John Oates says his half-century musical partnership with Daryl Hall has come to an end after months of public, ongoing litigation between the two.
“You can ask Daryl the same question,” Oates told Rolling Stone in a new interview. “But, yes. As far as I’m concerned, I’ve moved on. I feel like I have a new lease on my creative life.”
The drama between both musicians became public knowledge last November, when Hall filed a lawsuit (and obtained a temporary restraining order) against Oates in an attempt to block Oates from selling his share in their joint venture to Primary Wave Music, claiming it would violate the terms of the duo’s business agreement. Hall said he was “blindsided” by Oates’ actions and called them the “ultimate business betrayal,” while Oates said he was “deeply hurt” by his partner’s accusations.
Why Does John Oates Think Hall and Oates Are Finished?
For decades, both Hall and Oates supplemented their hit-making and large-scale touring with solo musical endeavors. Oates told Rolling Stone that his pandemic-enforced downtime led him to reconsider the balance he sought between the two.
“During the pandemic, there were no more private planes. There were no more arena shows or even acoustic shows. It gave me a chance to step back. I had a chance to reevaluate things,” he said. “My wife and I decided it was time to give back. We started the Oates Song Fest for Feeding America, and we fed 350,000 families with that. And then I was asked to do Movember, which was a men’s health movement. I just got out of the mode of getting back on stage with the big band and the big production.”
READ MORE: Why John Oates Is Glad Hall and Oates’ Big Years Are Behind Them
Consequently, Oates no longer feels the need to perform his time-honored hits before tens of thousands of people each night. “I understand why people come and want to hear the big hits,” he said. “Those songs are going to live forever. But I wanted to relegate them to the classic file that they’re in. And I wanted them to be heard in the best possible light, the way they were when the spark was on fire in the ‘70s and ’80s. That’s when those songs really resonated. To keep playing them, for me, was no longer interesting. I just wanted to do something else.”
Oates Denies Trying to Sabotage Hall, Still Open to Friendship
Hall’s lawsuit against Oates coincided with his series of tour dates with Todd Rundgren. “I believe that John Oates timed the Unauthorized Transaction to create the most harm to me,” Hall wrote in his legal filing.
Oates, however, denied this accusation, telling Rolling Stone, “I didn’t even know he was going on tour. I had nothing to do with that. If that’s how he perceived it, then that’s how he perceived it. But, really honestly, I don’t follow him on social media. In fact, I don’t even know what he’s doing. I hope he’s doing well and I hope he’s having a time of his life, but it’s not part of my life.”
READ MORE: Top 10 Hall & Oates Songs From the ’70s
On a personal level, Oates said he’s “always open” to mending fences with his longtime partner. “Daryl Hall is an amazing individual. He is one of the great, great songwriters of all time, and without a doubt, one of the great singers of all time. I would never say anything negative about him. But we have a different strategy for our lives, and we have a different strategy for our business lives as well as our personal lives. And that’s that, so be it. We’re old guys. We deserve to be allowed to do whatever we want to do.”
Still, he doesn’t envision them working together again. “I have no idea,” he said. “But I don’t see it. I really don’t. Life is funny though. You never know what kind of curve it will throw you.”
