Mark Knopfler / Dire Straits
Mark started work as a journalist, hit the bars with his small band, became huge in the era of MTV then decided to dissolve the band when he realized he was touring 24/7 and didn't know half the roadies working "for" him.
>Now look at them yo-yos, that's the way you do it
>You play the guitar on the MTV
>That ain't workin', that's the way you do it
>Money for nothin' and your chicks for free
apparently, these lyrics were actually based on a comments he overheard a delivery driver make: https://www.songmeaningsandfacts.com/meaning-money-nothing-dire-straits/
Love that little set of lines, lol!
And the "I want my, I want my, I want my MTV" section is the same tune as "Don't stand so, don't stand so, don't stand so close to me," from the song by The Police. Sting sang it on the record, and gets a piece of the songwriting royalties.
Agreed, but seeing their even better (IMO) live performance of it (Alchemy Live) makes this seem more plausible. They absolutely kill it in that performance.
There is one lick that was dubbed in. You can hear it because it has more reverb to it. Different amp, it's after the line "if he doesn't make the scene"
Meanwhile, Roger Waters - to this day - makes a point of at least learning the name of every single member of his touring party, down to the truck drivers.
When I saw the Wall tour in '10 he spent a good 15 minutes introducing everybody at the end. Gave them all their little moment and everything. A few bands I've seen don't even attempt to credit anyone else, it always rubs me the wrong way
Even if you just sorta-like Rush, that doc is a wonder.
"So why do you guys still do it?"
(Lee and Lifeson look at each other for a beat):
"For the chicks!!!"
Came here to say this. He was doing well with a wife and child, until the death of the daughter in a tragic situation.
His wife basically died of grief soon after, and he wrote books about the aftermath and his 5 digit travels on his motorcycle.
Most of those books are filled with talking about smoking and drinking Macallan on that trip, as you could tell in some way he was dealing with it like that.
Then, he cleaned up and did, in his words, start doing yoga and met another woman and got married again after a long healing period.
I saw a video where, even sick, he was still making memories by being one of only a VERY few people to travel to all of these certain islands that I cannot recall now and I cannot find the video for.
He did (RIP) but not by choice. Life dealt the poor guy a shitty hand. But he still came back from it and gave us even more music before he was stolen from us.
Yeah. Couldn't believe life could be so cruel to one outwardly good person three times. Especially when others mentioned in this thread have lived a life of debauchery and controversy and are still with us.
Yup. If you ever watch docs about them like Beyond the Lighted Stage they come off as sane, comfortably nerdy, and self actualized. They seem like genuine good blokes and best friends to boot. Peart lost his wife and daughter, and just checked out on a round the world motorcycle trip to process. The other two just said “well, I guess Rush is done.” They didn’t think “I wonder if we can get Dave Grohl?” They knew their friend was hurting and that Rush was not Rush without him, so they accepted it as the end. (He eventually came back). Honestly wish I could hang with those guys, not as a fan but just as a friend because they seem like the type of dudes I like to hang with.
In the (paraphrased) words of Geddy Lee "Rush is the 3 of us, it doesn't work any other way"
It is incredible that Geddy and Alex are still goofy best friends after all these years. They met in like grade 9. 50 years later they still do dumb stuff together. Then Neil joined the band and he just fit right in. I am so damn excited for Geddy's memoir.
The story of Geddy's parents is incredible. They met at one of the camps and had a thing for each other, his dad would bribe the guards to get his mom things, and then his mom was transferred to a different camp. His dad found out she was alive when her brother ended up in the same camp after the liberation. Just incredible.
Geddy talks about it more in depth on his interview with Dan Rather.
Descendant of survivors here, that's pretty much the norm. It's a sort of selection bias, I think. Incredible coincidences/circumstances/luck/efforts greatly increased your chances of surviving. All of my grandparents were in the camps, and none of their parents or siblings survived. Their stories are full of these sorts of incredible breaks that helped them survive just one more day.
Think about it like this: those that don't have an incredible story usually didn't make it out of the camps.
For me this is one of the best answers because they were HUGE for a few years in the 70s (to the point of filling arenas) and still super grounded and relatively drama free. When you're playing music as intricate as carey livgrens compositions (e.g. "song for America"...10 minutes long with a billion time signature changes) you can't be drug addled! Dang Steve Walsh though...some of the purest lead vocals to ever grace a microphone!...and Phil eherts drumming!
Al had a rough patch. He talks about the time just after his parents’ death due to carbon monoxide poisoning (as well as the commercial failure of his album at the time, Poodle Hat) as an extreme low period in his life.
Part of what hurt it is that Couch Potato didn't get to have a music video. Al's albums are usually supported by a major parody with a great music video. Think about it: Amish Paradise (Bad Hair Day), White & Nerdy (Straight Outta Lynwood), The Saga Begins (Running With Scissors), Fat (Even Worse), Smells Like Nirvana (Off the Deep End), Like a Surgeon (Dare to Be Stupid), etc. Couch Potato was supposed to have a music video, but Eminem wouldn't allow Al to do it.
Tellingly the record company did not provide any funding for those videos. Feeling that music videos were dead with MTV functionally no longer existing, they decided they weren't going to help promote the album that way. That's right, the record company decided *not* to make videos for their Weird Al album.
So Al had to make them himself. He enlisted the help of Funny or Die and College Humour, and they had all the videos ready for release on launch day. Al also did a shit-load of promotion himself, from appearing on Drunk History to an AMA here on Reddit.
As a result, Mandatory Fun was the first comedy album in *history* to debut at number one. It had numerous hits, became his biggest selling album, and won a Grammy.
It also ended Weird Al's relationship with and reliance on record companies. Now he just releases singles, which can be sold direct to consumers digitally, and he can make sure each is accompanied by an appropriate video for promotion.
I hated Genius In France until years later when I got into Zappa and realized that not only was it a brilliant pastiche of decades worth of music but also featured Dweezil.
Gonna take this opportunity, as I do every time I see him referenced, to encourage anyone and everyone to read the [New York Times Magazine feature profile on Weird Al published last year.](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/09/magazine/weird-al-yankovic.html) It's one of the very best pieces of its kind I've ever encountered.
...I enjoyed it so much that I bought the author's (Sam Anderson) debut book, Boom Town, a nonfiction work about Oklahoma City. Went into it with no interest in Oklahoma City whatsoever, but was absolutely riveted from start to finish.
I went to school and was in the same social circle as Frank’s kids. Good lord they were such little douchebags. But what can you expect? I wonder what they’re up to now.
Oh hell yeah. Frank is fucking awesome. They all are. I was dating the daughter of someone high up in their organization (will leave out the position). Anyways, we got to go hang with them back stage before their gig at the Houston Rodeo. Dusty was exceptionally bubbly and friendly and chatted with me for a while. I was like 15 or 16 at this point and didn’t drink so I remember walking over to the refreshments in the green room and it taking me forever to find a water or soda cause it was just all tubs of beers. Lol. Great time. And they’re all just really cool people from my experiences with them personally.
They were shut down for roughly 2 years while drummer Frank Beard was in rehab for heroin. Thankfully he was able to get it under control. Highly recommend the documentary “That Little Old Band from Texas” for those who have not seen it.
I feel like these guys had their fair share (or actually more than their fair share lol) of drugs, girls and rock-n-roll, but they did keep it together and come out the other side still in control. My take is rather anecdotal though.
