The Black Crowes’ Chris Robinson says anger prompted him to make moves in 2015 that wound up breaking up the band.
In an interview on Jay Mohr’s Mohr Stories podcast, Chris discussed the breakup, which his brother Rich Robinson said happened when Chris asked for a bigger stake in the band. Chris told Jay he asked for more money because he knew it would lead to the breakup.
“I had to remove myself because I was heartbroken about the whole thing,” he said. “I was angry.”
He said at the time their manager asked what it would take for him to continue with the band.
“And I knew this would be the nail in the head. I knew I could also set it down,” he explained. “I said, ‘I want more money then. If this is a cash cow, then I want my side of beef.’”
He added, “It’s not like I did it out of some random thing. I did it completely to put a nail in this thing, ’cause I knew.”
Chris said that during that period he felt the band was “out there just chasing money so everyone can live a certain lifestyle.”
“I felt, in all honesty, I was, like, I’m not here for that. And I’m not done. As an artist, as a person, I’m not done. This isn’t over,” he said.
“I’m also completely aware and prepared for that to sound selfish, self-indulgent,” he continued. “I did it to be cruel in a way, too, ’cause my heart was broken. And my spirit. I wasn’t gonna allow my spirit to be broken.”
The Black Crowes went on to reunite in 2019 and have since released two albums, 2019’s Happiness Bastards and 2026’s A Pound of Feathers. They are on tour now.
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