John Waite has ruled out ever returning to The Babys, comparing their split to a “divorce”.
The former singer and bass player with the group left after an infamous incident in which he was pulled from the stage by a fan during a 1980 gig in Cincinnati. It was the day after John Lennon was killed, and The Babys split soon after.
The Babys reformed last year with a line-up including original members Tony Brock and Wally Stocker. But Waite has no desire to go back to the band that launched his decades-long career.
He tells Legendary Rock Interviews: “I’m not interested in any reunion, The Babys or otherwise for that matter. I wouldn’t want a reunion of the band I had 10 years ago, it’s nothing personal, there’s just no reason to. It’s like any divorce. I mean, I haven’t seen those guys in 30 plus years and there was a lot of acrimony when we split up.
“I wish them the very, very best though. I think Tony and Wally play great together and they deserve to play those songs because they were as much a part of that band as I was, God bless them.”
Waite also discusses the alleged failure of record label Chrysalis to submit his second solo album, 1984’s No Brakes, for platinum status, even though it sold more than enough copies.
He says: “No Brakes sold two million records and was only certified gold. I don’t even know if I got paid for it you know and now Chrysalis is now part of EMI. It was and is a very weird business.”
Waite this month released a retrospective album called Best, featuring 18 tracks form his solo career.