Feud of the 70s: Singer-songwriter Stephen Bishop repeatedly raves about “Twilight Zone” director John Landis and says: “Nothing but mean”

70s songwriter Stephen Bishop (“On and On”) has finally had enough of “Twilight Zone” director John Landis.

Bishop posted a baseless tirade against Landis on Twitter, claiming the director had become mean and “shitty” after his “Twilight Zone” tragedy.

Landis, who also directed “The Blues Brothers” and Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” experienced a tragic scandal in 1982 when actor Vic Morrow (Jennifer Jason Leigh’s father) was accidentally decapitated during the filming of “The Twilight Zone.” It is one of the worst disasters in film production history, and one that Landis was never able to escape.

Bishop had many hits in the mid to late 70s, continued with film songs in the 80s and is generally considered a nice guy.

But suddenly he writes:

“John Landis. We were once best friends. We met in 1971, before he was famous. I made guest appearances in Animal House, Blues Brothers, Twilight Zone The Movie, and Michael Jackson’s iconic Thriller Music Video. I’ve known him probably longer than anyone else on this Twitter thread, and I’ve worked with him personally. I will always be grateful to him for putting me in his films. We were good friends for many years. After Twilight Zone, however, he changed into a person I didn’t recognize. One day shortly after, in the mid-1980s, I called him at home. It was no longer connected. I called him at his office. He said, ‘From now on, call me at the office, Steve.’ From then on, when I called him at the office, his secretary would answer and take my messages. He never called back. I felt like I wasn’t a star enough for
him anymore. He’s cut himself off from all his old friends. I’ve seen John at previous Animal House reunions over the years, most recently a few years ago, and he’s always remained cordial, but he’s always just been mean to me for no reason, he’s childish. Sad, he was a great director, I miss the old John, fame got him.

PS: I remember one time in the 1970s when I saw John constantly throwing dog poop from his backyard over his neighbors’ fence. So yeah, I guess he was always mean.”

I like the idea that when you’re over 70 you can risk everything. It’s like Festivus, a time to express your grief.

Not to mention, Landis’ son Max, the director, is one of the most reviled guys in Hollywood, accused of all sorts of sexual assault and misogyny. In a later essay, he said he did a lot of therapy because of the “Twilight Zone” incident. I’d post a link to it on Medium.com, but he wants to pay for it.

On the other hand, it’s a shame about Jon Landis. He made some wonderful films. He certainly didn’t intend for Morrow to die. What a mess.

John Landis. We were once best friends. We met in 1971, before he was famous. I have guest starred in Animal House, Blues Brothers, Twilight Zone The Movie and Michael Jackson’s iconic Thriller music video. I have probably known him longer and worked with him as…

— Stephen Bishop (@BishSongs) June 30, 2024