# Have there been any rock stars who were monogamous during their entire career? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 29, 2010, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252 "2010-11-29T03:46:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/21 "2010-11-29T11:42:57Z")
I knew a guy who knew a guy who worked on Capitol Hill, who said that Al Gore was the only politician in DC who was faithful to his wife. ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/22 "2010-11-29T11:53:50Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > Frank Zappa was married to Gail Zappa from 1967 until his death in 1993, and had four children with her, and there’s no indication he was anything but faithful to her. He more or less eschewed the sex and drugs aspect of the rock and roll lifestyle. Besides Alice Stuart, there was also Nigey Lennon, who claims to have had an affair with Frank, to the point of rooming with him on the _200 Motels_ tour. She even [wrote a book about it.](http://www.amazon.com/Being-Frank-My-Time-Zappa/dp/187939541X) Not to mention Moon’s description of her dad as ‘a monk… a monk with a taste for Groupies.’ ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/23 "2010-11-29T12:25:11Z")
[Dee Snider](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dee_Snider) of Twisted Sister fame has been married to the same woman since 1981. I’ve never heard anything bad about his personal life. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/24 "2010-11-29T14:03:47Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > Heck, see “Yoko Ono.” Really, I’d rather not. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/25 "2010-11-29T14:13:18Z")
It’s an interesting question (which, of course, can never be definitively answered) but I’d beware of making a broader generalization re: monogamy and men based on the lives of rock stars. Rock stars, by definition, are people who thrive on attention, and therefore might be assumed to have a higher rate of infidelity than mere mortals who have no desire to be screamed at by crowds or admired by beautiful people. In other words, saying, “Every man would have sex with many women if he could get them, look at rock stars,” assumes that every man would be a rock star and live that sort of lifestyle if he could. _Rock stars_ want to live like rock stars; many men would hate it and feel much happier with one woman, one car and one office to go to work to everyday. (Yes, I still identify as poly by \*my \*nature, although I’m in and intend to stay in a monogamous relationship. I don’t believe there’s only one “natural” state for sexuality, though, and see no reason there should be. I don’t like “nature” arguments for polyamory any more than I do for homosexuality.) ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/26 "2010-11-29T14:18:42Z")
> [@Drain\_Bead](#): > > Jon Bon Jovi married his high school sweetheart and claims he’s never cheated on her. I thought we were talking about rock stars? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/27 "2010-11-29T14:39:26Z")
George Harrison was supposedly faithful to Patti until he decided to sleep with Ringo’s wife Maureen. When asked why, he said “Incest.” He apparently was faithful to second wife Olivia until his death. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/28 "2010-11-29T16:12:11Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > I am a pretty firm believer in the idea that human males are not naturally monogamous, and that almost any man who is in a position to have easy sex with many different women without working very hard at it will do so. Wait a minute. You’re trying to prove your theory that human males are not naturally monogamous by asking whether men in the most unnatural circumstances have ever remained monogamous? :dubious: If that’s your method of proving your point, then I’d like to open up a poll of my own so that I can refute your conclusions. It’ll target morbidly obese unemployed ex-cons who still live in their parent’s basements. Sound fair? Note: 99% of males are not (Presidents of powerful nations, rock stars, pro athletes, famous actors, etc), and are therefore not candidates for “easy sex.” If you really want data to back your notion that “human males are not naturally monogamous,” I think you’d have far more credibility if you didn’t focus on the 1% who are statistical anomolies. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/29 "2010-11-29T17:40:24Z")
> [@thirdname](#): > > I knew a guy who knew a guy who worked on Capitol Hill, who said that Al Gore was the only politician in DC who was faithful to his wife. Yet Al and Tipper still broke up, which proves – well, I guess it doesn’t really prove anything. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/30 "2010-11-29T17:58:12Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > I’ve heard that Paul & Linda McCartney never spent a night apart the entire time they were married. Not sure if it’s true, or if he just snuck some in on the side when she wasn’t around, but it’s a possibility at least. McCartney spent 10 days in a Japanese jail in 1980 after being caught with marijuana in his luggage. So, I’d imagine that those would count as “nights apart”, even if his only chance at groupies in that case would have been Japanese men. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![filling\_pages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9bd4f/32.png) [@filling\_pages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filling_pages)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/31 "2010-11-29T18:22:34Z")
