Discovered recently that Electric Wizard were kinda dicks back in the day. “At the time, we were pretty bad people. I got arrested for arson of a car, outside a police station. Tim [Bagshaw] went to nick a crucifix off a church roof so we could use it onstage…”
R. L. Burnside killed a man “possibly at a craps game.”
Varg of Mayhem Burzum burned a couple churches and killed a bandmate.
I could list other examples, but would like to hear from other people and other music genres.
Weird Al Yankovic is… really just an all around awesome person and probably won’t show up anywhere on this thread.
Don’t scare me like that!
I dunno, him and Coolio had some beef in the 90s. When Weird Al parodied Coolio’s Gangsters Paradise with his Amish Paradise Weird Al didn’t do so with the consent of Coolio. Gangsters paradise was a deeply personal song to Coolio so he was understandably upset. As a direct parody it was protected under fair use but Weird Al didn’t feel right about it. So he reached out to Coolio, apologized and ever since then Weird Al has gotten the artist approval to parody their work despite the fact he doesn’t need to. Coolio did eventually come around and agree it was a pretty funny parody. Plot twist, (not really) that’s how humble Weird Al is, he didn’t do anything legally wrong and yet he still recognized he could do better.
That was all from a miscommunication- Al had his people reach out to Coolio’s people, and somehow wires got crossed. Al created it with the belief that he had Coolio’s blessing. Al has always asked permission, and a number of artists/songs have not been done because they would not grant permission. Examples include Paul McCartney (Live and Let Die/Chicken Pot Pie, because of his strict vegetarianism), Michael Jackson (Black or White, because he felt the message was too important), and everything by Prince.
While it’s never been tested in court, most of these parodies probably count as derivative works (i.e. permission is required) rather than protected fair use. A notable exception might be Smells Like Nirvana, since it was used to mock the original creator.
Edit: spelling
Al assumed that since Coolio’s people gave 100% approval they had cleared it with Coolio so it’s really on Coolio’s management…but Al being such a stand up human being felt bad as he wants artists to emotionally be ok with their art being used. I also suspected at the time Coolio manufactured a little outrage thinking he was being laughed at…wanting to seem tough. Although beefing with Weird Al is not very gangster lol.
I’ve always felt sad that Coolio didn’t appreciate (early on) how amazing the Amish Paradise phenomenon was, it kind of made him and his song even more immortal…and his life has always seemed kind of sad. Plagued by health issues, mental health problems, family and legal trouble, financial struggles, criminal involvement. He did keep making some music and touring, had 10 kids, was on some TV shows. Ran for President with a porn star. But he has never seemed like he was happy or enjoyed success. When he died of an overdose he was alone…like OD’s always are. They cremated him and didn’t even have a funeral. 10 children and none of them said no, we have to have a funeral for dad…? As a father that is devastating.
weird al’s toxic trait is that he lost on jeopardy and hates bernie (he just wanted to see the twine ball!)
I don’t know if anyone put Alice Cooper on here…Voyager doesn’t seem to have a feature to search within threads…
A regular guy who puts on a bunch of makeup, goes on stage and says “it’s ok to be weird…just be yourself” and then to turn your back on trans kids like he’s just another transphobic boomer… Oof. I can never respect him again.
Dam, he was cool
Always loved seeing him chime in on different bio shows like “behind the music” or whatever as a kind of self proclaimed nerd turned bizarre horror/rock star. Always had this cool “fuck you” credibility. Fuck him tho.
Well, if it’s shitty things you want: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Matthews_Band_Chicago_River_incident
On August 8, 2004, a tour bus belonging to the Dave Matthews Band dumped an estimated 800 pounds (360 kg) of human waste from the bus’s blackwater tank through the Kinzie Street Bridge in Chicago onto a passenger sightseeing boat sailing in the Chicago River below.
800 pounds?! How?!?!?!
never forget
Arguably their release with the most lasting cultural impact
I grew up on a lot of metal bands, including Iced Earth. Absolutely loved them, even saw them open for Megadeth as a kid.
Then Jon Schaffer went and proudly participated in the Jan 6 attack, so now it’s kinda hard to listen to their music anymore.
Also hard to listen to Megadeth these days, too. Partly because they stopped being good after Risk, but also partly because Dave Mustaine turned into a born-again Christian nutjob.
Iced Earth guitarist was one of the first ones in the door on January 6th. The band pretty much said they disagree with his actions,but not his intent.
