In the music business, there is a fine line between musicians having a unique persona and being overly and concerningly bizarre. Now, that spectrum is, of course, incredibly subjective and differs depending on who you talk to. However, one thing about that spectrum is the honesty behind the musician’s actions of being unique, bizarre, and or bohemian.
Videos by American Songwriter
There are seemingly some musicians who employ absurdist tactics in their persona, not because it’s who they are, but because it is what sells. On the contrary, there are a couple of musicians whose uniqueness isn’t just a brand, but seemingly their very being, and here are three of them.
Prince
Prince is one of the most prolific musicians of all time, and if it weren’t for his animated and unique persona, he’d probably still be just that. However, he had it all—the talent and the incomprehensible artistic personality. He practiced what he preached.
There are a myriad of different rumors surrounding Prince’s far-from-average disposition. Some true, and some not. A few that seemingly are true are that he often went without sleep and did not believe in time. Concerning his belief in sleep, he stated, “There’s not a person around who can stay awake as long as I can,” via the BBC. Regarding his thoughts on time, he stated, “Time is a mind construct… It’s not real,” per The Guardian.
Sid Vicious
Sid Vicious is and will always be one of the most peculiarly interesting and tragic figures in music history. In the music business, there has yet to be a musician more controversial and unruly than Sid Vicious. Indeed, he is among the rare breed of musicians whose persona was as violent as it was unique. That behavior wasn’t something he just turned on when the cameras were on and people were watching. Rather, it seems this dancing-on-a-razor-edge behavior was just who he was.
Of course, Vicious’ struggles with drug abuse are a testament to that. Other stories that supplement Vicious’ erratic and unruly personality are his relationship with Nancy Spungen and the time he blinded a woman with a glass in 1976.
Frank Zappa
Very few musicians match Frank Zappa‘s level of musical ability or the eccentricity of his unique persona. He was a true student of the craft and didn’t prop himself up as anything other than an exploratory musician looking to release the best possible product. As a matter of fact, after reading the next paragraph, you might argue that Frank Zappa was more interesting off stage than he was on stage.
Frank Zappa was a true Renaissance man, and here are a few examples as to why that is the case. He once testified against censorship before the U.S. Senate, he was appointed a cultural liaison officer in Czechoslovakia, and unlike seemingly all of his rock ‘n’ roll contemporaries, did not use drugs nor think very highly of them.
Photo By Rick Diamond/Getty Images
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.