L
Lazy Dyke
Guest
Oct. 17, 2004. 01:00 AM
Some band reunions ain't gonna happen
The emergence of VH1's Bands Reunited leads to further rumination on which other bands we'd like to see rescued from fractious break-ups, obscurity and years of indifference. Here's a few reunions that will likely never happen:
The Police. Frontman Sting chalks up the band's 1985 break-up to "ego, mine and theirs." Don't hold your breath for a return: "We played `Message in a Bottle' at my wedding a few years back," he told Guitar World in 1996. "Stewart (Copeland) rushed the beat as usual and I snapped around and gave him this quick snarl, which he returned, and Andy (Summers) grumbled. Suddenly, we all just started to laugh. It was us falling into our old unconscious roles, and we all saw it."
The Smiths. Principal players Morrissey and Johnny Marr harbour no great affection for one another as it is, but the former's recent solo renaissance has probably killed off the possibility of the Smiths' return for a while yet. Marr, meanwhile, has publicly pegged the chances of a Smiths reunion at "O.5 per cent."
The Jesus and Mary Chain. Legendarily combative brothers William and Jim Reid turned to onstage fisticuffs a few dates into their 1999 Munki tour and promptly dissolved their musical partnership of 15 years. Widely presumed too cool to bother with reuniting.
My Bloody Valentine. Kevin Shields has never formally disbanded the hallowed noise-rock quartet, though members Deb Googe and Colm O'Ciosoig both left during the 1990s. Shields' perfectionist ways have, however, kept the band more or less silent since MBV's classic Loveless was released in 1991. Judging by his equally scarce solo output, another album ain't happening soon.
Guns 'N' Roses. Axl Rose — recently characterized by his former guitarist, Slash, as "totally f---in' insane" — would seem to be the sticking point here. And, since he either fired or drove out the entire original GNR line-up in frustration during the 1990s, one presumes there's no desire on anyone's part to make music together.
Van Halen. Prodigal frontman David Lee Roth returned long enough to contribute two songs to a best-of album in 1996 and was promptly fired by Eddie Van Halen, leading to a public feud that still endures. After watching himself replaced by Sammy Hagar, Extreme's Gary Cherone and Hagar again, Roth's pride will likely keep him out of the band forever.
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1097923786722
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971
Some band reunions ain't gonna happen
The emergence of VH1's Bands Reunited leads to further rumination on which other bands we'd like to see rescued from fractious break-ups, obscurity and years of indifference. Here's a few reunions that will likely never happen:
The Police. Frontman Sting chalks up the band's 1985 break-up to "ego, mine and theirs." Don't hold your breath for a return: "We played `Message in a Bottle' at my wedding a few years back," he told Guitar World in 1996. "Stewart (Copeland) rushed the beat as usual and I snapped around and gave him this quick snarl, which he returned, and Andy (Summers) grumbled. Suddenly, we all just started to laugh. It was us falling into our old unconscious roles, and we all saw it."
The Smiths. Principal players Morrissey and Johnny Marr harbour no great affection for one another as it is, but the former's recent solo renaissance has probably killed off the possibility of the Smiths' return for a while yet. Marr, meanwhile, has publicly pegged the chances of a Smiths reunion at "O.5 per cent."
The Jesus and Mary Chain. Legendarily combative brothers William and Jim Reid turned to onstage fisticuffs a few dates into their 1999 Munki tour and promptly dissolved their musical partnership of 15 years. Widely presumed too cool to bother with reuniting.
My Bloody Valentine. Kevin Shields has never formally disbanded the hallowed noise-rock quartet, though members Deb Googe and Colm O'Ciosoig both left during the 1990s. Shields' perfectionist ways have, however, kept the band more or less silent since MBV's classic Loveless was released in 1991. Judging by his equally scarce solo output, another album ain't happening soon.
Guns 'N' Roses. Axl Rose — recently characterized by his former guitarist, Slash, as "totally f---in' insane" — would seem to be the sticking point here. And, since he either fired or drove out the entire original GNR line-up in frustration during the 1990s, one presumes there's no desire on anyone's part to make music together.
Van Halen. Prodigal frontman David Lee Roth returned long enough to contribute two songs to a best-of album in 1996 and was promptly fired by Eddie Van Halen, leading to a public feud that still endures. After watching himself replaced by Sammy Hagar, Extreme's Gary Cherone and Hagar again, Roth's pride will likely keep him out of the band forever.
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1097923786722
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971
