John Oates says his friendship with Daryl Hall “wasn’t as tight as people might imagine”
John Oates has opened up about his friendship with former bandmate Daryl Hall, saying it “wasn’t as tight as people might imagine”.
The pair are currently embroiled in a legal battle after Hall announced he was suing Oates after claiming that he was left “blindsided” by his plan to sell a business stake last November – which Oates described as “inaccurate”.
Now, in a new interview with Good Morning America, Oates has claimed the pair’s working relationship has been distant even before the lawsuit, limited only to playing onstage where they “trotted out the hits”.
Though there was no animosity, Oates claimed they “never really talked to each other”, adding: “Over the past 20 years, we’d show up at a show individually, walk on stage, play, and then we’d go our separate ways. It really wasn’t as tight as people might, you know, would like to imagine in their kind of a fantasy imagination of our relationship.
When asked if Oates had a message for Hall should he be watching the interview, Oates responded: “I love you like a brother… but you know what? Brothers have disagreements, families grow apart… [I] would say, I wish him the best.
“I hope that he has everything he wants in life. And that he can pursue his dream of being a respected solo artist, which I believe is something that he’s always wanted.”
Previously, Oates has said although he believes Hall & Oates’ catalogue “will stand the test of time”, he has also “moved on”.
“You can’t ignore the fact that the Hall & Oates catalogue of hits and the 50-year career will always trump almost anything that Daryl does on his own or I do on my own, which is okay because I’m very proud of that music,” he said (via Variety).
He added: “I’m really proud of what Daryl and I created together.”
As such, he has shot down any potential reunions in an interview with Rolling Stone. When asked if there was an official end date to their partnership, Oates replied: “You can ask Daryl the same question. But, yes. As far as I’m concerned, I’ve moved on. I feel like I have a new lease on my creative life.”
Oates added he was “open” to staying friends with Hall, calling him “an amazing individual”. “He is one of the great, great songwriters of all time, and without a doubt, one of the great singers of all time. I would never say anything negative about him.
“But we have a different strategy for our lives, and we have a different strategy for our business lives as well as our personal lives. And that’s that, so be it. We’re old guys. We deserve to be allowed to do whatever we want to do.”
In other news, Oates released a new album yesterday (May 17) ironically titled ‘Reunion’.
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Alex Rigotti
NME
