Nicola Methven says what you’re thinking
BATTLE OF THE BANDS
What is it with 80s bands and their fall-outs over money? Barely a week goes by without a grumpy band member taking their former best friends to court over some sort of pay dispute.
This month, it was the turn of Culture Club to narrowly avoid a public courtroom brawl, after former drummer Jon Moss stated he wanted a share of the profits that he’d missed out on since 2018, when he claims to have been forced out by a manager.
Jon was there for 37 years so, in fairness, he gave it a decent run. And in the end singer Boy George, guitarist Roy Hay and bassist Mikey Craig decided to pay up rather than leave it to a judge. Jon is now £1.75 million richer.
While it’s nice for him, it’s such a shame for the fans to have to see the members of the bands they adored as teens end up despising each other.
When Spandau Ballet’s Tony Hadley, John Keeble and Steve Norman fell out with songwriter Gary Kemp over royalties back in 1999, I was gutted. The trio lost their legal battle and were ordered to pay £200,000 in costs with Gary saying: ‘I see this as a victory on behalf of all songwriters.’
My husband felt the same when Johnny Marr had a bust-up with Morrissey and that was it for The Smiths. (He thinks he’s cooler than me, but nothing beats seeing Spandau live in Shepton Mallet when I was 11.)
Anyway, the message to all the bands still going – yes, Duran Duran I do mean you – is not to fall out. It’s just such a sad ending.
Perhaps following the lead of REM, Coldplay, Radiohead and The Doors is the best idea? Namely, everyone gets paid the same, regardless of who wrote the songs. It might not seem altogether fair, but it avoids the inevitable court showdown.
A win for Charles Dickens
Well done to screenwriter Steven Knight for shaking up Great Expectations for the modern
