The most famous supergroups have historically formed between hard rock, blues rock, and/or heavy metal superstars. Rarely did punk rock ever get into the mix when it came to supergroups. However, there was one noteworthy punk supergroup that kicked off briefly in the 1990s. And that group was Neurotic Outsiders.
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Neurotic Outsiders formed in 1995 and had quite a list of talent. The band was formed by Sex Pistols’ Steve Jones on lead vocals and guitar, Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses on guitar and vocals, Matt Sorum of Guns N’ Roses on drums, and Johnny Taylor of Duran Duran on bass. Billy Idol also briefly sang for the band in 1995, and Steve Stevens played guitar with them in 1995. Apparently, Sorum was the one who recruited the members to play a benefit set at Viper Room in Los Angeles. From there, a full-blown band was formed.
Their live shows were certainly fun. Neurotic Outsiders often brought in a revolving door of guest musicians for their sets, from Iggy Pop to Chrissie Hynde to Ian Astbury. Scary Spice (Mel C) even performed with them.
Sadly, this solid mix of musicians only stayed together for a few years, with a couple of one-off reunions taking place by the mid-2000s. So, what happened?
The Short-Lived Tenure of Neurotic Outsiders
Around the mid-1990s, punk rock entered a new evolution and wave. Keeping up with what the kids were doing wasn’t exactly easy for any punk rock act, but Sex Pistols’ Steve Jones was up for the task. And so, Neurotic Outsiders was born from a punk rock great and several hard rock legends.
Neurotic Outsiders didn’t last long, unfortunately. They formed in 1995 and broke up in 1997. They ended up kicking off just two reunions, once in 1999 and again in 2006. And Neurotic Outsiders probably won’t get back together again, though we can hope.
Originally, this group was just a group of friends jamming together. That’s how most supergroups are formed, anyway. It’s a shame they were only together long enough to release one self-titled album in 1996. The band also kicked off just one tour in North America and Europe.
Fortunately, it doesn’t look like band drama or bad blood contributed to the end of Neurotic Outsiders. Each member of the group simply had other musical commitments, and this particular project wasn’t built to endure. Still, we got some killer music from this group. Neurotic Outsiders and the EP Angelina from 1997 are both essential listening.
Photo by George De Sota (ID 5073478)/Redferns
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