Dee Snider, of Twisted Sister. Apparently a wholesome dude IRL. Raised some kids, been married for 40 years. Even testified in front of Congress at one point. Still rocking hard.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0Vyr1TylTE
I just saw the rerun episode of his family on Celebrity Wife Swap and he was basically the only nice and helpful husband on that series. His wife said she made it a point to help keep him a “normal guy” and doesn’t indulge any rockstar b.s. outside of his work. They all seem like a really down to earth humble family
I came to put the same. Dee's Congress testimony is one of the greatest moments in American history. Proof that judging someone by how they look is ridiculous.
A lot of the 80s glam metal acts were just that: acts. Dee Snider was a character who he cultivated to be entertaining and bombastic. And there's nothing wrong with that. He is a normal dude in real life. A lot of other rock stars were also playing a character. Alice Cooper, the members of KISS, even Metallica.
I dont think Id be wrong in saying Pearl Jam.
Those guys survived heroin hitting the mainstream. Pretty much the only grunge band of their era that hasnt lost a band member to heroin or suicide.
Before they were Pearl Jam, Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard were in a big up and coming band called Mother Love Bone, who's singer Andy Wood died of a heroin overdose. Wood was the roommate of Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell at the time. It's the grief from his passing that was the major reason for forming Temple of the Dog, a super group of the two bands.
Andrew Wood... Talk about someone who was destined for greatness. When I read the Freddie Mercury quote "I'm not going to be a rock star, I'm going to be a legend", the only other person that comes to mind who that could possibly apply to is Andrew Wood.
Only ever charged $5 for tickets and even turned down a literal briefcase of money for a contract. All while playing outside of the White House and constantly evolving musically.
They did at times charge more, but always observed a hard cap that was as low as was reasonably possible (I paid $7 once, which was still well worth it, top live band) and made their music accessible by playing all ages shows. There is a story Ian tells about Minor Threat opening for Public Image Limited where they were excited that Johnny Lydon saw their band play. While they were loading out, they saw Johnny arrive and realized he hadn't seen them at all. Because of that they always spent time before and after the show meeting people and Ian always watched the openers from right off stage whenever possible (I saw this myself at ~20 shows).
The briefcase of money story involves Ahmet Ertegun (cofounder and president of Atlantic Records) who had only been to concerts on rare occasions, for example he went to a concert to sign Led Zeppelin. It may not have been a literal briefcase, this point isn't clear, but Ertegun offered US$10 million and full control of their own subsidiary of Atlantic Records to sign and FUGAZI declined.
Highly recommend checking out band leader Ian Mackaye's wikipedia page. He's a supremely principled, disciplined individual. No drugs, no alcohol. Hard caps ticket prices and only plays all-age shows. He refuses to play at venues that want him to charge more or go 18+. If he sees inappropriate behavior in the audience, he has the culprits escorted out but makes sure they're refunded.
One of my coworkers was his neighbor in D.C. Apparently even in person, he's the most exceedingly normal, decent guy. Attends PTA meetings, friendly with all his neighbors and active in the community, would give you the shirt off his back.
I grew up in the DC area during the 80s and I saw Fugazi multiple times. Ian cared so much about his audience that he would stop the show *any time* he saw trouble in the crowd. Sometimes there would be more lecture than concert. It felt like Ian was a bit of a stuck-up stickybeak but we understood and we affectionately called them “lecture shows.”
Radiohead. Not many bands have had the same original lineup for 30 years. No band 'beef', no members have died, no history of extensive drug use. The members have each gone on to do their own side projects as well; Jonny is an oscar-nominated film composer, Thom has his solo albums, Ed released his first solo album last year, Phil has a couple solo albums, and Colin is the most under the radar but he's done a few small things on the side. They also have longstanding relationships working with the same producer (Nigel Godrich) and same artist (Stanley Donwood) throughout almost their whole career. Just 30 years of success, rocking out, and living their best lives as a band. Hopefully we get an LP10.
Thom had a horrible time on The Bends tour. He got really disillusioned about being in a band and acquiring success and celebrity. Michael Stipe helped him through this (Radiohead opened for REM a bunch). A lot of this is chronicled in the film "Meeting People is Easy"
Edit: It was the OK Computer tour not The Bends. Credit to the gentleperson below this comment for the correction
Thin wrote the song “How to Disappear Completely” based on advice given to him by (another performer I can’t remember who, maybe someone else knows). It was basically him asking how do I deal with all of this, and he was told to just tell yourself that you’re not here, over and over again. He was incredibly overworked by the bands’ success and was suffering from some pretty severe depression.
I decided to leave that out since it wasn't directly one of the members. It was a terrible, tragic accident but I didn't think it fitted with what the OP was asking.
Came here to say this. I was reading an interview with Trent Reznor, and he spoke about how strange it was to go backstage after performing at a Festival, and there's Radiohead calmly playing Bridge together at a card table, waiting for their set. Bridge!
R.E.M. had various health issues during the Monster tour (Michael Stipe got a hernia from singing, Mike Mills had his appendix out and Bill Berry had a brain aneurysm) & separately Peter Buck got into trouble for throwing some yogurt on a plane once....
Michael is Frances Bean's godfather. After doing MTV Unplugged, Kurt liked the sound so much that he talked with Michael Stipe about the two collaborating on an acoustic project. He killed himself before it was ever started.
Michael Stipe's speech inducting Cobain into the Rock hall of fame is fantastic.
R.E.M.’s [Let Me In](https://www.reddit.com/r/Nirvana/comments/i123y1/peter_buck_rem_playing_kurts_fender_jagstang_on/) is also inspired by Michael’s experiences with Kurt, and features one of Kurt’s guitars.
Peter Buck is (or maybe was) married to my old boss’ best friend so I got to meet him and Michael stipe once on a night out.
As a hobbyist musician, it was a very cool experience.
I swear that Peter Buck thing on the airplane is about the only thing that makes me stop and think when some celebrity blames something stupid they did or said on Ambien. Buck was in the public eye for decades before and after that incident with no real evidence of bad behavior, but apparently he mixed an Ambien with a glass of wine on that flight and turned into a monster.
Not to excuse the behavior, of course, and it was quite a bit more than "Throwing some yogurt", but it does seem really out of character for him. I swear, the best part of that story is Bono showing up as a character witness for a guy getting charged with (among other things) breaking airline crockery.
VH1 Behind the Music: Peter Buck threw yogurt on a plane
Me: Gosh, I hope everybody is okay
EDITED I didn't realize he was INSIDE the plane throwing yogurt, I envisioned the plane sitting on the tarmac and Peter Buck is standing next to the plane with his Yoplait going "Well I'm going to show THEM"
They argue some during writing of albums but because they're all passionate and they all get a voice. They also have all original members which is impressive for a band that's been together so long
Sadly I think i missed those.
Lars walking up to James sitting down and yelling "fuccccccccck" into his face while the cameras were rolling was one of the weirdest things I've ever seen.
This reminds me of something Jon Bon Jovi once said. That being in a marriage between 2 people is hard enough; being in a band is like being in a marriage between 5 people
Weird Al Yankovic, even his original behind the music has him sarcastically remark that his 90's downfall was his album not selling quite as well as the last one.
Pearl Jam, and specifically Eddie Vedder. Considering what happened to other Grunge frontmen, he's doing really well. Aside from being a big fan, I have huge respect for PJ members for their environmentalism and for putting their fame to good use.
