Viper Fury Destroys $40,000 Hotel Suite, Blames "The Vibes"

Inside the most expensive temper tantrum in rock & roll history — and why the Chateau Marmont may never recover

By Janet Kowalski

It was supposed to be a quiet Tuesday. Viper Fury had just wrapped the Los Angeles leg of their "Fangs Out" tour, and the band had retreated to the Chateau Marmont for what their manager, David Nicolosi, described as "a low-key evening of rest and reflection." By 3 AM, the fire department had been called twice, a baby grand piano was in the swimming pool, and lead vocalist Owen was spotted on the roof wearing nothing but a hotel bathrobe and a traffic cone, singing "Pour Some Sugar on Me" — which isn't even their song.

"Look, I want to be very clear," said Owen from behind oversized sunglasses during our interview the following afternoon, nursing what he described as "a headache of biblical proportions." "The piano was already near the window. Gravity did the rest. We are not responsible for gravity."

Drummer Jemah, who according to hotel staff was responsible for setting off the fire alarm by "attempting to flambé something in the bathroom that was absolutely not food," offered a different perspective. "We were channeling creative energy," she explained, drumming on the table with two breadsticks. "Sometimes creative energy looks like a piano in a pool. Picasso would understand."

Bassist Sheldon, true to form, said nothing during the entire interview, though he did nod twice — once when asked if he was sorry, and once when asked if he'd do it again. Lead guitarist Barnel stared out the window for forty-five minutes and then said simply, "The vibes were off. We corrected them." When pressed on what that meant, he stared for another twenty minutes and ordered a whiskey sour.

The Chateau Marmont has reportedly sent the band a bill for $42,670, which includes the piano ($28,000), pool drainage and cleaning ($6,200), "structural assessment of roof access door" ($1,800), and a line item simply labeled "the thing with the chandelier" ($6,670). Manager David Nicolosi called the amount "frankly reasonable, all things considered," and confirmed the band would be paying in installments. "Probably," he added.