Welcome back to the week of Getting More Getting More Tale. This one is…not funny.
GETTING MORE TALE #499: Top Five Most Heinous Rock Criminals
Who are the biggest dicks in rock? People who have committed crimes so atrocious, so heinous, that forgiveness is all but impossible? Here is a list of some of the most well known examples of extreme douchebaggery in rock and roll.
5. Sid Vicious (Sex Pistols)
Not everybody gets to have Gary Oldman play them in a movie. In order to attain this dubious distinction, you have to be the bassist for the most notorious punk band in the world, stab your girlfriend (Nancy Spungeon) to death, and then die of an overdose before the case can go to trial. The unanswered questions will remain so forever.
4. Phil Spector
The genius producer extraordinaire may have been most well known for his “wall of sound” in the 1960’s, but today people remember him showing up in an array of outrageous wigs for his murder trial. On February 3 2003, actress Lana Clarkson was killed by a gunshot to the head at Spector’s mansion. Spector was found guilty on April 13 2009, and has been in jail ever since. His bald mugshot was a stark contrast to the huge wigs he was known for.
3. Varg Vikernes (Burzum)
This bizarre tale cannot be summed up in a paragraph. Varg did 21 years in jail for stabbing Mayhem guitarist Euronymous (Øystein Aarseth) to death. Vikernes has explained and justified the events of August 10 1993 many times, but every interview just makes the situation more bizarre and surreal. Vikernes is a free man today, continually working on and releasing new music with his solo project Burzum.
2. Vince Neil (Motley Crue)
Drinking and driving is a crime that no-one should ever take lightly. When it involves injury and death, that goes double. On December 8 1984, a drunk Vince hopped into his Pantera with Hanoi Rocks drummer Razzle Dingley to pick up some more booze. Neil hit an oncoming car, seriously injuring its passengers, and killing Dingley. Neil spent 15 days in jail. To make matters even worse, this was not Neil’s last instance of drinking and driving. He faced charges in 2007 and again in 2010. This is an example of a man who is old enough to know better, but will never learn.
1. Ian Watkins (Lostprophets)
Ian Watkins is in jail right now, and hopefully will remain there for a very long time. His crime? According to investigators, Watkins is a “committed, organized paedophile” and “potentially the most dangerous sex offender” they had ever seen. His lack of any sort of remorse has made his crimes that much more disgusting.
mikeladano.com 
Haha when I read that post title, I thought it was gonna be about the five worst rock song writers. Their songs are crimes against humanity! So then I read it and it’s about actually crimes and trials and such…
This list of five is good. I also thought of Tim Lambesis and Phil Rudd, for that ‘solicitation to murder’ angle.
Good idea for a post!
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I considered both guys for this list, but the actual murderers and molesters bumped them out!
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Fair enough. Just talking about doing it ain’t making this list!
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Also, I think Phil Spector’s hair, there, is a crime against everything good.
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Definitely. A little disrespectful in court too.
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I’m sure that wasn’t the only disrespectful thing about his appearances in court.
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I’m sure you’re right. But he’s where he belongs now!
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Nice list.
Not sure if the below fit the context, but some that come to mind are:
Courtney attemping to hire a hit man, and eventually getting away with murder.
Charles Manson with his attempt at music, his cult like following and his obsession with Helter Skelter.
The obsessive fans that want the music to follow the path they choose, and if it does not they kill the artist ie John Lennon, Dimebag, Selena etc.
The way the media links suicides and murders, crimes etc. to heavy or punk music or explicit lyrics.
Yoko Ono.
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I couldn’t use Courtney because that’s conjecture and I wanted more solidly guilty criminals. Manson would have worked for the list.
I might have to make another one for people who have murdered rock stars like Dime.
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That Ian Watkins a-hole is clearly above them all. That guy isn’t even human. When a dog goes insane, we put it to sleep. We should have done so with Watkins as well – using a blunt skate…
Don’t forget that Vikernes didn’t just murder one of his, at one time, friends, he also turned from a satanist into a full-blown nazi in jail and is now working a lot in different nazi circles, supported by his mother.
Vince Neil, well, the guy is obviously an alcoholic and he both acts and thinks like one. He needs help. I just don’t get it how the guy gets away with everything crap he does without having to to pay for his actions. I mean, when it comes to drunk driving, the guy is a repeat offender and should have been thrown in jail for a long, long time when he was caught DUI for the second time. I think society is responsible for his third one. Other than that, Vince is just a douche, but that’s not illegal I’ve been told…. ;)
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A person like Watkins, I don’t believe can ever be fixed. He will never be able to integrate back into society. And he will never contribute anything to it again.
I knew Vikernes was into Nazi-ism (and other stuff I don’t really get) but I didn’t know about the mother. Jeez, that’s messed up. Now we know where he got it from.
I wish Vince Neil would have learned something from that incident. He doesn’t seem to. It’s a shame. I’ve also heard from a buddy of mine that interviewed him, that Vince is a giant douche.
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Interesting list, funny thing is that I would have ranked them all the same.
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#500 is on deck!
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Great post. Very restrained actually – this could have been 10 times as long, or 100.
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Very interesting list. Please don’t do one on people that killed musicians. Those people don’t deserve any publicity. And I love Spector’s hair. Just as freakin’ crazy as he was.
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Interesting trivia fact: The Beach Boys’ 20/20 somehow has the participation of 3 convicted murderers – I Can Hear Music is a Spector cover, Cotton Fields is a Leadbelly cover and Charles Manson co-wrote Never Learn Not to Love.
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Great post idea. I used to really like Lost Prophets too.
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Yeah Derek Kortepeter said the same (he’s Welsh-American). He said the other guys are doing great music with a new band though.
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I felt very sorry for them, they knew nothing about it and suddenly all that career momentum gone.
I haven’t thrown away my singles but I came close to doing so.
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I imagine they must have been dealing with a lot of guilt. “Why didn’t we see the signs earlier” And of course horror. “We shared a tour bus with that monster.” You can imagine that’s gotta be tough on a band, so kudos to them for sticking together through all this.
Don’t throw out your singles. I still listen to Michael Jackson. I won’t justify anything he’s done or alleged to have done, but I WILL still dance to Billy Jean.
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Great post Mike, interesting. I had no idea about most of those crimes though of course had heard about Ian Watkins (spit) and Sid Vicious.
I can’t believe Vince Neil drunk drove again! If killing a friend isn’t enough to learn your lesson, what is?
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Yeah he’ll never learn. Pretty sad isn’t it?
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Very sad :(
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It’s a preventable thing. And he’s rich. He can afford Uber.
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Soooo true.
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Thought Phil Rudd might make the list! BTW have you heard his solo album? ITs very worthy. Was going to review when I was still blogging. Its simple rock that I can listen to it through and then have to put it out of mind for awhile. But of all the guys in ACDC to go solo who thought it would be mr backbeat himself.
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I have heard great things about Phil’s solo album! But he couldn’t make this list because nobody actually died. His court thing…man that was weird. Meth and trying to procure a murder? Right before a big tour? I’ll never understand that one!
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It is sad! The only in life that is constant is change….so many weird things from our younger days turn to dust. Even my all time fave EVH. Hard to be in his corner sometimes although I try to be!!
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I know eh. That’s 2004 tour with Sammy Hagar was really spotty. But he’s bounced back a lot since then too.
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