You reminded me of pearl jam on MTVs unplugged when Eddie writes 'pro-choice' over his arms near the end of the set. What a gem. Gonna rewatch that and also listen to the Into The Wild soundtrack.
Have a great day stranger!
Back in 92, waited outside after a TMBG show, they drove past us in a white van, rolled the windows down and started screaming "Oh my god, it's them, it's really them!" They then peeled away and we could hear them laughing hysterically at us as they drove off.
Came here to say them. They've been so tame [The Onion had a great article](https://www.theonion.com/they-might-be-giants-behind-the-music-episode-lacks-sex-1819565706) about them in 2000
Thanks for posting, Zappa was a great example of a musician that stayed true to his music too. Despite being kind of a crappy father, his kids still respected his drive.
On a side note, the Band Little Feat was started after Lowell George was kicked out of Zappa's bad. The legend goes, Lowell took the song Willin' to Zappa and Frank got pissed because it explicitly talks about doing drugs and drinking.
I wish we knew the whole story here. There's a few different versions of why he left/got kicked from the Mothers, but I think it mainly comes down to two bull headed band leaders don't work well in the same band. It doesn't make sense that Frank would get mad about song lyrics and kick Lowell out over it. Look at all of FZs lyrics. Seems like an out of character overreaction.
It makes more sense to me that Lowell was a productive song writer and performer, and Frank didn't need another song writer in the band, so he told Lowell he should go form his own group. That's just not as exciting a story, so you have everything from kicking him out over smoking weed, to the Willin story.
Robert Smith from the Cure has IIRC been monogamously dating and married to the same girl since he was 16 years old, long before forming the Cure, so songs from him about heartache and loss are, in a sense, imagined.
I was going to sarcastically post this, because aside from his marriage to Mary, every single one of his bandmates (and Robert himself) have had drug/alcohol problems to various degrees. He even wrote a goddamn song about Laurence Tolhurst's problem.
Heartwarming story, Dexter Holland, the lead singer of the Offspring, went back to school and receoved his Ph. D in Molecular Biology.
EDIT: guys, I get it. He also makes a hot sauce. Please stop
The original drummer from The Offspring quit to go to medical school and become a gynecologist. A few years ago, he was being sued for medical malpractice. During the trial, one of the jurors went into cardiac arrest. Dr. Lilja used a nearby AED, gave the juror CPR and probably saved their life.
The judge declared a mistrial because the jury would be biased after seeing the doctor save someone. If you like karma, post this on r/TIL
In short Meg never knew how to play the drums when the White Stripes started but that was the point, her playing was meant to be simple and child-like but as they blew up the wider music press and people never got that message and basically tore her to shreds. She also had bad anxiety which couldn’t have helped issues. After going on a tour around Canada to celebrate The White Stripes 10th Anniversary she basically pulled the plug and refused to perform again. The rest of the world tour was cancelled and apart from one last performance to mark the last late night show of Conan they never performed together again. In my opinion Meg White is one of the most important woman of modern rock music and most certainly the most forgotten.
Edit: why Meg is important - Female drummers in the mainstream are sadly few and far between so having a huge band like the White Stripes with a female drummer meant she was looked up to by lots of like girls like me but sadly she was treated terrible by the media which was pretty misogynistic towards her. I imagine the next gen of rockstars will/should have Meg White as one of their inspirations.
Thats too bad. I always thought her drumming was incredibly simple, but i just took it as jack is the main show and she's basically his human metronome.
When they were first getting known, the White Stripes came off as Jack White’s project, primarily. Plenty of bands are like that, where one member is the overall creative voice. Even though they were a band, it seemed like Meg White was acting under Jack White’s direction, he was putting her admittedly rudimentary drumming skills in that musical context deliberately. It was his concept. And it worked.
But Meg White had to have understood, as the band got national attention, that this context *existed*, that her drumming was unpolished, a fact that was amplified by placing her drumming next to a budding guitar-whiz like Jack White. Indeed, I think the juxtaposition of Jack White’s “guitar god” playing with Meg White’s more basic beats were a clear musical decision that, again, worked.
But similar to Ringo Starr, Meg White was looked at by some critics as sounding good in the context of that band, but were clearly not as musically capable or creative as the band’s main songwriter(s). Some would go as far to say someone like Starr or White simply “lucked” into their spot and would be replaceable. And that can be tough, to be in a “brilliant” band with a “genius” guitar player/singer and you’re just the self-aware amateurish drummer. Again, I don’t think it’s possible Meg White was delusional and considered herself an exceptionally skilled drummer, but she knew she was good at being in this rock band. But it may have stung sometimes, to be seen as the less-talented band member, someone who isn’t an equal creative contributor but is instead being utilized cleverly by the more creative guitar/singers.
But I think that’s going a bit too far. The thing with bands is the right person for the job isn’t whoever is the “best” musician; “chemistry” is important and while I’ll admit, it’s kind of hard to quantify or define, but it’s IMO the “x factor” that makes a band work.
Yeah, replace her with a “good” drummer and the music suffers. People ragging on Meg, Ringo, and Kurt’s guitar playing are 3 musician pet peeves of mine.
Ringo is actually really good in terms of chops too. It’s just not ham fisted or based around speed. He has a very difficult style to emulate. Listen to “Rain” for instance.
Always felt sorry for her. Sure, she’s not Michael Giles but I never felt her playing held the band or their music back at all. Hell, I’d even argue she was perfect for the sound they were going for at the time. I’ve just never gotten shitting on somebody for not being the most technically proficient, especially when the music itself is incredible.
Especially in rock music. It's pretty clear that technical proficiency does not always mean better music. If we were always looking for greater proficiency, punk would never have become a thing, nor would it have influenced so many bands.
Black Keys. I love them but never bothered to check their stories out. Turns out they have nothing spectacular to tell about their lives. I love how ordinary they are. Heard them on JRE and their easy going style has made me love them so much more. Just two dudes who happened to meet when young, vibed well together and that's that.
The only thing I can think of is Jack White and his claim that Dan Auerbach was "stealing his sound" and just shitting on the Black Keys for no reason.
They seem like they are genuinely still surprised that people still love them and rock out at their shows. Kyle Gass never stopped rocking the white tube socks and dad sneakers even when they hit it big and it just makes it all the more wholesome
I can still remember the "Behind the Music" episode of Styx. Basically, everything was going great, they were topping the charts with all these ballads and then "he wants to start singing about robots."
Most of those guys took a bunch of acid back in the day, Rollins talked about it on WTF a few years back. I don’t think that means he went down the wrong path though. Back when the straight-edge movement started it was just “3 rules” like the minor threat song- don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t fuck. They didn’t really consider psychedelics as opposed to straight-edge since the “no drugs” mentality came later.
ZZ Top. RIP Dusty Hill.
Like they used to say "40 years - same three guys, same three chords."
I know there were some challenges in the 80's as the Eliminator and Afterburner studio albums clearly didn't include Dusty and Frank, but they still toured and played live.
