When Your Favorite Musicians Hate Each Other: The Most Infamous Rock Feuds

A flying tambourine thrown with malice straight to the head. That’s apparently what it took for the UK's most controversial rock brother duo to decide, "That’s it!" A precision exercise in target practice that could have easily won Liam Gallagher, the younger of the two brothers, a gold medal at the recent Olympics. But before this episode, their relationship was far from idyllic. Fans of the now-legendary band Oasis had learned to patiently await their favorite music amidst the insults the pair hurled at each other, openly and in full view of everyone. Years of insults, fights, and a Cain-like rivalry were accepted as the price to pay by the subjects of these sacrosanct saviors of British pop. For those of us who were never big fans of the band, they always seemed a bit 'annoying,' but you had to admit that these guys knew how to put on a show: on and off stage. On August 27, 2009, they announced they would never be seen playing together again, and on August 27, 2024, they decided to break that promise.

It always makes sense to start with them. Their manager and mentor had recently passed away; they were exhausted; the music industry had devoured them. The friendship that had helped them survive "being more famous than Jesus," with all that entails, was beginning to falter. Paul McCartney admitted he was a workaholic and while it was essential for someone to guide the band, this attitude did not resonate at all with the 'hippie' era. He and John Lennon hogged the spotlight, dominated every cover, and under their long shadow, it was getting cold. George Harrison and Ringo Starr began to feel sidelined; their music often wasn’t even considered for inclusion on albums. Amidst all this tension came a burning romance between John and Yoko. The singer didn’t understand separating personal life from work, and his partner ended up appearing at every rehearsal and band meeting. They were young and although they tried, exhaustion got the better of them. In their documentary titled 'Get Back,' you can see in real-time how snide remarks, passive-aggressiveness, and bad comments had become the norm. That unbearable tension was eternally recorded on celluloid. The film shows George Harrison leaving the group in front of the cameras only to decide to return days later. Shortly after, Lennon would also leave, deciding he no longer wanted to reach compromises and instead pursued a solo career—always alongside his beloved Yoko.

Add fame, alcoholism, and unbearable egos. Shake it up—what do you get? That’s right: Guns N' Roses. The constant brawls between Axl Rose and Slash still echo in the halls of the music industry. And no wonder; during one period, the band lived in a house they called 'The Hell House,' you can imagine why. Every day brought a new conflict. Sometimes they would meet up just to beat each other up; other times they would commit crimes together. Guitarist Izzy Stradlin recalls: "We sold drugs; we sold girls. If one of us was in the apartment making love with a girl, we’d take what we could from her purse." In short—real angels. Power struggles and incessant bickering eventually tore the band apart, even involving court battles over who got the biggest slice of the pie.

Metallica was already going to therapy long before 'mental health' became a trendy term. These were group therapies—for the band—and were immortalized in their documentaries. There you could see a group of friends incapable of speaking the same language. It was evident that they hated each other. To this mix add James Hetfield, the band's vocalist who had been battling addictions for years. He admits he often lost his temper, showed up inebriated, and took out his bad mood on drummer Lars Ulrich. Not that Lars was entirely blameless; he had his own issues too. With that said, all sorts of objects often flew in his direction—it was almost common practice. Persistent disputes escalated until the infamous night of August 2, 1982, at West Hollywood's legendary Troubadour where a disagreement over the setlist ended in a fistfight between two band members. If anything can be said in defense of these San Francisco natives is that despite everything, they have never given up on their legendary band.

The feuds between Davies brothers of The Kinks, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' constant ups and downs during The Rolling Stones' wild years—none compare to Mayhem's tragic story. Black metal never had an issue flirting with death—and if you don’t believe it, ask Per Yngve Ohlin (better known as 'Dead'), Mayhem’s singer who chose that pseudonym for himself. The other band members were used to his eternal outbursts. The vocalist would self-harm and do likewise to his bandmates—but always accompanied by his loyal comrade—a dead crow he carried everywhere in a bag. Those around him could barely tolerate him; he was described as unstable and probably schizophrenic. Ultimately his fixation with death led him to commit suicide by shooting himself in the head. His ex-bassist Euronymous fared no better—his Viking behavior led him into a fight with an old bandmate turned rival who ended up stabbing Euronymous twenty-three times, ending his life.

Although Oasis’s reunion reeks strongly of impending disaster from afar—we fervently hope that unlike previous cases—the blood doesn’t reach the river and that Gallagher brothers can stop “looking back in anger” long enough to at least complete their scheduled 14 massive concerts.