Music legend John Oates has admitted he made the decision to try to sell half of the music catalog he shares with Daryl Hall because the consequences were “ruining” his life.
Oates, 76, is embroiled in a bitter legal battle with Hall, 77, who filed suit after his music partner apparently attempted to sell his share of the duo’s Whole Oats Enterprises to music publisher Primary Wave Music without permission. of his bandmate.
Speaking exclusively to Good Morning America’s Michael Strahan, Oates defended her decision to try to separate from Hall, explaining, “When this whole situation got bogged down in legality and really complex legal disputes, I was frustrated.”
The father claimed that Hall had “always wanted to be his own man” and that he was simply trying to “give him a chance to do it,” and continued, “I said, ‘If I sell my half, he can do whatever he wants,'” to be Honestly, I was ruining my life, I wasn’t happy.
John Oates has admitted that he made the decision to try to sell half of the music catalog he shares with Daryl Hall because the consequences were “ruining” his life.
Oates sat down for an exclusive interview with Good Morning America to share her side of the story.
“I said, ‘I’ll step aside.’ People do it all the time, look at all the artists who sell their catalogs, it’s no big deal. Darryl didn’t like the idea of me selling to a third party in particular,” he alleged.
When Michael told Oates that Hall had alleged that his planned sale was ‘a completely “an underground and bad faith movement” and “the ultimate betrayal of society,” Oates responded that he doesn’t really see it that way.
“We’ve always seen ourselves as individuals working together and I felt I had the right to do that,” he said, before confirming that they haven’t made music for the past two decades: they’ve only performed their hits. live together.
When asked if they had ever fallen out before the legal dispute, Oates revealed: “No, not really. We never really had many disagreements, but we also didn’t talk to each other much.
‘For the last 20 years, we appeared at a show individually, went on stage, played and then went our separate ways. It really wasn’t as close as people… would like to imagine in their imagination of our relationship.’
When asked what he would say to Hall if he could message him, Oates responded, “I love him like a brother… I love you like a brother, if I’m talking to him directly.” But you know what? The brothers have disagreements. Families are separated.
The musical duo had many hit singles in the 1970s and 1980s.
Oates told GMA’s Michael Strahan that he thinks Hall has “changed a lot” in recent years.
Hall and Oates, photographed performing in July 2017, haven’t made new music together in 20 years.
“I would say I wish him the best, I hope he has everything he wants in life and that he can pursue his dream of being a respected solo artist, which I think is something he has always wanted.”
Oates, who was given a restraining order by Hall, said she believes her former musical partner has “changed a lot” and also confirmed whether or not they will perform live again.
“Not from my point of view, but you have to ask Darryl how he feels about it,” she told GMA’s Michael.