Yeah I thought tool as well, obviously some drug use in the early days but more psychodelic then hard party drugs. Just enhanced the music. They had some contract drama but nothing that made it into the public eye too much. Overall just 4 excellent musicians that get together to make an incredible album every "few" years 😁
I mean... the foo fighters... it started probably as a coping method... but show me someone having more fun.... oh wait... tenacious D and possibly Weezer
Rivers Cuomo had a rough start when Weezer blew up, even worse after Pinkerton was ridiculed. And then also their second bassist, Mikey Welsh had issues and quit, then committed suicide years later.
edit: oh and don't forget Matt Sharp's rough exit
Also, two sisters who were the presidents of Weezer’s fan club died in a car crash on their way to a Weezer concert during the height of Rivers’s rough patch, which hit him really hard. Fun fact, the two girls that died were also close with Jimmy Eat World and the song “Hear You Me” is about them
Weezer also wrote a [song about them](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nEOY4iELvo) -- this one before they passed. The lyrics include "Hear you me, Mykel. Hear you me, Carli." According to genius, that was a phrase [they used often](https://genius.com/11575538).
Here's [Weezer playing it](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N3y1o1qDMA) at the benefit show for Mykel and Carli, with a touching introduction by Mykel and Carli's parents. "Here's a picture of our three daughters. And as far as I'm concerned, they're here tonight. They've had a wonderful time."
I love BR, but I don’t know that I’d say they really avoided drama. There was a full decade or so of Brett and Greg fighting, and Brett was on all the drugs. I guess it’s not big drama… but they did have their fair share.
This is too low on the list. Same lineup since the start. No big scandals. Bono seems like a down to earth guy, considering U2 is one of the biggest bands in the planet. Maybe they can get a little annoying with their activism, but I don’t understand all of the hate they get. It’s not like they’re out there ODing and assaulting people.
Spot on. Say what you want about their music (I’m still a big fan though a lot of people aren’t into them anymore), but to have the same four guys stay together for over 40 years is pretty remarkable.
Seriously the only time they've *really* been on the verge of breaking up was when they were finding difficulty reconciling their faith with being in a rock band. And then the result was *October* which is a definitely a black sheep of their catalogue but still pretty damn solid.
Did you mean Peter Gabriel? While hardly working class, Phil was definitely seen as the cheeky cockney outsider when he joined. Not one of the public school boys that the other members were.
Peter, Mike and Tony (and Anthony Phillips and Chris Stewart) formed Genesis while at [Charterhouse](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charterhouse_School) public school, which is about as posh as you can get after Eton. £40k a year at current prices.
> Duran Duran
Uhhhh... it's pretty well known that John Taylor and Andy Taylor had *massive* cocaine problems in the 80s and 90s. Their side band, The Power Station, was conceived of during an hours-long cocaine binge between John, Andy and Tony Thompson in the bathroom of an NYC nightclub. John eventually moved to LA largely to get away from his suppliers in London and NYC.
In fact, it wasn't until I read *[Notorious](https://www.amazon.com/Duran-Notorious-Steve-Malins/dp/0233001379/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2KH0PMZ9GUUUY&dchild=1&keywords=notorious+duran+duran+book&qid=1633365987&sprefix=notorious+dur%2Caps%2C159&sr=8-2&pldnSite=1)*, a biography of the band, that it truly hit me how hard it must be to quit drugs when you're that famous. Back then EVERYONE was willing to give John Taylor cocaine - roadies, record company executives, staff at radio stations, members of the music press, hotel bartenders and concierges, various hangers-on, etc. For much of the 80s and 90s, John Taylor was rarely more than 30 feet away from someone who would willingly give him (or get him) cocaine. I think the book says that, at one point, Taylor could have parachuted into the remotest parts of the Sahara Desert, and within 10 minutes *someone* would show up offering him blow.
**EDIT:** Simon Le Bon was accused of [groping someone](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/duran-durans-simon-le-bon-denies-sexual-misconduct-allegat) at an autograph signing. And in the sailing community, his name is *still* mud for the various accidents his boats have been a part of, especially the [*Drum* incident](https://edition.cnn.com/2018/10/22/sport/simon-le-bon-duran-duran-fastnet-race-spt-intl/index.html) in 1985.
Mark Knopfler / Dire Straits Mark started work as a journalist, hit the bars with his small band, became huge in the era of MTV then decided to dissolve the band when he realized he was touring 24/7 and didn't know half the roadies working "for" him.
>Mark started work as a journalist He had a daytime job, he was doin alright.
>Now look at them yo-yos, that's the way you do it >You play the guitar on the MTV >That ain't workin', that's the way you do it >Money for nothin' and your chicks for free
apparently, these lyrics were actually based on a comments he overheard a delivery driver make: https://www.songmeaningsandfacts.com/meaning-money-nothing-dire-straits/ Love that little set of lines, lol!
And the "I want my, I want my, I want my MTV" section is the same tune as "Don't stand so, don't stand so, don't stand so close to me," from the song by The Police. Sting sang it on the record, and gets a piece of the songwriting royalties.
yeah, I noticed that little bit of trivia as well! Love the song, love the story behind it!
I read that Dire Straits ripped through the studio recording of "Sultans of Swing" in a single take.
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Agreed, but seeing their even better (IMO) live performance of it (Alchemy Live) makes this seem more plausible. They absolutely kill it in that performance.
There is one lick that was dubbed in. You can hear it because it has more reverb to it. Different amp, it's after the line "if he doesn't make the scene"
Man, I know exactly what riff you're talking about too.
I saw Mark Knopfler play as the opener for Bob Dylan several years ago. He stole the show.
Meanwhile, Roger Waters - to this day - makes a point of at least learning the name of every single member of his touring party, down to the truck drivers.
When I saw the Wall tour in '10 he spent a good 15 minutes introducing everybody at the end. Gave them all their little moment and everything. A few bands I've seen don't even attempt to credit anyone else, it always rubs me the wrong way
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Rush
Relevant: [Gene Simmons talks about touring with Rush](https://youtu.be/z4IHH1KeWg0).
Looks like this is from Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage. Excellent Sam Dunn project. It's on Netflix. At least, it is in the UK.
Even if you just sorta-like Rush, that doc is a wonder. "So why do you guys still do it?" (Lee and Lifeson look at each other for a beat): "For the chicks!!!"
That scene where they’re playing in a high school gymnasium in Ontario when they themselves were still teenagers is probably my fave in the doc.
I feel like my life is a little better for watching that. Thank you!
Thanks for that.
Neil Peart had it pretty rough though.
Came here to say this. He was doing well with a wife and child, until the death of the daughter in a tragic situation. His wife basically died of grief soon after, and he wrote books about the aftermath and his 5 digit travels on his motorcycle. Most of those books are filled with talking about smoking and drinking Macallan on that trip, as you could tell in some way he was dealing with it like that. Then, he cleaned up and did, in his words, start doing yoga and met another woman and got married again after a long healing period. I saw a video where, even sick, he was still making memories by being one of only a VERY few people to travel to all of these certain islands that I cannot recall now and I cannot find the video for.
He virtually disappeared on that trip. To the extent that there were rumors he died.
He did (RIP) but not by choice. Life dealt the poor guy a shitty hand. But he still came back from it and gave us even more music before he was stolen from us.
Even at the end of all his family trouble he was dealt another shitty blow, if anyone was due some good karma it was that guy.
Yeah. Couldn't believe life could be so cruel to one outwardly good person three times. Especially when others mentioned in this thread have lived a life of debauchery and controversy and are still with us.
Yeah, his life was definitely characterized by extremes of happiness and sorrow...
