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Great Musician, Terrible Person
Seems Ryan Adams had a bit of tiff with Neil Finn at a recent BBC 4 Songwriter showcase. Mr. Adams has a reputation for being a bit immature. You can google the salacious details. Suffice to say that Mr. Adams was annoyed and chose not to sing with Mr. Finn. Mr. Finn called him out. Minor drama ensued.
In theory, it is all about the music. But, personality is part of the music. Of course, I don't know anything about a performer personally, so it's my own perception. Johnny Cash was the man in black. Dwight Yoakam is that mysterious skinny cowboy in tight pants. Waylon Jennings is an outlaw. As much as I hate to admit it, I root for certain musicians because I like their personality (Jamey Johnson and Ryan Bingham come to mind).
Occasionally, however, there is a performer whose music is very good, but his persona turns me off. Maybe Ryan Adams fits that. Ted Nugent, Jim Morrison, and David Allen Coe might also fit (depending on how you feel about the music). It feels a bit tiny bopper to judge on personality. But I can't shake my belief that it does affect the perception of the music.
What musician do you respect because of the musical talent but dislike because of a bad personality?
Tags: BBC, Finn, Neil, adams, musician, personality, ryan
Views: 3040
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Charley Dunlap on -
Good choices! Jimbo or Jumbo? I really liked Alan Price's music in the 70s, The Jarrow Song and that, but he seemed to be an unrelenting bastard in taking all the royalties from House of the Rising Sun. Don't know about Robertson, but he sure pissed off the others in the Band and his music without them was never very good — a pretty classic band syndrome.
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Permalink Reply by Randolph Knowles on -
Steve Lukather. Great musician, but was a real jerk when I had the misfortune to be introduced to him. On the other hand, one of the coolest "name" performers I can think of is David Lindley. Just as low key, down to earth, and friendly as you could hope for.
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Permalink Reply by Shawn Edward Cote on -
Has anyone mentioned the notoriously pissy Johnny Rotten?
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Permalink Reply by Charley Dunlap on
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No, but I'm not sure he qualifies as a musician... more of a poet/spoken word artist and frontman.
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Permalink Reply by steviedal on -
That's a whole other can of worms Charley , we'd be here for days !
I have actually met him (twice) and he was brand new , most unlike his "image".
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Permalink Reply by Charley Dunlap on
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I saw the Pistols last performance, in SF, and was really impressed in a number of ways. You could see it resonated with the audience to the core and Johnny Rotten was brilliant. Sid Vicious was an idiot, Paul Cook and Steve Jones were really good, but JR made them what they were — not Malcolm, I think. They were an event more than a band. The Clash was a band.
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Permalink Reply by Shawn Edward Cote on
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Speaking of the Clash (I love 'em), I've read that Mick Jones could be a bit of a diva--wouldn't leave his room until he got a banana, or something like that. That said, I've also read that the Clash were exceptionally good to their fans, even if they weren't always good to each other or their crew.
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Permalink Reply by Charley Dunlap on
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Don'y know about Mick Jones, but Joe Strummer always seemed really centred and good guy. There's a foundation set up right after his death, Strummerville (http://www.strummerville.com/), that funds new young bands and is actually really helpful. Check it out.
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Permalink Reply by terry roberts on -
A since-removed by divorce family member worked on Hee Haw back in the 70's as a behind-the scenes go-fer/jack of all trades and said Junior Samples was the biggest as-hole you'd ever want to meet; in person nothing like the genial fat man he portrayed on TV. Complained about money & conditions all the time, would do nothing outside the show unless he was paid (I.E. swearing at people in diners who asked for his autograph, acting like a prima donna, etc..), surly on the set when not on camera, etc..
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Permalink Reply by Peter Hickey on
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I don't know if he counts as a musician but Phil Spector gets my vote. He revolutionized pop music in the '60s but I have absolutely no use for somebody who threatened women with guns and ended up shooting one in the face. I read recently that he got several of his teeth knocked out in prison for mouthing off to the wrong con. Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.
As for Ryan Adams, Miles, et al., if I like the music, their personalities are pretty much irrelevant to me. I don't know them and doubt I ever will. But, to my mind, Spector is the O.J. Simpson of music. May he rot in prison confined by 4 walls NOT made of sound.
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Permalink Reply by Charley Dunlap on
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Yes, pretty funny! He seems to have lost his mind fairly early on, and was weird as hell with Ronnie Spector. I at the time knew a guy that worked on all the Ramones albums through End of the Century, and he hated those sessions, saying Spector was bringing a gun to the studio and pointing at anyone who didn't want to do what he wanted, and what he wanted was crazy. Completely nuts. That was a long time ago and he hasn't aged well.
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Permalink Reply by Jayson Kaplan on -
There are a few scenes in one of the Ramones' documentaries where Johnny and Dee Dee talk about that experience. They were terrified of the guy, and rightfully so. Spector was an innovator in the studio, but a certifiable lunatic.
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