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Re: Opinion Piece: Why Izzy Stradlin Was the Heart of Guns N' Roses
Classic Rock commissioned Alan Niven to write an opinion piece on Izzy Stradlin:
http://classicrock.teamrock.com/feature … ns-n-roses
It was Izzy's fuckin' band... at least that's my perception.
Iz made the move to the city first. He packed his suitcase and went to lay the foundation of a band. Rattlesnake hide or not, you know that bag was worn and funky, not shiny, like a new Halliburton from Tim Collins.
Iz was the first to take the Night Train out of small town Indiana for Los Angeles. Axl followed Izzy once he was set up in L.A. - an easy move. He then retreated back to Lafayette. Couldn't hack it in L.A. according to Iz. He was relieved. He told me later he didn't want to deal with Rose, who he had known since High School. Axl couldn't deal with small town Indiana either so he moved a second time, loaded like a freight train with all his baggage. Iz was less than thrilled. So it went. On the third date of the band's first national tour, supporting The Cult, Izzy knocked on my hotel room door. He brushed past me and flopped on the sofa.
“That motherfucker makes us miserable every fuckin' day,” he groaned.
Ax was never so fuckin' easy, but he had that voice, a voice that reeked of Middle American white boy outrage and anger. He had that attitude that championed individualism and every individual. Especially himself. If that was what Axl brought to the band what did Izzy bring? He brought the Night Train, Mr. Brownstone, he brought the sweet street Jungle groove. When Mike Clink hit the wall, exhausted from the Appetite sessions, a concerned Tom Zutaut asked me to check the recordings.
“Mike can't fix a mix. Do you think we have it on tape Niv?”
I asked him to send me Izzy's Brownstone. Michael Lardie and I prepped the sound board at Total Access to do a fast mix. We put the two inch reel up. It was there. The groove, the edge. We were able to cook up a mix in four hours. Clink had got it on tape. We were good.
I first saw Izz on the stage of The Troubadour. He had an effortless offhand grace in the way he handled his hollow-bodied Gibson. He played his rhythm parts with a perfect insouciance, knowing exactly when he should leave a space, syncopate the groove. I have a picture on my wall of Izzy playing with Keef and Ronnie Wood. They not only play like kin, they look like Mama's kin. Imagine The Stones without Keef.
Izzy had the casual wisdom not to inject himself into the blind obediences of a conformist's life. As much as a C.C. Deville or a Bon Jovi might have contrived to be rock n roll outlaws, Izzy was to the manner born. His lyrics had an uncontrived, main vein, street vernacular. When Guns were slated to open for Aerosmith Izzy came to me with a concern.
“Niv, this might be a bit awkward, but I used to deal smack to Joe and Steven.”
“Don't worry Iz, if you don't mention it I am damned sure they won't.”
Izzy left GN'R three months after I was kicked aside by Axl. Iz found me, somehow, when I was with The Whites in Winterthur, Switzerland.
“I can't deal with it anymore,” he said. There had almost been a riot at a Guns show in Germany. Rose had stormed off the stage for some reason, and Izzy was freaked by the idea of submachine gun toting cops breaking heads. He had the jitters. The binding pressure and exposure of expectation and fame, the anxieties that Rose generated, were not worth it to him. They were burning him down. He was going to quit there and then. He did not intend to play the tour closing show at Wembley Stadium.
“You can't let the fans and the others down like that Iz. You're not the bad guy. Don't be seen as one.”
I reserved and paid for a suite at the Wembley Stadium Hilton where Izzy could chill, away from the backstage area, and wait to see if Axl would turn up. Only when he knew that Rose was at the venue did he join the others for his last performance as a member of the band that was mostly built on his insight, songs and style.
It was Izzy's fuckin' band. Izzy was the one I could reliably count on for a position on a decision – his was always the incontrovertible point of view that best served the band. He grounded them with his unimpeachable rock n' roll stance habitually maintained in his playing and writing. Izzy had provided the cool heart for the hot soul of the band.
When the band was inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, Izzy set up a meeting with Axl at a L.A. Hotel. He wanted to get an agreement for the original band to play together one last time - do the fuckin' re-union there in that moment and then say “thank you, good fuckin' night.” After waiting for two hours for Axl to show, he drove home to Ojai. No-show Axl had made him miserable one more fuckin' time.
A band is like a chemical molecule. Not all the elements are of the same size, power or energy, and perception does not always define significance, but remove even the slightest grain and the molecule collapses. When Steven lost his mind and got himself fired that changed the feel of the rhythm section, the rush was done, but when Izzy left it meant that the band was no longer the Guns N' Roses that I knew and loved, the band that I was addicted to. It was just Dust n' Bones - “just fuckin' gone.”
