John Oates Opens Up About Partnership With Daryl Hall As Legal Battle Continues

John Oates says he has “moved on” from his time as part of beloved rock duo Hall & Oates, and that he prefers to live “in my present.”

In a move that shocked fans, Daryl Hall, the other half of the duo, filed for a restraining order against Oates in November. Hall argued in a lawsuit that Oates’ plans to sell his share of a joint venture would violate a business agreement between the two.

In Wednesday’s “Behind the Velvet Rope” podcast, Oates told interviewer David Yontef that he’s proud of the work of Hall & Oates, but that it’s in the past.

“You can’t ignore the fact that the Hall & Oates catalog of hits and the 50-year career will always trump almost anything that Daryl does on his own or I do on my own, which is OK, because I’m very proud of that music,” Oates said. “I think we made music that will stand the test of time.”

“But, at the same time, I’m not very nostalgic,” he said. “I make the analogy of what it’s like when you go to a great museum, and you’re really excited to go and see all the beautiful paintings or the exhibits or whatever it might be, and then near the end, your feet start to hurt and you say, ‘You know what? I can’t wait to get out of here.’ That’s kind of how I feel about it.”

When asked if there was a song he’d be happy never performing again, Oates, 75, replied: “To be honest with you, I’m not really touring with Daryl these days, and I’m doing solo shows.”

“I have moved on. It’s a matter of living in my present,” he said.

Hall & Oates formed as a duo in 1972 and went on to dominate charts throughout the ’70s and ’80s with hits such as  “Out of Touch,” “Maneater” and “Rich Girl.”

The duo have never officially broken up, performing together as recently as October 2022.

But Hall, 77, claimed in his November court filing that the battle over Oates’ attempt to sell his stake in their Whole Oats Enterprises to music publisher Primary Wave amounted to a “global divorce” and was the “ultimate partnership betrayal.” 

Oates said in his own filing that Hall’s statements were “inflammatory, outlandish and inaccurate.”

The matter will be decided in a confidential arbitration process.

Oates spoke more about his solo career on the “Behind the Velvet Rope” podcast, touching on his time on the TV show “The Masked Singer,” his opinion on Taylor Swift (he’s a fan), and his plan to release an EDM version of Marc Cohn’s “Walking in Memphis.”