BY MIKEY MIGO
Remember when you first saw that band you like in that one magazine you used to read? They were just starting out and their single was all over the radio. As time moves forward that picture you saw of the band changes. The image of a band changes, they get older, they adapt to what's new, and they move through different phases of their lives. In some cases, the picture changes completely. A band member leaves and a new one comes. Be it drugs, be it girls, be it money, or be it "musical differences" the faces of a lot of our favorite bands change. It's inevitable. Some combinations of people aren't meant to last. Egos and personalities conflict and the door is always open for an exit, but rarely ever open for a return. In this week's Savage Animal, I'm going to take a look at some of the more successful band separations and a few not-so successful ones.
Musician: Richard Patrick
Former Band: Nine Inch Nails (1989-1991)
Did you know the lead singer of Filter used to be in Nine Inch Nails? If you're a fan of either or both then probably. Richard Patrick was mainly hired onto the band as a hired gun or a touring performer. We all know Trent Reznor (at least at that time) is the only man to really create what NIN's music is. So Patrick was just "there". His only musical contribution on tape is at the end of "Sanctified", which is obviously not a single(still a great and underappreciated track). So after touring around with NIN and appearing in a few videos like "Head Like a Hole", "Gave Up", "Wish", and "Down In It". There has been grumblings from Patrick over the years about why he left the band, but from my point of view I think it was just that he was tired of not being involved with making music. He'd go on to have some pretty good success with Filter and "Hey Man, Nice Shot" especially. Oddly enough, there are still people who think it's a NIN song. That has to make a voiceless member of NIN pretty pretty pretty pissed.
Musician: David Lee Roth
Former Band: Van Halen (he would later return)
Van Halen without David Lee Roth is a Van Halen I wish I'd of never known. In the early 80's, DLR and Van Halen were on top of the world. The rise of MTV really gave them a boost as their image(at least DLR's) and music were probably the biggest at the time. We don't need to get into the singles like "Panama", "Jump", and "Running With The Devil" to name a small few. We don't need to get into the charismatic being that David Lee Roth is and the talented band that is Van Halen. In 1985 Roth left the band. No one really ever got a specific reason why. After like thirteen years of being together it was probably a lump sum of reasons, habits, and arguments that were why. Van Halen would go on to have hits with Hagar and Cherone, but DLR would still go on to rock(for awhile). Finally and recently Van Halen would become complete again as David Lee Roth and band would kiss and make up. The result was been a critically and financially successful tour.
Musician: Eric Clapton
Former Band: The Yardbirds
In the early 60's this band of schoolmates started to gain a lot of attention. Eric Clapton was the stand out. At this point in college he was already well aware of how to use his guitar. They were unpolished and a bit rough around the edges from their first album, a live album in 64. It was enough to garner the band a lot of attention. As they would continue to record things got less bluesy and more poppy. This angered Clapton to the point of leaving the band. Eric Clapton would go on to claim his thrown as one of the top guitar plays of all time, release numerous hits, and secure his place in music history. The Yardbirds, however, would not go away despite the loss of their biggest player. They would go on to hire Jeff Beck, who was no slouch himself. Beck would leave and Jimmy Page would enter. The rest is Led Zeppelin history.
Musician: Bobby Brown
Former Band: New Edition
That's right. From Jimmy Page to Bobby Brown. Bobby was part of the biggest boy band at the time in New Edition. In my opinion, New Edition is the trailblazers for all boy bands. These guys were tearing up the charts and making tons of money, apparently for other people. They had hits like "Candy Girl", "Cool It Now" and "Mr. Telephone Man". Brown was the bad boy of the group and wanted to be more risqué and sexual in his performance. The result was him taking the shows into his own hands and straying from their plotted dance moves and performance. The other band members thought this would put their careers in jeopardy so they kicked him out of the band. Brown would go on to have some hits, be in Ghostbusters, bang Whitney Houston, and do a lot of drugs. New Edition would recruit Johnny Gill and then break off into groups within the band like "Bel Biv Devoe". They would reunite here and there, but never really as a fully recording and touring unit. From the looks of Brown lately I don't see that changing any time soon.
Musician: Joe Perry
Former/Current Band: Aerosmith (he would later return)
He's one half of the "Toxic Twins" and we all know the classic riffs that's come from this man's axe. Still, there was a time where Perry and Steven Tyler weren't attached at the hip. During one of their biggest periods, Perry's wife got into a fight with Tom Hamilton's wife. THIS was the reason Perry left the band. He took unrecorded material with him and started his own band called "The Joe Perry Project". He would go on to release two albums and reach fair enough success peaking at #47 on the Billboard Charts. It was still not Aerosmith. After a few years of this, Perry would reunite with Tyler and the rest of the guys and continue to rock. This is one that ends with a reunion
Musician: Steven Alder
Former Band: Guns N' Roses (1985-1990)
If you pay attention to obscure music news as much as I do then you'll know drummer Steven Alder's name based on a lot of nonsense. Every so often it'll be him in an interview, video, or blurb either talking shit about his former band or talking up a reunion that he should never be apart of. When the majority of the remaining Guns fans think drummer we think Matt Sorum. Alder is the classic and tragic case of a fallen rockstar. He now claws and grasps for any attention possible. Sadly when he gets it he's normally high as hell, drunk, or just a mush brain. It's gotten to be morbidly humorous to see what this train wreck will say next. For his sake, I hope he can stay clean and move on, but it doesn't look to be happening anytime soon.
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