As I said, if it was anyone's, it was Izzy's fuckin' band.
Re: Opinion Piece: Why Izzy Stradlin Was the Heart of Guns N' Roses
When the band was inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, Izzy set up a meeting with Axl at a L.A. Hotel. He wanted to get an agreement for the original band to play together one last time - do the fuckin' re-union there in that moment and then say “thank you, good fuckin' night.” After waiting for two hours for Axl to show, he drove home to Ojai. No-show Axl had made him miserable one more fuckin' time.
I guess this settles the debate about what some of us where arguing at the time of the HOF thing. Izzy's no show was due to Axl's no show, if Axl was going to be there then Izzy would have too.
Re: Opinion Piece: Why Izzy Stradlin Was the Heart of Guns N' Roses
I don't buy that bullshit for a friggin second. Alan is using the mythology of Izzy to push his version of GN'R history (Axl's the bad guy) and the fans love for Izzy as Mr. Cool (which he is) but it's total jive. Sorry. Izzy was a hardcore junky, no one wanted to put up with him, including Slash. Recording with him was a nightmare, Slash had to fill in a lot of his parts. He was not reliable in the least. And he played with GNR during 93 also. He also forgets to mention that "Iz" and Axl play together now frequently, that he can obviously "deal with" Axl having buried the hatchet YEARS AGO, and it was BOTH Axl and Izzy that formed GN'R. Not one or just the other. And of course, Alan somehow is the good guy and visionary of this band. Total. Complete. Revisionist. Horseshit.
According to Izzy, he sat back and watched to see how much of a circus the RRHOF was going to be.
- TheSundanceKid
- Rep: 30
Re: Opinion Piece: Why Izzy Stradlin Was the Heart of Guns N' Roses
Look Axl and Izzy go back way before the other guys in Guns N' Roses, so I think there is a certain loyalty there.
When Axl wasn't going to do the Hall of Fame, by Izzy not doing it as well, it made Axl look like less of an asshole, even though the whole Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame is a pile of bullshit.
- Smoking Guns
- Rep: 330
Re: Opinion Piece: Why Izzy Stradlin Was the Heart of Guns N' Roses
Niven is trying to glorify some shit again. I watched the 4 hour interview with him last year. During that time he was Worshiping Slash. Saying Slash was the businessman always promoting the band and running sessions... Now its Izzy. One thing remains, he hates Axl.... I am with MisterID... Niven stretches the truth a lot here.. Slash took Izzy's riff and made it hard. Not some mixer. Slash describes and plays the original Izzy riff to Brownstone. Slash turned that into a hard rock song. It's on youtube.
Re: Opinion Piece: Why Izzy Stradlin Was the Heart of Guns N' Roses
I guess this settles the debate about what some of us where arguing at the time of the HOF thing. Izzy's no show was due to Axl's no show, if Axl was going to be there then Izzy would have too.
Was this a debate? Always thought that was obvious and admitted by Izzy himself.
Re: Opinion Piece: Why Izzy Stradlin Was the Heart of Guns N' Roses
Niv gotta give it a rest. He only comes off as a bitter old man. Axl didn't like him, and he didn't like Axl. That's that really. When even Slash and Steven has better things to say about Axl than you do, it's time to take a step back and do some self reflection. You fucked up the greatest gig around at the time, deal with it.
- Me_Wise_Magic
- Rep: 70
Re: Opinion Piece: Why Izzy Stradlin Was the Heart of Guns N' Roses
Look Axl and Izzy go back way before the other guys in Guns N' Roses, so I think there is a certain loyalty there.
When Axl wasn't going to do the Hall of Fame, by Izzy not doing it as well, it made Axl look like less of an asshole, even though the whole Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame is a pile of bullshit.
That's what I was getting from it as well. I was really shocked of why people made a big deal about the Rock Hall at all. Slash and the guys didn't make a fuss besides Steven. The Rock Hall (if you can even call it that sometimes) are a bunch money mooching scum bags that don't give a shit about the music or the artists that are getting inducted. They also exclude artists that are more deserving as well. I was happy for the boys though. They rightfully deserved to be there.