> [@wedgehed](#): > > Buddy Holly? You were probably going for a joke here, but Buddy Holly was only married for the last 6 months or so of his life. Maria, his wife, went on tour with him, so he didn’t exactly have much of a chance to show if he’d be monogamous or not in the long run. That being said, before he married he seemed to have taken up the offers of many a groupie. I’ve even heard that he once had a threesome with a girl and Little Richard (they were on tour together), but that could be an urban legend. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/32 "2010-11-29T19:36:29Z")
> [@lawoot](#): > > Besides Alice Stuart, there was also Nigey Lennon, who claims to have had an affair with Frank, to the point of rooming with him on the _200 Motels_ tour. She even [wrote a book about it.](http://www.amazon.com/Being-Frank-My-Time-Zappa/dp/187939541X) > > Not to mention Moon’s description of her dad as ‘a monk… a monk with a taste for Groupies.’ In that case, I got nothin’. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/33 "2010-11-29T19:42:41Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > George Harrison was supposedly faithful to Patti until he decided to sleep with Ringo’s wife Maureen. When asked why, he said “Incest.” I don’t understand what this means. Hint? Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/34 "2010-11-29T19:50:52Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Bono started dating Alison Stewart in 1975 and they have been married since 1982. No idea if either have been completely faithful but I never heard otherwise. .. IIRC, most of the band members of U2 usually had their wives and families with them on tour. Bono said it saved their marriages, and thus the stability of the band. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/35 "2010-11-29T20:56:48Z")
Obviously, we can’t possibly know who’s been perfectly faithful and who hasn’t. All we can know is who’s stayed married a long time. We’ve already heard about Charlie Watts, Bono and Jon Bon Jovi. One other name is Dennis De Young, lead singer of Styx, who’s been married to Suzanne, his high school girlfriend, since 1970. Was he 100% faithful? Who knows- but some years back, I read an interview with Styx bassist Chuck Panozzo, who’s openly gay. He was asked if it was weird to be around so many horny female groupies, and he said that was never really an issue with Styx, because most of the other guys in the band had gotten married young and usually brought their wives on tour with them. Chuck didn’t seem to think anyone in the band except (single) Tommy Shaw was picking up groupies. I’ve already told this story on other threads, but in the Sixties, Bill Wyman kept a log book showing how many girls each of the Rolling Stones had scored with. By the time he stopped keeping count, Brian Jones was the clear “winner,” with Wyman in second, and Mick/Keith neck and neck for third. But Wyman had a zero next to Watts’ name, because Watts didn’t play around. Watts wasn’t a saint- he certainly had serious issues with booze and drugs. But his bandmates vouch that he was a faithful husband. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/36 "2010-11-29T21:00:55Z")
> [@Edward\_The\_Head](#): > > [Dee Snider](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dee_Snider) of Twisted Sister fame has been married to the same woman since 1981. I’ve never heard anything bad about his personal life. Every now and then, Dee likes to take a poke at Al and Tipper Gore, pointing out that, unike the Gores, the Sniders are still married, and none of their kids has ever been in trouble with the law. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/37 "2010-11-30T03:55:37Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > As an aside, isn’t it krazy that we live in a world where the only way for a man to fulfill his _biologically hard-wired destiny_ is to become either a rock star, a pro athlete, or a multi-millionaire? Methinks you are single and with a tenuous knowledge of history. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/38 "2010-11-30T04:06:41Z")
Just celebrated my 5th anniversary…and have a bachelor’s in history. Very wrong on both counts. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/39 "2010-11-30T04:17:19Z")
Vince Furnier (aka Alice Cooper) has said that he has never cheated on his wife Sheryl (they married in 1976). ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252/40 "2010-11-30T04:17:45Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Every now and then, Dee likes to take a poke at Al and Tipper Gore, pointing out that, unike the Gores, the Sniders are still married, and none of their kids has ever been in trouble with the law. [Alice Cooper](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Cooper#Personal_life) also seems to be a pretty square guy, married 30+ years, three kids, born again Christian. “In a 2002 television interview, Cooper claimed that he had “never cheated” on his wife in all the time they had been together. In the same interview, he also claimed that the secret to a lasting and successful relationship is to continue going out on dates with your partner.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-rock-stars-who-were-monogamous-during-their-entire-career/562252.md?page=3)