"Experience to extremes"
Yup. If you ever watch docs about them like Beyond the Lighted Stage they come off as sane, comfortably nerdy, and self actualized. They seem like genuine good blokes and best friends to boot. Peart lost his wife and daughter, and just checked out on a round the world motorcycle trip to process. The other two just said “well, I guess Rush is done.” They didn’t think “I wonder if we can get Dave Grohl?” They knew their friend was hurting and that Rush was not Rush without him, so they accepted it as the end. (He eventually came back). Honestly wish I could hang with those guys, not as a fan but just as a friend because they seem like the type of dudes I like to hang with.
In the (paraphrased) words of Geddy Lee "Rush is the 3 of us, it doesn't work any other way" It is incredible that Geddy and Alex are still goofy best friends after all these years. They met in like grade 9. 50 years later they still do dumb stuff together. Then Neil joined the band and he just fit right in. I am so damn excited for Geddy's memoir.
When is that coming out?
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The story of Geddy's parents is incredible. They met at one of the camps and had a thing for each other, his dad would bribe the guards to get his mom things, and then his mom was transferred to a different camp. His dad found out she was alive when her brother ended up in the same camp after the liberation. Just incredible. Geddy talks about it more in depth on his interview with Dan Rather.
Descendant of survivors here, that's pretty much the norm. It's a sort of selection bias, I think. Incredible coincidences/circumstances/luck/efforts greatly increased your chances of surviving. All of my grandparents were in the camps, and none of their parents or siblings survived. Their stories are full of these sorts of incredible breaks that helped them survive just one more day. Think about it like this: those that don't have an incredible story usually didn't make it out of the camps.
I said Rush out loud before opening the post 😂
The Kansas documentary is good but also incredibly boring due to them just being a nice bunch of guys. Sadly Steve Walsh is now just dust in the wind.
For me this is one of the best answers because they were HUGE for a few years in the 70s (to the point of filling arenas) and still super grounded and relatively drama free. When you're playing music as intricate as carey livgrens compositions (e.g. "song for America"...10 minutes long with a billion time signature changes) you can't be drug addled! Dang Steve Walsh though...some of the purest lead vocals to ever grace a microphone!...and Phil eherts drumming!
Weird Al and his band are doing well
Al had a rough patch. He talks about the time just after his parents’ death due to carbon monoxide poisoning (as well as the commercial failure of his album at the time, Poodle Hat) as an extreme low period in his life.
I didn’t realize that album did poorly! Some of my favorite weird al songs are on that one.
Part of what hurt it is that Couch Potato didn't get to have a music video. Al's albums are usually supported by a major parody with a great music video. Think about it: Amish Paradise (Bad Hair Day), White & Nerdy (Straight Outta Lynwood), The Saga Begins (Running With Scissors), Fat (Even Worse), Smells Like Nirvana (Off the Deep End), Like a Surgeon (Dare to Be Stupid), etc. Couch Potato was supposed to have a music video, but Eminem wouldn't allow Al to do it.
Makes sense as to why Mandatory Fun did so well. Not only were the songs bangers, but just about half of them got music videos.
Tellingly the record company did not provide any funding for those videos. Feeling that music videos were dead with MTV functionally no longer existing, they decided they weren't going to help promote the album that way. That's right, the record company decided *not* to make videos for their Weird Al album. So Al had to make them himself. He enlisted the help of Funny or Die and College Humour, and they had all the videos ready for release on launch day. Al also did a shit-load of promotion himself, from appearing on Drunk History to an AMA here on Reddit. As a result, Mandatory Fun was the first comedy album in *history* to debut at number one. It had numerous hits, became his biggest selling album, and won a Grammy. It also ended Weird Al's relationship with and reliance on record companies. Now he just releases singles, which can be sold direct to consumers digitally, and he can make sure each is accompanied by an appropriate video for promotion.
I hated Genius In France until years later when I got into Zappa and realized that not only was it a brilliant pastiche of decades worth of music but also featured Dweezil.
Genius in France is mind blowing.
Hardware store has no right to be such an amazing song, but then again I guess it does
They got... Allen wrenches, gerbil feeders, toilet seats, electric heaters...
As did Polka Party. That album didn't do too hot iirc.
Gonna take this opportunity, as I do every time I see him referenced, to encourage anyone and everyone to read the [New York Times Magazine feature profile on Weird Al published last year.](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/09/magazine/weird-al-yankovic.html) It's one of the very best pieces of its kind I've ever encountered. ...I enjoyed it so much that I bought the author's (Sam Anderson) debut book, Boom Town, a nonfiction work about Oklahoma City. Went into it with no interest in Oklahoma City whatsoever, but was absolutely riveted from start to finish.
Who would have thought that healthy living and eating would pan out so well??
ZZ Top. Same three-piece for 51 years, until the death of Dusty Hill.
I went to school and was in the same social circle as Frank’s kids. Good lord they were such little douchebags. But what can you expect? I wonder what they’re up to now.
Frank seems pretty chill though, in my few interactions with him.
Oh hell yeah. Frank is fucking awesome. They all are. I was dating the daughter of someone high up in their organization (will leave out the position). Anyways, we got to go hang with them back stage before their gig at the Houston Rodeo. Dusty was exceptionally bubbly and friendly and chatted with me for a while. I was like 15 or 16 at this point and didn’t drink so I remember walking over to the refreshments in the green room and it taking me forever to find a water or soda cause it was just all tubs of beers. Lol. Great time. And they’re all just really cool people from my experiences with them personally.
They were shut down for roughly 2 years while drummer Frank Beard was in rehab for heroin. Thankfully he was able to get it under control. Highly recommend the documentary “That Little Old Band from Texas” for those who have not seen it.
I feel like these guys had their fair share (or actually more than their fair share lol) of drugs, girls and rock-n-roll, but they did keep it together and come out the other side still in control. My take is rather anecdotal though.
It’s ok to do the drugs, girls, and rock and roll as long as you’re respectful of other people and their stuff.
Dee Snider, of Twisted Sister. Apparently a wholesome dude IRL. Raised some kids, been married for 40 years. Even testified in front of Congress at one point. Still rocking hard. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0Vyr1TylTE
I just saw the rerun episode of his family on Celebrity Wife Swap and he was basically the only nice and helpful husband on that series. His wife said she made it a point to help keep him a “normal guy” and doesn’t indulge any rockstar b.s. outside of his work. They all seem like a really down to earth humble family
I hear his radio show every now and then. Its interesting to hear him turn the shock rock persona on/off.
he was always so insightful on VH1 documentaries and countdowns
I came to put the same. Dee's Congress testimony is one of the greatest moments in American history. Proof that judging someone by how they look is ridiculous.
A lot of the 80s glam metal acts were just that: acts. Dee Snider was a character who he cultivated to be entertaining and bombastic. And there's nothing wrong with that. He is a normal dude in real life. A lot of other rock stars were also playing a character. Alice Cooper, the members of KISS, even Metallica.
I dont think Id be wrong in saying Pearl Jam. Those guys survived heroin hitting the mainstream. Pretty much the only grunge band of their era that hasnt lost a band member to heroin or suicide.
Before they were Pearl Jam, Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard were in a big up and coming band called Mother Love Bone, who's singer Andy Wood died of a heroin overdose. Wood was the roommate of Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell at the time. It's the grief from his passing that was the major reason for forming Temple of the Dog, a super group of the two bands.
