May 26, 2012 12:43

Brant Bjork of Kyuss Lives!: 'Josh Homme's double standards are unbelievable'

Drummer hits out at old bandmate over legal dispute

Photo: PA

Kyuss Lives! drummer Brant Bjork has claimed that his former bandmate Josh Homme has "unbelievable" double standards.

Bjork and singer John Garcia started Kyuss Lives! – the reunited incarnation of their previous band Kyuss – last year and had spoken about the possibility of recording a new studio album. In March of this year, however, they were sued by the Queens Of The Stone Age frontman and another former Kyuss member, Scott Reeder, for alleged "trademark infringement, misrepresentation [and] false designation".

Bjork and Garcia initially said they intended to deal with the "private matter behind closed doors" but, in an interview with Rolling Stone, the drummer criticised his former bandmates for the legal row.

"They don't want to mention that they trademarked the name 'Kyuss' after I left the band, assuring that I had no rights in Kyiss' future," he said. "They're accusing John and I of doing something that they actually did themselves."

He added:

Their inner conflict is this: Josh and Scott want control and money from Kyuss Lives! – but they don't want to participate, and ultimately they don't want us to exist. The double standard is unbelievable.

Bjork – who also said that Reeder's stance on the dispute had been "weak and shameful" – went on to claim that there was a "misconception" that Kyuss was Homme's band. "This untruth has affected Josh's ability to accept historical fact to the point that he truly believes he is entitled to dictate what we do with a band that we're all responsible for," he said.

"The simple fact that we got the band back together without him has left his ego bruised. I swallowed the bitter pill watching the band carry on after I left – now Josh is getting a taste."

Josh Homme was the original guitarist in Kyuss until their split in 1995. In December last year, Homme said that Queens Of The Stone Age were "locked away in the desert" working on a new album and claimed that the new material sounded "killer". The LP, which will be their sixth studio record and the follow-up to 2007's 'Era Vulgaris', is expected to be released later this year.

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