Morticom strange and unusual stories of famous musicians
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CELEBRITY TRIVIA
MUSICIANS
(367 Entries)
1)
7 percent of Americans still believe that Elvis Presley is alive.
2)
John Lennon was very superstitious about the number 9 and he believed it affected
everything in his life. He and his son Sean both shared the same birthday,
the 9th of October. The Beatles manager, Brian Epstein first attended a Beatles
concert at the cavern in Liverpool on 9th November 1961 and clinched a record
deal with EMI on 9th May 1962. The group's first record "Love me do"
was on Parlophone 4949. Lennon met Yoko Ono on 9th November 1966 and thought
it was significant that their New York apartment was on West 72nd Street and
their Dakota home was No. 72 (7+2=9). Also he placed great emphasis on the
fact that he had to travel on the No. 72 bus from his home to Liverpool art
college.
Some of his songs included the number 9 like "Number 9 Dream", "Revolution
9" and "One after 909", written at his mothers house, 9 Newcastle
Road, Wavertree.
John Lennon was shot dead late on the evening of 8th December 1980 in New
York but the five hour time difference meant that it was the 9th December
in Liverpool. (3 nines- 9 December, the nine in 1980 and 8+1+0=9).
Finally his body was taken to Roosevelt Hospital on Ninth Avenue.
3)
Classical composer, Arnold Schoenberg, was superstitious about the number
13. He died on Friday the 13th at 13 minutes to midnight.
4)
Tchaikovsky, the composer, used to hold his chin with his left hand when he
was conducting because he was afraid that his head would roll off.
5)
Charles Manson, the infamous serial killer, once auditioned, unsuccessfully,
for the 60's group The Monkees.
6)
Gene Simmons, member of the rock group KISS, has a B.A. and can speak four
languages.
7)
Buddy Holly could only play his guitar on the downstroke, unlike most guitarists
who strummed up and down. That means he had to play twice as hard to achieve
the same sound.
8)
At the end of the Beatles song "A Day In The Life" there is an ultrasonic
whistle which can only be heard by dogs. Paul McCartney had this specially
recorded for his shetland sheepdog.
9)
The song "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" was written by a German,
George Graff, who actually never set foot in Ireland in his entire life.
10)
Singer Cliff Richard is unique as the only artist to ban one of his own singles.
His hit "Honky Tonk Angels" was actually about prostitutes so he
demanded that his record company withdraw the single.
12)
Elvis Presley's famous hip-wiggling actually started out as stage fright.
He was so nervous on stage that his legs would shake and when the audience
began to scream every time he did it he made it part of his act.
13)
Iggy Pop's real name is James Jewel Osterburg.
14)
John Denver's real name was Henry John Deutchendorf.
15)
The Beatles song "Hey Jude" was originally called "Hey Jules".
Paul McCartney wrote the song to cheer up John Lennon's son, Julian, after
Lennon divorced his wife Cynthia.
16)
Chris De Burgh was born in Argentina.
17)
John Lennon's first girlfriend was called Thelma Pickles.
18)
Olivia Newton John's grandfather, Max Born, was the winner of the 1954 Nobel
Prize for Physics.
19)
Opera singer Luciano Pavarotti onced received 165 curtain calls and was applauded
for one hour and 7 minutes by a German audience.
20)
Sir Tim Rice once sang backing vocals on The Scaffolds song "Lily The
Pink".
21)
The Rolling Stones were the very first band to receive royalties from Russia.
22)
The Beatles song "Dear Prudence" was written about Mia Farrow's
sister, Prudence, when she wouldn't come out to play with Mia and the Beatles
at a religious retreat in India.
23)
Mike Nesmith, member of the group The Monkees has an interesting background.
His mother Bette invented correction fluid.
24)
Ringo Starr, drummer with The Beatles, nearly died at the age of six when
his appendix burst.
25)
When the Rolling Stones were touring Canada in 1972 someone dynamited their
equipment van.
26)
Singer David Bowie took his surname from the Bowie knife in honour of his
idol, Mick Jagger, a jagger being an old English term for a knife.
27)
The steel drum is the only non-electrical musical instrument invented in the
20th century.
28)
Pat Boone's hit "Speedy Gonzalez" was banned in the US for being
offensive to Mexicans.
29)
Madonna's brother, Christopher, appeared in the video for Soft Cell's "Tainted
Love".
30)
The bagpipes were originally from Persia, not Scotland and have been used
there for hundreds of years.
31)
Singer, Sheryl Crow's two front teeth are false after she tripped up on stage
and knocked them both out.
32)
David Bowie's former gutarist, Mick Ronson, is completely deaf in one ear.
33)
The London Telephone Directory of 1884 includes the names of W.S. Gilbert
and Sir Arthur Sullivan.
34)
Singer, Bruce Springsteen, once broke into Elvis Presley's Graceland home
hoping to meet his idol, but he was caught and thrown out.
35)
While Paul McCartney was composing the lyrics for the Beatles song "Yesterday",
he used the working words "Scrambled Eggs" before eventually coming
up with "Yesterday"
36)
Rock Group, Lynyrd Skynyrd, took their name from schoolteacher Leonard Skinner,
who once told them "You boy's ain't never gonna amount to nothin'"
37)
In 1968, singer David Bowie once appeared in an advert for the latest rock
sensation, the stylophone pocket electric organ.
38)
The only member of ZZ TOP not to have a beard is Frank Beard.
39)
Worldwide there is somewhere in the region of 50,000 official Elvis impersonators.
40)
The tune for the American National Anthem "The Star Spangled Banner"
was actually written by an Englishman, John Stafford Smith.
41)
In Calgary, Canada, in 1971, KFSM radio was playing Carole King's "I
Feel The Earth Move", when suddenly the studio collapsed.
42)
Singer/guitarist, Roky Erikson, member of the psychedelic Texan band, The
Thirteenth Floor Elevators, believed that he was an alien from Mars.
43)
Ian Anderson, the singer with Jethro Tull, used to walk around with a lampshade
on his head.
44)
Sky Saxon, the singer with cult band The Seeds, used to live in a dustbin
like his hero, Top Cat!