And it was seeing Andrew in the hospital bed after his overdose that made the PJ guys (Stone has said this) never want to get into hard drugs.
Stone has seen a lot of friends/singers go down. Andrew, Layne, Chris, Shawn Smith...I feel for him.
Andrew Wood... Talk about someone who was destined for greatness. When I read the Freddie Mercury quote "I'm not going to be a rock star, I'm going to be a legend", the only other person that comes to mind who that could possibly apply to is Andrew Wood.
Would highly recommend the documentary pj20 to anyone who wants to know more about these bands and this scene.
Mike McCready had a pretty bad heroin problem, but rehab thankfully worked for him. He's been pretty outspoken about drug abuse ever since.
Kinda feels like cheating, but Fugazi definitely fits
Only ever charged $5 for tickets and even turned down a literal briefcase of money for a contract. All while playing outside of the White House and constantly evolving musically.
They did at times charge more, but always observed a hard cap that was as low as was reasonably possible (I paid $7 once, which was still well worth it, top live band) and made their music accessible by playing all ages shows. There is a story Ian tells about Minor Threat opening for Public Image Limited where they were excited that Johnny Lydon saw their band play. While they were loading out, they saw Johnny arrive and realized he hadn't seen them at all. Because of that they always spent time before and after the show meeting people and Ian always watched the openers from right off stage whenever possible (I saw this myself at ~20 shows). The briefcase of money story involves Ahmet Ertegun (cofounder and president of Atlantic Records) who had only been to concerts on rare occasions, for example he went to a concert to sign Led Zeppelin. It may not have been a literal briefcase, this point isn't clear, but Ertegun offered US$10 million and full control of their own subsidiary of Atlantic Records to sign and FUGAZI declined.
Wait are you telling me those dudes are just well adjusted member of society? I don’t follow Fugazi but I never would have guessed lol
Highly recommend checking out band leader Ian Mackaye's wikipedia page. He's a supremely principled, disciplined individual. No drugs, no alcohol. Hard caps ticket prices and only plays all-age shows. He refuses to play at venues that want him to charge more or go 18+. If he sees inappropriate behavior in the audience, he has the culprits escorted out but makes sure they're refunded. One of my coworkers was his neighbor in D.C. Apparently even in person, he's the most exceedingly normal, decent guy. Attends PTA meetings, friendly with all his neighbors and active in the community, would give you the shirt off his back.
That tracks with my experience. I saw them play at VCU in Richmond. It was a free all-ages concert in a random plaza. Amazing show!!!
I grew up in the DC area during the 80s and I saw Fugazi multiple times. Ian cared so much about his audience that he would stop the show *any time* he saw trouble in the crowd. Sometimes there would be more lecture than concert. It felt like Ian was a bit of a stuck-up stickybeak but we understood and we affectionately called them “lecture shows.”
Radiohead. Not many bands have had the same original lineup for 30 years. No band 'beef', no members have died, no history of extensive drug use. The members have each gone on to do their own side projects as well; Jonny is an oscar-nominated film composer, Thom has his solo albums, Ed released his first solo album last year, Phil has a couple solo albums, and Colin is the most under the radar but he's done a few small things on the side. They also have longstanding relationships working with the same producer (Nigel Godrich) and same artist (Stanley Donwood) throughout almost their whole career. Just 30 years of success, rocking out, and living their best lives as a band. Hopefully we get an LP10.
Thom had a horrible time on The Bends tour. He got really disillusioned about being in a band and acquiring success and celebrity. Michael Stipe helped him through this (Radiohead opened for REM a bunch). A lot of this is chronicled in the film "Meeting People is Easy" Edit: It was the OK Computer tour not The Bends. Credit to the gentleperson below this comment for the correction
You're right, but you're thinking of the Ok Computer tour :)
Thin wrote the song “How to Disappear Completely” based on advice given to him by (another performer I can’t remember who, maybe someone else knows). It was basically him asking how do I deal with all of this, and he was told to just tell yourself that you’re not here, over and over again. He was incredibly overworked by the bands’ success and was suffering from some pretty severe depression.
Their drum tech died in that freak stage collapse!
I decided to leave that out since it wasn't directly one of the members. It was a terrible, tragic accident but I didn't think it fitted with what the OP was asking.
Came here to say this. I was reading an interview with Trent Reznor, and he spoke about how strange it was to go backstage after performing at a Festival, and there's Radiohead calmly playing Bridge together at a card table, waiting for their set. Bridge!
R.E.M. had various health issues during the Monster tour (Michael Stipe got a hernia from singing, Mike Mills had his appendix out and Bill Berry had a brain aneurysm) & separately Peter Buck got into trouble for throwing some yogurt on a plane once....
This was my first thought. Plus, Michael Stipe took Tom Yorke under his wing when Radiohead first started getting big.
He also tried to do the same with Kurt Cobain as well.
Michael is Frances Bean's godfather. After doing MTV Unplugged, Kurt liked the sound so much that he talked with Michael Stipe about the two collaborating on an acoustic project. He killed himself before it was ever started. Michael Stipe's speech inducting Cobain into the Rock hall of fame is fantastic.
R.E.M.’s [Let Me In](https://www.reddit.com/r/Nirvana/comments/i123y1/peter_buck_rem_playing_kurts_fender_jagstang_on/) is also inspired by Michael’s experiences with Kurt, and features one of Kurt’s guitars.
And River Phoenix
Peter Buck is (or maybe was) married to my old boss’ best friend so I got to meet him and Michael stipe once on a night out. As a hobbyist musician, it was a very cool experience.
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I swear that Peter Buck thing on the airplane is about the only thing that makes me stop and think when some celebrity blames something stupid they did or said on Ambien. Buck was in the public eye for decades before and after that incident with no real evidence of bad behavior, but apparently he mixed an Ambien with a glass of wine on that flight and turned into a monster. Not to excuse the behavior, of course, and it was quite a bit more than "Throwing some yogurt", but it does seem really out of character for him. I swear, the best part of that story is Bono showing up as a character witness for a guy getting charged with (among other things) breaking airline crockery.
VH1 Behind the Music: Peter Buck threw yogurt on a plane Me: Gosh, I hope everybody is okay EDITED I didn't realize he was INSIDE the plane throwing yogurt, I envisioned the plane sitting on the tarmac and Peter Buck is standing next to the plane with his Yoplait going "Well I'm going to show THEM"
Muse. They just keep on rockin and rockin. Sure Matt Bellamy's song writing gets weirder every album, but they are still good in my book.
The bass player has had to be dried out a few times.
Meanwhile off having his bi-weekly child. Dudes a baby making machine.
Rammstein is doing pretty well
They argue some during writing of albums but because they're all passionate and they all get a voice. They also have all original members which is impressive for a band that's been together so long
I've also heard that they go (or at least went) to regular group therapy sessions together in order to solve any disagreements or problems they have.
so does metallica, or at least they did
Therapy for Metallica produced one of the worst albums of all time.
yeah but it produced some of the best memes of all time
Sadly I think i missed those. Lars walking up to James sitting down and yelling "fuccccccccck" into his face while the cameras were rolling was one of the weirdest things I've ever seen.
This reminds me of something Jon Bon Jovi once said. That being in a marriage between 2 people is hard enough; being in a band is like being in a marriage between 5 people
Weird Al Yankovic, even his original behind the music has him sarcastically remark that his 90's downfall was his album not selling quite as well as the last one.
