In our last blog in this series we checked out some awesomely misbehaved musicians – or awesome musicians who misbehave. But with so many of them – it’s a rockstar thang – it’s impossible to fit them all into one list. So we’ll continue our wild-child romp with…

 

The Sex Pistols

The Sex Pistols didn’t last very long, but man, did they ever leave an imprint on music. Whether you dig on rancorous lyrics shouted at you by a maniacal front-man or not, it’s undeniable that the Pistols tapped into a certain 70’s psyche. Led by the rebellious Johnny Rotten and bassist Sid Vicious, the Sex Pistols sung about anarchy, Britain’s apparently foolish deference to the Queen, and swore on early evening live TV, provoking a maelstrom of indignation from the sort of people who the Sex Pistols hated anyway. Even 30 years after their formation, when inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, they declined the invitation, calling the museum a ‘p*** stain’. That’s punk, right there!



 

Amy Winehouse

Back in the early years of the 21^st century you couldn’t open a tabloid without seeing the beehive barnetted Amy Winehouse groggily stumbling out of some hip London bar with all the elegance of a cat on stilts. She was described as a ‘filthy-mouthed, down-to-earth diva’ and ‘a perfect storm of sex kitten, raw talent and poor impulse control.’ It didn’t end well for the soul singer though, who died in 2011. Unless you’re Keith Richards, drink and drug cocktails rarely work out in the long run. She binged her way through copious amounts of vodka and straight into the infamous 27 Club. Just before she overdosed, she was well on her way down – missing engagements and rambling lyricless through tracks like ‘Valerie’.



 

Keith Moon

If you’re looking for a true musical hellraiser, look no further than Keith Moon of The Who. You could pretty much write a whole book on Moon’s misdemeanours alone. Moon pretty much created and defined what a rock and roll hellraiser should be. The British drummer had a penchant for blowing up toilets with dynamite, throwing TVs out the windows of hotel rooms, and he drank and drugged himself up to the eyeballs. As a consequence, he was banned from every hotel he ever attempted to check into. One memorable encounter with a hotel manager saw the man ask Moon to turn down his music as it was too loud. Moon excused himself, popped an explosive down the toilet and returned. After the loo was blown to smithereens, Moon said: ‘Now that, dear boy, is noise.’ On another occasion, he loaded his drum-kit with gunpowder set to ignite at the climax of The Who’s anthem, ‘My Generation.’ The blast deafened the band, singed Pete Townshend’s hair, and lodged shrapnel in Moon’s arm. Rock on!



 

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