Famous Bands With Members Who Hated Each Other
When you’re in a successful band, you’re going to be spending a lot of time with your bandmates…probably too much time. Most bands put on a facade that they’re the best of friends living out their dreams together, but in reality, it’s never as great as it seems. It’s not unusual for band members to be at one another’s throats for reasons that fans don’t even know.
From alcohol and creative control to stealing your brother’s girlfriend, keep reading to learn about some famous bandmates who couldn’t stand each other. Some of these rifts made headlines, and some were kept under wraps for the sake of the music.
Kings Of Leon Weren’t Happy With Frontman Caleb
Alternative rock group Kings of Leon are younger compared to other fueding musicians on our list, but they’ve had their fair share of issues amongst themselves. Although the band is comprised of three brothers and a cousin, the biggest internal problem that the band has is not because they’re related, but their frontman Caleb Followill’s relationship with alcohol.
At one point, his drinking became so detrimental to the band that they had to cancel the rest of a 2011 tour. After Caleb considered leaving the band for good, he eventually started to keep his drinking to a minimum and the band came back with successful new albums in 2013 and 2016.
Billy Corgan Tried To Take Over Smashing Pumpkins
Since the band’s inception in 1998, they’ve sold millions of albums and earned a couple Grammy’s for their shelves. But despite their outward success, the rock band Smashing Pumpkins have been fighting with one another since the beginning. Times were tough after guitarist James Iha and bassist D’arcy Wretzky dated and broke up while recording their debut album Gish. But things got extra heated when frontman Billy Corgan began viewing Smashing Pumpkins as more of a solo project.
Despite having a full band, Corgan took all of the interviews himself and played most of the guitar and bass parts while recording even though they had enough players. By 2,000, the band had broken up, with Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlain reuniting for some shows in 2015 until Chamberlain couldn’t work with Cogan anymore.
Oasis Set The Bar For Bandmate Hatred
British rock group Oasis is comprised of two brothers, Liam and Noel Gallagher. Being related, one would expect some brotherly bickering, right? Well, Liam and Noel take it to the extreme. In 2009, things took a turn for the worst when the two got into an argument about Liam missing a show.
The argument escalated into a scrap which ended with Noel leaving the band. Their messy end was inevitable, as they were both always at each other’s throat since the beginning and haven’t been shy about letting others know.
The brothers have since reunited the band.
Simon and Garfunkel Had Trouble Towards The End
Although Simon and Garfunkel might seem to be nothing short of a dynamic duo, as it turns out, their relationship wasn’t as great as it looked. While recording their last album Bridge Over Troubled Waters, their friendship was on the verge of ending. The pair couldn’t decide on the final song, and neither would allow only one other song to fill the spot. The album was then released with only 11 tracks and the two were both bitter with how it turned out.
A reunion album was planned in the ’80s, but Simon removed Garfunkel’s voice and released it as a solo album himself which didn’t go over well. Even when they both were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Simon couldn’t resist making a back-handed comment about Garfunkel.
The Kinks Took Brotherly Hatred To A New Level
The Kinks are another pair of brothers that just couldn’t seem to get along at all. Ray and Dave Davies have had a nasty sibling rivalry since they were little boys, but their success in the Kinks managed to cover most of their issues.
However, their hatred for one another eventually led to the dissolution of the band in 1996 and the band hasn’t performed together since. The icing on the cake was when Ray came to Dave’s 50th birthday party, only to stomp on his cake and declare himself the genius of the two. The two have remained estranged since.
Slash and Axl Rose Were Never The Same
During the early 1990s, Guns N’ Roses members — frontman Axl Rose and lead guitarist Slash — were in the middle of a fierce feud. It all started when Slash agreed to play guitar in Michael Jackson’s song “Black and White.” Rose had been sexually abused by his father when he was a child and with the allegations against Michael Jackson, he felt betrayed by Slash for collaborating with the legendary star. This conflict led to the ending of the band in 1993. However, the two eventually made up in 2016 after agreeing to do a reunion tour even though they aren’t the pals they used to be.
The Ramones Let Politics Drive Them Apart
Joey and Johnny Ramone had a rocky relationship throughout their lives being brothers and bandmates. Surprisingly, one of the main issues that caused a rift in their relationship was based on politics. Joey couldn’t stand Johnny’s unmoving Republicanism, and Joey was an ideal Libertarian.
Their differing work ethic also caused an issue with Johnny who attempted to run the band as a business whereas Joey was much more laid back about the whole thing. But the last straw was when Joey’s girlfriend left him for Johnny, whom he later married. Unbelievably, the two still managed to perform together for more than 10 years until the band finally broke up.
Mick Jagger And Keith Richards Are A Special Pair
In the mid-1980s, Mick Jagger and Kieth Richards of the Rolling Stones became increasingly more distant from one another and more spiteful throughout the years. It all began after Richards found out that Jagger had included an extra part of their recording contract that so Jagger could have three solo records by himself. Although this led to an uneasy relationship for a few decades, the pair seemed amicable.
