Recently talking to Classic Rock magazine, guitarist Slash opened up about Izzy Stradlin’s absence from the trek, as Guns N’ Roses’s “Not In This Lifetime” trek features the “classic era” lineup of Slash,  Duff McKagan (bass), and Axl Rose, along with the occasional guest appearance by drummer Steven Adler.

Slash said the following:

“I haven’t really talked to him since then. There were a lot of different issues that I’m not really going to get into. We wanted it to work out, but we couldn’t seem to meet eye to eye on the whole thing. So it just never happened.”

Even more, bassist Duff McKagan also told Classic Rock magazine two years ago that he doesn’t think Stradlin “ever wanted to” be part of the GN’R reunion.

The bassist said:

“We tried to make it work, but it just didn’t. And in a situation like this, you’re really in it, man. You either get on it or you don’t, because the train’s moving forward. The good thing is, Slash really likes playing with Richard Fortus [GN’R guitarist since 2002], and Slash is somewhat picky about that kind of stuff. They get on great as far as a two-guitar player relationship goes.

“To be honest, I haven’t taken a lot of time to go back on the Izzy thing because we just move forward, and things are so good. And as I’ve found out many times in my life, things are supposed to happen as they happen.”