# Biggest Horse's Ass in Rock&Roll History? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 31, 2009, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-horses-ass-in-rock-roll-history/483883 "2009-01-31T17:42:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-horses-ass-in-rock-roll-history/483883/61 "2009-02-03T00:52:18Z")
Gene Simmons felt up a friend of mine in a club in Vegas, repeatedly, after being told to piss off. He’s an asshole. ---
**Author:** ![Amber\_in\_Treasury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Amber\_in\_Treasury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amber_in_Treasury)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-horses-ass-in-rock-roll-history/483883/62 "2009-02-03T04:15:45Z")
Gene Simmons is disgusting. Sex Tape? Try his plastic surgery tape. Or his “advice” for women. Barf. * * * Madonna and Michael Jackson might well be horses’ asses, but they are pop, not rock. Please, let us NOT start a lengthy music-genre discussion here…PLEASE!!! ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-horses-ass-in-rock-roll-history/483883/63 "2009-02-03T14:24:34Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > It’s true Jim Morrison did have some serious horse’s assism going on. It seems to me that a key component of being a real world-class R&R horse’s ass is having a fan base that thinks of their idol as being more than a musical entertainer. That entertainer must then start buying into the idea that he is Something More And Better. > Morrison’s fans have an annoying tendency to blather on about what a great poet he was. When he wasn’t so stoned he was incapable of coherent thought, Morrison apparently agreed. > I still have to go with Lennon over Morrison for Biggest Horse’s Ass, though, because of Lennon’s hypocrisy. Morrison, to the best of my knowledge, didn’t presume to lecture the rest of the world while abandoning his own kin. **Furious Marmot** - I believe you are referring to an episode during the famous Lost Weekend he took in LA for a few months when Yoko kicked him out. At least once he got tossed from the Whiskey a Go Go (I think) with Harry Nilsson for being drunk and obnoxious to all present, including I think one of the Smothers Brothers. He also came out of the bathroom once with one of those dispenser maxi-pads taped to his forehead…so, to my knowledge, no waitress-bashing, just being a jerk. And \*\*Scumpup \*\*- well, I guess you and I are going to disagree. Everything you say about Lennon is true, and taken at that level, we’re done. But he wrote beautiful, experimental music - In My Life, Tomorrow Never Knows, Across the Universe, etc. - that go places someone like Morrison didn’t seem to even know existed. And Lennon was confronted regularly by folks who pointed out what he was doing was assinine - there’s the famous interview with the British reporter where she basically says “you can’t be that stupid, can you?” The point is that Lennon was more famous and influential than almost anyone at the time - and as a damaged outsider who wanted to rock n’ roll, he had no clue how to use that. So, he tried a bunch of stuff - stuff that was considered fringe and experimental at the time, but also “groovy” - there were Human Be-in’s and Woodstock and other such Events and Happenings going on - so when you put Lennon’s actions in context, well, they don’t make sense, per se, but I can see where he might be coming from… My $.02 ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-horses-ass-in-rock-roll-history/483883/64 "2009-02-03T15:10:38Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Showing up drunk for his concerts and barfing on stage comes to mind. Jeeez…that goes for just about everyone back in the 60s and 70s (drunk). As for puking on stage, I googled it (:eek:) and it’s not all that rare, evidently. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-horses-ass-in-rock-roll-history/483883/65 "2009-02-03T15:20:39Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > :eek::eek::eek::eek: > there is not enough brain bleach in the world to get me to watch that … I’ve always wondered how he got his reputation (aside from the tongue thing). He’s a complete asshole, and not even a little attractive. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-horses-ass-in-rock-roll-history/483883/66 "2009-02-03T15:38:36Z")
I probably should have stated this in my OP, but better late than never. Being a horse’s ass does not preclude making good music. John Lennon was a talented and influential musician. He was also a horse’s ass. The two are connected only insofar as his fame and influence from being a musician gave him the opportunity to publicly be a horse’s ass. Absent the fame and influence, he’d have been just another smartmouth deadbeat dad. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-horses-ass-in-rock-roll-history/483883/67 "2009-02-03T15:50:42Z")
> [@sparky\_1](#): > > I heard (on a local radio show, so who knows) he is terribly shy and anxious prior to live performances. Perhaps he used booze to get ready and over did it? Frankly, I’d give that a pass, even for numerous times given his musical contribution. I saw him in the late 80s, but I think the walking pharmaceutical/drug store thing had ended by then. Great concert, by the way. Him and Johnny Winter. Shoooo-weeee! ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-horses-ass-in-rock-roll-history/483883/68 "2009-02-03T16:24:53Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > 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. > > . Eh? I really don’t think it was done ironically. Sorry but the dude wasn’t that clever. he really did believe his own hype. Not sure it makes him a jerk though just pretentious. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-horses-ass-in-rock-roll-history/483883/69 "2009-02-03T16:35:45Z")
