FROM HARD ROCK MAGAZINE JUNE 2001 (FRANCE)

Q: Does GNR success made loose contact with reality?

Izzy: Yes a little bit. I didn't know what to expect, I just wanted to 
play in a rock band... None of us even thought that one day we will be 
playing out of LA. And I can assure you that as we were really simple 
people, there were no way to prepare us to success. The only rock side 
that we used to have was to be stoned. Our kind of life so strange, and 
when we started having some success, it only became worst. When we came 
back from tour, we all bought a house, and we got stoned even more... But 
one day when I wasn't stoned I thought :" Izzy, something is wrong, we 
are fucking around." That was in 88 or 89. I took the decision to go back 
to Indiana and see my friends... Before the tour we didn't have money, 
when we came back, our bank account were full, everybody wanted to sell 
us drugs, weapons, crazy stuff.

Q: Before the recording of UYI 1 & 2 , did you ever think of leaving 
the band?

Izzy: Yes, from time to time, but not every day. It's true that sometimes
 the situation was so "grotesque"; Axl was leaving the stage after 2 songs
 and I used to think:" Hey we look like stupid assholes". But I wasn't 
convinced yet to leave. Music was still uniting us. Slash, Steven, Duff 
and I were living very close to each others and we were playing a lot. 
So I wanted to do another album, and that what we did. It was a double...
 or a triple I don't even know.

Q: What was the last straw that made you leave GNR?

Izzy: After the first leg of  the UYI tour, Axl wanted to make me sign a 
contract which meant that I was less involved and less paid. I couldn't 
believe it. This contract was coming from someone I grew up with for fuck's 
sake. We always considered GNR as a best friend band, and now Axl was 
telling me:" now we are doing business." Why should I carry on? Where was 
the fun? That was the last drop. But other things happen before like in 
Donnington where to kids died during the show. What the fuck is that? Is 
that rock n' roll? To read in an airport newspaper that kid died during 
one of your gig? What the fun to play in stadium every night and to start 
a riot in Saint-Louis because your singer is fucked up? You come to a point 
when none of all this is funny anymore. Axl wasn't doing his front man job 
anymore. As for the others, there were all stoned and wasted, I wasn't 
even able to make them learn covers: We could have play covers while Axl 
was away waiting for him to come back, entertaining the kids. No. We came 
up with drum solo. What's more boring than a drum solo???

Q: You were his best friend. Was he listening to you?

Izzy: When he started earning big money and getting laid, he was out of 
reach. Everybody was so stone. I was able to control myself, but I was 
looking at Steve, Slash and Duff killing themselves in front of me. I 
don't even remember if Steven was still in the band by the way. What was 
this bullshit anyway? A musician is sack from GNR because is doing to much 
drugs when you that drug was the main occupation of this band? Me I stopped 
all that one year before I quit. So during that years I was a witness of 
them trying to kill themselves. I didn't wanted to be an accomplice to 
that; I didn't wanted to wake near Slash's dead body. Thinking that I was 
indirectly responsible for that, so I quit GNR.

Q: But you came back later on to replace Gilby?

Izzy: Simple. I was back in Indiana, living quietly when Axl rang me. 
He asked me if I could help them out for a few shows. I asked where were 
those shows and he said Istanbul, London, Paris, Athens... You think I 
would have hesitated. I like to travel and see new country. Meanwhile, 
Alan Niven, my manager, who was GNR manager at a time, told me that the 
band was still owing me money. I told me to accept if they were give me 
my money. It is only after that I realise that Alan will have 20% of the 
money ( he laugh). I did those shows and didn't have a lot of fun because 
Slash and Duff were still stoned. I don't want to call myself a saint, I 
did it all myself, but when you are not stone there is nothing funny in 
seeing your friends like that.

Q: Do you still see Steven, Slash and Duff?

Izzy: Yes, I spoke to them on the phone three days ago, I even have lunch 
with Steven last week. He is clean now but physically and mentally... 
Slash is well, so is Duff: he just did the Hawaiian marathon! A fucking 
marathon. Not bad for a guy whose pancreas exploded because he was drinking 
3 1/2 liters of vodka every day? He is my band by the way, that is very 
cool. The only who doesn't speak to anybody is Axl. He doesn't call the 
people back on the phone. I like to ride my bike and I know where he 
lives. Once in 1995, I went there and ring the door bell, he opened the 
door, we took each other in our arms, he made me visit his house and we 
had a chat. Cool. We called back each other after that, but one day the 
old Axl was back; He was taking notes on the phone of what I was telling 
him, and then, no news. Since then I go to his place, that makes me laugh: 
I ring the door bell and there is always a bouncer telling me he is not 
there! I am happy anyway that he did two gigs in Vegas and Rio in the 
beginning of the year. I am especially happy that his microphone did work 
properly. Who knows, He might have left the stage (he laughs).