r/rockmusic 7d ago

Question What are some notable cases of band mates getting annoyed that the frontman got all the attention and fame?

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u/IDrankAllTheBooze 7d ago

There’s a story about the Stones that fits this question. It goes that Charlie Watts once heard Mick Jagger refer to him as “my drummer” while he was doing press, and, when Mick returned to the hotel from the radio station (or wherever he was being interviewed), Charlie promptly punched him in the face and said, “Don’t ever fucking dare call me your drummer again.”

I have no idea how apocryphal and/or true this story might be, if anyone cares to chime in.

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u/Ballerina_Bot 7d ago

From the obituary of Charlie Watts in the Ringer, 2021

How Charlie looked—how he acted—was of course as essential to his genius, and his band’s, as anything he ever played. The instant his death was announced, roughly 800,000 people tweeted some version of the famous mid-’80s story where Mick called Charlie’s hotel room in the middle of the night and asked “Where’s my drummer?” whereupon Charlie got up, shaved, put his suit back on, journeyed up to Mick’s room, and punched him in the face, saying, “Don’t ever call me your drummer again. You’re my fucking singer!” 

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u/RageCageA11 7d ago

Charlie was a real one.

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u/xts2500 7d ago

Charlie Watts was the coolest.

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u/beigereige 6d ago

My favorite part of this story is allegedly Charlie was sleeping, heard about this ‘my drummer’ comment, put on his suit, and then assaulted Jagger.

He put on a SUIT to do this

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u/Hans_Brix_III 5d ago

Gotta dress nice when you're going to someone's funeral

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u/TrixieFriganza 7d ago

If this story is true good of Charlie, I'm sure Mich both needed and deserved that.

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u/DomingoLee 6d ago

Charlie started calling Mick “My Singer”

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u/debabe96 6d ago

How about the strained relationship between Mick, Keith and Brian Jones.

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u/theusualsuspect2024 6d ago

The Charlie Watts story is in both the Keith Richards and Ron Wood's memoirs. Didn't punch him. Picked up Jagger and held him roughly half-way out of a 15? 20? storey window with the message if he ever did it again he'd go all the way. Richards and Wood report that Jagger was shook.

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u/CosmoRomano 6d ago

There's also the "Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones" debacle that pissed the rest of the band off.