but there's quite a bit activity in the media writing about Izzy right now.

I wouldn't go as far as saying he hardly registers. He's not quite up on the level of the two main characters, but I think he can feel the love so to speak.  :)

Well, I know I and just about everyone here truly appreciates him, but outside that, the love is far short of what it should be.  And on a related point, I think one can be ecstatic about the upcoming tour with Slash and Duff yet at the same time not acknowledge this as a Guns N' Roses reunion without Izzy.  That's not being semantic, but it's a substantive reason based on the view that he was such critical part of the band during its heyday.   

Point taken.

However .. gun to my head.. I don't think the three of them who all are close with him would go ahead with this without asking him first what and if he would like to take part in this.

It's hard for me to believe that the problem would be between Axl and Izzy.  Izzy has been guest performing on and off with Axl/GNR since 2006 without issue.  And Izzy and Richard performing and interacting on stage together works beautifully and seamlessly so no issues between them either.  There has been ZERO indications of any animosity between Axl and Izzy or Izzy and Richard or Richard and Axl for inviting Izzy to participate.  (And obviously the same could be said about Axl and Duff and Tommy.)

Has Izzy performed with Slash or Duff over the past decade?  If memory serves me correctly, I believe when VR was forming, it was Scott (God rest his soul) who objected to Izzy's input/participation and Izzy was out.  So if history is any indication, this would be yet another case of a "hill Slash and Duff wouldn't die on" for Izzy so they could have leverage for themselves against Axl at a later date??

TO BE CLEAR, I do NOT think that Axl or Slash or Duff, together or as individuals, would have reservations about Izzy being a permanent equally vested part of this rejoining IF that is truly what Izzy wants for himself.

Again, IMO it's an outside entity that wants to force Izzy to participate to an extent that he is not so inclined.

I doubt it.  Izzy walked away by choice in 1991 when the band's popularity was peaking and has never looked back.  He's done his own solo thing over the years with little association with any GNR member.  He's rarely done interviews, and certainly never done any interviews to keep himself even remotely associated with Guns N Roses, even though he could have.

All things considered, I seriously doubt Izzy gives a shit what the media or public are reporting.  He's a man in his 50s who has long since gone on with his life and obviously has better things to do than worry about what a newspaper says, as most people that age do.

I don't know, the guy just said "There was just so much speculation going on regarding my involvement and studio recording. There?s so much misinformation, so I wanted to clarify that I'm not in the studio recording with any of the Guns N' Roses guys. At this point in time, I'm not involved in the actual shows ... A lot of stuff [fans] are reading isn't true."  To me, that sounds like someone who cares about what's being reported. 

Is that quote from the Izzy999 twitter?

Rolling Stone

Reunion rumors have been circulating for the past 20 years though. All obviously false.

The rumors about the release of Chinese Democracy circulated for something like 17 years.  They were all obviously false until they were true, too.  :hihi:

If he's in fact doing this for the fans' benefit, there are other possible reasons, we don't know for sure (like Spirit noted, why now all of a sudden).  And the reasons don't need to be mutually exclusive, he can care about the fans being misinformed while also being resentful that this is being called a Guns reunion even though he's not part of it.  

My point was, Izzy never went public to debunk those rumors before.

Although, this time a lot of the news articles were very specific about Izzy himself, so I guess this is a bit different.

One of the things that had me confused from the beginning of this twitter saga is, like you said, that Izzy never went public to debunk rumors before.

I totally understand that everything we are posting here is purely speculation and conjecture on all our parts.

That being said.....

Why do you think, if Izzy is resentful towards Axl/Slash/Duff for not being included in the rejoining, that he would choose to express that resentment by opening a twitter account and being vague about his agenda for doing so?
   

Personally I don't think that's the case ? Izzy being resentful.

Like I said, after thinking it over, it is a bit different this time around (regarding reunion rumors). First of all, Axl, Slash and Duff are indeed reuniting. Second, there are quite a lot of press talking about the possibility of Izzy joining them, specifically.

I think the previous years of reunion rumors where much more vague in terms of who was involved. Izzy might not have seen any reason for giving those rumors another thought.

Ya know its funny Axl is referred to as the howard hughes of rock n roll when in fact i think its izzy who would be more of that description. Does axl stay out of the limelight yes but atleast he has done interviews in the last 10 years. Izzy never does interviews who knows if  he has a mailing address. He could very well be the most under the radar musician in rock history for someone who has contributed to something as big as AFD & UYI and to really know nothing about the guy its really quite fascinating.

I also believe everything he has ever done has been on his own accord keeping low he didn't want the spotlight when it was bright he left gnr. We need to stop with all the assumptions that he is unhappy or mad at anyone because izzy is izzy

Without knowing all the details, it's all a bunch of assumptions. But anyway, let's go ahead and assume....
These guys know Izzy better than any of us here (that's an assumption too). What we do know is the fact that Izzy hasn't done a real tour in over a decade.

