Strangest/Saddest stories in Rock history...

Inspired by the "Syd Barrett WYWH session" thread.


“I was sitting backstage after the 1974 Grammys with Bernie Taupin (Elton John’s lyricist) and John Lennon. This was when Brian was really having some mental issues. During the course of the conversation, I kept seeing Brian out of the corner of my eye, just kind of staring at us from different angles. Finally, he came up to the table, bent down and whispered in my ear ‘Hey Alice, introduce me to John Lennon.’ I couldn’t BELIEVE that these two men had never met! They were virtually neck and neck in the 60’s as the greatest bands on the planet, and I’m SURE they must have crossed paths at some point. But then I thought to myself, ‘Wow, if they REALLY have never met, I’m going to be the one to introduce them and become a part of rock history!’ So I merely said, ‘Brian Wilson, this is John Lennon. John Lennon, this is Brian Wilson.’ Lennon was very cordial and polite, saying things like ‘Hello Brian, I’ve always wanted to meet you. I’ve always admired your work, and Paul and I considered Pet Sounds one of the best albums ever made.’ Brian thanked him and walked away, at which point Lennon went right back to his conversation like nothing had happened. About ten minutes later, Brian came by our table again, leaned down and whispered something to Bernie, and all of a sudden, Bernie was saying ‘Brian Wilson, this is John Lennon. John Lennon, Brian Wilson.’ Lennon was just as cordial and polite as the first time, saying essentially the same thing about always wanting to meet him. As soon as Brian walked away, John looked at both of us and casually said in his typical Liverpudlian accent, ‘I’ve met him hundreds of times. He’s not well, you know." - Alice Cooper


"I thought for sure I was going to die when Danny dragged me to a party
Alice Cooper was throwing in his suite at the Beverly Wiltshire Hotel... I
walked into Alice's suite. The music was strange and loud. The people
were worse. Some had makeup, others were in costume. I looked around,
petrified, standing motionless in the same spot where I entered. After
about ten minutes a skinny guy with a crazed look on his face bounced
across some furniture and landed in front of me.

"Boo!" he said. He scared me, and I turned completely around. He thought
I was funny and laughed.
"You're Brian Wilson," he said.
"Yeah", I said, wanting him to go away.
"I'm Iggy", he said. "Iggy Pop".

Before meeting Iggy, I was ready to leave, and his boo accelerated my
intentions. I found Danny. Seeing me uptight, he tried to relax me by
introducing me to Alice Cooper. Like Iggy, he was nicer than his getup led
me to believe. But I couldn't handle the party and all the people. I told
Danny I had to get out as soon as possible.
That was okay. But somehow, in the process of leaving, both Alice and Iggy
were invited to continue the party at my house. They accepted. But my
idea of a party was different from theirs.
Up at my house, I positioned everyone around the piano and began playing
the children's song "Shortnin' Bread". With me singing lead, I got Alice
to repeat "mama, mama, mama" and Iggy to chant "shortnin', shortnin',
shortnin'". Thinking something was up my sleeve, they enjoyed this bizarre
situation for about fifteen minutes. But after an hour of singing
"Shortnin' Bread" they realized that either I really was as off the deep
end as rumor had it or I was having fun at their expense. In truth, it was
a combination of both. Either way, they left.
"This is too much for us", Iggy said. "Too damn weird." - Brian Wilson

 

That's very sad.

 

There is not much sadder than the whole story of Badfinger, since it wasn't self-induced "medication" effects.

 

Kirsty Maccoll's story I found tragic, in that she had discovered Cuban music, totally remade her sound and got the inner courage to emerge from her divorce, then right as her song In These Shoes is getting major media attention due to Sex and the City, she dies horribly.

 

Brian Jones being "let go" from the band he formed and then drowning shortly afterwards....

John Lennon being murdered just as he re-emerged musically after a five year hiatus...

Danny Whitten using his "severance pay" to buy some smack and then promptly OD'ing....

John Fogarty still not finding it in him to forgive his own brother as he lay on his deathbed...

Jeff Buckley going under after impulsively diving into the Mississippi, and then not coming up...

and then this one, the final months of Casey Kasem's life....

 

Bobby Fuller.
Never to be forgotten.

 

What's going on with Dick Dale right now. It sucks!

 

Johnny Ace - backstage Russian roulette death
Les Harvey (Stone the Crows) - electrocuted onstage during a rainstorm
Curtis Mayfield - paralyzed from the neck down by falling lighting equipment

 

Bobby Fuller...

I first thought of Jackson C. Frank, then thought "maybe there'll be a post about Patto..." and one can't dismiss Badfinger's story....and yes, Bobby Fuller's murder.

I can't even get started there....

 

John Lennon's murder....
I broke down in tears over that that night.

