Izzy Stradlin was a childhood friend of Axl Rose who he met back in their hometown of Lafayette, Indiana. Axl and Izzy later met up in Los Angeles in the band A.X.L., Hollywood Rose, and then Guns N' Roses in 1985. Izzy played rhythm guitar in GNR and wrote many songs - including the popular1991 hit "You Could Be Mine". Izzy's departure from GNR in 1991 was the source of much speculation. Izzy said in an interview that he got tired because of internal problems with the band and because of the problems that happened at some concerts (he made reference to the Donnington, UK concert). Izzy later went on to release a few albums as part of solo projects includint "Ride On", "117 degrees", and "The Juju Hounds". Izzy will releases a new album called "River" on August 20th 2001.