I have to go with John Lennon in his late Beatles/early post-breakup period but before he became a reclusive weirdo. His pretentious attempts to act as the world’s conscience coupled with his shabby treatment of his own family propelled him into the horse’s ass stratosphere. The “Bed-In” unless it was done ironically and everybody missed the irony is one of the most retarded acts ever performed in the name of social consciousness.
Lennon was a greasy punk of confused sexuality from the streets of Liverpool. He hit it big in pop music and the soft-headed of the world began to think him important. Where he went awry was when he started to agree with them.
John Mellencamp, Bono, Bob Geldoff, or Willie Nelson can all be pointed at as musicians who fancy having a cause but who have also done something substantive about it.
“Give peace a chance!” Gee, why didn’t anybody think of that before?
GG Allin? Maybe not a malicious guy, but by any definition of the term, pretty much a horse’s ass.
GG Allin was almost certainly seriously disturbed and/or near insane on some level. To be a horse’s ass sort of implies you have the capacity to know better and you still behave like a douche.
Lou Reed and Johnny Ramone would certainly rank fairly high on the asshole meter, but that somehow seems different to me than pretentious douchebaggery, which is what I associate with “horse’s ass.” Johnny Ramone doesn’t come off as terribly pretentious, but more a cold, controlling jerk. Reed might qualify more between the two of them.
Mick Jones of The Clash was purportedly an extremely difficult diva on the road ( according to Topper Headon, anyway ). But I imagine that isn’t particularly rare.
You go after Lennon and don’t even mention Jim Morrison??
You go after Lennon and don’t mention Yoko?
Yngwie Malmsteen. “You’ve unleashed the fucking fury !”. Google it, point and laugh.
I’m tempted to name Phil Spector but I have a strong feeling mental illness has a lot to do with it.
I always hear Van Morrison referred to as “famously irascible”
I’ve always taken that to mean “horse’s ass”.
David Lee Roth.
[Pinky] I think so, Brain, but if we give peas a chance, won’t the other vegetables feel left out? [/Pinky]
Of course, the “Bed-In” was done ironically. The media were completely whooshed. It was certainly dine with a nod and a wink and I think most of John’s fans got the joke. “Hair Peace” and “Bed Peace?” John’s famous sense of humor at work. He was a lot more closely allied with Groucho Marx than with Karl Marx.
He could be short with clueless fans who asked him to sing “Yesterday” or another one of Paul’s songs, but that’s a bit understandable.
I’m not defending him, I don’t have any evidence that he wasn’t a horse’s ass. His abandoning of his first wife Cynthia, and son Julian undoubtedly qualifies. But a lot of his words and actions did go over the heads of most of the “establishment” figures of the times.
Gene Simmons, enough said?
You go after Yoko and don’t mention . . .
I got nuthin’.
Joe Cocker
Serious tool, fer sher.
Boz Scaggs.
R. Crumb in issue #18 of Weirdo magazine (yes, as a matter of fact, I do have a complete collection of Weirdo magazine) illustrated a friend of his meeting Boz Scaggs in a bar. She said, “Sorry to disturb you, but I just wanted to say how much I like your music.” to which Boz replied “Yeah, well I hope you have a nice death.”
Chuck Berry.
A guy who installed cameras in public rest rooms so he could videotape women peeing definitely belongs on this list.
Roger Waters. And I really like his music.
Well I hope I have a nice death. Just not soon.
If perverted behavior is the standard, no one can measure down to Gary Glitter.
Hey!