Top 20 Bands Who HATED The Lead Singer

#20: Aerosmith

Steven Tyler’s incredible voice and stage presence were key to Aerosmith’s success. The rest of the band never denied that, which is why they put up with the frontman’s aggressive perfectionism for years. Never mind the mutual substance use which escalated tensions between him and guitarist-songwriter Joe Perry. It all came to public attention when Perry left the band in 1979. Thankfully, the self-identified “Toxic Twins” were able to reconcile while achieving sobriety over the next decade. Tyler has since owned up to his old hostilities, but reportedly never fully backed down from strengthening Aerosmith through conflict. He couldn’t exactly argue with the band’s outrage when he sold out to be a judge on “American Idol.”

#19: Nightwish

The seminal symphonic metal band Nightwish was distinguished by Tarja Turunen’s operatic vocal prowess. That doesn’t excuse also keeping up the off-stage diva act. This regressive term has been called a valid description of Turunen’s growing cruelty and flippancy toward the band after the ‘90s. Her ego and growing prioritization of solo work were reportedly enabled by her manager husband Marcelo Cabuli. So in 2005, immediately following the last show in the Once Upon a Time Tour, Turunen was handed a letter of termination. Her solo career and Nightwish’s rotating lineup have since flourished. And yet, even fans still feel the sting of that cold response to Turunen’s even colder behavior.

#18: The Brian Jonestown Massacre

The 2004 documentary “Dig!” aimed to explore the rivalry between neo-psychedelia bands The Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols. It got more attention for exploring the tyranny of Anton Newcombe. BJM was already infamous for having the occasional on-stage brawl. But the frontman’s brutality even behind the scenes has nearly overshadowed his artistic vision. It's also been a major factor in many bandmates quitting or being fired on the regular. Tensions only escalated through years of Newcombe struggling to maintain his sobriety, until a 2023 tour was violently cancelled in the middle of a show. A health scare afterwards reportedly prompted Newcombe to become more considerate of his behavior, but his colleagues are only cautiously optimistic.

#17: Creed

Scott Stapp has long been a pariah in alt-rock circles for his erratic behavior and substance use disorder. Not even his bandmates could really defend him. Creed found their frontman difficult to work with, and resented how his egotistical persona sparked media backlash against the whole band. His increasing unreliability came to a breaking point when a 2002 concert being cut short by intoxication led to a massive lawsuit. Creed formally disbanded a little over a year later, then reformed behind Myles Kennedy as the celebrated Alter Bridge. Meanwhile, Stapp managed to turn his life and career around, if you don’t count Art of Anarchy firing and suing him for breach of contract in 2018.

#16: Third Eye Blind

Stephan Jenkins is a divisive rock star for his engaging talent and alienating personality. The latter quality took its toll on Third Eye Blind, particularly guitarist and co-songwriter Kevin Cadogan. After he was fired in 2000, he sued Jenkins for withholding royalties and forcing him out of a record deal that gave the singer legal authority over the band. Bassist Arion Salazar wasn’t allowed to keep some of his equipment after he left in ‘06. And guitarist Tony Fredianelli left in 2010 after being pressured into supporting Jenkins’s legal battle with a former manager. He then sued Jenkins for withholding royalties. Third Eye Blind has been relatively stable since then, though its controversial overlord turns a blind eye to old scandals.

#15: The Magic Band

It’s undeniably challenging to work with someone struggling with serious mental illness. Never mind when he has the extreme artistic process of Don “Captain Beeheart” Van Vliet. The avant-garde multi-instrumentalist drove away many members of The Magic Band with his creative control and sometimes physical abuses. This was supposedly compounded by paranoid delusions stemming from his unconfirmed schizophrenia. Van Vliet even forced the band to live in poverty and fealty to him while they made the iconic album “Trout Mask Replica.” The Magic Band finally collapsed after Van Vliet retired from music in 1982. Twenty-one years later, however, they reunited without his involvement to finally gain credit for making his unhinged vision a reality.