45)
Soul Diva, Diana Ross, used to insist on having cellophane wrapped toilet
seats.
46)
Singer, Arthur Lee, a member of the 1960's band LOVE, used to wander off stage
in the middle of a concert and go to the supermarket.
47)
Singer, Mariah Carey, insisted that she be given puppies and kittens to stroke
when she was being interviewed on a TV show.
48)
Phil Spector, the record producer, held a gun to singer Leonard Cohen's head
in the music studio so he could get the performance he wanted.
49)
When singer David Bowie was a young boy he was a huge fan of Lenny The Lion.
His father used to run Lenny's fan club.
50)
Singer Mariah Carey always insists on having pink toilet rolls in her hotel
rooms and refuses to drink from anything but crystal glasses.
51)
Singer, Madonna, has a tattoo of Marilyn Monroe on her bum.
52)
Singer, Donna Summer, once had her birthday cake travel first class on a plane.
53)
Enrico Caruso, the opera singer, was once arrested for pinching a woman's
bottom in the monkey house of New York zoo.
54)
Elvis Presley used to enjoy visiting his local morgue and examining the corpses.
He was also obsessed with guns and used to use his TV set as a target.
55)
Viv Stanshall, the singer with the band Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, once put raw
meat into Ringo Starr's drumkit to try and wreck the sound of the Beatles.
56)
Singer Eric Clapton fell in love with a totem pole on his 1969 US tour so
he had it flown home and placed in the grounds of his Surrey mansion.
57)
Country singer, Loretta Lynn, was married at the age of 13 and had 4 children
by the time she was 18.
58)
Racehorse Trainer, Richard Hannon, used be the drummer with the 1960's band
The Troggs.
59)
Classical composer, Beethoven, used to pour jugs of ice water over his head
to stimulate his brain while he was composing.
60)
Classical composer, Tchaikovsky, received an annual allowance from a wealthy
widow named Nadezhda von Meck, but only on the condition that they never met.
The widow didn't want to be disappointed if she ever met her idol in the flesh.
61)
Beethoven's Ninth Symphony was composed when he was completely deaf.
62)
German composer, Robert Schumann, was schizophrenic and claimed that most
of his ideas came from two imaginary friends. He was also terrified of anything
made of metal, especially keys.
63)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart never had a formal education at school. He started
to compose his own music at the age of five and by the time he was six he
was playing before the Austrian Emperor. By the age of eight he had written
two symphonies.
64)
Mozart once composed a piece for the piano where the player was required to
use two hands and a nose to hit the right notes.
65)
Singer Cyndi Lauper used to work as a cleaner in a dog's kennels.
66)
Singer Madonna once worked at a restaurant called Dunk'Donuts. She was eventually
fired for squirting jam at a customer.
67)
Welsh singer Tom Jones used to use a telephone box for sex when he was younger.
When he learnt that the telephone box in Pontypridd, Wales, was being replace
with a new one he bought the original one and had it shipped to his home in
Las Vegas to remind him of the many happy times he spent in it.
68)
US singer Neil Diamond once trained to be a doctor.
69)
British singer Mick Jagger once worked as a relief porter at Bexley Mental
Hospital while he was a student at the London School of Economics. He earned
just £4 10shillings a week.
70)
Opera singer Edith Piaf used to earn a living making funeral wreaths.
71)
British rock singer Ozzy Osborne once worked as a labourer in a Birmingham
slaughterhouse.
72)
Welsh singer Shirley Bassey once had a job wrapping chamber pots in a Cardiff
factory.
73)
British singer Annie Lennox used to have a job in a fish factory.
74)
British singer Dusty Springfield once had a sales job at Bentalls Store. She
was eventually fired after she fused the entire store's lighting system.
75)
British singer Joe Cocker was employed by the East Midlands Gas Board as an
apprentice fitter.
76)
Spanish singer Julio Inglesias used to be a professional football player.
He was a goalkeeper for Spanish team Real Madrid until a car smash ended his
career.
77)
US singer Billy Joel was once a welterweight boxing champion.
78)
US singer Johnny Mathis was once a serious athlete, specialising in the high
jump. In 1955 he was ranked 85th.
79)
British singer Sting once worked as a bus conductor in 1969.
80)
British singer George Michael once worked in the stockroom of British Home
Stores. He was eventually fired for not wearing a shirt and tie.
81)
US singer Bill Withers once worked for the Los Angeles Aerospace factory.
He used to make toilet seats for Boeing 747's.
82)
Classical composer Chopin would sometimes only shave half of his face before
a recital because the audience could only see half of his face while he was
at the piano.
83)
British pop band Duran Duran were once interviewed by Paula Yates on the 1980's
TV show "The Tube" but by the end of the interview Yates realised
that she had been sitting on the microphone all the time, so nobody had heard
a word.
84)
Classical composer Franz Schubert once had a job as a schoolteacher.
85)
US singer P.J. Proby once appeared on Top Of The Pops with his arm in a sling
after he had been bitten by a dog.
86)
British singer Adam Ant once played a hired killer in the TV series "The
Equaliser".
87)
US singers Sonny & Cher played a dress cutter and model respectively in
the TV series "The Man From Uncle".
88)
British singer Engelbert Humperdink's real name is Gerry Dorsey.
89)
British singer Cliff Richard was once accused of "crude exhibitionism"
and a "bad influence on teenagers" when he appeared on the 1950's
TV show "Oh Boy".
90)
British singer Boy George paid £42,000 to play himself as a kidnap victim
in an episode of the TV series "The A Team".
91)
George Michael once turned down the chance to play a waiter in the 1980's
show "Miami Vice".
92)
British pop group "Dexy's Midnight Runners" once appeared on Top
Of The Pops in 1982 to sing their Otis Reading cover song "Jackie Wilson
Said" in front of a huge blow up picture of Scottish darts player Jockie
Wilson.
93)
British singer Elaine Page once appeared in the soap "Crossroads".
94)
British group The Beatles once supported the childrens TV character Lenny
The Lion.