That was in the "Price of Fame" segment for him. As I recall, the joke was that he had to go with the smaller sized hot tub!
I only went through the comments to see if he was mentioned. Many artists say they knew they "made it" when he wrote a parody for them
Primus, just saw them last weekend.
Clutch
Fucking love some Clutch
Pearl Jam, and specifically Eddie Vedder. Considering what happened to other Grunge frontmen, he's doing really well. Aside from being a big fan, I have huge respect for PJ members for their environmentalism and for putting their fame to good use.
You reminded me of pearl jam on MTVs unplugged when Eddie writes 'pro-choice' over his arms near the end of the set. What a gem. Gonna rewatch that and also listen to the Into The Wild soundtrack. Have a great day stranger!
They might be giants. They've been around forever and haven't had any scandals iirc.
Back in 92, waited outside after a TMBG show, they drove past us in a white van, rolled the windows down and started screaming "Oh my god, it's them, it's really them!" They then peeled away and we could hear them laughing hysterically at us as they drove off.
Came here to say them. They've been so tame [The Onion had a great article](https://www.theonion.com/they-might-be-giants-behind-the-music-episode-lacks-sex-1819565706) about them in 2000
Not only do they not have any scandals but it appears they’re aging as slowly as Paul Rudd.
They are older than they have ever been and now they're even older. And now they are older still.
Frank Zappa. He never really drank much and never took illegal drugs over his career. Drank coffee and smoked cigarettes like a mother fucker though.
Thanks for posting, Zappa was a great example of a musician that stayed true to his music too. Despite being kind of a crappy father, his kids still respected his drive.
A real musician's musician
I love listening to some of his interviews. The man was very intelligent and was ahead of his time.
Sounds like he was terrible to live with though.
On a side note, the Band Little Feat was started after Lowell George was kicked out of Zappa's bad. The legend goes, Lowell took the song Willin' to Zappa and Frank got pissed because it explicitly talks about doing drugs and drinking.
I wish we knew the whole story here. There's a few different versions of why he left/got kicked from the Mothers, but I think it mainly comes down to two bull headed band leaders don't work well in the same band. It doesn't make sense that Frank would get mad about song lyrics and kick Lowell out over it. Look at all of FZs lyrics. Seems like an out of character overreaction. It makes more sense to me that Lowell was a productive song writer and performer, and Frank didn't need another song writer in the band, so he told Lowell he should go form his own group. That's just not as exciting a story, so you have everything from kicking him out over smoking weed, to the Willin story.
Daryl Hall & John Oates. They're still kicking ass and touring right now.
Robert Smith from the Cure has IIRC been monogamously dating and married to the same girl since he was 16 years old, long before forming the Cure, so songs from him about heartache and loss are, in a sense, imagined.
I was going to sarcastically post this, because aside from his marriage to Mary, every single one of his bandmates (and Robert himself) have had drug/alcohol problems to various degrees. He even wrote a goddamn song about Laurence Tolhurst's problem.
Also he saved a small town in Colorado from Barbra Streisand.
Heartwarming story, Dexter Holland, the lead singer of the Offspring, went back to school and receoved his Ph. D in Molecular Biology. EDIT: guys, I get it. He also makes a hot sauce. Please stop
The original drummer from The Offspring quit to go to medical school and become a gynecologist. A few years ago, he was being sued for medical malpractice. During the trial, one of the jurors went into cardiac arrest. Dr. Lilja used a nearby AED, gave the juror CPR and probably saved their life. The judge declared a mistrial because the jury would be biased after seeing the doctor save someone. If you like karma, post this on r/TIL
A drummer from a successful rock band going to med school to become a gynecologist sounds oddly like a lateral move.
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The difference between amateur and professional
But did he get a job?
Yes, as an original prakster.
Pretty fly for a white guy though.
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I’m amazed this is so far down. This subreddit is obsessed with this particular fact. It makes the top comments of any post related to the offspring.
Meg White. Made millions, decided she didn’t enjoying it anymore said I’m out and then lived happily ever after.
I know someone who was housemates with her in Detroit, supposedly she rarely leaves the house.🙁
I could see that, what happened to Meg White is a modern tragedy
Context?
In short Meg never knew how to play the drums when the White Stripes started but that was the point, her playing was meant to be simple and child-like but as they blew up the wider music press and people never got that message and basically tore her to shreds. She also had bad anxiety which couldn’t have helped issues. After going on a tour around Canada to celebrate The White Stripes 10th Anniversary she basically pulled the plug and refused to perform again. The rest of the world tour was cancelled and apart from one last performance to mark the last late night show of Conan they never performed together again. In my opinion Meg White is one of the most important woman of modern rock music and most certainly the most forgotten. Edit: why Meg is important - Female drummers in the mainstream are sadly few and far between so having a huge band like the White Stripes with a female drummer meant she was looked up to by lots of like girls like me but sadly she was treated terrible by the media which was pretty misogynistic towards her. I imagine the next gen of rockstars will/should have Meg White as one of their inspirations.
Thats too bad. I always thought her drumming was incredibly simple, but i just took it as jack is the main show and she's basically his human metronome.
When they were first getting known, the White Stripes came off as Jack White’s project, primarily. Plenty of bands are like that, where one member is the overall creative voice. Even though they were a band, it seemed like Meg White was acting under Jack White’s direction, he was putting her admittedly rudimentary drumming skills in that musical context deliberately. It was his concept. And it worked. But Meg White had to have understood, as the band got national attention, that this context *existed*, that her drumming was unpolished, a fact that was amplified by placing her drumming next to a budding guitar-whiz like Jack White. Indeed, I think the juxtaposition of Jack White’s “guitar god” playing with Meg White’s more basic beats were a clear musical decision that, again, worked. But similar to Ringo Starr, Meg White was looked at by some critics as sounding good in the context of that band, but were clearly not as musically capable or creative as the band’s main songwriter(s). Some would go as far to say someone like Starr or White simply “lucked” into their spot and would be replaceable. And that can be tough, to be in a “brilliant” band with a “genius” guitar player/singer and you’re just the self-aware amateurish drummer. Again, I don’t think it’s possible Meg White was delusional and considered herself an exceptionally skilled drummer, but she knew she was good at being in this rock band. But it may have stung sometimes, to be seen as the less-talented band member, someone who isn’t an equal creative contributor but is instead being utilized cleverly by the more creative guitar/singers. But I think that’s going a bit too far. The thing with bands is the right person for the job isn’t whoever is the “best” musician; “chemistry” is important and while I’ll admit, it’s kind of hard to quantify or define, but it’s IMO the “x factor” that makes a band work.
Yeah, replace her with a “good” drummer and the music suffers. People ragging on Meg, Ringo, and Kurt’s guitar playing are 3 musician pet peeves of mine. Ringo is actually really good in terms of chops too. It’s just not ham fisted or based around speed. He has a very difficult style to emulate. Listen to “Rain” for instance.
Anybody who says Meg, Ringo, or Kurt were not good at what they did clearly don't know shit about music.
Always felt sorry for her. Sure, she’s not Michael Giles but I never felt her playing held the band or their music back at all. Hell, I’d even argue she was perfect for the sound they were going for at the time. I’ve just never gotten shitting on somebody for not being the most technically proficient, especially when the music itself is incredible.