Guitarist from Manowar in trouble for being a pedo.
Years ago, Zazz Blammymatazz had a song about getting head from a 14 year old.
I’ve only ever known Jon Schaffer to be an arsehole.
Years ago I was freelancing for a German heavy metal fanzine. That zine was attached to a record label, and for a few years ran a festival in its own name. The one year, Iced Earth and Nevermore, who were touring together at the time, were slated to be the headliners. Iced Earth were touring the Dark Saga album, and Nevermore had just released the In Memory EP, so must have been around '96.
I remember having a pleasant conversation with then Nevermore guitarist Pat O’Brien, who was happily browsing the label’s CD stand - dude was big into Death Metal. I remember Jim Sheppard accidentally burning my hand with a cigarette and apologising for it. But what most stuck with me was Schaffer sending out his tour manager to order us to remove all CDs that weren’t of bands playing at the festival. Original quote from the tour manager: “Jon ist schon tierisch sauer” - Jon’s really pissed off.
Through the years Schaffer revealed more and more of his personality, culminating in him joining the Capitol invasion. I can’t even get myself to listen to my favourite Iced Earth album (“Something Wicked”) any more.
I agree, really turned me off to the band, although I will throw on Demons and Wizards from time to time.
Hansi seems nice enough at least.
(please don’t turn out to be a dick)
I don’t think I would handle that well, if Hansi turned out to be a garbage person.
deadmau5 used to be a massive internet edgelord for very much over a decade (think the targeted harassment of Krewella was particularly awful, even if their producer shared his lawyer) until he had some heated moments that forced him to realise he wasn’t all there and change his ways. He’s still very truthful about the world of EDM but he’s not the edgelord he once was, and he’s much better for it.
ED(M)dgelord
Oooof.
Arcade Fire: Win Butler is a sex pest.
Brand New: Jessie is a groomer of underage girls.
Marilyn Manson: his videos from 2009- pretty much lay it out in the open, but he’s the fucking worst physical and emotional abuser of women. Just a shit human being.
I have stopped purchasing these artists merch and they have all been removed from my Spotify. Their records now live in my basement. When I must listen, I listen to my personal rips, alone.
So, I’m the moderator of !ClassicRock…how do you want me to start the list? Chronologically, quantity, severity??
I used to love Avenged Sevenfold back in like 2005/2006. They used to fly confederate flags at their concerts, and even had custom guitars with the confederate flag panted on them. Back then I didn’t understand the significance of that, but that’s really fucked.
At least they have apologized for it and said they regret doing it. I believe people are capable of learning from their mistakes, but tbh, I haven’t kept up with them so I’m not sure if they have truly become better people than they were back then.
More than a few of the musicians whose music I like have gotten in trouble for grooming, being pedos, and abusing minors. Two come to mind immediately because I found out recently: BoyInABand and Geoxor. There’s probably more musicians like that whose news I haven’t heard of.
edit: I don’t follow this band but seems like lostprophets had an even worse situation.
Edit2: I read a bunch of the comments and a very prevalent trend is musicians getting in trouble for being pedos. Why so common?
The time Josh Homme kicked that lady in the face
Also this fucker (bassnectar)
I like the Beatles, and there’s the obvious clique joke of “John beats his wives, ya know?”
I like a grand total of one Megadeath song, “Hanger 18”. That bad is very troublesome. I feel bad for enjoying it, but I don’t pay for it, so I guess that’s better? But it’s nostalgic for me, and I like the words “Military intelligence, two words combined that can’t make sense.”
I’d have to go through each bands’ wikipedia page, but I think some of the worst things are;
-
Disagreed on who wrote what, leading to members leaving or the band breaking up
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Disagreed on who owns the name, leading to court battles and the band splitting in two
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Important members leaving, and while the band is still fun to listen to both new and old songs, its not the same
And of course the dreaded sin of “Why does no one know who I am talking about, they need more fans.” but that’s not really a thing of their own.
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Missing a pretty big thing about Varg being a white supremacist, and of the spineless kind.
Andrew Wood, lead singer of Mother Love Bone, recorded a song ostensibly about how he’ll always love heroin more than his long time girlfriend/fiancé then ten days later he overdosed and died.
If I had a nickel for every time one of my favorite noise artists was accused of sexual assault by another artist I follow, I’d have two nickels. Which isnt a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice (Michael Gira from Swans was accused by Larkin Grimm and Alexis Marshall from Daughters was accused by Kristin Hayter).