95)
British musician Jimmy Page, a member of the Rock group "Led Zeppelin"
once appeared as a budding guitarist on the 1950's TV show "All Your
Own" when he was a schoolboy.
96)
British composer Edward Elgar always used to take his three dogs for long
drives in his open topped car, with all the animals wearing goggles.
97)
In 1998 country and western singer Merle Haggard was the centre of attention,
when his son, Marty attacked him in the newspapers. Marty stated that when
he was 18 years old, his father took him to a brothel and paid for him to
have four prostitutes then, after wishing his son a happy birthday, Haggard
disappeared with some other prostitutes into another room. Marty also stated
that his father had a habit of picking up young girls in his tour bus, having
sex and then leaving them on the road after he was finished.
98)
Jim Gordon, regarded as one of the greatest drummers in Rock was jailed for
17 years after he murdered his mother, in 1983, by hitting her with a hammer
and then stabbing her to death. The reason behind the murder, said Gordon,
was that he was responsible for every voice in his head and that she was responsible
for the death of Karen Carpenter. Gordon's mother once saved him from suicide.
99)
Billy Preston played keyboards with the Beatles on their historic Apple rooftop
session. It has always been said that if the Beatles had remained together
then it would have been likely that Preston would have become their keyboardist.
In 1992 Preston was charged with using a knife to force a labourer into sex.
Then, in 1997, and a few drug charges later, he was given probation on the
condition that he remained drug free.
When Preston again tested positive for drugs, the Californian judge sent him
to prison for three years.
100)
Hank Williams, the country music legend, lived a life of sex, drug's and an
early death, probably the first in music. By the age of 15, Williams was an
alcoholic and soon progressed to prescribed and then unprescribed drugs. Once,
Williams was so high on drugs and booze that he set fire to his bed and hotel
room.
Another time he appeared on stage, looked at the huge crowd, twirled his guitar
and said, "You're here to see Ol' Hank. Well now you've seen him!",
before promptly walking off, leaving a stunned crowd, who all demanded their
money back.
Williams also had his fair share of controversy, when, just as he was going
to marry for the second time, another woman publicly stated that Williams
was the father of her child. Williams also had a habit of pissing the bed
quite frequently due to the booze and drugs.
Williams died at the young age of 29, in the back seat of a car he was travelling
in, on his way to a concert. All mention of drugs was eliminated from his
death certificate.
101)
Norwegian death metaller, Varg Vikerness, of the group Burzum, decided to
wipe out rival rock metal musician Oystein Aarsteth, by stabbing him to death.
Vikerness also boasted that he intended to dynamite a church while mass was
being said. Earlier Vikerness and Aarsteth were interrogated by Norwegian
police regarding an arson attack on a church in which a fireman was killed.
Vikerness was found guilty of murder and sentenced to 21 years in prison.
102)
In 1998 , James Brown, the superstar soul singer, was forced to attend Rehab
after he illegally fired his rifle at his home, while under the influence
of booze and drugs.
Earlier, Brown had rampaged on a live TV show, but he blamed this on being
upset over the plight of 'Poor South American children' he had seen in a video.
Later, police discovered marijuana at his home and when they seized the video
it turned out to be nothing more than a documentary on London Cockney pubs.
103)
In 1998, George Michael, the famous British singer and ex-member of Wham!
was arrested for wanking at a police officer. Police got suspicious of him
when he was fidgeting with himself in a public toilet, opposite the Beverly
Hill's Hotel.
Officer Rodriguez followed Michael into the toilets on the suspicion that
he was soliciting and once inside the toilets Rodriguez quoted, "Michael
was exposing his erect penis towards my direction and began to expose his
buttocks to me. He was not urinating."
Rodriguez then tipped off fellow officers who arrested Michael and handcuffed
him.
104)
Shane MacGowan, lead singer of The Pogues, was doing a gig at Liverpool's
Student Union in 1998, when he had a brainstorm and started swinging his microphone
into the audience. He finally threw it into the crowd, injuring a number of
the fans. Police then intervened and hauled him off the stage.
105)
Jackie Wilson, the superstar motown singer produced over 50 hit records during
his lifetime. His private life was far from normal though. He fathered 15
children with his wife and many others with women of all ages and races. One
woman, Juanita Jones, who became infatuated with Wilson, became jealous after
seeing him with another woman, so she pulled out a gun and shot Wilson twice,
one of the bullets staying in his body for the rest of his life. In 1976 during
a concert, Wilson had an on stage heart attack. He lay in a coma and eventually
died, eight years later, in 1984.
106)
Ian Brown, the former lead singer with the group "The Stone Roses"
was arrested in December 1998 for threatening to chop off an air stewardess's
hands while on a scheduled flight. On the day of his release from Strangeways
prison, Brown's agent had him booked for gigs almost immediately after he
left the prison gates. Brown ordered his agent to scrap them all.
107)
In Glastonbury, England, UK, at the famous rock festival, music legend Neil
Young, was forced to pull out of the open air concert after he cut his finger
with a knife while he was making a sandwich.
108)
In Cleveland, Ohio, USA, in the mid seventies, pop legend, David Bowie, was
so spaced out on drugs that when he was doing a soundcheck on the stage he
suddenly decided that the piano on the stage was four inches shorter than
the one he had rehearsed with, instantly making him storm off and cancel the
concert.
109)
In 1990, singer Janet Jackson arranged for a black panther to roam on the
stage during her "Rhythm Nation" tour. The panther was let on stage
at the same time that Jackson left for a costume change.
Everything went OK until Jackson returned from her costume change and slipped
in some fresh black panther piss, making fall over, severely spraining her
wrist. This concert was eventually cancelled.
110)
In Madrid, Spain, Tony Wright, the lead singer with the group "Terrorvision"
was trying to remove the 'H' from outside the Hard Rock Cafe, when he unfortunately
slipped and shattered both of his ankles, forcing the group to cancel all
of their gigs.
111)
In 1998, Keith Richards, guitarist with the supergroup "The Rolling Stones"
was on a ladder trying to reach a book in his private library when he suddenly
fell off and cracked a rib.
