What Caused the Silverchair Feud: Band Members Tell Their Stories Without Daniel Johns

One of the ugliest splits in Australian rock is laid bare in a telling memoir by Silverchair members Ben Gillies and Chris Joannou.

Without any mention of singer Daniel Johns, early promos of the book Love & Pain have been released on social media with teasers revealing that the story will be told solely from Gillies and Joannou’s perspective.

The book’s release follows a string of disparaging comments Johns made last year about his former bandmates in the Who Is Daniel Johns? podcast and YouTube series Inside The Mind Of Daniel Johns.

Johns also tore into the pair during an appearance on the project in September 2022, where he labeled his estranged friends as “bitter, jealous, angry,”

Neither Gillies nor Joannou responded at the time; however, it looks like the couple will have their say when their ‘Love & Pain’ tome hits shelves later this year.

“Love & Pain is the story of two teenagers who grew up in Silverchair,” reads a blurb posted to Gillies’ Instagram late Wednesday.

“This story is told from deep within the machine.

It’s told from the edge of the spotlight, from the seedy corridors backstage, and from the very beginning.

It’s a story only we can tell, and we tell it with ruthless honesty.

“Parts of this book we tell together, but some stories we have to tell alone. Silverchair is a big part of our stories, but there’s more to tell.

“This is our story.”

Not surprisingly, fans of the Novacastrian rockers were quick to chime in on the reveal, with many split over the decision to omit Johns from the early teasers.

“Shots have been fired,” one wrote.

‘Why couldn’t you do a book with the whole band? Really sad,” wrote another.

“It kind of feels like your parents are fighting. You want to know what’s going on, but then you want to ignore it and live the perfect life where everything is fine.”

Fellow musician Jonathan Guthrie also weighed in, posting: ‘Hard to say what the intent behind this is. But will retain full judgment until I read it.”

A spokesperson for Hachette publishing company told Daily Mail Australia that neither Gillies nor Joannou would speak publicly about the book until it was released.

The pending memoir is sure to spark a bitter feud among the former bandmates who took the world by storm as 15-year-olds with their debut album Frogstomp.

The band would go on to sell over 10 million albums and win the most ARIA Awards in its history.

However, cracks began to appear in recent years as Johns – who has openly battled drug and alcohol problems – embarked on a number of solo projects, while Joannou and Gillies went in very different directions.

Now based in Coffs Harbor with wife Karissa and their two children, Joannou confirmed the release of the forthcoming memoir in a statement, saying it was an opportunity to reflect on the band’s highs and lows.

“When Ben and I first discussed the idea of ​​writing a book, I realized it would be an opportunity to celebrate some of the great times we shared and lived together, and also to reflect on some of the hard times – in the band and in our lives,” Joannou said in an announcement.

“This book is a memento for both of us, and a reminder that there is something beautiful in addressing the truth of things, as well as paying respect to all aspects – good, bad and indifferent – of our story.”

Gillies has since moved to Perth with wife Jackie and twin sons and is still heavily involved in the music industry as a session drummer.

“Basically, our story is great. An extraordinary one. Some of it may seem unbelievable, but we lived it. We were there. It all happened. I want to document it for my sons to read when they’re old enough — and we owe it to our incredibly loyal fans,” Gillies said in an announcement from publishing company Hachette.

Meanwhile, the past few years have been a rollercoaster for Johns, who was jailed in 2022 after going over the legal limit three times when he crashed his car on the wrong side of the road, seriously injuring two people.

Johns later faced Raymond Terrace local court after pleading guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol in the NSW Hunter region on March 23.

Magistrate Ian Cheetham said the charges were serious but that Johns background and circumstances were exceptional; he handed the musician an intensive 10-month correction assignment.

Johns was said to spend time in rehab, but has since been largely absent from public life following the lukewarm response to his most recent solo release FutureNever.