 

The first story is sad but the idea of Brian Wilson trolling Iggy Pop and Alice Cooper with "Shortnin' Bread" is actually kinda funny.

 

Harry Womack

"Noting that Harry was going through personal problems with his girlfriend, Bobby advised Harry to stay at his home for a time while he went out on a promotional tour for his new album. On the night of March 9, 1974, Womack and his girlfriend at the time began arguing after the woman claimed she had found another woman's undergarments in a room Womack was occupying at his brother Bobby's house. Womack was stabbed to death by the girlfriend. The undergarments later turned out to be from a girlfriend of Bobby's."

Wow

Jaco Pastorius had a horrific death. He was beaten to death by a bouncer.

"Jaco's skull had been fractured; several facial bones were fractured; his right eye was ruptured and dislodged from its socket; and there was massive internal bleeding. The beating was so intense that Jaco’s teeth went through his lips, and Havan’s ring was imprinted on Jaco’s cheek. There was also heavy bleeding from Jaco’s ear, nose, and mouth. [I'll also add that had Jaco lived, he would have permanently lost the use of his right eye and his left arm, according to his doctors.]"

What a brutal way to go out...

 

Michael Jackson's story was both super-strange and sad. If it were a movie, no one would believe it...

 

I just looked up what was going on, because of your post, and it's unconscionable! I'm not sure what I find more disgusting, the state of US healthcare that has left him in this position, or the fact that his famous "friends" and those influenced by him could easily help him with a tribute album, concert, or simply pitching in and picking up the tab for a month or two. Drop in the bucket for quite of few who have cited him as a major influence!

 

Bolan died on 16 September 1977, two weeks before his 30th birthday. He was a passenger in a purple Mini 1275GT (registration FOX 661L) driven by Gloria Jones as they headed home from Mortons drinking club and restaurant in Berkeley Square. Jones lost control of the car: it struck a steel reinforced chain link fence post and came to rest against a sycamore tree after failing to negotiate a small humpback bridge near Gipsy Lane on Queens Ride, Barnes, southwest London. Richard Madeley of daytime TV fame informed fans that low tyre pressure contributed to the fatal crash. Neither occupant was wearing a seat belt. Bolan was killed instantly, while Jones suffered a broken arm and broken jaw and spent time in hospital; she did not learn of Bolan's death until the day of his funeral. Bolan's home, which was less than a mile away at 142 Upper Richmond Road West in East Sheen, was looted shortly thereafter.

Ironically Bolan never learned to drive, fearing a premature death.

 

Yes, I can remember that happening. Didn't he predict he'd die young too?

 

Yes.

 

The saga of the 13th Floor Elevators is too depressing to think about.

Poverty, intense police harassment in Texas, regular LSD use, insanity,
mental institutions, prisons, murder, lost master tapes and a murky recorded legacy.

 

Not to derail this thread, but I just tweet Brian May, asking him to record & release Misirlou to help with Dick Dale's medical bills. I urge you all to tweet to your favorite guitarists and ask them to do similar. Maybe it won't help, but maybe, just maybe, something will happen to make life a little easier for Mr. Dale.

-------------------------------------------------
And to contribute to the main point of the thread:

Dennis Wilson, seemingly ready to get himself straight, drowns while recovering sunken pieces of his beloved boat, which he had hoped to regain after getting himself together.

 

Dennis Wilson

For a month prior to his death, Dennis had been homeless and living a nomadic life. In November 1983, he checked into a therapy center in Arizona for two days, and then on December 23, checked into St. John's Medical Hospital in Santa Monica, where he stayed until the evening of December 25. Following a violent altercation at the Santa Monica Bay Inn, Dennis checked into a different hospital in order to treat his wounds. Several hours later, he discharged himself and reportedly resumed drinking immediately.

On December 28, 1983, shortly after his 39th birthday, Dennis drowned at Marina Del Rey , Los Angeles, after drinking all day and then diving in the afternoon, to recover items he had thrown overboard at the marina from his yacht three years prior

 

I'd forgotten all those details. That really is horrible and disturbing. Where was the bouncer "working?"

I once saw Jaco playing B-ball at the court on 6th Avenue across from the Waverly Theater. He was the only white guy playing and was a manic-looking character. By all accounts he was a few fries short of a Happy Meal and he probably didn't know how to back off with that bouncer. But god, what a horrible thing.

 

I think elements of the Beach Boys story are both strange and sad. From the Smile sessions, to Brian's struggle with drugs and mental health, to the Mason family connection, to Dennis's untimely death. There's a darkside to their sunshine and surfing.

 

Richey Edwards of the Manic Street Preachers disappearing off the face of the earth and the back story to that is a combination of strange and sad.

 

Florence Ballard of the Supremes tragic death at 32. From ten number one hits before her firing in 1967 to poverty thanks to overspending and being swindled by her attorney in the final 8 1/2 years of her life....