9 Uber Successful Bands Who Hated Each Other

When bands don’t get along, you can usually tell. There’s a distinct difference between friendly joshing around in interviews and the overt glaring across the stage that’s oh-so-evident in concert DVDs (no names named). But some bands manage to power through that kind of animosity — perhaps with some kind of monetary symbol pulsing in their eyes, who’s to know — and keep creating great music. Like these guys…

1) Oasis

Has there ever been a band so stunningly open about their dislike for each other than Oasis? Whether they’re sniping at one another in yet another totally predictable statement to the press or packed within the lyrics of their music, it’s pretty clear why they dislike each other so much: because nobody could ever like them. Their reputation has overshadowed the number of times someone has sung “Wonderwall” during karaoke, and that’s really saying something.

2) Van Halen

Second only to Oasis’ tiresome bitchery is Van Halen’s. Everyone seemed to hate Eddie Van Halen with a passion, despite how often he promises the press that his latest reunion victim is getting on like a house on fire with the rest of the band. Although most of their feuding came after the band had reached their peak, sources have revealed Sammy Hagar and David Lee Roth have to direct opposite of a Bromance going on.

3) The Stone Roses

Particularly notable because the band recently reformed for a few live shows that were much admired by fans both old and new, the Mancunian band had previously sworn themselves blue in the face over denying their desire to get back together. They claimed to hate each other with a passion, with the drummer walking out and Ian Brown declaring him a…rather fruity name. Not so stony, then.

4) Aerosmith

There seems to be a theme running through this list of old rock bands who loathe each other, so who am I to deny Aerosmith their turn under the spotlight? There’s the well-publicized hatred between Perry and Tyler that apparently spanned most of their career to think of, although the rest of the band were said to get on quite well — until Mr Tyler cropped up on American Idol declaring his disdain for the lot of them. Smooth move, Ferguson.

5) Fleetwood Mac

In a feud so well-known that even Glee made reference to it, Fleetwood Mac created their Rumours album when marriages were falling apart around them and morale amongst the members was at an all-time low. Although some members of the band reconciled in the years that followed, many consider this album one of the finest of their career (or any of the solo ones that followed).

6) The Beatles

While the Fab Four started out as just a bunch of happy-go-lucky lads who only wanted to make some lovely music (or so the legends would have us believe), they ended their days in a cloud of dislike and general suspicion of each other. While John Lennon went on to a successful solo career, the rest of the band didn’t reclaim any kind of level of success after the band broke up. How much Yoko Ono had to do with it is impossible to say, but she’s part of the legend now whether she likes it or not (I doubt she does).

7) The Rolling Stones

Any band that’s around as long as the Stones is bound to wind up rubbing someone the wrong way every once in a while. Anyone can accidentally make a laughing stock out of his bandmate’s junk in his autobiography, right, Keith? Aside from that, politics were at play with Ronnie Wood who played with the band for two decades until he was anything other than a session musician, and Keith and Mick allegedly took great pleasure in annoying each other.

8) Led Zeppelin

A band famous for bringing rock to the masses didn’t have much luck bringing peace to their masses, apparently. John Paul Jones traveled separately from the rest of the band, only actually seeing them on stage, which drove Plant and Page to exclude him from their reunion tour. Plant allegedly never quite forgave Page for wanting to carry on his quiet solo career in favor of a fully-fledged Led Zep reunion, and the band were basically divided from here on in.

9) Sting and The Police

What’s to say about this entry? The Police did not like Sting. No one likes Sting. Maybe his family. But everyone else loathes him. Including his own band at the height of their popularity, apparently.