#14: Pink Floyd

Syd Barrett was more of a tragedy than a nuisance when he was forced out of Pink Floyd following a mental breakdown. Bassist Roger Waters would helm one of the most acclaimed bands of the ‘70s alongside guitarist David Gilmour. But as the partnership steadily collapsed, the domineering Waters left in 1985 over creative conflicts. They weren't just with Gilmour, though, as Waters’s tension with keyboardist Richard Wright went back to the band's early days. There wasn't much bad blood with drummer Nick Mason, until Waters unsuccessfully sued over ownership of the name Pink Floyd. It would be many years before these musicians made amends, and even publicly expressed remorse. Still, Waters remains recognized for his ego as much as his genius.

#13: The Fall

Mark E. Smith led The Fall through the rise of the post-punk movement. His lifestyle, however, was a little too traditionally punk. Not even his own ranks were safe from his mind games, volatile behavior and substance use disorder. Still, it's believed that he fired more bandmates than he drove away. Marc Riley reportedly got sacked on his wedding day for dancing to Deep Purple. When The Fall ended after 42 years with Smith’s passing, he had been the only consistent member out of more than 60. He famously once said, “If it's me and your granny on bongos, then it's The Fall.” Well, even your granny would have had a hard time getting along with Smith.

#12: Megadeth

Dave Mustaine famously founded Megadeth to spite Metallica for firing him over his disruptive antics. Apparently, being in charge didn't make him much more responsible. Mustaine actually does value perfectionism in his revolutionary style of extreme metal, and has credited this with driving away many bandmates through the years. It may also have something to do with his aggression as a collaborator and a history of rowdiness. Although things settled down some after he achieved sobriety in the early 2000s, the perfectionism did not settle. Bassist and fellow Christian David Ellefson compared his second firing in 2021 to being “kicked out of hell.” Fans cannot deny the results of Mustaine’s intense methods, nor Megadeth's infamous turnover rates.

#11: The Smiths

Pomposity is as synonymous with Morrissey as his innovative artistry and activism. It might be his central characteristic for the musicians who’ve worked with him. In just five years, The Smiths revolutionized indie music under Morrissey’s artistic and financial tyranny. The band collapsed in 1987 with his creative partnership with guitarist Johnny Marr, who has never humored the idea of a reunion. Two years later, bassist Andy Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce filed a lawsuit claiming that their shares were capped at a session musician’s. When the judge ruled in their favor, he called Morrissey “devious, truculent and unreliable where his own interests were at stake.” Considering the turnover rates in his backing bands, it doesn’t look like much has changed.

#10: Journey

For most, Steve Perry’s golden voice is inseparable from Journey. But he claims that even after the departure of original lead singer Gregg Rolie, he never felt like a real part of the band. During the ‘80s, when he first left, he did so of his own free will, failing after a push to gain creative control of the group. But in 1998, when he left again, that cold relationship between him and the other members was a lot more pronounced. After Perry injured himself in a skiing accident, he refused to rush into the surgery required to get him back on-stage. When he left again, Journey acted fast and hired sound-alike Steve Augeri to replace him.

#9: The Smashing Pumpkins

Billy Corgan might be one of the leading figures of alternative rock, but he is certainly a difficult character. You might know him as a pretty outspoken figure in the press, a guy who is never shy about dissing his fellow musicians. But his work as frontman of The Smashing Pumpkins brings with it some other problems. Corgan, to put it lightly, likes to be in control. And he was so particular about every element of his work that he basically pushed bassist Darcy Wretsky out of recording sessions for their seminal album “Siamese Dream.” Corgan insisted on re-recording her tracks himself. By the time their follow-up album came, Corgan was actively pushing everyone out. Wretsky eventually left, and the band themselves broke up in 2000. It wasn’t a permanent though, as the band reunited in the mid-2000s and went through multiple lineup changes, with Corgan as the only constant member throughout.

#8: Talking Heads

The problem with genius is that it often comes at a cost. For Talking Heads, ask any member of the band what it was like to work with frontman David Byrne, and you’re likely to be told he’s a truly odd person. Byrne was described as incredibly cold, while totally determined to take every ounce of power he could within the group. Byrne, who describes himself as being on the autism spectrum, found it difficult to empathize with his bandmates' wishes, rarely made eye contact, and would be critical of any success his peers had outside of Talking Heads. Bassist Tina Weymouth and guitarist Jerry Harrison, in particular, had very few kind words about him as a collaborator, leaving the idea of a reunion at next-to-impossible.

