Top 10 Bands HATED By Other Bands

Thom Yorke (Radiohead)


Modern British alternative owes a lot to Radiohead. It’s certainly no surprise that they were named an early influence by electronically-infused prog-rockers Muse. But that connection has gradually been downplayed, likely because of an unlikely band feud. Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke aggressively charged Muse with ripping him off back in 2001. In a 2019 interview for Sunday Times, he slammed the reliability of music streaming algorithms by lamenting that he was recommended Muse. Apparently, Yorke isn’t mannerly about his disdain. In a 2010 Panorama interview, Muse drummer Dominic Howard described an encounter with Yorke that nearly came to blows. He also insisted that he still respects Radiohead’s music. But Yorke suggests that it’s “knives out” on his end.

Robert Smith (The Cure)


With funky anthems and a suave image, Duran Duran exemplified pop rock in the ‘80s. With The Cure exemplifying its cynical antithesis, Robert Smith was naturally not a fan. Sure, the goth rock pioneer has been an outspoken critic of the likes of Def Leppard, Morrissey and Queen. But in a 2018 NME interview, he called Duran Duran a particularly egregious example of music industry consumerism at the time. He also revealed that Simon Le Bon and company were big fans of The Cure. Smith seemed upset about putting down his fellow ‘80s icons, but such candor goes to show how honestly anti-pop he is.

Pete Townshend (The Who)


‘70s rock doesn’t get much louder, or more loved, than Led Zeppelin and The Who. Still, the latter’s guitarist believes that his contemporaries weren’t as innovative as fans thought. Granted, Pete Townshend is hardly the only musician to accuse Jimmy Page of stealing. He just stands out for claiming that a whole genre was stolen. Townshend has charged Zeppelin with being poor imitators in interviews for years. Finally, in 2019, he told the Toronto Sun that The Who “sort of invented heavy metal.” Whether that claim is valid, he just plain doesn’t like Zeppelin’s music. Both bands are respected as titans of one genre or another, but Townshend is quick to dismiss any comparisons.

John Lydon (The Sex Pistols / Public Image Ltd.)


Since his days as Johnny Rotten, this legendary punk frontman has even been outspoken against fellow musicians. The rants against more commercial rockers suit John Lydon’s public image, yet his feud with Green Day is especially nasty. One of the most prominent punk bands since Lydon’s day surely has its roots in his work. In fact, he’s publicly knocked them as poor imitators as far back as the ‘90s. He’s also expressed dismay over Green Day’s hypocritical commercialization of blasting the system. Billie Joe Armstrong has in turn blasted Lydon for his openness about being in it for the money. Whether these artists represent some decline in punk’s ideals, fans seem to favor solidarity more than Lydon and Armstrong.

Mick Jagger (The Rolling Stones)


Perhaps most rock star singers are in some way influenced by the Rolling Stones’ frontman. Still, Mick Jagger has gotten pretty candid about his dislike of progenies like the New York Dolls, The Stranglers and Oasis. The most notable of these so-called “rubbish” groups is Aerosmith. Despite their innovative hard rock, Jagger accuses them of ripping off the Stones, especially with regard to Steven Tyler’s stage presence. This is a sore spot for the legendary vocalist, who told the magazine Rolling Stone that he resented early comparisons to Jagger. Jagger is clearly no less frustrated by this. Though he once described Tyler as “almost too bloody sweet” during an encounter, his emotions for Aerosmith’s music are pretty bitter.

Jimi Hendrix (The Jimi Hendrix Experience)


To promote their brand in the U.S., Jimi Hendrix’s UK-based band opened for The Monkees in 1967. The pop superstars were glad to help the guitar wizard break out back home. But it was a rough gig for Hendrix, who later told journalist Steve Barker that he hated The Monkees’ music. He actually considered them a national embarrassment. And as much as the band appreciated the blues rocker’s different style, concertgoers did not. The tension eventually prompted the Experience to depart in the middle of the tour. Hendrix ultimately didn't need The Monkees to become a permanent global phenomenon. Considering his “embarrassing” experience with them, that must have been a relief.

Courtney Love (Hole)


Bikini Kill and Hole were two of the leading female-led punk and alternative rock bands of the ‘90s. But solidarity was a tall order for Hole singer Courtney Love. She and Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hanna famously got in a fight backstage at Lollapalooza 1995. Twenty-four years later, Love took to social media to dub Bikini Kill the “[b]iggest hoax in [the] history of rock and roll.” She then elaborated that she found them amateurish and superficial. Hanna never learned where the violent hostility came from, having never met Love before their brawl. She was said to be in a bad place after the deaths of husband Kurt Cobain and bassist Kristen Pfaff. Whatever is behind her feud, Love’s musical taste is one certain factor.

Jerry Garcia (Grateful Dead)


Both exemplifying California’s grooving psychedelia scene in the ‘60s, the Grateful Dead and The Doors are also known for their devoted followings. It sounds like the bands would be each other's biggest fans. Well, as nice as Jerry Garcia was, he didn't have kind words for The Doors. It went deeper than his objection to singer Jim Morrison’s grim and vulgar brand. In Blair Jackson’s book “Conversations with the Dead”, Garcia extensively criticized Morrison’s eccentric style and the band's altogether “brittle sound”. That may not be a fair assessment when The Doors had three instrumentalists to the Dead’s huge ensemble. Still, while history supports Morrison’s pretenses of cult stardom, he never lit Garcia's fire.

Kurt Cobain (Nirvana)


Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain was never shy about scolding commercialism or the bands he felt represented it. Pearl Jam were far from fluff like glam metal, but not far enough for their fellow Seattle grunge leader. He lambasted Pearl Jam’s corporate-friendly classic rock influences in multiple interviews. He went so far as to call them posers who exploited the grunge movement. While they really did come from the same underground as Nirvana, Pearl Jam indeed buried its punk roots under a sound Cobain despised. This one-sided feud has played a key role in debates about the best and most successful grunge acts. For Cobain, the real debate was whether Pearl Jam were grunge at all.

Lou Reed (The Velvet Underground)


It’s almost a prerequisite for rock stars to love The Beatles, or at least appear to. The Velvet Underground leader-turned-legendary solo artist Lou Reed once praised the Fab Four’s prolific, experimental pop. He’s quoted as saying, “They just have to be the most incredible songwriters ever.” In later interviews, however, he claimed to never like them. Reed directly dismissed previous praise and lamented the band’s legacy. He even maintained that he was the far better art rocker, calling The Beatles’ “pretentious” later work “worse than stupid rock ‘n’ roll.” While Reed was always frank about his musical tastes, his hot take on The Beatles is complicated. Drummer Ringo Starr accepted the criticism, but was glad that most people liked his band.


What are your favorite unfavorable comments from one musician to another? Dish in the comments.