Last year, John Oates said in an interview that he had “moved on” from Hall & Oates. Now, Daryl Hall has confirmed in a sitdown with The Times that the feeling is mutual.
While addressing the lawsuit he filed against Oates last year, Hall intimated that they’ll never play together again. “That ship has gone to the bottom of the ocean,” he said, responding to a question about possibly working out their differences.
“I’ve had a lot of surprises in my life, disappointments, betrayals, so I’m kind of used to it,” he added. Hall also alluded to being “involved with some pretty shady characters over the years.”
He went on to vent about his underrecognized contributions to Hall & Oates, pointing out, “The songs with his lead vocal are the songs he wrote, and all the other ones, which is about 90 percent, are the ones I wrote.”
Last year, Oates brushed off their legal battle as a “very boring business issue.” However, the lawsuit included some strong wording, with Hall alleging Oates had committed an “ultimate partnership betrayal” by attempting to sell his stake in their joint venture.
It was filed in an effort to stop Oates’ plans to sell his share in Whole Oats Enterprises to Primary Wave, which Hall claimed would violate the terms of their business agreement.
Even before the lawsuit, Hall referred to Oates as his “business partner” and not his “creative partner” on Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast. With their business dealings falling apart, their relationship appears to be over.
Both Hall and Oates have upcoming tour dates. Get tickets for Hall’s US trek here. Meanwhile, tickets for Oates’ shows are available for purchase here.