#7: Skid Row

For Skid Row and their singer Sebastian Bach, to say things were volatile would be an understatement. A band like that was never going to have a long prime-run. Though they hit it big early, Bach’s ego was an issue. And in 1996, he was fired from the band after a disagreement following his decision to book them as the opening act for Kiss without consulting the others. For one thing, it showed that Bach has little regard for his bandmates. And on top of that, their bassist Rachel Bolan was already booked that night for a gig with his side project. Whatever happened behind closed doors on that night, it was the final nail in the coffin for Bach’s time with the group.

#6: Dead Kennedys

One of the biggest sins a musician can commit against their fellow bandmates is taking their money. Dead Kennedys singer Jello Biafra found himself in a legal battle due to non-payment of royalties that he owed to his bandmates. Biafra, who was head of record label Alternative Tentacles, had seemingly withheld $75,000 in royalties over the course of a decade. As soon as the others found out, they were understandably furious. According to a whistleblower, Biafra actually discovered the payment mistake and concealed it from the band. He was eventually forced to pay $200,000 – and as you might expect, the relationship between the band and their former singer has never healed.

#5: Van Halen

Stylistic differences within a band generally boil down to musical decisions. But in the case of rock ‘n’ roll wildman David Lee Roth and the rest of Van Halen, not so much. Roth firmly believed that the band needed to put more effort into their look and their on-stage presence. Sounds like a pretty fair suggestion, right? Well, when the singer hired a photographer to shoot him in a very risque, bondage-influenced fashion for their next album cover, the band were not happy. The rest of them very clearly wanted to put the music first. But Roth’s superficial priorities and constant showboating on-stage were becoming a problem. And eventually, he left to pursue a solo career.

#4: Queensrÿche

Every band has their breaking point. And despite years of being one of the most successful progressive metal bands of their era, Queensrÿche found theirs in 2012. Singer Geoff Tate was reportedly involved in a violent backstage altercation with the rest of the group that got him fired. Prior to that, he installed his stepdaughter to run the band’s fanclub, and his own wife as their manager. The others obviously felt that their voices were being diluted within the band. And so, they decided to fire Tate’s family members without consulting him. This led to the fight and eventual tension that saw Tate get fired shortly after. A total mess on all fronts.

#3: Creedence Clearwater Revival

When things get so bad that your lead singer won’t even let you attend your own induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, you know the band is beyond saving. Here’s the thing: Creedence Clearwater Revival singer John Fogerty was clearly onto a winning formula during the band’s heyday. The problem was that he ran the band as a dictator. He simply didn’t believe that his bandmates could bring forth the type of ideas that could contend with his. By the end, they kinda hated him for it. Eventually, Fogerty’s brother Tom left the group, and they imploded shortly after. John Fogerty described CCR as a ticking time-bomb – and in the end, they only sustained their success for about four years.

#2: The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys were, without question, one of the defining bands of the 1960s, a boundary-pushing group of musicians who perfected many genres. But at their core, they were a deeply troubled band. When their main creative force Brian Wilson descended into a substance-fuelled downfall that damaged his mental health irreparably, his bandmate Mike Love grew impatient. Love, as some of you will know, is by no means a beloved figure in rock history. But after getting tired of waiting for Wilson to recover, he decided to carry on without him. For decades, Love was involved in legal battles and petty squabbles over songwriting credits. But in reality, the general consensus was that Love always had a problem playing second fiddle to legitimate genius.

#1: Guns N’ Roses

When a band has cycled through as many members as Guns N’ Roses had, you just know that something’s wrong. The 1980s saw GNR climb just about as high as any band could possibly climb. But at the center of it all, Rose’s vices and rapidly growing ego were getting out of hand. He battled for attention, creative control and, ultimately, every inch of power he could claim. He fought his bandmates, most notably guitarist Slash, to the point that they quit. A band that volatile was never going to survive for long. And with Axl’s unpredictable and downright chaotic behavior, the fact that they even survived after their first album is a miracle.

Who are some other unexpectedly or infamously difficult band leaders? See the show in the comments below.