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Give Morrissey a break would the Smiths have been anything without him, he has character maybe not everyones taste, Bowie dropped loads of band members but you cant call him bad he just knew what he was doing and could make hard decisions then theres Paul Weller his Jam mates didnt last long
You're right....that talentless chancer Johnny Marr owes everything to Morrissey.
Very average band, but with an absolutely mega bell-end as a singer ... Razorlight.
I think I win ....
By all accounts in Hooky's book, it was seem New Order also slip into the ranking ,,..
Agree with most of above especially Smiths & Oasis, but fortunately their music is good.
I did read in Smash Hits that Prince occupied the end of a bell.
A few come to mind....
Andrew Eldritch from the Sisters of Mercy, an arrogant nob by most accounts, still in denial that his band could be considered ‘goth’.
P. Paul French from the Meteors, hates every other band that consider themselves psychobilly and made a film with Keith Allen.
Mark Philips (aka Spark Retard) from Demented Are Go, a man whose drug use has split the band more than once, but a great frontman.
Seriously! They had some catchy songs, made a lot of money, but weren’t innovative like the really great bands were – The Beatles, David Bowie, Queen, Nirvana, for a few examples off the top of my head.
Quite apart from no post ever exemplifying better the cliche'd Dad moan of "music from your generation is shit, the best bands were from my generation" I have to take issue with one of your examples.
I'm a big (huge, got all their albums and everything) fan of Nirvana and would rain praise and platitudes on them all day quite happily... but...
innovative?????????????
Oh, and back on topic, I'll add my vote to Morrissey. None bellendier.
About as far from being a great band as you can get but for some reason I still feel compelled to mention:
Coldplay
Bob Mould from Husker Du seems to have been a bit of a bell end towards the other members. I always preferred Grant's songs but Bob's were ok and he did some great stuff with Sugar.
In my youth I hung about with the son of the man that played guitar in Them, and the love for Van did seem lacking. However I would argue that Van has so much music talent the question of his bellendery quotient is utterly irrelevant even in the context of this thread.
Oh, and while I'm spouting my internet opinions, Oasis where the most overhyped rubbish of the nineties and hence do not enter this thread.
Conclusion - Morrissey wins, with a nod to Captain Beefhearts treatment of The Magic Band.
Ooh hang on, I've worked with a front man who is a MASSIVE plumb end; Chris Farlowe . Had a No1 in the sixties (baby baby you're out of time) and is a right miserable get who still thinks he's a big star (only his trousers are the big thing) . Had the cheek to moan about dep musicians in front of one (i.e me) what an ungrateful get
Give Morrissey a break would the Smiths have been anything without him
Why give him a break? -To me, its positive that he's a twonk: The Smiths were great [i]because[/i] of that, not in spite of it. Same with The Fall.
It has to be gnr, axl rose is a cock womble of the highest order.
How the hell did we get to page three without mentioned Richard Arsehole Ashcroft!
Its been a few years (more than a few) but I seem to recall he ‘left’ the Verve before they made mainstream success, went back for Urban Hymms because he felt it could be commercial and promptly left again when it broke, but a lot of people at the time considered it more like him sacking his band mates as he considered himself the only talent.
You know someone is a bit full of himself when Noel Gallagher looks up to him.
[i]
How the hell did we get to page three without mentioned Richard Arsehole Ashcroft![/i]
Oh, good call - the bloke from Wigan with the worst American accent in music.
In contrast, pre internet, I always assumed Joe was the ****er in the Clash.
Turns out it was Mick all along.....
Who knew?
David Coverdale for those of us old enough to remember. Joined Purple without a pot to piss in. Cried on being given the job and a sub from the band. Went out to lunch and came back with a Beeblebrox ego.
then theres Paul Weller his Jam mates didnt last long
Depends whether you consider not lasting long being a decade long career that produced eighteen consecutive Top 40 singles including four number ones, one live album and six studio albums.
After that, plenty of song-writers, and Weller is the main songwriter, would consider that there isn’t much else left other than moving on to other styles. Weller always comes across as a pretty decent bloke in conversations.
But there are, to be absolutely certain, people in bands who’ve elevated knobbish-ness to pretty much gold-medal winning levels.
David Coverdale for those of us old enough to remember. Joined Purple without a pot to piss in. Cried on being given the job and a sub from the band. Went out to lunch and came back with a Beeblebrox ego.
I saw Purple on the ‘Burn’ tour, which was Coverdale’s first; They were really good, and Coverdale has a superb voice, but in interviews he came across like Mick Hucknall, who once said, and I quote; “well, I don’t know of a better singer than me, do you?” Well, Mick, where would you like me to start?
Ego the size of a planet, both of them!
Guns and Roses
..but also one of the greatest frontmen in history, therefore perfectly characterising the bipolar disorder and life issues he’s diagnosed with. IIRC he’s also bordering on genius levels of (flawed) intelligence.
