Axl and Duff interview this sunday for Brazilian TV (now with Izzy's response)

[Bazfreak]

GNR got themselves a Bill Ward!! So Izzy turned down because of the money...so now all of you who keep mourning about him not being part of this can cut the crap and move on...why would they split the loot equally if the 3 of them are the most relevant members? Remember when you left them high and dry in the middle of their biggest tour?? I just lost all respect i had for Izzy...to talk crap like this in public is just stupid...

[sofine11]

So obviously an offer was made, but it sounds like he'd have been a paid employee under the big 3, similar to Richard, Frank & Dizzy.  I fucking LOVE Izzy, but I can't say that doesn't make sense based on what he brings to the table live nowadays. Richard was likely going to be there to "fill in" the sound regardless.  Really disappointed he aired it out like this...

[Ginger King]

Izzy on twitter:

Izzy Stradlin ‏@IzzyStradlin999  2m2 minutes ago
Bullshit
They didn't want to split the loot equally . Simple as that . Moving right along........

So is this his direct response to Axl's comments, or did someone message him on Twitter?  Jesus Izzy. Dude must be pretty burned up to air that in public.

Sounds like Izzy was content to keep things quiet until he heard the interview.  So much for the hope that Izzy will be the "behind the scenes guy" in the studio collaborating on music.  Pretty tough to see how the tour would've been more successful (in terms of ticket sales, reviews, etc.) with Izzy (obviously we would've liked to have seen him on stage).  Just another reminder that this is a business...I guess there's always hope that something could change (cough, money, cough) but it doesn't look good now.

[sofine11]

Izzy on twitter:

Izzy Stradlin ‏@IzzyStradlin999  2m2 minutes ago
Bullshit
They didn't want to split the loot equally . Simple as that . Moving right along........

So is this his direct response to Axl's comments, or did someone message him on Twitter?  Jesus Izzy. Dude must be pretty burned up to air that in public.

Sounds like Izzy was content to keep things quiet until he heard the interview.  So much for the hope that Izzy will be the "behind the scenes guy" in the studio collaborating on music.  Pretty tough to see how the tour would've been more successful (in terms of ticket sales, reviews, etc.) with Izzy (obviously we would've liked to have seen him on stage).  Just another reminder that this is a business...I guess there's always hope that something could change (cough, money, cough) but it doesn't look good now.

Yeah, I would imagine this closes the door to any collaborations, live or otherwise, with Izzy for the foreseeable future.  Yet another reason he should've kept his yap shut.

[Ginger King]

So obviously an offer was made, but it sounds like he'd have been a paid employee under the big 3, similar to Richard, Frank & Dizzy.  I fucking LOVE Izzy, but I can't say that doesn't make sense based on what he brings to the table live nowadays. Richard was likely going to be there to "fill in" the sound regardless.  Really disappointed he aired it out like this...

I'm glad Izzy said what he said.  He feels he needs to set the record straight.  Good for him.  Really, everyone looks not great, here.  No one has the moral high ground.  If they were trying to treat Izzy on the employee level (like Frank or Richard) then that's kind of shitty, seeing as he is an original member.  However, Izzy should've known that any reunion involving Axl and Slash (and to a lesser extent, Duff) is going to be HUGE, so maybe he should've taken the deal (which I'm guessing is still a shit load of cash).  Ego, pride, and money.  Something's got to give.

[14 Yrs Of Silence]

Did Axl, Slash and Duff get equal shares?  Wasn't it rumored that Axl got 50 while Slash n Duff 25 each?  Maybe his issue was that they should have all split 25 each, including Axl.

[GypsySoul]

Yeah, I would imagine this closes the door to any collaborations, live or otherwise, with Izzy for the foreseeable future.  Yet another reason he should've kept his yap shut.

Nah.  It's Izzy.  I think no matter what the door will always be left slightly ajar if he decides he wants back in in some capacity.

But I still don't see Izzy ever committing to do an extended world tour like is scheduled and with more shows being added as time goes on.

Equal pay for equal work.  He can't expect an equal share and still be able to pick and choose which shows he wants to do.

Wonder how he feels about playing the CD songs??  Wonder if that was one of the issues??

[sofine11]

So obviously an offer was made, but it sounds like he'd have been a paid employee under the big 3, similar to Richard, Frank & Dizzy.  I fucking LOVE Izzy, but I can't say that doesn't make sense based on what he brings to the table live nowadays. Richard was likely going to be there to "fill in" the sound regardless.  Really disappointed he aired it out like this...

