From Robert Smith to Freddie Mercury: the five musicians Paul Weller hates

They say that tearing down your peers is one of the biggest signs of weakness. Still, this fact doesn’t stop certain musicians from feeling constantly obliged to share their opinions. Morrissey does it well, as does Paul Weller. However, while Morrissey’s negativity seems to come from an all-consuming need to prove his superiority, the root of Weller’s problems appears to be a lot more personal.

Despite what may come across as some of the most controversial lines uttered by anyone in music history, there’s no denying Weller’s influence on the scene. Anyone from Oasis and Blur to Alex Turner and Miles Kane have expressed their admiration for the singer’s craft, with many of them even threading some of his most well-established sensibilities into their own music.

With that, when Weller admires another artist, he readily admits it, singing praises more colourful than anyone could ever imagine. As a musician, he is particularly impressed by songs that challenge boundaries and revolutionise the art form. The Kinks, for instance, captured his attention due to the density of their craft and their penchant for “condensing all those ideas into a little three-minute song”.

While he appears a little more cynical than perhaps his other contemporaries, Weller’s honesty is both his best and worst trait. Oftentimes, his criticisms seem a little uncalled for, while other times, they appear to lash out against well-established institutions. As both a product of his time and a constantly evolving thinker, Weller’s views on some of the best in the business have provided some of the industry’s most interesting and most talked-about moments over the years.

Five musicians Paul Weller hates:
Bono
Remember when U2 dropped that album onto Apple Music? Apparently, Weller was so annoyed at the marketing stunt that he called Noel Gallagher to complain. “Tell your fucking mate to get that thing off my iPhone,” he said, clearly irked by the sudden intrusion. However, Weller also actively despises U2’s music, once describing it as “pseudo-American rubbish”.

Although many would feel inclined to agree with anything that the Modfather says, it is often felt that his bitterness stems from mere irritation that explodes into something much bigger when provoked. There’s no doubt that Bono is on Weller’s “hate list”, according to Gallagher, but sometimes he likes to have a little fun with it. One time, Gallagher was in France with Bono and Elton John and decided to send a picture of the three of them to Weller to see his reaction. “Almost immediately, I get a text back saying, ‘You’ve gone too far this time!’” he said.

Freddie Mercury
There aren’t many musicians who would go on record to call others the C-word, but Weller did it more than once. In fact, he chose the same term of endearment to describe many of his fellow musicians, including Queen frontman Freddie Mercury. His remark was in light of Mercury’s growing praise as a spokesperson for the vulnerable, which he felt was an unworthy title for the singer.

He said he wanted to bring ballet to the working classes. What a cunt,” he said, taking a jab at Mercury’s desire to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor, allowing greater accessibility for hobbies that were previously confined only to those who could afford it. Of course, Weller deemed it a pipe dream, but his lack of explanation speaks volumes about his greater need to throw someone under the bus.