10 Musicians Who Left Major Bands
6. John Kiffmeyer - Green Day
When Green Day started making a name for themselves in the late 80's, no one expected any kind of massive success to come their way. The band's sights at this juncture were incredibly low as they made a name for themselves in the punk scene of California.
Though the band showed enormous potential at this stage, there were internal problems present with their first drummer John Kiffmeyer. While his drumming style was serviceable for the kind of punk the band was playing, his drum rolls became way too frantic that it would kneecap some of the tracks. It also didn't help that Kiffmeyer was acting as drummer, producer, and de facto manager of the band at this stage.
Seeing an opportunity beyond the punk scene, Kiffmeyer quickly left the band to attend college, leaving the band to soldier on with Tre Cool behind the skins. With Kiffmeyer MIA, the new punk trio found their groove quite quickly and went on to gain attention from Warner Brothers, who signed the band and put out their major label smash Dookie. While it is admirable that Kiffmeyer pursued his education, his absence led to him missing out on decades of pop-punk success.