I'm glad Izzy said what he said.  He feels he needs to set the record straight.  Good for him.  Really, everyone looks not great, here.  No one has the moral high ground.  If they were trying to treat Izzy on the employee level (like Frank or Richard) then that's kind of shitty, seeing as he is an original member.  However, Izzy should've known that any reunion involving Axl and Slash (and to a lesser extent, Duff) is going to be HUGE, so maybe he should've taken the deal (which I'm guessing is still a shit load of cash).  Ego, pride, and money.  Something's got to give.

You're not wrong.  It's a shame, really on all fronts.  The 'big 3' could've said "Fuck it, it's taken us this long to make this happen, let's make it right for everyone involved." and given Izzy what he wanted to make it happen.  On the other hand, Izzy could have also realized what a long time coming this has been, and taken what they were offering (which I'm sure was still a fuck ton) and joined in for the fans.  So yes, I would agree that no one's hands are entirely clean here.

[Jbat81]

So was this the reason why they avoided interviews!?? I think so... They didn't want a "bad look" while touring. Just my opinion...

[sofine11]

I'm just glad this broke after the U.S. tour concluded. 

[Ginger King]

So obviously an offer was made, but it sounds like he'd have been a paid employee under the big 3, similar to Richard, Frank & Dizzy.  I fucking LOVE Izzy, but I can't say that doesn't make sense based on what he brings to the table live nowadays. Richard was likely going to be there to "fill in" the sound regardless.  Really disappointed he aired it out like this...

I'm glad Izzy said what he said.  He feels he needs to set the record straight.  Good for him.  Really, everyone looks not great, here.  No one has the moral high ground.  If they were trying to treat Izzy on the employee level (like Frank or Richard) then that's kind of shitty, seeing as he is an original member.  However, Izzy should've known that any reunion involving Axl and Slash (and to a lesser extent, Duff) is going to be HUGE, so maybe he should've taken the deal (which I'm guessing is still a shit load of cash).  Ego, pride, and money.  Something's got to give.

You're not wrong.  It's a shame, really on all fronts.  The 'big 3' could've said "Fuck it, it's taken us this long to make this happen, let's make it right for everyone involved." and given Izzy what he wanted to make it happen.  On the other hand, Izzy could have also realized what a long time coming this has been, and taken what they were offering (which I'm sure was still a fuck ton) and joined in for the fans.  So yes, I would agree that no one's hands are entirely clean here.

Yeah, what sucks is that it seems to foreclose the chance of seeing Izzy on stage, which is a real bummer.  What's interesting is what kind of role was Izzy offered?  A full time gig, like Slash and Duff?  But then what about Richard?  Was Richard an Izzy contingency, or was he always going to be involved, and Izzy was going to be more like Steven and play at select shows?

So many questions that we'll likely never get the real answers to!  

[Jbat81]

I'm just glad this broke after the U.S. tour concluded. 

I think is part of the reason they avoided interviews

[GnR-NOW]

I'm glad they had Richard. He's a maniac to watch onstage

[faldor]

So obviously an offer was made, but it sounds like he'd have been a paid employee under the big 3, similar to Richard, Frank & Dizzy.  I fucking LOVE Izzy, but I can't say that doesn't make sense based on what he brings to the table live nowadays. Richard was likely going to be there to "fill in" the sound regardless.  Really disappointed he aired it out like this...

I'm glad Izzy said what he said.  He feels he needs to set the record straight.  Good for him.  Really, everyone looks not great, here.  No one has the moral high ground.  If they were trying to treat Izzy on the employee level (like Frank or Richard) then that's kind of shitty, seeing as he is an original member.  However, Izzy should've known that any reunion involving Axl and Slash (and to a lesser extent, Duff) is going to be HUGE, so maybe he should've taken the deal (which I'm guessing is still a shit load of cash).  Ego, pride, and money.  Something's got to give.

You're not wrong.  It's a shame, really on all fronts.  The 'big 3' could've said "Fuck it, it's taken us this long to make this happen, let's make it right for everyone involved." and given Izzy what he wanted to make it happen.  On the other hand, Izzy could have also realized what a long time coming this has been, and taken what they were offering (which I'm sure was still a fuck ton) and joined in for the fans.  So yes, I would agree that no one's hands are entirely clean here.

