Those of us who feel that Queens Of The Stone Age lost a bit of its oomph after bassist Nick Oliveri was excused from the band should probably be glad that we don't have to deal with his live-wire unpredictability in normal everyday life. At least that's what we're taking from a disturbing story originally reported by TMZ about how Oliveri was involved in a stand-off with a S.W.A.T. team in relation to a domestic disturbance on Tuesday.
The TMZ story states that the incident began when Oliveri's girlfriend tried to move out of the duplex they shared. TMZ "sources" contend that Oliveri had struck his girlfriend the day before, and when she tried to leave, it sparked another heated argument that culminated with Oliveri locking them both inside the duplex and the eventual involvement of the police.
When Oliveri refused to let the police enter his residence, the S.W.A.T. team was called and a four-hour stand-off ensued. Authorities later found a loaded rifle in the duplex.
Sadly, this isn't the first time that Oliveri has been linked with domestic violence. QOTSA's Josh Homme said in 2005 that he dismissed Oliveri from the band because he confirmed that Oliveri was physically abusive to his girlfriend.