# How do band members get "fired"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [March 18, 2021, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-band-members-get-fired/938195 "2021-03-18T17:38:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2021, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-band-members-get-fired/938195/43 "2021-11-11T12:24:56Z")
> [@Nick Mason](#): > > …the problem is Roger doesn’t really respect David. He feels that writing is everything, and that guitar playing and the singing are something that, I won’t say anyone can do, but that everything should be judged on the writing rather than the playing. I’ve always been very disappointed about that. Gilmour’s not only a top-notch guitarist but also has one of the best voices in rock, past or present, IMO. If it were Roger Waters singing on all the tracks, I would definitely not like Pink Floyd nearly as much. ---
**Author:** ![SpacemanSpiff\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e19adc/32.png) [@SpacemanSpiff\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpacemanSpiff_II)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2021, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-band-members-get-fired/938195/44 "2021-11-11T14:05:32Z")
> [@alovem](#): > > I’ve always been very disappointed about that. Gilmour’s not only a top-notch guitarist but also has one of the best voices in rock, past or present, IMO. If it were Roger Waters singing on all the tracks, I would definitely not like Pink Floyd nearly as much. Personally I agree with Roger, though. There are a zillion guys who can sing and play as good or almost as good as anyone else. A great song is much much rarer. ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2021, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-band-members-get-fired/938195/45 "2021-11-11T17:18:22Z")
Well, okay. Gilmour’s solo projects and Floyd without Waters don’t do much for me. Still, Gllmour is the source of more than half of the enjoyment I get from Breathe, Young Lust and so many more tracks. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2021, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-band-members-get-fired/938195/46 "2021-11-12T04:28:24Z")
> [@SpacemanSpiff\_II](#): > > Personally I agree with Roger, though. There are a zillion guys who can sing and play as good or almost as good as anyone else. A great song is much much rarer. On the other hand, you can have a great song performed by competent, but uninspiring performers, and it’s not going anywhere. Until you get that performance that crystalizes the definitive version of the song, all of the good singers don’t know who to emulate. As far as my own bands go, it’s always been verbally agreed at some point that if someone leaves or is ejected without the permission to continue the same band with a replacement, that band’s done. Get a new name and start again. So if you really hated that member, it better be worth starting again if you’re wanting to eject them without some sort of amicable agreement. Then again, we never have worked at a substantial profit, so it was a gentleperson’s agreement in every way. I’m sure if there was worthwhile money at stake, there’d be lawyers recruited. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2021, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-band-members-get-fired/938195/47 "2021-11-12T17:50:19Z")
Rock critic Dave Marsh, while tracing the roots of the classic _Louie Louie,_ ran across the reason the Kingsmen, who were basically a group of high school buddies, broke up. Only one member of the band had actually signed the papers registering the band’s name. He then decided he wanted to make changes (including making himself lead singer) and when other band members objected, he told he owned the band’s name, and they could walk away if they didn’t like it. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2021, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-band-members-get-fired/938195/48 "2021-11-12T18:09:10Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Alabama was considered a 4 person band. Randy Owen insists they were a trio. At one point in the band’s existence, Randy Owen wanted to change the band’s name to **Randy Owen and Alabama**. It caused some hard feelings. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2021, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-band-members-get-fired/938195/49 "2021-11-12T19:37:27Z")
Randy Owen read too many fan letters. 😂 Alabama’s vocal harmony were very, very good. I still love that band. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-band-members-get-fired/938195.md?page=2)