The group had to cancel three of their gigs on their "Babylon Tour"
as a result of this.
112)
Once at Paul and Linda McCartney's home, a workman arrived to fix their septic
tank. Linda McCartney was absolutely horrified when she noticed that the septic
tank engineer had put a dead cat into the septic tank to restart the the biological
process.
Linda screamed, "Don't you know that my family are vegetarians?"
and ordered the engineer to remove the rotting corpse.
When he tried to remove the dead cat he found that it had almost completely
rotted away but he did inform Linda that the cat had recieved a proper burial.
113)
When the singer Elvis Presley proposed to his girlfriend Ginger Alden he was
sitting on the toilet having a crap. He was in the same bathroom that he would
eventually be found dead in before he could get married.
114)
American singer and rapper, Vanilla Ice, was born Robert Van Winkle and changed
his name because it didn't have any street cred.
He also hid the fact that he sang in the church choir and that his family
was middle class, not from the streets.
He once claimed to have been stabbed in the stomach 5 times when in fact he
had just been cut once - across his arse!
115)
When Cher and Sonny Bono were married in the 1960's the final breakdown in
their relationship came while they were staying in Las Vegas.
Cher suddenly announced to him that she wanted to screw guitarist Bill Hamm
and Sonny walked off to the bar to drown his sorrows.
While he was here he met up with Hamm's girlfriend and explained all to her.
They both agreed to have sex in the toilet as revenge against Cher and Hamm.
Sonny returned to his room the next morning and finding Cher, still in her
nightdress, he admitted what he had done with Hamm's girlfriend.
"That's funny," replied Cher, "because we didn't even get to
bed together!"
The End!
116)
US singer/songwriter, Lou Reed, the front man for "The Velvet Underground",
once lived in a grotty old apartment with his bandmate John Cale.
Sometimes they were so hard up for cash that they had to sell their blood
for $30 just to pay the rent.
Reed also posed for a picture in a scandal magazine, the deal being that the
editor could use his picture for whatever purpose he wanted.
When the photo was eventually published it showed Lou Reed as a sex maniac
who had slaughtered 14 children and tape recorded all the grisly killings.
117)
US singer, Elvis Presley, during his GI days in Germany, frequently had sex
with a woman named Kim Tracey. She later stated that when Elvis was about
to orgasm he would shout, "Mama, Mama!" and then, "Sorry Mama,
Sorry!"
It is also rumoured that he would shout "The snake is coming to get you,
the snake is coming to get you!"
118)
When US singer, Madonna, was with her lover and father of her daughter, Carlos
Leon, it was found that he had to drop everything at a moments notice to give
her sex.
He explained, "When she want's it, I'm supposed to drop everything and
go round and service her!"
Madonna would go mad if he didn't attend to her needs.
"I ignored my pager a few times," Carlos said, "and got screamed
at when I got home!"
119)
British singer, Mick Jagger, once bought 1,777 acres of land on the moon for
$10.
120)
American singer, Barry Manilow, was once sacked from his job at a New York
brewery when he forgot to shut the delivery truck doors and the beerkegs fell
out spilling thousands of gallons of beer all over the street.
121)
Geneologists claim that Elvis Presley's ancestry dates back to the Welsh Mansel
family. However Michael Rhodes has claimed that he can trace the Mansel family
back even further to Sir John Mansel, one of King Henry III's knights.
Sir Mansel was treasurer of York, England, during the 1200's. Thats over 700
years ago!
122)
In 1999, American soul singer, James Brown, had a lawsuit filed against him
by one of his female employees. She alleged that Brown had groped her repeatedly,
had demanded that he rub her down with oil and that the government had given
him bulls testicles so that he could "Come harder and stronger than ever!"
123)
American singer, Iggy Pop, often gouged his skin with broken glass during
concerts, when he was with the rock group "The Stooges."
Even old age didn't stop him being a meathead. After turning 50 years old,
Iggy played in Cannes and upon entering the stage shouted, "Fuck you!"
to the entire audience. Later on he took a piss in front of the VIP section
of the room, gyrated from table to table and swung around from a lighting
rigging.
He was then led from the stage by a couple of minders but returned shortly
later to berate the audience.
124)
In 1975, American musician, Steve Miller, was once arrested for arson after
he nearly burnt his own house down after an argument with his girlfriend,
Bernita DiOrio.
Police were called to Miller's house to find him burning the clothes and personal
effects of DiOrio, and in the general confusion, Miller got into a tussle
with a policeman who had come to help, and the fire got out of control.
He was later charged with arson and resisting arrest but was released the
next day when DiOrio dropped all the charges.
On his release Miller later quoted, "This event could REKINDLE my career!"
125)
US musician, Ike Turner, the ex-husband of singer, Tina Turner, claimed at
one time to have the keys to 32 different women's apartments.
He also confessed that sometimes he would pretend to receive a phone call
from Tina and say, "I've got to rush away but I'll be right back."
where upon a fellow band member would take over from where Ike had finished.
H would also go into the bathroom halfway through sex where another band member
would be waiting to switch places!
126)
US country singer, Faron Young, who had many hit songs during the 1950's,
held a concert in Clarksville, West Virginia in 1972, and invited audience
member, Nora Jo Catlett, aged 6, to join him on stage.
Little Nora was having none of it and refused to go on stage, where upon Faron
began swearing at the audience, leapt off the stage and grabbed the young
girl, turning her over and giving her arse a good spanking!
127)
Notorious US singer, Janis Joplin, the sixties superstar, was playing a gig
at Curtis Hixon Hall, in Tampa, Florida, and trying to keep the crowd calm
she said, "Listen, we can't go fucking with each other because that'll
give the cops something to chomp on. If we don't hurt nothing , they can't
say shit!"
But the crowd took no notice and many were jumping up and down on the seats
and dozens of men were waving their penis's about.
The police ordered the power to be cut and they grabbed Janis and whisked
her off to confront detective L Napoli who had been brandishing a loudhailer
and goading the crowd.
Janis then screamed at him "You're a fucking son of a bitch and I'm gonna
kick your face in!"
