John Oates is pretty confident that Hall & Oates is not getting back together after they've fallen "Out of Touch."
When asked by Rolling Stone if they would perform one last song as a duo to put a button on their legacy, he wasn't sure if he would "Go For That."
"I have no idea," he says. "But I don't see it. I really don't. Life is funny though. You never know what kind of curve it will throw you."
Although he is uncertain about performing together as a band, Oates does mention that he would be "open" to repairing their friendship after this rift.
"Daryl Hall is an amazing individual. He is one of the great, great songwriters of all time, and without a doubt, one of the great singers of all time. I would never say anything negative about him. But we have a different strategy for our lives, and we have a different strategy for our business lives as well as our personal lives. And that's that, so be it. We're old guys. We deserve to be allowed to do whatever we want to do."
In November, Oates was shocked to find out that Hall had attempted to sell his portion of their business share without permission. The move startled fans, causing a serious fracture in their union as a beloved duo.
"There's always disputes when people are famous," Oates said of the music industry scandal. "People are always fascinated about the dynamics of a duo and to be quite honest, Daryl and I have a business partnership, and there was some things about the business that we disagreed with, which happens all the time in business. And we're going to work it out."
At the time of what he calls the "ultimate partnership betrayal," the duo had not played a show together since the year before. Oates had played a series of solo gigs since then, which he enjoyed to keep himself "balanced" with stripped-back routines, which juxtaposed his touring life with Hall.
"I carry my own gear. I show up with my guitar in my hand and put the amp in the back of my car. It's real and I love it. Then I go out there with Daryl and we're flying around in private planes and playing the Garden and doing all that. I love it."
A major point that led to their fallout was when Hall accused Oates of trying to sabotage his tour dates with Todd Rundgren. During the concerts, Hall and Rundgren would sing each other's songs together including Hall & Oates' "Wait for Me."
"I didn't even know he was going on tour," Oates fires back. "I had nothing to do with that. If that's how he perceived it, then that's how he perceived it. But, really honestly, I don't follow him on social media. In fact, I don't even know what he's doing. I hope he's doing well and I hope he's having a time of his life, but it's not part of my life."
Although the duo seem to be at odds, they have never formally broken up. However, as they have stopped booking tour dates, they don't seem to be gearing up for any sort of reunion.
"As far as I'm concerned, I've moved on. I feel like I have a new lease on my creative life."
