John Oates speaks out amid legal battle with Daryl Hall

American musician John Oates has said he has “moved on” amid an ongoing legal battle with bandmate Daryl Hall.

Last month, Hall filed a lawsuit against Oates over the musician’s alleged plan to sell his share of their joint venture called Whole Oats Enterprises to private management company Primary Wave Music without the other’s permission.

Hall also filed for and received a temporary restraining order against Oates.

However, the bitter battle of two bandmates has left Oates wanting to move on, with the musician saying this week that he doesn’t “like to live in the past.”

Speaking to David Yontef on Wednesday’s episode of Behind the Velvet Rope podcast, the Hall & Oates musician, 75, reflected on the impact of his work with Hall, 77.

“You can’t ignore the fact that the Hall & Oates catalogue 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 on the podcast.

“I’m really proud of what Daryl and I created together. I think we made music that will stand the test of time.”

He added: “I don’t like to live in the past. 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.”

Reflecting on the the height of the pop duo's career in the 1980s, Oates said: “It was very intense, there was no time for reflection. It was a lot of business demands, a lot of heavy demands … Daryl and I were at the top of the pop world.

“We had No 1 record after No 1 record. We were travelling around the world constantly. Everyone thinks that that was probably the high point of my life, but to be honest with you, it actually wasn’t my favourite time. I liked the 70s more than the 80s because everything was new.”

When asked if there was a song he would be happy to never play again, the musician told Yontef: “To be honest with you, I am not really touring with Daryl these days.

“I’m doing solo shows and I’m really glad I can play new music now because it feels like a breath of fresh air for me.”

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

Hall’s lawsuit, which was filed on 16 November, said that he sought the restraining order in order to close the Primary Wave transaction “so as to maintain the status quo of WOE before there is a change in control of the partnership in violation of the terms of the Agreement.”

Primary Wave has already owned “significant interest” in the Grammy-nominated musicians’ song catalogue for more than 15 years.

In 2021, Hall spoke to Sky News and said: “Never sell your publishing – maybe if you’re, you know, 80 years old and you decided to retire, then you can sell your publishing but I wouldn’t even suggest it then. I don’t believe in that concept – it’s all you have.”

On the legal battle, Hall’s attorneys said much of the matter should remain under seal because it is a “private dispute… This is not a matter of legitimate public interest, although the parties are well known.”

His legal team noted that the dispute concerns the interpretation of the 2021 agreement, the terms of which remain confidential, according to People Magazine.

Why Hall is suing Oates, read more here.