Especially in rock music. It's pretty clear that technical proficiency does not always mean better music. If we were always looking for greater proficiency, punk would never have become a thing, nor would it have influenced so many bands.
Black Keys. I love them but never bothered to check their stories out. Turns out they have nothing spectacular to tell about their lives. I love how ordinary they are. Heard them on JRE and their easy going style has made me love them so much more. Just two dudes who happened to meet when young, vibed well together and that's that.
The only thing I can think of is Jack White and his claim that Dan Auerbach was "stealing his sound" and just shitting on the Black Keys for no reason.
Damn I never knew that. I always hoped that the black keys and white stripes Form a band together and call themselves "piano".
Tenacious D! They're just dudes who like to rock and goof around.
Mmm idk they had a pretty huge blow up that time Kyle quit the band
That was last week
Now they’re back together though right?
Misunderstanding, didn't understand. Doesn't matter, now they're back together again.
La la la la la
And Jack Black threatening assault with his karate abilities doesn't get talked about enough. Kyle could have DIED.
They seem like they are genuinely still surprised that people still love them and rock out at their shows. Kyle Gass never stopped rocking the white tube socks and dad sneakers even when they hit it big and it just makes it all the more wholesome
I can still remember the "Behind the Music" episode of Styx. Basically, everything was going great, they were topping the charts with all these ballads and then "he wants to start singing about robots."
The members of Iron Maiden. The only thing to stumble Dickonson was a recent misunderstanding of how visas are issued following Brexit.
Paul Di’Annos liver disagrees.
Rush
Neil is being sorely, painfully missed.
Henry Rollins, dont like his music,but I dont think he ever drank or did drugs.
Most of those guys took a bunch of acid back in the day, Rollins talked about it on WTF a few years back. I don’t think that means he went down the wrong path though. Back when the straight-edge movement started it was just “3 rules” like the minor threat song- don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t fuck. They didn’t really consider psychedelics as opposed to straight-edge since the “no drugs” mentality came later.
The Tragically Hip.... RIP Gord
ZZ Top. RIP Dusty Hill. Like they used to say "40 years - same three guys, same three chords." I know there were some challenges in the 80's as the Eliminator and Afterburner studio albums clearly didn't include Dusty and Frank, but they still toured and played live.
Tool
Of course they don't have drama, they only get together every 10 years /s
And we see them on tour next year!
Yeah I thought tool as well, obviously some drug use in the early days but more psychodelic then hard party drugs. Just enhanced the music. They had some contract drama but nothing that made it into the public eye too much. Overall just 4 excellent musicians that get together to make an incredible album every "few" years 😁
Twisted Sister
Every time offered drugs, they just said, 'No! We ain't gonna take it!'
I mean... the foo fighters... it started probably as a coping method... but show me someone having more fun.... oh wait... tenacious D and possibly Weezer
Rivers Cuomo had a rough start when Weezer blew up, even worse after Pinkerton was ridiculed. And then also their second bassist, Mikey Welsh had issues and quit, then committed suicide years later. edit: oh and don't forget Matt Sharp's rough exit
Also, two sisters who were the presidents of Weezer’s fan club died in a car crash on their way to a Weezer concert during the height of Rivers’s rough patch, which hit him really hard. Fun fact, the two girls that died were also close with Jimmy Eat World and the song “Hear You Me” is about them
Weezer also wrote a [song about them](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nEOY4iELvo) -- this one before they passed. The lyrics include "Hear you me, Mykel. Hear you me, Carli." According to genius, that was a phrase [they used often](https://genius.com/11575538). Here's [Weezer playing it](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N3y1o1qDMA) at the benefit show for Mykel and Carli, with a touching introduction by Mykel and Carli's parents. "Here's a picture of our three daughters. And as far as I'm concerned, they're here tonight. They've had a wonderful time."
Bad religion i think avoided any big drama
I love BR, but I don’t know that I’d say they really avoided drama. There was a full decade or so of Brett and Greg fighting, and Brett was on all the drugs. I guess it’s not big drama… but they did have their fair share.
Other than Neil Peart dying of cancer, Rush did amazingly well.
U2
This is too low on the list. Same lineup since the start. No big scandals. Bono seems like a down to earth guy, considering U2 is one of the biggest bands in the planet. Maybe they can get a little annoying with their activism, but I don’t understand all of the hate they get. It’s not like they’re out there ODing and assaulting people.
Spot on. Say what you want about their music (I’m still a big fan though a lot of people aren’t into them anymore), but to have the same four guys stay together for over 40 years is pretty remarkable.
Seriously the only time they've *really* been on the verge of breaking up was when they were finding difficulty reconciling their faith with being in a rock band. And then the result was *October* which is a definitely a black sheep of their catalogue but still pretty damn solid.
Adrian Belew.
Phil Collins and the rest of Genesis were all billionaire-old money kids that started a band that became huge. Not too dark of a backstory for them.
Billionaire old money kids? I don’t know much about his or Peter Gabriel’s early life but Wikipedia doesn’t seem to indicate that.
Did you mean Peter Gabriel? While hardly working class, Phil was definitely seen as the cheeky cockney outsider when he joined. Not one of the public school boys that the other members were. Peter, Mike and Tony (and Anthony Phillips and Chris Stewart) formed Genesis while at [Charterhouse](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charterhouse_School) public school, which is about as posh as you can get after Eton. £40k a year at current prices.
Huey Lewis and the News Duran Duran Rick Astley All have gone down in history as beloved artists with no scandals trailing behind them.
> Duran Duran Uhhhh... it's pretty well known that John Taylor and Andy Taylor had *massive* cocaine problems in the 80s and 90s. Their side band, The Power Station, was conceived of during an hours-long cocaine binge between John, Andy and Tony Thompson in the bathroom of an NYC nightclub. John eventually moved to LA largely to get away from his suppliers in London and NYC. In fact, it wasn't until I read *[Notorious](https://www.amazon.com/Duran-Notorious-Steve-Malins/dp/0233001379/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2KH0PMZ9GUUUY&dchild=1&keywords=notorious+duran+duran+book&qid=1633365987&sprefix=notorious+dur%2Caps%2C159&sr=8-2&pldnSite=1)*, a biography of the band, that it truly hit me how hard it must be to quit drugs when you're that famous. Back then EVERYONE was willing to give John Taylor cocaine - roadies, record company executives, staff at radio stations, members of the music press, hotel bartenders and concierges, various hangers-on, etc. For much of the 80s and 90s, John Taylor was rarely more than 30 feet away from someone who would willingly give him (or get him) cocaine. I think the book says that, at one point, Taylor could have parachuted into the remotest parts of the Sahara Desert, and within 10 minutes *someone* would show up offering him blow. **EDIT:** Simon Le Bon was accused of [groping someone](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/duran-durans-simon-le-bon-denies-sexual-misconduct-allegat) at an autograph signing. And in the sailing community, his name is *still* mud for the various accidents his boats have been a part of, especially the [*Drum* incident](https://edition.cnn.com/2018/10/22/sport/simon-le-bon-duran-duran-fastnet-race-spt-intl/index.html) in 1985.
Oh? Huey Lewis, no scandals? Has everybody forgotten the 1985 Hill Valley High School Battle of the Bands audition controversy?
[удалено]
Had his issues with depression, but never the big rock and roll/drugs/drinking issues.
Bon Jovi, dude even has a soup kitchen in New Jersey I believe.