5 Times Rocks Stars Were Fired From Their Bands for Bizarre Reasons

Rock stars get fired from bands all the time. Historically, getting the boot from an iconic rock band usually comes from either extensive drug use or just creative differences. However, these five rock stars were fired from their bands for pretty interesting reasons. Let’s take a look!

1. Kim Shattuck and Pixies

The late great Kim Shattuck is best known as the frontwoman of The Muffs. However, she was also once part of the band Pixies back in the day. Shattuck was more or less Kim Deal’s replacement, but she was also booted from the band after just six months. Shattuck said that she thought she was fired for being too “different” from the other band members.

“I get the feeling they’re more introverted people than I am,” Shattuck said. “There was a show at the Mayan in Los Angeles where I got overly enthusiastic and jumped into the crowd, and I know they weren’t thrilled about that. When I got offstage the manager told me not to do that again.”

2. Andy Rourke and The Smiths

Andy Rourke was once suddenly booted from The Smiths and not really given much of a reason for it. He was eventually invited back before they broke up. However, what’s really bizarre about this situation is the claim that Morrissey sent Rourke a postcard in lieu of a pink slip. 

The card allegedly read “Andy, you have left The Smiths. Good luck and goodbye, Morrissey.” Rourke said he has since lost the card, and Morrissey denied that it ever existed.

3. Glen Matlock and Sex Pistols

This is a pretty classic example of rock stars who were fired from bands for not exactly easy-to-understand reasons. It was originally put out there that Glen Matlock was fired from the legendary punk band Sex Pistols because he was an avid fan of The Beatles. At least, that’s what their manager said at the time. 

However, Matlock later clarified in his memoir that he quit the band because he was treated terribly by his bandmates.

4. Doug Bogie and Queen

Doug Bogie was once a member of iconic rock band Queen for a very short amount of time in 1971. He was an original member that played only a handful of live sets before the band booted him for being “too energetic”. This one’s kind of a bummer, as Bogie seems like a sweetheart who was just excited to perform with the band.

5. Courtney Love and Faith No More

Yep, Courtney Love was once the lead singer of Faith No More. If you didn’t know that, we don’t blame you. The whole debacle was short-lived. Before Chuck Mosley, Courtney Love (pre-Hole) fronted the band. She was the frontwoman for only six months before the band fired her for being a “dictator”.

“It got to this point where things were just too much,” said Billy Gould. “Courtney’s not the sort of person you could just be an equal with in bands, she’s got to lead and tell people what’s what. She was the dictator, and in our band, things were democratic.”

Photo by Gary Wolstenholme/Redferns via Getty Images

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.