3 Crazy Rock Star Antics That Wouldn’t Fly Today

Rock star antics will always be a thing, especially on stage. What is rock music if not an outlet for being wild and outside of the norm? That being said, I can’t imagine some of the rock star antics that took place in the 20th century ever being acceptable in the 21st century. A lot of rock talent got away with being a bit too wild, and in the age of social media, dangerous or taboo antics would likely be a death knell for a modern-day rock star. Let’s look at just three famous antics from rock stars that would not have flown in the 2020s.

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Just About Everything Iggy Pop Did

Oh, Iggy Pop. He’s a man who is equal parts associated with proto-punk jams and being shirtless and wild on stage. There are too many antics to list here, but there are a few I can think of off the top of my head.

There was the time Pop grabbed a jar of peanut butter and flung it at members of his audience at a show. And there was also the time (or was it several times?) that Pop mutilated himself on-stage in front of horrified onlookers. And there was also that time in Kansas City where he broke a glass table and proceeded to roll around in the broken glass throughout his set. There are countless more instances, none of which would fly today.

Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea Performing Nude

I’d share a video clip of this whole debacle, but between Flea being in his birthday suit and the countless fans in the audience who were completely topless, I think I’ll save my job and avoid that one. Use your imagination.

At Woodstock 1999, an event known for being one of the worst and violent music festivals of the end of the 20th century, Flea decided to hit the stage with Red Hot Chili Peppers completely nude. And it wouldn’t be the first time the funk bassist would pull this stunt. He would go on to drop trou on-stage at Reading and Leeds, as well as a few other shows on the Californication Tour.

The Who’s Keith Moon and His Exploding Drum Kits

Keith Moon was the king of rock star antics for a moment. He famously destroyed a hotel and drove a car into a pool, after all. However, one of his more dangerous antics involved packing explosives into his drum kit.

He did this often, unsurprisingly. But one time in 1967, while appearing on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour with his band The Who, Moon upped the ante. He packed even more explosives than usual into his drum kit. According to Pete Townshend, the showrunners encouraged them to be destructive on camera. They likely had no idea what exactly Moon had planned. When the explosives ignited, the explosion was insane, and apparently burned Townshend’s hair and caused hearing damage.

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