6 Silliest Feuds in Rock Music History

If there’s one thing that will always be guaranteed in rock and roll, it’s that some musicians will get themselves into some trouble with other musicians. Rock music can be competitive and full of drama, so it only makes sense for a few beefs to start here and there. These six famous rock music feuds, however, are some of the silliest. Let’s have a rock music history lesson, shall we?

1. The Smashing Pumpkins vs. Pavement

Back in 1994, indie rock band Pavement famously penned the song “Range Life” as a jab at fellow rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. Billy Corgan didn’t love that and responded by allegedly booting Pavement from their Lollapalooza tour that year.

Since the incident, the two bands have continued to beef with each other. Corgan threw some shade at Pavement for insinuating that The Smashing Pumpkins were sellouts in 2010, shortly after the now-reunited Pavement was set to be on the same music fest bill. Basically, two famous rock bands pointed fingers at each other yelling “sell-out!”

[See The Smashing Pumpkins Live]

2. Axl Rose vs. David Bowie

Axl Rose had a few notable beefs through the years, and his feud with David Bowie was pretty funny in retrospect. In 1989, David Bowie allegedly hit on Axl Rose’s girlfriend, and word spread pretty quickly. 

Rose was PO’d, and when Bowie made an appearance at a Guns N’ Roses show, he started hurling insults at him from the stage at The Cathouse. Earlier that day, it was reported that Rose allegedly chased down Bowie yelling “I’m gonna kill you, Tin Man!” The pair eventually made up, but they were far from friends in the years that followed.

3. Paul McCartney vs. Michael Jackson

Some would argue that this entry isn’t fit for a list of the silliest rock feuds in history, as many believe Paul McCartney was right to be angry at Michael Jackson for trying to buy The Beatles’ catalog of music.

Allegedly, McCartney gave Jackson some advice in the 80s, saying that he should invest in buying the publishing rights to hit songs. Jackson turned around and bought the company that owned the majority of The Beatles’ music.

“I think it’s dodgy to do things like that,” McCartney said of the incident. “To be someone’s friend and then buy the rug they’re standing on.”

4. Gene Simmons vs. Carlos Santana

Believe it or not, metal icon Gene Simmons and chill guitarist Carlos Santana once beefed pretty hard over some comments the latter made about KISS. In 2005, Santana said that Simmons was “not a musician.”

“He’s an entertainer,” Santana said. “KISS is Las Vegas entertainment, so he wouldn’t know what music is anyway. That’s why he wears all that stuff.”

At first, it didn’t seem like Simmons was bothered. However, a few years later, he directly slammed the guitarist: “I’m sick and tired of these bands like Carlos Santana looking at his shoes and thinking that’s a rock concert. Get off the stage.”

5. Vivian Campbell vs. Ronnie James Dio

Vivian Campbell and Ronnie James Dio made some great music together in the 1980s as part of the rock band Dio. However, the pair were far from friends. Dio said that Campbell was “a f***ing a**hole”, and Campbell said that Dio was “one of the vilest people in the industry.” Though, it’s worth noting that Campbell later said he regretted the statement after Dio passed away in 2010.

6. Jack White vs. Jason Stollsteimer

This rock music feud involved a straight-up physical fight. The White Stripes and Von Bondies frontmen allegedly got into a scuffle in Detroit back in 2003. Von Bondies’ management released a statement alleging that Jack White punched Jason Stollsteimer repeatedly before being restrained by people in the crowd. White was charged with aggravated assault, and it isn’t abundantly clear what prompted him to attack Stollsteimer.

Photo by Amy Sussman

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