# Undeniably talented, undeniably insane musicians **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 16, 2011, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undeniably-talented-undeniably-insane-musicians/567800 "2011-01-16T05:29:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undeniably-talented-undeniably-insane-musicians/567800/1 "2011-01-16T05:29:19Z")
Or, if not insane, clearly with Serious Serious Issues. I can think of a handful - for some reason, all are women. Sinead O’Connor Amy Winehouse Courtney Love Whitney Houston sorta counts - she went crazy after she became famous, but I think if she hadn’t gotten big she’d still be fine. OTOH, I’m pretty sure the others on my list were off their rockers to start with. Who else? ---
**Author:** ![ctywkr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecb155/32.png) [@ctywkr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ctywkr)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undeniably-talented-undeniably-insane-musicians/567800/2 "2011-01-16T05:35:03Z")
Syd Barret Roky Erickson and most likely G.G. Allin, but I’m not positive. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undeniably-talented-undeniably-insane-musicians/567800/3 "2011-01-16T05:46:11Z")
> [@ctywkr](#): > > Syd Barret Which brings to mind Sid Vicious. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undeniably-talented-undeniably-insane-musicians/567800/4 "2011-01-16T05:46:27Z")
[Jaco Pastorius](http://www.jacopastorius.com/biography.html) ---
**Author:** ![sco3tt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@sco3tt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sco3tt)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undeniably-talented-undeniably-insane-musicians/567800/5 "2011-01-16T05:56:46Z")
Wesley Willis ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undeniably-talented-undeniably-insane-musicians/567800/6 "2011-01-16T06:04:51Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > Which brings to mind Sid Vicious. Insane, yes. But talented? The guy was FAKING it on the bass. Glenn Matlock was a sloppy, raw, amateurish but energetic musician. Sid Vicious was a fraud. ---
**Author:** ![cerberus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cerberus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerberus)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undeniably-talented-undeniably-insane-musicians/567800/7 "2011-01-16T06:20:28Z")
Peter Green ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undeniably-talented-undeniably-insane-musicians/567800/8 "2011-01-16T06:37:12Z")
Sun Ra. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undeniably-talented-undeniably-insane-musicians/567800/9 "2011-01-16T06:45:28Z")
Jimi Hendrix Keith Moon ---
**Author:** ![ctywkr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecb155/32.png) [@ctywkr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ctywkr)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undeniably-talented-undeniably-insane-musicians/567800/10 "2011-01-16T06:58:20Z")
> [@cerberus](#): > > Peter Green Jeremey Spencer also? ---
**Author:** ![Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ed655f/32.png) [@Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crown_Prince_of_Irony)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undeniably-talented-undeniably-insane-musicians/567800/11 "2011-01-16T07:24:53Z")
Lee “Scratch” Perry and Chuck Berry are the two that come immediately to mind. Maybe Dave Mustaine, as he seems to occasionally go off the deep end every few years and fire all of Megadeth, then re-form them a bit later. ---
**Author:** ![Suil\_Dubh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85f322/32.png) [@Suil\_Dubh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suil_Dubh)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undeniably-talented-undeniably-insane-musicians/567800/12 "2011-01-16T08:22:32Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Insane, yes. He was a goofy 20-year old punk wigged-out on smack. Troubled? Yes. Insane? Probably not. (I agree with you about the talented part though.) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Unexpected\_Okapi\_Debacle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_unexpected_okapi_debacle/32/7702_2.png) [@The\_Unexpected\_Okapi\_Debacle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Unexpected_Okapi_Debacle)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undeniably-talented-undeniably-insane-musicians/567800/13 "2011-01-16T08:26:30Z")
Tom Waits Klaus Nomi ---
**Author:** ![MacSpon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@MacSpon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacSpon)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undeniably-talented-undeniably-insane-musicians/567800/14 "2011-01-16T08:36:58Z")
Michael Jackson. Surely. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undeniably-talented-undeniably-insane-musicians/567800/15 "2011-01-16T08:56:39Z")
I wouldn’t consider Waits insane, but definitely second Keith Moon. There was some book about Led Zeppelin that came out way back, and it was great; if even half of those stories are true, Keith Moon definitely qualifies as both gifted and nuts. ---
**Author:** ![lemac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f19dbf/32.png) [@lemac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lemac)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undeniably-talented-undeniably-insane-musicians/567800/16 "2011-01-16T09:39:10Z")
The Ol’ Dirty Bastard ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undeniably-talented-undeniably-insane-musicians/567800/17 "2011-01-16T10:14:22Z")
Joan Baez is crazy cakes. I’m not entirely sure Bob Dylan is the most balanced either. Florence Welch may well be on this list…give her some time, after all, not everyone can have a hit single about a mutually physically abusive relationship and arson (_Kiss With a Fist_). ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undeniably-talented-undeniably-insane-musicians/567800/18 "2011-01-16T12:33:24Z")
Captain Beefheart (Don Van Vliet) ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undeniably-talented-undeniably-insane-musicians/567800/19 "2011-01-16T14:55:24Z")
Varg Vikernes ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undeniably-talented-undeniably-insane-musicians/567800/20 "2011-01-16T15:16:01Z")
Brian Wilson John Fahey [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undeniably-talented-undeniably-insane-musicians/567800.md?page=2)