She was then let go when detective Napoli realised an arrest could spark a
riot but after the show the police arrested Janis in her dressing room for
vulgar and indecent language.
Later Janis complained, "That cop came on the stage with a fucking foghorn!
And during summertime!"
128)
US musician, Harry Partch, who was famous for using odd instruments such as
glass, wire, aeroplane fuel tanks, bomb casings and varnished lumps of wood,
had a strange and varied life.
He spent time in a sanitarium after his mother died, lived as a hard drinking
hobo, jumping trains, fruit picking and even scratching a living as a beggar.
He also worked for awhile as a film pianist and even delivered drugs to prostitutes
to pay his way through music college.
He died an alcoholic in 1974.
129)
British singer, Shaun Ryder, ex-member of the "Happy Mondays" once
pulled a deactivated luger pistol on a hack during a book launch, after he
thought the man had done him wrong.
He later escaped a hefty fine in the Crown Court trial of a motorist who knocked
him off his bike.
He explained that he had been "On a bender" and the judge threw
the case out of court.
The judge later said, "No jury could rely on evidence given by Mr. Ryder!"
130)
US singer, Michael Jackson, once agreed to buy a $1 million dollar, 100 carat
diamond encrusted swiss timepiece from a smarmy shop in Beverley Hills, but
returned it 4 months later covered in bits of food, scratches and skin lotion.
The jewellery store took action against him.
131)
Don Powell, the drummer with the UK rock band, Slade, was once involved in
a car crash and was so badly injured that he often had problems remembering
things. This got so bad that he would forget how the songs went in the time
it took him to get on stage.
He also lost his sense of taste and smell.
132)
US singer Nick Cave, who was in the band "The Bad Seeds" was on
tour in Australia and was driving towards a gig with his bass player Tracy
Pryor when they both decided to take a piss out of the back of the van they
were in.
Unfortunately for them the car behind was being driven by a policeman's wife,
who, thinking they were masturbating at her, called the police and had both
of them duly taken to the nearest police station where their penis's were
formally identified as offending weapons!
133)
The father of Jamaican singer Bob Marley was white and came from Liverpool.
134)
The father of British musician Elvis Costello was the man who sang the song
"I'm a secret lemonade drinker" in the R. White's lemonade televison
ad!
135)
Musicians Eric Clapton, Eminem and Vanilla Ice never knew their fathers.
136)
American musician James Brown became a father at the age of 67!
137)
American singer and actress Eartha Kitt never knew her father.
138)
The fathers of British musicians George Michael and Cat Stevens both owned
Greek restaurants.
139)
The fathers of American musicians Alice Cooper and Tori Amos were both clergymen.
140)
American musician Norah Jones's father is the famous musician Ravi Shankar.
141)
The fathers of British musicians Sting and Emma Bunting were both milkmen.
142)
Musicians Eric Clapton and Bobby Darin were both brought up thinking that
their mothers were their sisters. Darin himself only found out that his 'sister'
was his mother when he was 32 years old and that his grandmother was in fact
his real mother.
143)
When British musician Jarvis Cocker was a little boy his mother made him wear
a lederhosen to school.
144)
Musicians Peter Tchaikovsky, Liberace and Elvis Presley all had fixations
with their mothers.
145)
The mother of musician Cleo Lane was a bigamist.
146)
British musicians Robbie Williams and Noel Gallagher both suffered from dyslexia.
147)
American musician Mariah Carey has a vocal range which spans 5 octaves.
148)
When the Beatles manager Brian Epstein tried to get a recording contract with
Decca records he was met by Mr. Dick Rowe who told him "Go back to Liverpool
Mr. Epstein, groups with guitars are out!"
149)
British musician Gary Barlow lost his virginity when he was 14 years old.
150)
American musician John Denver once lost his temper so bad with his wife Annie
(who was made famous in Annie's song) that he ran into the bedroom and sawed
the bed in half!
151)
Musicians Mariah Carey and Robbie Williams are both insomniacs.
Mariah Carey has said that she only sleeps about three hours a night.
152)
When British musician John Lennon handed back his MBE in 1969 the three
main reasons he gave was England's involvement in the Vietnam war, the war
in Biafra and his latest record "Cold Turkey" slipping down the
charts.
153)
Musicians Andre Previn, Bob Geldof and James Galway have all recieved honorary
knighthoods from the queen but because they are all non-British citizens they
cannot put the title "Sir" before their names.
154)
Classical composer Handel once fought a duel with a conductor over who was
going to conduct an opera!
155)
American rock singer Janis Joplin gave so much free publicity to the makers
of the Southern Comfort drink that they presented her with a fur coat.
156)
US musician Chuck Berry was once prosecuted for tax evasion.
157)
The opera 'Aida' was written specifically to celebrate the opening of the
Suez Canal.
158)
Handel's 'Messiah' was first publicly performed in Dublin, Ireland.
159)
The composer Ravel wrote only 19 hours of music over 42 years.
160)
When Elvis Presley first appeared on TV way back in 1956 he was shown from
the waist up only so that he would not offend any viewers.
161)
Edith Piaf once admitted that she found it very difficult to resist a man
with blue eyes.
162)
US singer Elvis Presley used to hate women with big feet.
163)
Yoko Ono once made a film entirely about arses!
164)
US musician Irving Berlin, one of America's most prolific songwriters, could
neither read or write music!
165)
US singer Stevie Wonder was originally called Little Stevie Wonder until he
grew to over six feet tall.
166)
Classical musician Richard Wagner shared his home with his wife and two mistresses,
all of them acknowledging each other.
167)
US singer Barry Manilow holds the record for the fastest ever sell-out show
on Broadway.
168)
The very last known castrato singer died in 1922.
169)
The Swedish supergroup "ABBA" got their name from the initials of
the band members.
They were Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny and Anni-Frid.
170)
Rock group "Bad Company" got their name from the title of a 1972
US film starring Jeff Bridges.
171)
British band "The Beatles" got their name because they were all
fans of Buddy Holly and the Crickets so John Lennon decided to call his band
after an insect too and settled for the "The Beetles".
