4 Rock Auditions That Almost Went South, but Thankfully Turned Into Some of the Most Iconic Bands of All Time

Auditions are the job interviews of the rock ‘n’ roll world, and as such, can be a tremendous source of nerves and anxiety for artists. Sure, it’s exciting to show off what you can do as a musician. But allowing yourself to be judged so objectively on such a subjective art form requires a great deal of vulnerability and courage. And when those auditions seem to be going badly, well, things can go from bad to worse in a matter of seconds.

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Such was the case for these notable rock ‘n’ roll auditions, all of which appeared to be turning sour until, suddenly, they weren’t. As is often the case in music, one quick turnaround can be the only difference between losing the gig and creating one of the most iconic bands of all time.

Alice Cooper and Frank Zappa

Alice Cooper landed an audition with Frank Zappa after Zappa’s manager, Shep Gordon, watched the band clear out the Cheetah Club in Los Angeles because of how abrasive and overwhelming their set was. Just Zappa’s style. The avant-garde rock ‘n’ roller (and head of two record labels, Bizarre and Straight, which housed the kind of music, respectively, you would assume they do) invited Alice Cooper to his house at seven o’clock.

Imagine his—and Alice Cooper’s—surprise when they show up to Zappa’s home, clad in chrome costumes, at the bright-and-early hour of 7 a.m. A crankier label head might have shooed them away, but Zappa invited them in, and the band got the gig. Zappa signed Alice Cooper to his label, and the shock rock band went on to become more shocking and more rocking from there.

Mike Campbell and Tom Petty

Before Tom Petty and Mike Campbell played together in The Heartbreakers, the musicians played in a Gainesville, Florida, rock band called Mudcrutch. The band, fronted by Tom Petty, had already been active for a while when Campbell came in. As Campbell told Guitar Aficionado (via Guitar Player), his friend had recently landed a gig as Mudcrutch’s drummer when the band lost their guitarist.

Enter Mike Campbell with his Guyatone electric. “When they saw my guitar, they all laughed at me,” Campbell remembered. “[They] went, ‘Oh, great.’ They asked me what I knew how to play, and I suggested Johnny B. Goode. When I started playing, they all changed their tune really quickly. That was the first time I ever met Tom. We hit it off immediately, but one of the first things he said to me was, ‘We’ve got to get you a good guitar.’”

Chad Smith and Red Hot Chili Peppers

The Red Hot Chili Peppers held open auditions for a new drummer in 1988, which producer Michael Beinhorn later described by saying, “I have never seen a more lackluster group of drummers under one roof in my entire life.” When Chad Smith approached the group, they were less than thrilled. Everyone thought he had the wrong look and a pretentious attitude.

Then he drummed. “From the first hit,” Beinhorn said, “I was like, ‘Oh, my God. He was so good. He was so good. And something happened in that room that I’ve only experienced a few times in my life. It literally felt like some energy portal had opened. It literally felt like a whole bunch of doors had opened, like a magic incantation had been recited. Everything shifted. It was incredible.”

Stephen Stills and The Monkees

In the previous three cases of bad rock ‘n’ roll auditions, the person auditioning eventually got the part they were after. But in the case of Stephen Stills and The Monkees, another man by the name of Peter Tork would be the one to get the gig. Legend has it that Stills auditioned for The Monkees in 1965, but the television producers rejected him because of his looks. Other stories claim he turned the role down to maintain creative freedom, which might explain away the other theory as a teasing joke that solidified into fact over the years.

Regardless, Stills was the one who recommended Peter Tork to The Monkees producers, and he ended up getting the gig. Stills, meanwhile, went on to work with Buffalo Springfield and, later, Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young. So, his was still a case of “all’s well that ends well,” even if he didn’t end up as a Monkee.

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