NICKELBACK On Past Feuds With Other Bands: 'Regrettable Things Get Said On All Sides And Everybody Kind Of Looks Stupid'

During an appearance on the "Rig Biz Podcast", NICKELBACK rhythm guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist Ryan Peake and bassist Mike Kroeger were asked about past feuds with other famous rock bands and whether any of it ever came to blows. Ryan responded, "Oh, nothing that you haven't already read that we don't wanna replicate." Mike chimed in, "There's personalities", before Ryan continued: "Have you seen two lead singers get together? It's like a cockfight." Mike added, "Regrettable things get said on all sides and everybody kind of looks stupid. I wouldn't go on about it. But it is a game of egos, guys — it just really is. And sometimes those egos are fragile, and they get messy sometimes."

Back in May 2017, Chad Kroeger slammed STONE SOUR as "NICKELBACK Lite" and challenged Corey Taylor to "write a hit song." The NICKELBACK frontman, who is Mike's brother, made his comments while being interviewed by Sweden's Metal Covenant in Stockholm. As he was discussing NICKELBACK's musical versatility, Kroeger told the site: "I can't think of another band that's as diverse as we are. I can't. And I don't think that's me talking from pride or ego. I mean, you're sitting across the table. You know what you're talking about." He then asked the journalist to name another band that covers such a wide musical palette as NICKELBACK.

After the writer mentioned STONE SOUR as an example of a band that is also "very diverse," Chad shot back: "Yeah, 'cause they're trying to be NICKELBACK." He then took a swig from his beer and directed his comments at the STONE SOUR singer: "Corey Taylor has said some really nasty things about me before in the press. He talks about how easy it is to write a hit song. Well, show me. Show me. Write one. I have yet to hear one. They're okay. But they're not as good as NICKELBACK. They sound like 'NICKELBACK Lite.'"

Kroeger went on to point out that NICKELBACK and Taylor's other band, SLIPKNOT, launched their respective careers while signed to the same label (Roadrunner). He added: "They had to put on masks and jump around. How good can your music be if you've gotta beat each other up on stage, throw up in your own masks every night…? I mean, music shouldn't come with a gimmick; music should just be music. None of my favorite music comes with a gimmick. And he got tired of sitting behind a mask — he wanted people to know what he looks like — so he started STONE SOUR."

A short time later, Corey told the 93.3 WMMR radio station that Chad's NICKELBACK bandmates "called and apologized" after Chad's comments made the news. "They were, like, 'It's not us. We promise. It's this guy. We don't…' And I had hung out with the band before, and they're super-cool dudes," he said. "So I was, like… Well, I figured it wasn't them. So I don't want people holding it against the band, because it's not them. It's Captain Ego from Planet Douche."

Asked if there was any sort of "beef" between him and Chad prior to Kroeger's comments to Metal Covenant, Corey told the station: "No, not really. I mean, I said something maybe, like, fifteen years ago, but I was drinking then; nobody was listening to me then. And I hadn't said anything since; I don't even think about him. For real. This came so far out of left field that I woke up to everyone, like, blowing me up. And I was, like, 'Really?'"

In a 2002 interview with Rock Sound magazine, Taylor seemed to suggest that Roadrunner was spending more time and resources promoting NICKELBACK than they were getting behind SLIPKNOT. "I'm glad they could use our money to make fucking NICKELBACK happy," he said. "That's a very, very bitter subject for me, and if I ever see any of those fuckers, it's going to be brutal." He continued: "I'm happy for them, but at the same [time], we went out and bust our asses to make what we did. If they're still here in a couple years then, hey, good for them, but this band isn't going anywhere, and when the record label basically fucks your loyalty in the ass, it's really bitter — especially when we went out and fucking bled, sweat and earned every fucking album that we sold. MTV won't fucking touch us, radio barely fucking touches us and here comes those fucking pretty boys... and the lead singer looks like Shaggy from 'Scooby Doo'... and what the fuck am I supposed to do? Am I not supposed to feel bitter when I have broken bones and fucking torn corneas? It's bullshit, and the record label just smiles at you and goes 'Yeah, yeah whatever...' It's fucking not right, dude."

Taylor added: "It's just the fact we could have used the help. We have fucking fought for everything we have fucking made, when is someone going to help us, and when is someone going to step up and fight for us? The record label doesn't do that for us. It'll go to bat for fucking NICKELBACK, but when it comes to us, it's fucking shutdown. It's, like, what the fuck? I'm fucking proud of what we've done, but goddamn it, when are we going to get given a hand? I'm so fucking tired of it."