He later changed it to "The Beatles" because they were a beat band.
172)
The band "The Blue Oyster Cult" got their name from an anagram of
a beer called "Cully Stout Beer", which their manager and producer
were drinking when they were trying to think of a name for themselves.
173)
The band "Crowded House" got their name because of the cramped living
conditions in their rented house.
174)
British Band "Deacon Blue" got their name from an old Steely Dan
song called "Deacon Blues".
175)
British Band "Dexy's Midnight Runners" got their name from the word
"Dexy" which is slang for the drug pep pill Dexedrine.
176)
British Band "Dire Straits" got their name after a friend commented
on their bad financial position and then suggested the name to them.
177)
US band "The Doobie Brothers" got their name from the word "Doobie"
which was Californian slang for a marijuana joint.
178)
US band "The Doors" got their name from a line in a book by author
Aldous Huxley. The line read "All the other chemical doors in the wall
are labeled dope...."
179)
British band "Duran Duran" got their name from the 1960's film "Barbarella".
The villain's name was Duran Duran.
180)
British band "The Eurythmics" got their name from an early 20th
century form of dance and mime called "Eurhythmics".
181)
British band "Everything But The Girl" got their name from the sign
outside of a second hand shop.
182)
British band "Fine Young Cannibals" got their name from the 1960
film "All The Fine Young Cannibals".
183)
US band "The Foo Fighters" got their name from the unidentified
flying spheres that would follow warplanes during World War II.
184)
British band "Frankie Goes To Hollywood" got their name after a
bandmember saw an old newspaper article about Frank Sinatra going into films.
185)
The band "Green Day" got their name from their own slang expression
for good marijuana.
186)
British band "The Happy Mondays" got their name from the New Order
song "Blue Monday".
187)
British Rock band "Iron Maiden" got their name from a medieval torture
device which consisted of a metal box with spikes inside.
188)
Rock band "Judas Priest" got their name from the song title of a
Bob Dylan song called "The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest"
189)
Rock band "Led Zeppelin" got their name after they heard Keith Moon
(The drummer with "The Who") say, "That went down like a lead
zeppelin".
They later dropped the letter 'a' in lead.
190)
British band "Level 42" took their name from the book "The
Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy" by Douglas Adams.
In the book the number "42" is the meaning of life.
191)
US band "The Lovin' Spoonful" got their name from a line in the
Mississippi John Hurt song "Coffee Blues".
This is a bluesmen's slang term for what a man gives a woman during sex.
192)
Rock band "Lynyrd Skynyrd" got their name from their gym teacher
Leonard Skinner because they hated him so much.
193)
The band "Mungo Jerry" got their name from T.S. Eliot's book "Old
Possum's Book Of Practical Cats".
194)
British band "Oasis" got their name from a sports centre in Swindon,
England.
195)
British band "The Pet Shop Boys" got their name after a couple of
their friends opened up a pet shop in Ealing, England.
196)
The Rock band "Pink Floyd" got their name from legendary bluesmen
Pink Anderson and Floyd Council.
197)
Irish punk band "The Pogues" got their name from the Gaelic phrase
"Pogue Mahone" which literally means "Kiss My Arse!"
198)
The band "Prefab Sprout" got their name after their singer misheard
the word "Pepper Sprout" in a Nancy Sinatra song.
199)
The band "The Pretenders" took their name from the Sam Cooke song
"The Great Pretender".
200)
British band "Pulp" took their name from the coffee manufacturing
term "Arabacus Pulp".
They later dropped the first part of their name.
201)
British band "Radiohead" took their name from the Talking Heads
song "Radiohead".
202)
US band "The Righteous Brothers" got their name after they toured
at the black clubs and heard someone praising them with the words "That's
righteous, brother!"
203)
British band "The Rolling Stones" got their name from the Muddy
Waters song "Rollin' Stones".
204)
The band "The Searchers" took their name from the John Ford film
"The Searchers".
205)
British band "Simple minds" took their name from a line in the David
Bowie song "Jean Genie".
206)
British band "The Small Faces" got their name from a Mod term "Faces"
meaning a cool dude.
The word small was chosen because all of the bandmembers were under 5ft 6inches
tall.
207)
The band "Steely Dan" took their name from the William Burroughs
book "Naked Lunch."
Steely Dan was a steam powered sex dildo.
208)
The band "Super Furry Animals" got their name after a friend gave
them a T-shirt bearing the words "Super Furry Animals" so they took
the name.
209)
The band "The Teardrop Explodes" took their name from a caption
in a comic book.
210)
British band "Tears For Fears" took their name from the methods
used in primal scream therapy by psychiatrist Arthur Janov.
211)
British band "10cc" got their name after their mentor, Jonathon
King, saw it in a dream.
212)
British band "Thin Lizzy" took their name from a character in the
"Beano" comic named Tin Lizzy.
They then inserted the letter "h" in "tin" so that it
would not be sounded in Ireland and would be funny when it confused people.
213)
British band "The Thompson Twins" took their name from the bungling
detectives in the Tintin comic books.
214)
US band "The Velvet Underground" got their name from the title of
a sadomasochistic porn book.
215)
British band "Wet Wet Wet" got their name from a line in the Scritti
Politti song "Getting, Having and Holding".
216)
US Rock band "ZZ Top" got their name after vocalist Billy Gibbons
noticed a pair of Z-Beams on some hay loft doors.
217)
British musician Brian May (Queen) is a collector of old photographs.
218)
US singer Janet Jackson is a collector of porcelain pigs.
219)
British singer Ozzy Osbourne (Black Sabbath) is a collector of Victorian nude
paintings.
220)
British singer Cerys Matthews is a collector of garden gnomes.
221)
US singer Marilyn Manson is a collector of medical prosthetics like false
limbs and eyes. He also collects vintage metal lunchboxes.
222)
Rock musician Slash (Guns 'n' Roses) is a collector of snakes.
223)
Opera singer Jose Carreras is a collector of thimbles.
224)
US singer Chaka Khan has her own range of chocolates called "Chakalates".
225)
US singer Bruce Springsteen once had his voice insured 3.5 million pounds.
