BASS PLAYERS CONTINUE TO SUCK: NICK OLIVERI ARRESTED AFTER STANDOFF WITH A S.W.A.T. TEAM

In case Coheen and Cambria bassist Michael Todd’s arrest on Sunday for threatening to blow-up a drug store unless they gave him six bottles full of prescription meds and Jeroen Paul Thessling’s decision to quit Obscura didn’t already make bassists the least popular people in all of metaldom this week: TMZ is now reporting that former Queens of the Stone Age/current Not Kyuss! bassist Nick Oliveri has now been arrested on charges of felony domestic violence. Which is bad enough, but it’s not the part of the story that’s really interesting. This is:

“Nick’s GF told police the rocker struck her during an argument the day before … and she had come back to the home to collect her stuff so she could move out. That’s when the two got into another heated argument … and Nick locked themselves inside the duplex.

“When cops arrived, Oliveri — who played bass with the Queens for years before parting ways with the group — refused to allow cops inside the residence … and would not let his girlfriend leave.

“A S.W.A.T. team was called to the scene — and a standoff ensued. After two hours, Nick finally agreed to let his GF exit the duplex … and  two hours after that, he gave himself up without further  incident.”

5-0 subsequently found a loaded “high powered rifle” in Oliveri’s home; the bassist has since been released on $100,000 bail. I can’t believe that anyone is allowed to walk for even a second after displaying such a total willingness to die (and let’s be real, big gun or no, there was absolutely no way Oliveri was gonna come out of this encounter on top), and I can’t believe that a four-hour standoff with a fucking S.W.A.T. team only leads to a charge of domestic violence and, not, like, I dunno, resisting arrest, or obstruction of justice, or being too stupid to live, or something. But that’s the California judicial system for you.

I always say that QOTSA went downhill after Josh Homme kicked Oliveri out; Oliveri was the crazy rock n’ roll wildman that added palpable electricity to QOTSA’s recordings and live shows. And you could say, “Well, Axl, clearly Oliveri is the real deal!”, and I guess you’d be right, but if he’s really this fucking batshit crazy, Homme is probably better off without him.

-AR

Thanks to everyone who e-mailed us about this.