The most outrageous rock star insults

7 February 2024, 08:00

Liam and Noel Gallagher
Liam and Noel Gallagher. Picture: dpa picture alliance / Alamy Stock Photo

Nobody can be horrible about musicians quite like other musicians. Here are some of the most notorious rock star insults.

Radio X

By Radio X

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  1. "I'll p*ss on f**kin' Radiohead, because of all this pomposity."

    Billy Corgan and Thom Yorke
    Billy Corgan and Thom Yorke. Picture: Everett Collection Inc/MediaPunch Inc/Alamy Stock Photo

    Billy Corgan on Radiohead (Antiquiet,2012)

  2. “Dave Grohl is just a sub-mediocre kind of guy who does this ‘nice guy’ nonsense.”

    Courtney Love and Dave Grohl
    Courtney Love and Dave Grohl. Picture: PA Images/LANDMARK MEDIA/Alamy Stock Photo

    Courtney Love on Dave Grohl (MySpace, 2007)

  3. “If Morrissey says not to eat meat, then I’ll eat meat. That’s how much I hate Morrissey.”

    The Cure's Robert Smith and Morrissey
    The Cure's Robert Smith and Morrissey. Picture: Trinity Mirror/Mirrorpix/Pictorial Press Ltd/Alamy Stock Photo

    Robert Smith of The Cure on Morrissey

  4. “I can’t f**king stand them. F**king fat c**t, with his lipstick and all that bollocks. He is my age as well, isn’t he? He’s a f**king knob end."

    Paul Weller and Robert Smith of The Cure, both pictured in 2022
    Paul Weller and Robert Smith of The Cure, both pictured in 2022. Picture: PA Images/Gonzales Photo/Alamy Stock Photo

    To Record Collector, November 2022

  5. "I'd rather eat my own sh*t than duet with James Blunt."

    Paul Weller and James Blunt
    Paul Weller and James Blunt. Picture: Geoffrey Robinson / dpa picture alliance / Alamy Stock Photo

    Paul Weller On James Blunt (Daily Mirror, January 2006)

  6. “Liam is the angriest man you'll ever meet. He's like a man with a fork in a world of soup."

    Liam and Noel Gallagher
    Liam and Noel Gallagher. Picture: PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo

    Noel Gallagher On Liam Gallagher (Q magazine, 2009)

  7. “She’s very insecure. I heard the work she did with my friend Brian, aka Danger Mouse. It’s very middle of the road."

    Damon Albarn and Adele
    Damon Albarn and Adele. Picture: Graham Tarrant/Reuters/Alamy Stock Photo

    Damon Albarn on Adele (The Sun, 2015)

  8. “It was one of those ‘Don’t meet your idol’ moments. It was sad, and I regret hanging out with him.”

    Adele and Damon Albarn
    Adele and Damon Albarn. Picture: Matt Crossick/Alexi/Alamy Stock Photo

    Adele on Damon Albarn (Rolling Stone, 2015)

  9. "Harry Styles has got nothing to say for himself - nothing. You alright, mate? ‘Uhhh.' That’s it. The gig will never die because you can’t download it. You can’t download spirit."

    Noel Gallagher and Harry Styles
    Noel Gallagher and Harry Styles. Picture: AKPhoto/Ernesto Rogata/Alamy Stock Photo

    Noel Gallagher on Harry Styles (Esquire, 2015)

  10. “Guns N’Roses are really talentless people, and they write crap music.”

    Kurt Cobain On Guns N' Roses (The Advocate magazine, February 1993)

    Kurt Cobain and Axl Rose
    Kurt Cobain and Axl Rose. Picture: Trinity Mirror / Mirrorpix / ZUMA Press, Inc. / Alamy Stock Photo
  11. "F**king Chewbacca should enjoy his 15 minutes."

    Noel Gallagher and Lewis Capaldi
    Noel Gallagher and Lewis Capaldi. Picture: Gonzales Photo/REUTERS/Alamy Stock Photo

    "Who's this Capaldi fella? Who the fuck's that idiot?" Noel demanded to Radio X back in 2019. Delighted by the attention from his hero, the young Scottish singer took to the stage wearing a parka and Noel t-shirt, leading the former Oasis man to respond by saying: "F**king Chewbacca should enjoy his 15 minutes. The greatest day of his life that I slagged him off or called him an idiot." They've since patched things up, however.

  12. "I'll hear TV commercials where I think it's me. Half the time, it's the Black Keys."

    Jack White and Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys
    Jack White and Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. Picture: ZUMA Press, Inc. / Alamy Stock Photo

    Jack White On The Black Keys (Rolling Stone, May 2014)