Theres no one quite like Axl, he and that band are legends in thier time, regardless of the issues the come with and whether you like them a lot. As a hater, one of the best things you might do is google deeply into the non-commercial life stories and lyrical diagnosis, some of it is stunning in its complexity yet falls to the floor with a thunk when taken at face value.
But he sounds like a piglet being strangled with an elastic band.
“
In contrast, pre internet, I always assumed Joe was the **** in the Clash.
Turns out it was Mick all along…..
Who knew?”
Mick was long known to be a bit of a primadonna, in later yrs though he’s a lot more upfront about it.
Joe was 100% one of the good guys & a genuine loss. I wish he was still around..
RIP Joe, your music lives on.
Another vote for Joshua Homne. Love QOTSA but he just seems like an utter knob. Brant Bjork was behind the best Kyuss tunes. He’s still great now, just not bothered by fame. The whole court case against his old band mates and kicking a lady in the face are just icing on the Homme dickhead cake.
I’m a big (huge, got all their albums and everything) fan of Nirvana and would rain praise and platitudes on them all day quite happily… but…
innovative?????????????
Yeah, fair point.
Quite apart from no post ever exemplifying better the cliche’d Dad moan of “music from your generation is shit, the best bands were from my generation”
No, just Oasis. They just weren't very good. Catchy, yes. Great band, no.
some of it is stunning in its complexity yet falls to the floor with a thunk when taken at face value.
One In a Million is (IMO) an astonishing (in a good - not Daily Mail - way) lyric and performance that falls perfectly into this category.
See also a lot of Eminem's stuff (although not strictly a frontman).
I think Lou Barlow has finally forgiven him (and we got Sebadoh out of it)
Dunno about forgiven but is he not back in the Dinosaur Jr lineup?
Liam Gallagher: anyone else think he currently sounds like some middle aged bloke singing pub karaoke?
Lastly, does bankrupting your record label then packing it in to breed chinchillas count as bellend behaviour?
Edit: no-one's said McCulloch yet?
Hard to believe it's got this far without mentioning pompous warble-monger Jim Kerr.
Sanctify myself?
Up your bum, pal.
Oh OK. Ian McCulloch the singing bog brush. And not just because he told me to **** off...
Possibly not for this thread. I wouldn't describe them as a "great" band.
Liam Gallagher: anyone else think he currently sounds like some middle aged bloke singing pub karaoke?
That’s how he’s always sounded. Never understood the love for Oasis. Basically a live version of Jive Bunny 60’s and 70’s pop rock edition.
Can I propose “front men”??
UB40 or is it UB40 featuring xxxxx...
Middle of the road reggae/commercial/dub and pretty damn fine tune’ists of thier time.. Who then dived into obscurity when finances and egos of both singers tainted the “umpa-chicky, umpa-chic”
Now head deep in lawsuits and both still slagging each other off.
The Undertones & The Wonderstuff (1st 2 albums "great"imo).
I remember seeing a documentary on the Eagles once, and Don Henley (or perhaps Glen Frey) came across as a right twunt.
For a bit of gender balance how about Diana Ross ?
Also +1 for Morrissey. Saw him in concert once (supporting Bowie as it happens) so much bell-endery on display I actually thought I was at a campanology concert.
As an aside, when Diana Ross was married to Arne Naess Jr, a friend of mine was their nanny briefly.. Their child was so badly behaved it was known by the staff as the ross-naess monster...
Boom tish
Morriseys utter ****isness is greatly emphasised because Jonny Marr, the real talent in the Smiths, is clearly such a lovely bloke, and yet also manages to remain unfeasibly cool.
Bobby Gillespie is a total tool, as beautifully summed up by Alexis Peteidis in this genius album review in the Guardian...
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/jul/18/popandrock.primalscream
Ooh hang on, I’ve worked with a front man who is a MASSIVE plumb end; Chris Farlowe
I remember one night, when I was in a band supporting Atomic Rooster, and Chris Farlowe was too out of his skull to stand, let alone go on stage and sing.
To give Vincent Crane due credit, the band went on without him, with Vincent doing the vocals as well as giving the Hammond a beasting.
I do mean the Hammond organ, btw not Paul Hammond...
Pantera. Killer band, great front man who's also something of a bellend.
The most laughing out loud moments from a musician/singer biography for me was the Morrissey one.
Johnny Mars was boring.
Lastly, does bankrupting your record label then packing it in to breed chinchillas count as bellend behaviour?
I know who you mean, and wouldn't agree. But even if it did, wasn't Alan McGee more of a bellend anyway?
I always assumed Joe was the **** in the Clash.
Turns out it was Mick all along…..
Who knew
Hang on, after watching that recent doc about them (The Future is Unwritten), I'd still have thought Joe was the bellend.
Mick seemed much more down-to-earth. What did I miss?
Well, last night I watched Hired Gun as recommended up there /\ somewhere.
A really good watch, highly recommended.
And, yeah, Billy Joel, what a nice chap he turned out to be. It's ironic that the stuff he did with the musicians he ended up unceremoniously and ungraciously dumping out of his line-up were the ones he made his decent music with, and his career after that is the bit where he created the dross that people slate him for now.