It wasn’t until 2010 that their rivalry was sparked again when Richards began referring to Jagger as “Brenda” or “Her Majesty” in his memoir Life. While these two may still have beef — let’s face it — both of them know that they are more successful as a team than by themselves.
The Beach Boys Still Haven’t Made Amends
Although The Beach Boys may seem like a group of carefree California surfers, the relationship between cousins Mike Love and Brian Wilson would tell you otherwise. Their feud began back when the band was just forming and has grown ever since. Their biggest conflict was over the general direction of the band.
While Wilson wanted to experiment and stray away from the band’s old surf city vibe, Love didn’t think they should change telling Wilson “don’t [expletive] with the formula.” They eventually found themselves in court over songwriting credits for some of the band’s biggest hits. After years of minimal contact, the two found themselves working together again during The Beach Boys 50th-anniversary tour although they never fully made amends.
John and Paul Had A Few Rough Years
Much like Brian Wilson and Mike Love, it’s shocking when people learn that John Lennon and Paul McCartney weren’t always on good terms. Although some may claim that it was John Lennon’s relationship with Yoko Ono that drove Lennon and McCartney apart, in reality, it was about the direction of their music.
McCartney wanted to continue playing more pop-oriented music and Lennon wanted to stop being bossed around by McCartney. Although there were times when the two weren’t speaking, they eventually managed to salvage their friendship before John Lennon was shot and killed in 1980.
Blink-182 Broke Up Twice
After guitarist Tom DeLonge left the band in 2005, there has been some animosity between the group. And although DeLonge returned in 2009 to continue making music, the band’s old issues followed him. In an attempt to release a new EP, DeLonge claimed that he was in the studio for months putting it together, while Travis Barker and Mark Hoppus only put in 11 days of work.
The EP was never released, which led to DeLonge leaving the band again. On DeLonge leaving, Travis Barker stated that DeLonge was ungrateful and disrespectful for the work they put in and that he couldn’t even tell them he was leaving himself but sent his manager to tell the band for him.
Aerosmith Had Different Goals
In Joe Perry’s autobiography, he detailed that Aerosmith bandmates Stephen Tyler and Joe Perry have been known to drive each other crazy. The core problem between the two was that Perry claimed to be in it for the music, whereas Tyler was in it for the fame and women.
Perry also said that he disagreed with many of Tyler’s business moves such as teaming up with Guitar Hero for more money or becoming a judge on American Idol. Tyler isn’t the biggest fan of Perry either and states that just because they’re in a band doesn’t mean that they actually have to like each other.
Eddie Van Halen Had Problems With Multiple Members
Eddie Van Halen and David Lee Roth have definitely spent too much time with one another over the past few decades. Thier main problem is that Eddie finds it pathetic that Roth is still trying to live the rock and roll lifestyle like they did back in their 20s, and finds it embarrassing for the whole band.
He made this clear when he told Billboard in an interview that “Roth’s perception of himself is different than who he is in reality…We’re in our 60s. Act like you’re 60.” Eddie also has a problem with ex-bass player Michael Anthony, openly criticizing his playing abilities and voice even though they played together for many years.
Journey Is All Messed Up
Guitarist Neal Schon and keyboardist Jonathan Cain have been at odds about Journey’s musical direction for some time now. A few years back, Schon wanted to make a hard rock album and the result was the 2011 record Eclipse. The album didn’t do well at all, and Cain believed that they should never try to do something like that again while Schon says otherwise.
Another issue between the two is that Cain plays religious music on the side ever since marrying a minister. Schon believes this is hurting the band — especially since Cain’s wife spoke at Donald Trump’s inauguration which was causing them to lose fans.
Francis and Deal Couldn’t Figure It Out
There’s no doubt that the indie rock group The Pixies managed to make incredibly influential music. However, members Black Francis and Kim Deal could never seem to see eye-to-eye when it came to the direction of the band. It made Deal angry that Francis had essentially been named the group’s creative leader, and that he wasn’t willing to be more open to including her songs on Pixies albums.
In 1989, the two go into a public fight onstage in Germany, where Francis attempted to get Deal fired from the band. In 2003, the band ended up reuniting, but by 2013, Deal had left the band again for personal reasons.
The Police Had An Issue With Sting
In 1977, The Police formed with drummer Stewart Copeland, Gordon “Sting” Sumner, and guitarist Andy Summers. Although it didn’t take long for the band to become huge, it also didn’t take long for internal conflicts to arise as Sting began to take control of the band.
The rest of the band began to feel like they worked for him more than anything else, which put them at odds with one another. Finally, in 1984, the band couldn’t take the internal hostility anymore and broke up after their stadium tour for their album Synchronicity.
The Libertines Had A Rollercoaster Of A Relationship
The Libertines are an English rock band that formed in London in 1997 by frontman Carl Barât and Pete Doherty. Although the band didn’t reach the same heights in the United States as they did in the UK, they are still attributed to having helped spearhead the garage rock revival movement.
Over time, however, Barât and Doherty began to have serious problems with each other. Surprisingly, their tumultuous relationship helped to boost the band’s popularity. At one point, people began to question if the two were even romantically involved, and Doherty ended up going to jail after breaking into Barât’s home and destroying it.
