From John Lennon claiming to be “more popular than Jesus” to Yeezy storming the MTV stage (twice), we seem to be absolutely doe-eyed to the exploits of our beloved musicians. Everything from the demanding tour riders and trashed hotel rooms to hideously fragrant acts of showmanship, it appears that, if you’re good enough, you can get away with anything.
We thought we’d compile a lil’ list of musos we absolutely love with behaviour so disgracefully good – it kinda makes us love them more.
NB: please don’t try any of this shit at home.
From blowing up toilets to trashing your former label’s offices, here are 5 times bands behaved badly and we loved every minute.
FM Revolver vs. The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses, the very naughty Northerners figuratively set the world on fire with tracks like Waterfall and I Wanna Be Adored. They also literally trashed the offices of their old record label.
In what was later labelled as a “grudge attack” the four boys from Manchester took matters into their own hands when their former record label FM Revolver attempted to re-release Sally Cinnamon along with a brand new and utterly average music video without the band’s consent.
Whilst en route to a recording session in Wales the band made a brief pit stop at a local hardware store, then the FM Revolver offices to make their concerns known with a little statement and a massive damages bill.
But alas, as the saying goes ‘all publicity is good publicity’ and the band just continued to rise.
Keith Moon moons the police
The Who’s Keith Moon celebrated his 21st birthday the way we all wish we did, by driving a car into a hotel pool, blowing up a toilet, starting a cake fight and nakedly greeting police.
This has simultaneously gone down in history as one of the most decadent and destructive examples of rock and roll behaviour ever, and also the world’s greatest birthday party.
The Who subsequently received a lifelong band from holiday inns the world over.
Oasis’ first show
Unlikely this list could exist without a little something from Oasis.
A band as brash as Oasis could only have an epic discovery story. The Manchester boys travelled all the way to Glasgow in 1993, managed to bully, argue and insist their way onto the stage at the iconic Tut’s Wah Wah Hut – only to be signed immediately by Creation’s Alan McGee who happened to be in the crowd.
A pretty fitting start to a band who’d continue to harness their bold and brazen ways to create some of the best music of our lifetime.
“What a fuckin’ rotter”
The Sex Pistols’ infamous track anti-monarchy anthem God Save The Queen should be controversial enough to land them a spot on the list by itself.
The song was banned by both the BBC and the Independent Broadcasting Authority, it album art also featured the Queen sporting some fairly punk-rock attire, and despite the overwhelming popularity of the tune it mysteriously never overtook Rod Stewart for number one on the charts.
However, it was their infamous appearance on The Grundy Show in 1972 prior to the release of God Save The Queen which earns them pride of place here. The band took to the Grundy stage half-cut, and let loose a barrage of aggressive profanity which not only led to some pretty outrageous front-page press, but also saw their record label EMI drop them the next day.
Nevermime
Sometimes subtlety is key, as displayed in Nirvana’s apt response to being forced to mime during a live performance on Britain’s Top of the Pops.
The 1991 performance of Smells Like Teen Spirit saw Kurt Cobain not even attempt to make it look like he was playing, flat-handing it across the strings, and taking to the mic with a deep, brooding baritone, whilst Grohl and Novoselic comedically mimed over their instruments.