Billy Joel was always dross.
We'll have to agree to disagree.
T Rex
Radiohead
Queen
Queen
An interesting choice that wouldn't have been an obvious one on my list. I'd be interested in an expanded post outlining the reason(s) for that choice.
Come to think of it
Radiohead
surprises me a bit too.
No quibble on T-Rex from me, having read the stories of how he brutally dumped friends and bandmates as fame came knocking..
No argument that Marc Bolan was a bit full of himself, but like Prince or Bowie he was a bit more than just a frontman.
And he created Hot Love, Ride A White Swan etc.
Yeah, on the Radiohead front, I have to admit that I thought Tom Yorke would be an absolute stroker, but when I've heard him interviewed he's seemed like a really nice chap.
Thread seems to have turned into "Name a great band".
Gotta be guessing when it comes to Marc, Fred & Thom really. Can't stand Queen, but aside from the "in the closet" dramas, I know f-all about Mr Mercury.
Creed ave band but Scott Strapp is a complete 🔔 end, at least this lead to Alter Bridge
Thread seems to have turned into “Name a great band”.
Or "name an overrated, dull band".
Good thread still though.
I know who you mean, and wouldn’t agree. But even if it did, wasn’t Alan McGee more of a bellend anyway?
McGee is a total bellend.
There are many legendary things about MBV. Wasn’t there something about O’Ciosoig being unable to drum for some of the recording of Loveless, so Shields completely recreated his drumming style from samples?
Told ya 🙂
Morrissey denounces halal meat as 'evil', and attacks May, Khan, Abbott and more
Why do they give him the publicity? Nobody [i]cares[/i] about the frontman of an 80s indie band!
3 pages and no mention of RHCP, great band..... Kiedis what a tool.
Morrisey and Axel, in the same vain, knobbers but would we want them any other way?
RHCP, great band
On that, we'll agree to disagree.
Libertines - Doherty's general inability to remain within any kind of definition of normal human behaviour was a major challenge.
For me, Florence off've Florence and the Machine. The Machine may be good, but she's utterly up herself. Seeing them open for MGMT years ago, she was rolling around on the stage like some tortured soul. The sad thing is the first album is very good, if one forgets her antics.
The challenge really is that you think about these bands - Oasis, Libertines, RHCP, Stones, etc etc - and the prevalence of a bellend in a key position makes you wonder if it's an integral part of success, as cause or effect. Do bands only exist because someone has an ego the size of Saturn and believes they can make it by sheer force of their "talent"? Or do we cut them down because they're famous, and behaviours that you might think "eh, what a bellend" if it was someone you met at a work thing, we blow up into a huge "they're a complete stain on the earth" because their profile is so much bigger?
Just read that Primal Scream review, superb piece, I always thought they were hugely overrated, they’re to the Stones what Oasis were to the Beatles.
I read the Scar Tissue book about Keidis. Very very good and yes, he is a big tool. For someone who has seen so many friends die from drug use and to have so many near misses himself you would have thought that would be enough to get a grip on his life. Tit.
David Coverdale for those of us old enough to remember. Joined Purple without a pot to piss in. Cried on being given the job and a sub from the band. Went out to lunch and came back with a Beeblebrox ego.
Grew his hair, wore tighter trousers and got Steve Vai to do solos on re-issued Deep Purple and Whitesnake tracks. To his credit, he went full-out when breaking America.
Still comes across as a **** tho, and I suspect he doesn't have a soul anymore.
Metallica.
Hetfield has come across as a bully (Newstead) and then there's his views on big game hunting.
Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes. They were due to do a tour to celebrate 25 years but he would only do it if they sacked the drummer, one of the nicest guys in the business, and if he got to take all the profits from the tour. Rich, the guitarist in the band and the other founding member is his brother. They never toured and Rich eventually started another band the Magpie Salute with some of his former band mates. His brother called them a cover band who were only doing it for the money. A year later he's done the same thing but he's doing it for the music and the fans. The brothers are well known for not getting along but watching gig footage of the Magpie Salute and you can see Rich smiling, not something he was known for when stood next to his broyher.
Ah, the ‘brothers in bands’ syndrome - not many manage to keep it together. Arcade Fire are one of the few who seem to manage. Women seem to cope much better, The Staves, Heim, First Aid Kit are three that spring to mind.
...see also the Kinks. On which note, Ray Davies seems okay to me and comes over fine in interviews, but by his own account qualifies.
(We've done Wassis Quo and pub bands don't qualify anyway.)
<p>Another vote for Josh Homme - great musician but the more you find out about him the less there is to like about him as a human being.</p>
Whenever I've heard Annie Lennox being interviewed she comes across as the most aggravating of luvvies.
Having been a ‘Smiths Fan’ back in the day I’m going to put another vote in for Morrissey.
Had a look at his website, turns out he’s a nasty little xenophobic racist after all.