226)
US singer Dolly Parton once had her tits insured for 2 million pounds.
227)
British musician Keith Richards (The Rolling Stones) once had the third finger
of his left hand insured for 1 million pounds.
228)
US singer Jennifer Lopez has had her body insured for 1 billion dollars.
229)
US singer Tina Turner once had her lips insured for 1 million dollars and
her breasts for 750 thousand dollars.
230)
US singer Mariah Carey has had her body insured for 1 billion pounds.
231)
US singer Sammy Davis Junior served as a private in the US army during World
War II. He was constantly bullied by white Southerners, five of which once
grabbed him and painted him white. He did, however, learn to read after being
taught by a black sergeant.
232)
US singer Tony Bennett served as an infantryman in the US Army during World
War II.
233)
British singer Damon Albarn (Blur) was bullied at school because everybody
thought he was a gayboy.
234)
US singer Whitney Houston was bullied at school because everybody thought
that her hair was too straight and skin was too white.
235)
US musician Eminem was bullied at school because of all the different schools
he went to.
236)
British singer Gabrielle was bullied at school because of her lazy eyelid
on her right eye.
237)
British singer Bryan Mcfadden was bullied at school because of his puppy fat.
238)
British singer George Michael was nicknamed "Yog" when he was at
school.
239)
British musician Sir Bob Geldof (The Boomtown Rats) was nicknamed "Liver
Lips" when he was at school.
240)
British musician Ronnie Wood (The Rolling Stones) was nicknamed "Cleopatra"
when he was at school.
241)
British singer Liam Gallagher (Oasis) was nicknamed "Weetabix" when
he was at school.
242)
British musician Noel Gallagher (Oasis) was nicknamed "Brezhnev"
when he was at school.
243)
British singer Victoria Beckham was nicknamed "Acne Face" when she
was at school.
244)
British singer Geri Halliwell was nicknamed "Pancake" because amazingly
she had a flat chest!
245)
US musician Puff Daddy's real name is Sean Combs. His father gave him the
nickname "Puff" because when he was a child he would huff and puff
whenever he got angry. It's nice to know that nothing has changed then.
246)
US singer Justin Timberlake was nicknamed "Brillopad" because of
his curly hair.
247)
Australian singer Kylie Minogue was nicknamed "Shorty" when she
was at school.
248)
US singer Britney Spears was nicknamed "Boo Boo" when she was at
school.
249)
British singer Roger Daltrey (The Who) was once expelled from Acton Grammar
School when he was caught smoking and refused to wear his school uniform.
250)
British singer Boy George (Culture Club) was expelled from school for being
constantly absent and not working. Hmmm, isn't that what he does now?
251)
Macy Gray was once expelled from boarding school after she reported a Dean
who made improper physical contact with her.
252)
British singer Dido was named after an African warrior queen.
253)
US singer Whitney Houston was named after US soap star Whitney Blake.
254)
British musician Elton John's real name is Reginald Dwight.
255)
US musician Alice Cooper's real name is Vincent Furnier.
256)
British musician P.J. Proby's real name is James Smith.
257)
Singer Elkie Brooks's real name is Elaine Bookbinder.
258)
US musician Ricky Martin's real name is Enrique Morales.
259)
British musician Kiki Dee's real name is Pauline Matthews.
260)
Singer Macy Gray's real name is Natalie McIntyre.
261)
British singer Engelbert Humperdink's real name is Gerry Dorsey.
262)
Irish singer Bono's (U2) real name is Paul Hewson.
263)
British musician Bill Wyman's (The Rolling Stones) real name is William Perks.
264)
British musician David Bowie's real name is David Jones.
265)
British singer Cilla Black's real name is Priscilla White.
266)
Pat Benatar's real name is Patricia Andrejewski.
267)
US singer Barry Manilow's real name is Barry Pincus.
268)
US singer Eminem's real name is Marshall Mathers III.
269)
British musician Ozzy Osbourne's real name is John Michael Osbourne.
270)
US singer Shania Twain's real name is Eileen Twain.
271)
US musician Puff Daddy's real name is Sean Combs.
272)
US singer Marilyn Manson's real name is Brian Warner. He named himself after
Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson.
273)
US actor River Phoenix's real name was River Bottom. Joaquin Phoenix's real
name was Joaquin Bottom.
274)
British singer Ms Dynamite's real name is Niomi Daley.
275)
British musician Eric Clapton's real name is Eric Clapp.
276)
US singer Tina Turner's real name is Annie Mae Bullock.
277)
US singer Axl Rose's (Guns 'n' Roses) real name is Michael Parker.
278)
British musician Billy Idol's real name is William Broad.
279)
US musician Meatloaf's real name is Marvin Aday.
280)
British singer Lulu's real name is Marie Lawrie.
281)
British singer Elaine Page's real name is Elaine Bickerstaff.
282)
British singer Tom Jone's real name is Thomas Woodward.
283)
British singer Georgie Fame's real name is Clive Powell.
284)
British singer Siouxsie Sioux's real name is Susan Ballion.
285)
British singer Sir Cliff Richard's real name is Harry Webb.
286)
British musician Manfred Mann's real name is Michael Lubowitz.
287)
British musician Elvis Costello's real name is Declan McManus.
288)
US singer Iggy Pop's real name is James Osterburg.
289)
US musician Stevie Wonder's real name is Steveland Judkins.
290)
British musician Gary Numan's real name is Gary Webb.
291)
British musician The Edge's (U2) real name is David Evans.
292)
US musician Tammy Wynette's real name is Virginia Pugh.
293)
Musician Mica Paris's real name is Michelle Wallen.
294)
British musician Sting's real name is Gordon Sumner.
295)
British musician Chris De Burgh's real name is Christopher Davidson
296)
British musician Captain Sensible's real name is Ray Burns.
297)
US musician Lou Reed's real name is Louis Firbank.
298)
British musician Adam Ant's real name is Stewart Goddard.
299)
US singer Donna Summer's real name is Donna Gaines.
300)
British singer David Essex's real name is David Cook.