Re: Opinion Piece: Why Izzy Stradlin Was the Heart of Guns N' Roses
I don't buy that bullshit for a friggin second. Alan is using the mythology of Izzy to push his version of GN'R history (Axl's the bad guy) and the fans love for Izzy as Mr. Cool (which he is) but it's total jive. Sorry. Izzy was a hardcore junky, no one wanted to put up with him, including Slash. Recording with him was a nightmare, Slash had to fill in a lot of his parts. He was not reliable in the least. And he played with GNR during 93 also. He also forgets to mention that "Iz" and Axl play together now frequently, that he can obviously "deal with" Axl having buried the hatchet YEARS AGO, and it was BOTH Axl and Izzy that formed GN'R. Not one or just the other. And of course, Alan somehow is the good guy and visionary of this band. Total. Complete. Revisionist. Horseshit.
According to Izzy, he sat back and watched to see how much of a circus the RRHOF was going to be.
Quoted for truth.
Alan Niven... my boy... you made one statement too many, and this one buried you. Alan Niven knows fucking nothing. This Classic Rock article proved to me that he has had basically NO contact with anyone in GN'R since 1990. He might see Slash & Duff & Steven here and there, but the heartbeat that is the band (Axl) he hasn't seen, nor does he have any contacts.
Before, I thought Niven might have some legitamacy to his statements of the past, and his hatred of Axl seemed authentic and warranted. But just as the old saying goes, "controversy creates cash", Niven has now officially boxed himself into a corner of a fiction writer, and banished to the land of Mick Wall by myself, despite Niven being there at the inception of GN'R.
Let's bottom line it, 'cause that's what I do... still...
Niven hates Axl
Why?
Because Niven always hated Axl
Why?
Because Niven wanted to be the dictator of GN'R and Axl was headstrong + unpredictable, which threatened Niven's role
When the 1990 contract re-negotiation happened, then Niven got canned, Axl outfoxed Niven
Point on the board for Axl
Niven claims "I would've never let Axl produce the signing of the band name over to him"
Why?
Because Niven wanted the control of the band, not any actual fucking band members
Why?
Because Niven was a fucking manager and all managers are scum sucking, blood thirsty sharks that care about money first, power second, pussy or boy ass third, and everything else who gives a fuck
Why?
Because that's what they do
But not Alan Niven
Puhleeeze, he got in the business because of art?
This is a guy who's biggest artist in his stable was Great White, and nobody else
GN'R was a HUGE coup that no one saw coming, despite Alan's claims otherwise
Alan didn't get to be on the Illusion rocket when it took off, when by 1991-92 everyone on the planet saw the dollar signs that old GN'R brought
Niven didn't get to be there, and he's hated Axl ever since
So he'll make up or talk about anything he can to still stay in that spotlight
Why?
Because he introduces himself as, "Hi, i'm Alan Niven, I used to manage Guns N' Roses. Remember them? They were popular about 25 years ago"
What have you done since Mr. Niven?
"Slept and fed the cat"
Well thanks for that knowledge, i'll let Wikipedia know to look out for the old powerful source of the truth known as Alan goddamn Niven
Niven's version of the RNRHOF events is so fucking skewed, such a work of pure fiction, that I personally think it borders on libel WITH MALICE. Izzy is Mr. Cool in Niven's world, but yet Niven ignores Izzy's involvement with Axl pre & post-RNRHOF, so much to the point, that based on ACTUAL history (not Niven's), Izzy "Mr. Kewl" must spend alot of hours with Axl's cock in his mouth, far more than any dealer on a Saturday night with Steven Adler, because there's no way Izzy is still Mr. Cool, blowing off the RNRHOF cause Axl no-showed on dinner/meeting, then turned around two farts later and played with him in London.
Only way Niven's version of the events works, is to completely cancel out and negate any of Izzy's coolness, to prove Izzy is a money-whore and Axl's bitch-to-do-thy-bidding at anytime Axl deems fit, because he did play with Axl, and basically flipped the bird to the Hall, and specifically Slash, Duff & Steven. Indiana phoevah!
Izzy is Mr. Cool. He always will be, which is why Alan Niven is a lying douche. His version of the events don't even make fucking sense and don't even add up to what actually took place. Again, he totally ignores Axl's behavior and I think based on this article that A) Izzy is MORE unpredictable than Axl. Even if Izzy told Niven this word-for-word, Izzy is a total flake. Something could've happened, and the next day Axl explained and all is well. Who knows--it's Izzy. B) Niven is so desperate to continue telling stories about GN'R, now he's just making stuff up about an inner circle he hasn't been in since Aqua Net had record profits.
- Smoking Guns
- Rep: 330
Re: Opinion Piece: Why Izzy Stradlin Was the Heart of Guns N' Roses
Axlin12, wow, karma, fantastic post. AN is now a poser. And Izzy is Axl's bitch. You nailed the part about the RnRhof.