He has done various guest spots on tours over the years.
So, is it possible those guys know that and therefore might've gone ahead and decided to regroup without checking with him first? I think it's possible.

I do understand what you're saying though. You don't think the other two would commit to rejoining GN'R without checking what Izzy's up to and whether or not he'd be part of it.
I guess my opinion is more in line with "let's get together and then see if Izzy wants to be part of it" rather than "before we get together with Axl again, let's see if Izzy is interested"......

And I solely base my assumption on the fact that Izzy hasn't been an active touring artist for some time.... But who knows, maybe he's changed his mind. :)


/jarmo

Agree.

Supposedly the quote to Rolling Stone was that the initial Izzy999 tweet was to clarify FOR THE FANS that the speculation in the media about the status of his current involvement with GNR is false.  Since Izzy has never in the past publicly clarified his position on any rumors, a lot of us in the fan base, including me, questioned the validity that the tweet was actually made by the real Izzy and all this subsequent conjecture resulted from that doubt.

Which leads to the real question here: Does Izzy understand the perception the fans have of him?  (Examples: Izzy doesn't tweet so it can't be Izzy.  Izzy will be involved with the GNR shows only whenever he feels like it because that's what Izzy does.)

It might be a case of Izzy not being contacted yet. Could be an assumption on the band's part, Izzy isn't interested in big tours.

Hence, "at this point in time". Maybe he's waiting for an invitation to join them for some guest spots, not even wanting the full tour commitment.

Not sure why he'd go that route, though it would seem that Twitter is a good medium for him --- total control of output and maximum of 140 characters fits his concise form of expressing himself (which reflects in his music as well... pretty obvious that the long, epic GNR songs (NR, Estranged, Coma, Locomotive) are the ones he had least to do with).  The vagueness, ambiguity also seem pretty consistent with his character.  Ha, we wouldn't be speculating here if he was entirely clear about how he felt about all this.  Rolling Stone offered him an interview for a chance to set the record straight, guarantee he won't take them up on it.   

That's a fair assumption, given his history, but even so, from Izzy's standpoint, it's plausible that he may have felt disrespected to not have been involved in the initial discussions.  It reminds me of a friend I had that would turn me down almost every time I'd ask him to join a group of us for a night out.  The one time I didn't he got all offended.  I tell him, why would I bother asking him, he always says no, and he replies, "I at least deserve the opportunity to turn you down." 

Given that there was a rumoured breakdown of %ages a little while back, I'd say that he possibly was asked , if nothing more than to nail down who gets what....  ;)

Very true but nobody is more responsible for Izzy's lack of recognition than the man himself. He walked away. He refused to walk back in any kind of permanent role. He let Axl and Slash be the faces of that era. What can we assume other than he wants it that way?

Sure, that's a fair point.





/jarmo

The "Greatest Hits album is really the Chinese Democracy album" rumor still remains my favorite Chinese Democracy rumor.

Has he posted the full version of his new cover on Youtube  yet? Said he do it today. *waiting* :drool:

https://youtu.be/PdZZTUxC7dY

I Believe... Izzy In Some Shows

 :smoking:

Izzy is THA MAN! No disrespect to Pitmans, Bumbles, Buckets and Hughes and whatever. There was a sign in the Dont't Cry video, everbody remember? Here he IS(Z) Cool as ever! :beer:

Hear Izzy Stradlin's voicemail to us denying involvement in the Guns N' Roses reunion

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/hear-izzy-stradlin-deny-involvement-in-guns-n-roses-reunion-20160304

Every day I open this thread...it stings little bit more and more that for whatever reason he might not do this !

The animation is really cool!

Pretty cool they did that!

I see some comments on the RS page saying they shouldn't have released the audio because it's private... I disagree, Izzy is only making a statement, no different than what he wrote on twitter.

Imagine how bad it will feel in a week.... ;)

I don't know, his update didn't seem like the final answer. More like "it's not like what you've been reading". Managing expectations.



/jarmo

One can only speculate on the reasons behind Izzy's apparent non-participance in April.

I see Del James are now following Izzy on twitter. That could speak to the fact there isn't any bad blood between Izzy and the GN'R camp.

Ill play Devil's advocate on this one...

It's not like Izzy hasnt played with the band since 91. It's not like hes been totally unsighted when it comes to GNR since his departure.... as opposed to Slash and if you want to push that further.. then you could include Steven too....

I love Izzy, i love what hes contributed to this band, but this thing with Izzy has really grown more legs then what i thought it would. I am not sure of whether its a case of Izzy being that important to GNR in 2016 or whether its just in the minds of certains fans that he is.

I think its probably option B.

FWIW... anyone who was expecting Izzy to be back fulltime after that first promo vid came out needs their head read. And anyway... theres probably a good chance he will play a show here or there at some point, just like he has in the past...

 

IZZY Come Back 1993, 2006 (USA/EUROPE), 2012

 :smoking: