Former Queens Of The Stone Age bassist Nick Oliveri sat down with Guitar World for an upcoming interview and talked about his time with the band. The bassist shared his opinion that the band’s lineup with Josh Homme will never be as successful as it was in its Dave Grohl era.
“I think we kind of peaked out,” he said. “I mean… there’s a thing with the band, you know, you had Dave Grohl on drums, Mark Lanegan on vocals, I’m on bass and vocals, and Josh is on guitar and vocals. I think when you have a band like that going, it’s kind of hard to do better, you know?”
“There’s no way you can continue something like that with different members,” he explained. “I don’t see it as possible. I think that’s the main choice for most people as their definitive lineup, because it’s the best lineup there was. It’s the best band I ever played in. I’ve yet to play in a band of such greatness and be surrounded by such greatness.”
Oliveri appeared on two of the band’s most classic albums, 2000’s Rated R’ and 2002’s ‘Songs for the Deaf.’ In 2004, Oliveri was fired by Homme for allegedly being disrespectful to fans while on tour.
When asked if he would ever consider rejoining the band, he admitted, “I would do it, but it’s not my decision anymore. It’s Josh’s, and, well, I don’t really see him giving up what he’s got for bringing a partner in for his thing. He’s already gotten moving well on his own now. I would do it, but that’s on him.”
Even after the incident, Oliveri and Homme are in good terms. The bassist revealed that they were still good friends but they just didnt make music together anymore.
While the bassist might want to join the band, it’s unclear if Homme would allow it.