301)
British singer Robbie Williams also uses the names Tipsy McStagger and Phil
S. Stein.
302)
British musician George Michael also uses the name Mr. Hugh Jarse.
303)
British singer Geri Halliwell also uses the names Miss Trixie Firecracker
and Lili Paris.
304)
British singer Mel C also uses the name Miss Flo Cha.
305)
US singer Madonna also uses the name Claris Norman.
306)
Australian singer Dannii Minogue also uses the name Pussy Jones.
307)
US singer Eminem also uses the name Peter Gunn.
308)
British musician Sir Elton John also uses the name Sir Humphrey Handbag.
309)
US singer Mariah Carey also uses the name Miss Cupcake.
310)
US singer Courtney Love also uses the name Mary Black.
311)
British musician Simon Le Bon (Duran Duran) once appeared in an ad for Persil
Washing Powder when he was a child.
312)
US musician B.B. King once appeared in a TV ad for Pepticon Health Tonic when
he was a child.
313)
British musician Emma Bunton (The Spice Girls) once appeared in a TV ad for
Milky Bar Chocolate when she was a child.
314)
Spanish singer Julio Iglesias was once the goalkeeper for the Real Madrid
Football Club. He played in the second team.
315)
British musician Davy Jones (The Monkees) was an apprentice horse jockey before
becoming a musican. He only won a horse race after he retired form singing.
316)
US musician Sheryl Crow was once a competitive hurdling champion.
317)
British musician Mel C was once a runner for Cheshire County when she was
a schoolgirl.
318)
Alanis Morisette often takes part in triathlons.
319)
British musician David Essex once had a trial with Leyton Orient Football
Club.
320)
British musician Rick Wakeman played the synthesiser on David Bowie's song
"Space Oddity".
321)
Brian Jones played the oboe on the Beatles song "Baby You're A Rich Man".
322)
British musician Peter Gabriel played the flute on Cat Stevens's song "Lady
D'Arbanville".
323)
US musician Billy Joel played the piano on the Shangri-La's song "Leader
Of The Pack".
324)
British musician Sir Elton John played the piano on the Hollies song "He
Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother".
325)
British musician George Harrison played the guitar on Cream's song "Badge".
326)
British musician Eric Clapton played guitar on the Beatles song "While
My Guitar Gently Weeps".
327)
British musician Paul Weller played guitar on Oasis's song "Champagne
Supernova".
328)
British musician David Gilmore played guitar on Kate Bush's song "Wuthering
Heights".
329)
British musician Phil Collins played drums on Adam And The Ants's song "Puss
'N Boots".
330)
US musician Stevie Wonder played harmonica on Chaka Khan's song "I Feel
For You".
331)
British musician David Bowie sang backing vocals on the Rolling Stones song
"It's Only Rock And Roll".
332)
British songwriter Sir Tim Rice sang backing vocals on The Scaffold's song
"Lily The Pink".
333)
US singer Sheryl Crow sang backing vocals on Fleetwood Mac's song "Silver
Girl".
334)
British musician Eric Clapton sang backing vocals on the Beatles song "All
You Need Is Love".
335)
British musician George Michael sang backing vocals on Elton John's song "Nikita".
336)
British musician Donovan sang backing vocals on the Beatles song "Yellow
Submarine".
337)
British musician Mick Jagger sang backing vocals on Carly Simon's song "You're
So Vain".
338)
British musician Paul Young sang backing vocals on Squeeze's song "Black
Coffee In Bed".
339)
US music producer Phil Spector sang backing vocals on George Harrison's song
"My Sweet Lord".
340)
US musician Bruce Springsteen sang backing vocals on Lou Reed's song "Street
Hassle".
341)
US musician Luther Vandross sang backing vocals on David Bowie's song "Young
Americans".
342)
British musician Paul McCartney sang backing vocals on Donovan's song "Mellow
Yellow".
343)
British singer Jimmy Somerville sang backing vocals on the Fine Young Cannibal's
song "Suspicious Minds".
344)
British musician John Lennon sang backing vocals on the David Bowie song "Fame".
345)
British musician Eric Clapton sang backing vocals on the Phil Collins song
"I Wish It Would Rain Down".
346)
British musician Kate Bush sang backing vocals on the Peter Gabriel song "Games
Without Frontiers".
347)
British musician Sting sang backing vocals on the Dire Straits song "Money
For Nothing".
348)
British musician Billy Idol sang backing vocals on the Joni Mitchell song
"Dancin' Clown".
349)
British musician Roger Daltrey sang backing vocals on the Meatloaf song "Bad
Attitude".
350)
British musician George Michael sang backing vocals on the David Cassidy song
"The Last Kiss".
351)
US singer Belinda Carlisle sang backing vocals on the Specials song "Pearl's
Cafe'".
352)
British musician Sting sang backing vocals on the Sugababes song "Shape".
353)
US musician Huey Lewis (Huey Lewis And The Blues) worked as a rabbit slaughterer
before he became famous. His job was to hit the rabbits over the head with
a metal pipe, skin them and gut them.
354)
Bjork worked in a fish factory before she became famous.
355)
US musician Chris Isaak worked in a funeral parlour before he became famous.
356)
British musician Peter Gabriel worked as a milliner before he became famous.
357)
British musician Elvis Costello worked as a computer programmer at the Elizabeth
Arden factory before he was famous.
358)
British musician Bob Geldof worked as a meat packer before he became famous.
359)
British musician Tom Jones worked as a glove cutter before he became famous.
360)
US musician Madonna worked as a lifeguard, lift operator and an assistant
at Burger King before she was famous.
361)
US musician Tina Turner worked as a maid before she was famous.
362)
British musician Joe Cocker worked as a plumber before he was famous.
363)
Sir Elton John worked as a messenger boy before he was famous.
364)
US musician Gloria Estefan worked as a Spanish and French interpreter in an
Airport before she was famous.
365)
US musician Bill Withers made toilets seats for airplanes before he was famous.
366)
Australian singer Kylie Minogue worked in a video store before she became
famous.
367)
US singer Jon Bon Jovi worked as an assistant at Burger King before he became
famous.