LIFESTYLE LIFESTYLE Hymns of hate in bands
MEMBERS OF MANY FAMOUS GROUPS CAN’T STAND EACH OTHER Animosity between brothers in The Kinks spills over onstage and in interviews.
ome of the world’s most famous bands have members who hate each other … just not enough to quit. This week, dad-rockers were likely bowled over by the announcement that The Kinks were set to reunite. Anyone with a passing knowledge of the band will be aware of its legacy – the group’s back catalogue includes such classics as You Really Got Me, Waterloo Sunset and Lola.
Fans will know, however, that The Kinks are famous for another reason; the two Davies brothers, who form the band’s core, have an incredibly troubled relationship. To be blunt, Ray and Dave Davies have been at each other’s throats since childhood, their animosity spilling over into onstage performances and interviews.
Dave even told one UK newspaper: “I think Ray has only been happy for three years of his life – the three before I was born!”
So the fact that they’re back together after so many years of conflict gives one pause for thought.
Are they in it for the creative process? Or are they in it for the money?
Don’t get us wrong; if the Davies brothers have buried the hatchet we’re all for it.
But they have been absent from the mainstream radar for such a long time that we can’t help but think that a reunion is more about a payday than a genuine attempt to build on the band’s legacy with a new album.
They’re not alone in this regard. The music industry is filled with bands whose members can’t stand each other, but yet stay glued together because being apart would mean less stage time and less earnings. What do you do when your band’s two front men don’t like each other
While Aerosmith singer Steve Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry rock on stage, backstage they don’t have much time for each other.
While they’ve never gone for one another’s throats on camera, both have released autobiographies in which they’ve slagged each other off.
Perry apparently thinks Tyler is a shallow poser, less interested in music than he is in being a celebrity. Tyler, meanwhile, claims that Perry is aloof and emotionally cold. According to Tyler, Perry once said to him: “Just because we’re in a band together doesn’t mean we have to be friends.” Where do you begin with Guns ‘n Roses? After becoming one of the biggest bands on the planet following the Use Your Illusion tour, the Gunners started to implode.
Singer Axl Rose was rumoured to have an ego out of control, and the band’s line-up became a revolving door. According to an interview with GNR’s old road manager, Axl had a big problem with Slash because he played guitar on Michael Jackson’s Black Or White. Rumours of child molestation and the King of Pop were flying about at the time and Rose was allegedly molested as a child and he believed them.
Given Axl’s prickly nature it’s unlikely they are bosom pals again, but that hasn’t stopped them from reuniting and going on tour. You can see them locally later this year. Metallica’s rumoured infighting is a matter of public record, thanks to a documentary called Some Kind Of Monster.
The film revealed that drummer Lars Ulrich and guitarist James Hetfield couldn’t go five minutes without screaming at each other, while Kirk Hammett played the part of the child of feuding parents, standing silently to one side.
The band’s dysfunctional relationship reached such epic proportions that a therapist had to be called in.
Since then fans have seen just three albums released, yet Metallica continue to tour. If you want to make sure your band has plenty of infighting, start it with some family members – just ask The Kinks, Oasis and Kings Of Leon.
Around about the time Sex On Fire hit big, frontman Caleb Followill was apparently sober for only 30 minutes a day, causing friction with his siblings in the band.
In 2011, his drinking led to a tour cancellation, and his brother publicly blamed him, which set him off even more.
Apparently Caleb’s drinking has slowed down, but there’s still friction there – just not enough to break up the band.