Ticket 2 Ride

What’s a feud? It involves people who were close, now not so much. There’s pain, emotion and bitterness. A feud is not the same as a rivalry, but an intense rivalry can become a feud.

I read that ex-Pink Floyd guitarist and songwriter David Gilmour hopes the valuable Pink Floyd catalog will sell, so that he and bassist and songwriter Roger Waters will not have deal with each other anymore. Gilmour and Waters are partners in various Pink Floyd businesses so they must interact, even if it’s through lawyers. That feud dates back to the 1970s.

I got to thinking, what are other famous feuds that I know about. It seems that most feuds never end and are buried with the participants. That’s a rather sad thing.

Jerry Lewis & Dean Martin

The most successful acting/performing duo of the 1950s. The went decades before appearing together on one of Lewis’s Labor Day MDA Telethons. Their split was ugly, but mostly out of the public eye. In 1976, Frank Sinatra talked Martin into joining him onstage with Lewis during the live telethon.

Bette Davis & Joan Crawford

I believe this fractured relationship began as a rivalry between two successful actresses with volatile personalities, who sniped at each other, and it turned nasty. Somehow, they even appeared in a film together late in their careers: Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?

Joan Fontaine & Olivia de Haviland

Sisters, from the Golden Age of Hollywood, who carried their feud to the grave. They were acting rivals, who were even nominated for the same Academy Award and forced to sit together at the presentation. Talk about bad blood.

Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel

Perhaps the saddest of the feuds, since 1970, this singing duo has not recorded a new album together. Outside of one song (“My Little Town”), a live album and some live performances, these guys have spent almost 55 years feuding.

Roger Hodgson & Rick Davis

The songwriting team behind the English rock group Supertramp. Hodgson left the group in the early 1980s for a solo career. Supertramp carried on, but to less commercial success. In celebrating their 50th anniversary, Hodgson expressed disappointment at not being asked to join them on a tour to recognize the significance of the event and their music. Davies would not have it.

Steve Winwood & Dave Mason

Both were members of the English rock band Traffic in the late 1960s. Mason left after the first album, leaving Traffic a trio. Winwood and Mason had very different writing styles. Mason would come and go several times over the next several years, but mainly forge his solo career while Traffic cruised ahead, incorporating a few additional members until it disbanded in the mid 1970s. Winwood established a very successful solo career and reformed Traffic with drummer/vocalist Jim Capaldi in the early 1990s. Mason would also tour with Capaldi, before Capaldi’s passing. In recent years, Mason has been interested in working with Winwood, but it’s a no-go for Winwood. Mason tours under his Traffic association.

Stevie Nicks & Lindsey Buckingham

I think everyone knows this story. Stevie will not work with Lindsey anymore. Christine McVie has passed, John McVie has retired…Fleetwood Mac should be considered done.

Brian Wilson & Mike Love

Although they are cousins, there have been bad vibrations between these guys since the 1960s. Love sued Wilson for songwriting credit and royalties over a number of Beach Boys songs. After the 50th Anniversary Tour and album, Love jettisoned Wilson and Al Jardine from The Beach Boys touring band. Love has the legal right to tour under The Beach Boys name and is going to ride that surfboard until the oceans dry up.

Lyndon Johnson & Robert F. Kennedy

The rift between Johnson and the Kennedys goes back to the 1950s when it was JFK who got the Democratic nomination over Johnson. Being VP in the Kennedy administration was humbling to Johnson, who ran the Senate in the 1950s, and now was pretty invisible. After JFK was killed, Johnson had RFK remain as Attorney General, but working together proved difficult since they disliked and distrusted each other. Johnson moved out of the shadow of JFK, while RFK was elected to the Senate, and later challenged Johnson for delegates in the upcoming presidential election.

Liam Gallagher & Noel Gallagher

These brothers were members of the very successful band, Oasis until they broke up in 2009. Only recently have they appeared to have buried the hatchet and plan to work together touring next year.

Ray Davies & Dave Davies

The Davies brothers bickered their entire lives. Ray, the older brother, was the band leader, main songwriter and lead vocalist. Dave, the lead guitarist, fought to get his songs included and featured. The Kinks broke up in the 1990s, with the brothers going their separate ways. In recent years they have tinkered with old and new music, but so far, no new releases or performing together.

Johnny Carson & Joan Rivers

Joan Rivers began Carson’s permanent guest host on The Tonight Show, a plum job. Rivers was offered a talk show opposite Carson on the new Fox network. Carson was furious and never talked with Rivers again. The Rivers talk show never gained traction and was canceled.

Tonya Harding & Nancy Kerrigan

This was quite the media event. Skating rivals, then an assault on Kerrigan, an investigation revealing Harding’s husband and another accomplice carried out the dastardly deed. Ice skating is a bad-assed sport.

Morrissey & Johnny Marr

Members of the 1980s band, The Smiths, continue their acrimonious relationship through the media and through legal reps. Morrissey wants to leverage The Smiths’ legacy with big financial offers to tour and release old material; Marr has vetoed those ideas and prefers his own solo career.

David Crosby & Graham Nash/Neil Young

These guys fought and reconciled since they knew each other. The final straw between Crosby and Young was comments Crosby made about Daryl Hannah, Young’s wife. About the same time, the long friendship between Crosby and Nash ended. The definition of friendship was Crosby and Nash through the years. Nash finally had enough of Crosby’s arrogance and lack of respect, very publicly stating his reasons. These two were tighter than brothers until the last several years of Crosby’s life. An attempt was made by Crosby to talk with Nash the day before he died. There’s a lesson here.

William Shatner & George Takei

William Shatner was disliked or annoyed by other members of the Star Trek cast, even sometimes ally Leonard Nimoy. Shatner and Nimoy didn’t talk during the last five years of Nimoy’s life, according to various accounts. Each member of the cast had their own issues with Shatner including Takei and Nichelle Nichols, who called out Shatner for his massive ego.