Yeah, he was that clever, as any readings of anything he ever wrote will tell you. He also detested his own hype. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-horses-ass-in-rock-roll-history/483883/70 "2009-02-03T16:42:36Z")
It’s true that Lennon was definitely capable of being an asshole to people, and according to all reports was often a bully even to those closest to him, and that he had a mean, scathing sense of humor. He was also reputedly a batterer of women. Unquestionably a deeply flawed person. That doesn’t mean his talent, intelligence, wit and social conscience weren’t genuine, though. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-horses-ass-in-rock-roll-history/483883/71 "2009-02-03T17:03:25Z")
> [@sparky\_1](#): > > I heard (on a local radio show, so who knows) he is terribly shy and anxious prior to live performances. Perhaps he used booze to get ready and over did it? Frankly, I’d give that a pass, even for numerous times given his musical contribution. I like his music. I just don’t want to pay for a concert that he shows up too drunk to perform it properly. ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-horses-ass-in-rock-roll-history/483883/72 "2009-02-03T17:03:50Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Yeah, he was that clever, as any readings of anything he ever wrote will tell you. He also detested his own hype. I still don’t think it was done ironically. And he sort of did believe in his own hype or at least used it to his advantage. As for his writings, well putting his artisitic work aside I haven’t found anything particularly meaningful in anything he wrote. YMMV but I don’t think the man was exceptionally clever. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-horses-ass-in-rock-roll-history/483883/73 "2009-02-03T17:05:51Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Yeah, he was that clever, as any readings of anything he ever wrote will tell you. He also detested his own hype. Maybe an example of his cleverness would bolster your case. ---
**Author:** ![Jester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jester/32/8223_2.png) [@Jester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jester)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-horses-ass-in-rock-roll-history/483883/74 "2009-02-03T17:29:33Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Maybe an example of his cleverness would bolster your case. Hell, an example of both wit _and_ horse’s assedness comes from one situation: when asked if Ringo was the best drummer in the world, Lennon responded, “The world? He’s not even the best drummer in The Beatles.” ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-horses-ass-in-rock-roll-history/483883/75 "2009-02-03T18:57:28Z")
My vote goes to Sammy Hagar. Can’t drive fifty-five? Hire a damn chauffeur! ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-horses-ass-in-rock-roll-history/483883/76 "2009-02-03T20:58:32Z")
> [@Dr.Rieux](#): > > My vote goes to Sammy Hagar. > Can’t drive fifty-five? Hire a damn chauffeur! Making a statement about an unpopular and often violated law makes one a horses ass?😕 ---
**Author:** ![Daithi\_Lacha](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daithi_lacha/32/5430_2.png) [@Daithi\_Lacha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daithi_Lacha)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-horses-ass-in-rock-roll-history/483883/77 "2009-02-03T21:18:10Z")
I heard Michael Stipe is a bit of a pain in the patootie. REM played Savannah, and then afterwards Stipe went to see a local band in a small club downtown. He got drunk and thought it amusing to roll his empties onto the dancefloor. He was asked a couple of times to stop, but wouldn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-horses-ass-in-rock-roll-history/483883/78 "2009-02-04T04:46:58Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > :eek::eek::eek::eek: > there is not enough brain bleach in the world to get me to watch that … In the background, he had-get this-_Foreigner_ playing. “I Want to Know What Love Is.” As if the whole thing wasn’t bad enough. **Amber in Treasury** -what “advice?” _shudder_ Michael Stipe? I can believe it. He always struck me as a pretentious dickweed. Love REM-but I can definitely believe it. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-horses-ass-in-rock-roll-history/483883/79 "2009-02-04T05:50:11Z")
In the horse’s ass stakes Bono and Sting are the front runners, with Bono just having the edge in inflated self-importance and pretentiousness. ---
**Author:** ![TastesLikeBurning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@TastesLikeBurning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TastesLikeBurning)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-horses-ass-in-rock-roll-history/483883/80 "2009-02-04T06:14:37Z")
> [@Tamara+](#): > > Disagree with Gene Simmons. Anyone who advocated non drug use is a okay (and rare). Riiiight… So as long as he opposes drugs (which for a lot of recreational use don’t harm anyone but the user), he’s cool to be a misogynist and generally allround ugly human being? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-horses-ass-in-rock-roll-history/483883.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-horses-ass-in-rock-roll-history/483883.md?page=5)