Out of all the GNR members, perhaps Izzy Stradlin is the most overlooked. I'd always notice how his style was a tad bit different than the rest of GNR's. More importantly, in addition to being the rhythm guitarist, Izzy wrote a ton of lyrics and even sang in a some songs.
One of my favorite GNR songs, 14 Years, was actually sung by him. (Axl helped in the chorus) For the longest time, I thought it was Axl singing in a different voice. Ever since I found that out, I've gained so much more respect for Izzy. He contributed so much to GNR but rarely gets recognized for it. Everything we hear is about Axl, Slash, Duff, and Steven Adler mainly because he's on Celebrity Rehab. We don't hear much about Izzy and I think it's because he has held up the best. Izzy quit drugs earlier than most of the members. He actually used to travel to shows in his own tour bus, because he didn't want to be around the rest of his bandmates who were using drugs / alcohol. I am so happy that Izzy was able to straighten himself out. And as of now, he doesn't seem to be caught in that web of tension between Slash & Duff vs. Axl either. I have a friend who lives in LA and he informed me that Izzy is on good terms with all the band members and that he's keeping a low profile but sometimes comes out and jams at the clubs. Him and Taime Downe are apparently good friends as well.
Not to mention, Izzy was successful with the Ju Ju Hounds and ended up making a lot of great music on his own. He's an exceptional musician that deserves much more recognition than he receives.