The business side of things is often ugly. In all fairness to Axl, Slash, and Duff it would appear they chose to share the profits so to speak 3 ways instead of 4. Simple math really. They probably weren't offered any more for Izzy's inclusion, so I can see their rationale. It may seem harsh, but such is life. Izzy wasn't integral to this tour being a success or a difference maker in terms of selling tickets.

Plus, what Axl said about Izzy, he's stayed consistent through the years. It's not like he just came up with the "Izzy does Izzy" mantra. Hell, back when Axl and Slash were on bad terms he even said that a reunion would work more with Slash and Duff because he couldn't necessarily rely on Izzy.

I understand where Izzy's coming from. He's obviously massively important to the history of this band. But he left them in their heyday, which I'm sure didn't sit well at the time. And frankly, I think he overplayed his hand here. Just be honest and say you wanted more money than they were willing to give. It's honorable enough to believe you deserve your just due. But again, the money was there with or without Izzy. Greed, is good. I know it's probably hard not to take it personal, but it's just business.

[sofine11]

So obviously an offer was made, but it sounds like he'd have been a paid employee under the big 3, similar to Richard, Frank & Dizzy.  I fucking LOVE Izzy, but I can't say that doesn't make sense based on what he brings to the table live nowadays. Richard was likely going to be there to "fill in" the sound regardless.  Really disappointed he aired it out like this...

I'm glad Izzy said what he said.  He feels he needs to set the record straight.  Good for him.  Really, everyone looks not great, here.  No one has the moral high ground.  If they were trying to treat Izzy on the employee level (like Frank or Richard) then that's kind of shitty, seeing as he is an original member.  However, Izzy should've known that any reunion involving Axl and Slash (and to a lesser extent, Duff) is going to be HUGE, so maybe he should've taken the deal (which I'm guessing is still a shit load of cash).  Ego, pride, and money.  Something's got to give.

You're not wrong.  It's a shame, really on all fronts.  The 'big 3' could've said "Fuck it, it's taken us this long to make this happen, let's make it right for everyone involved." and given Izzy what he wanted to make it happen.  On the other hand, Izzy could have also realized what a long time coming this has been, and taken what they were offering (which I'm sure was still a fuck ton) and joined in for the fans.  So yes, I would agree that no one's hands are entirely clean here.

Yeah, what sucks is that it seems to foreclose the chance of seeing Izzy on stage, which is a real bummer.  What's interesting is what kind of role was Izzy offered?  A full time gig, like Slash and Duff?  But then what about Richard?  Was Richard an Izzy contingency, or was he always going to be involved, and Izzy was going to be more like Steven and play at select shows?

So many questions that we'll likely never get the real answers to!  

I would be willing to bet the farm that Richard was likely always going to be involved to "fill in" the sound, especially on the Chinese Democracy tracks.  Can't for the life of me see Izzy handling rhythms on Chinese, Better TWAT, etc.  It could even be argued that he'd be a stronger rhythm presence than Izzy, which could have played into their thinking.

He didn't say much here, and yes, still lotsa questions.  I wonder what, if anything, we'll here from GNR about this.

[draguns]

Three sides to every story: his, theirs, and the truth.

[draguns]

I thought it would be a fluff piece and it wasn't. It was a good interview. I get the feeling that Axl was watching his words a bit. Duff's facial expressions was interesting when Axl talked about Izzy.  I think the interview implied new music. There was definitely a portion taken out.

Didn't notice Duff's facial expressions when Izzy was discussed. Probably just an awkward and difficult topic.

Ali

When I saw Duff's facial expression, I got the feeling that Axl said something that maybe he shouldn't have. Looks like my feeling was right.

[GNR4L]

If you're not 4tus, your against us !

[JAEBALL]

The silly/frustrating part is that he has always been on good terms with all three of them ... Then they finally do it ... and he's not there ...

[Ali]

I thought it would be a fluff piece and it wasn't. It was a good interview. I get the feeling that Axl was watching his words a bit. Duff's facial expressions was interesting when Axl talked about Izzy.  I think the interview implied new music. There was definitely a portion taken out.

Didn't notice Duff's facial expressions when Izzy was discussed. Probably just an awkward and difficult topic.

Ali

When I saw Duff's facial expression, I got the feeling that Axl said something that maybe he shouldn't have. Looks like my feeling was right.

No, it doesn't. That's just you projecting.

Ali