Queen reportedly kicked out an 18 - year - old after two shows because " he jumped up and down in a style most incongruous . " However , Freddie Mercury wield to put the incrimination on himself to save the teen from embarrassment .
This post moderate mentions of substance misuse .
Not every famous band keeps its original lineup. A musician may decide to quit to pursue a solo career, or the entire group may disband because of an argument. Sometimes, however, a member is pushed out of the band against their will.
Here are 13 weird and wild reasons band members were fired or quit:
1.In 2003, Slade founder Dave Hillreportedlyfired guitarist Dave Glover after receiving word that his bandmate was allegedly engaged to convicted serial killer Rosemary West and had exhanged hundreds of love letters with her. Glover denied the engagement and love letters rumors but said that he and Rosemary “became good friends” after he reached out to her because he believed she was “wrongly convicted of murder” and felt “sorry” she decided not to proceed with her appeal.
2.Joe Perry left Aerosmith after an incident involving spilled milk. During the 1979 World Series of Rock, Terry Hamilton, who’s married to bassist Tom Hamilton, threw a cup of milk at Eyssa Perry, Joe’s then-wife. It escalated into an argument between Joe andSteven Tyler, who ultimately told him he was fired.
3.Stevie NicksandLindsey BuckinghamjoinedFleetwood Macas a couple in 1975 but broke up two years later. They remained bandmates and bitter exes until 1987, when Lindsey left the group for an extended period. The original five members reunited several times. In 2018, they were honored at the MusiCares Grammy event. While Stevie gave an acceptance speech, Lindsey allegedly acted out and smirked, whichreportedlyled to his firing shortly after (which he says is “bullshit,” linking his firing to his new album release, which he wanted to delay the band’s upcoming tour for).
4.When David Ruffin joined The Temptations, he started as a backing singer before being promoted to lead vocalist for “My Girl.” However, the mixture of fame and drug usereportedlyled to behaviors such as asking for special privileges and trying to change the band’s name to David Ruffin & The Temptations. He was fired in 1968.
5.Don Felder had interpersonal issues with other members of the Eagles — but especially Glenn Frey. Their conflict came to a head during a performance in 1980, when theythreatenedto physically fight each other on stage. The band broke up afterwards then surprisingly reunited in 1994. However, in 2001, Don Henley and Glenndecidedto fire Felder because of continued contention between him and the rest of the band.
6.When Glen Matlock parted ways with the Sex Pistols in 1977, the band’s manager, Malcolm McLaren,senta telegram to NME claiming that he’d been fired because “he went on too long about Paul McCartney.” However, Glen denied this version of events.
7.In 1971, Doug Bogie was part of Queen for two shows before they sacked him. According toIs This the Real Life?: The Untold Story of Queen, Brian May said that “he jumped up and down in a manner most incongruous.”
8.In 1992, Vince Neil and Mötley Crüe parted ways, though there are conflicting reports about whether he quit or was fired. In a public statement at the time, the band said, “Race car driving has become a priority in Neil’s life. His band mates felt he didn’t share their determination and passion for music.”
9.In 1979, Black Sabbath kicked Ozzy Osbourne out of the group, amidst his issues with substance abuse. He blamed Tony Iommi. In his memoirI Am Ozzy, he wrote, “We were doing some rehearsals in LA, and I was loaded, but then I was loaded all the time; it was obvious that Bill [Ward] had been sent by the others because he wasn’t exactly the firing type. I can’t remember exactly what he said to me…but the gist was that Tony thought I was a pissed, coked-up loser and a waste of time for everyone concerned.”
10.In the early ’60s, Jimi Hendrix was hired to play guitar in The Upsetters, Little Richard’s backing band. However, he wasreportedlyfired for constantly being late and upstaging Little Richard.
11.In 1995, Robbie WilliamsleftTake That mid-tour amidst issues with alcoholism, addiction, and mental health, as well as an alleged feud with band member Gary Barlow. In the 2022 BBC Sounds programRobbie Williams: My Life Thru a Lens, Robbie said, “It felt like I was in some sort of burning building and I needed to get out. That’s how it felt at the time. And then I was like, ‘Okay, I’ll do this tour, and then I’ll leave.’ And they actually went, ‘Actually, if you’re going to leave, can you go now?'”
12.In 1996, Eddie Van Halenreportedlycalled Sammy Hagar to let him know Van Halen would be moving forward without him. In 2023, Sammy toldThe Howard Stern Show, “Our manager died. Another manager came in. He started poisoning Ed now, saying, ‘Hey, Sammy thinks it’s his band.’ Mike will tell you. I was innocent. They just all turned on me because I didn’t like this manager.”
13.And finally, during his time in Pearl Jam, Dave Abbruzzesewould"flip out" and “jump up and down by [him]self” to celebrate the band’s success, but the others were more reserved. When he was fired in 1994, the band’s manager, Kelly Curtis, toldRolling Stone, “It was a band decision – it wasn’t Eddie Vedder, it wasn’t any one person. Everyone thinks Dave is a great drummer and a great person, but it wasn’t happening.”
