I thought he was quite likable.
Mr. Stipe isn’t the most pleasant man either.
It certainly did. Hi right back at ya! Long time since we met in a thread. Back when we were whippersnappers, still in short trousers.
From what I understand is Jim Morrison of the Doors was polite and friendly when he wasn’t drinking. The problem was he drank a lot…saying it was cheap, legal, readily available and that being Irish he was supposed to.
There has to be a reason why a lot of Jeff Beck’s groups didn’t last very long. And Jack Bruce also.
For managers there are a whole lot besides Colonel Parker. Albert Grossman (Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Peter Paul and Mary), Peter Grant (Led Zeppelin), Allen Klein (Rolling Stones).
David Crosby and Stephen Stills always struck me as drug-addled dicks.
No way - the problem is that you find yourself wanting to hang out and have a beer with him - there’s a reason that Captain Jack Sparrow seems like he’d be fun to have adventures with. But then he refers to the women cloying onto him as “bitches” or blithely describes an event where you know he was a main actor - e.g., problems with Brian Jones - and you temper your view of him as a fun rogue.
Jim’s Son - as for Jeff Beck, well, yeah, he is high-maintenance. I don’t get the impression that he is overtly, proactively dickish or hostile, but more that he is, well, high-maintenance and not really the guy you want running things. He is a diva in every sense of the word - he is this finely-tuned vehicle for interpreting music - but, like Aretha Franklin, when you are that pure of an artist - when your instrument is that unique and superior - it is not surprising that your view of yourself may get a little skewed 
Roger Waters always SEEMED like such a surly, ornery, humorless cuss that, when I saw the documentary “Which One’s Pink,” I was astonished at how charming, funny, warm, self-aware, open and just plain HUMAN he was. Maybe he’s mellowed a bit with age, or maybe I misjudged him somewhat.
A long time back, I maintained a brief correspondence with a music critic who told me that David Lee Roth is a real creep. Dave’s public persona is very goofy and happy-go-lucky (and I always LIKED that public image), but he has a major mean streak and and likes to bully people around.
Fans who saw the Rush documentary “Beyond the Lighted Stage” probably got a better feel for drummer Neil Peart than they ever have before. On the whole, he comes across as a smart, funny, and perfectly decent man. But as he himself acknowledges, he often comes across as a sourpuss because he’s an introvert and isn’t comfortable with strangers- even NICE strangers.
A fan who spots Geddy Lee or Alex Lifeson in public then races up and gushes “ I LOVE YOU,” is likely to get a smile, a handshake, maybe a photo or an autograph. A fan who does the same to Neil Peart is likely to get uncomfortable silence, even a cold shoulder, and come away thinking, “That guy is a real jerk.”
Is that fair? Probably not, but that’s life in show biz.
Right you are. We need to get another three-way going with Chez Guevara and see what other sacred cows we can barbecue. 
A bit surprised no one’s mentioned Brian Jones yet. By all accounts, he had a pretty serious personality disorder and was an inveterate woman-beater.
Then there’s John Phillips – learning about his ickiness has actually somewhat spoiled my pleasure in listening to the Mamas & the Papas (and that’s not something that usually happens with me).
Billy Corgan has the reputation for being difficult, to say the least.
That’s who first came to mind for me, although admittedly I don’t remember details about whatever accounts I read.
Ritchie Blackmore, while maybe not an ass certainly came across as unpeasant enough. In his Straight Between the Eyes tour at the Hammersmith he’d never look at or acknowledge the crowd, just sulking off in a corner and obviously unhappy to be there. I understand that wasn’t unusual.
Yep, this is the one I was coming here to say. I’ve read Peart’s various books about bicycling across Africa and riding his motorcycle across the US and Canada–he seems to have a really good insight into himself, and he doesn’t apologize for the fact that he “can’t pretend a stranger is a long-awaited friend.” He doesn’t attend meet-and-greets, and refuses to do the social thing at concerts, but from all accounts he’s actually quite cool and funny with his friends.
I would like to meet him, but even if I saw him in public and recognized him I would never approach him because I know how much he hates it and it makes him uncomfortable.
So kind of unpleasant, yeah, but I think justifiably so. He’s not a narcissistic jerk like some “rock stars.”
Prince
Miss (Diana) Ross
I’ve gotten the impression that he’s a much happier camper now that he has married a young hottie, started dressing up like Robin Hood, and given up the heavy metal in favor of Renaissance Faire tootling with the missus.
I have personally witnessed Billy Corgan being a complete asshole to an adoring fan. I initially dismissed it as him being tired after the show, but others in the room confirmed that he was like that all the time. Shame really. I think he’s just short of brilliant, but what a douche.
On the flip side, Eddie Vedder was so surprisingly cool. I had heard he could be a little standoffish to fans backstage, but I must have caught him on a good day. He was gracious and shook everyone’s hand and posed for pictures with everyone back there.
I’ve heard plenty of stories about Stipe and (especially) Mike Mills being dicks after shows, sexually harassing everything in sight, but everybody I know who’s ever met Peter Buck has said he was super nice and willing to chat with fans.
I’ve met Paul Westerberg twice, once with The Replacements and once solo, and he was a total asshole both times. If you weren’t a cute chick, he had no time for you, though he would make time for a snotty remark or two.
I suspect that Louise Post and Nina Gordon might take issue with that, since he is the alleged catalyst for the ending of their friendship and the breakup of Veruca Salt.
I always got was that he was a hell of a nice guy until he started drinking and hitting the drugs, then he became wildly unpredictable. Most of the books I have about him tell the story that way.
My ex spotted Dave Navarro (Jane’s Addiction, Red Hot Chilli Peppers) in Studio City, tried to say something friendly to him, and told me he thought Navarro was going to fling his cigarette at him.
On the other hand, I’ve personally met Voltaire (musician, not the philosopher!) and you couldn’t ask for anyone sweeter or friendlier. He’s also very VERY handsome and gives good hugs.
Jackson Browne. Any man who beats a woman so bad she ends up in the hospital is one I would consider very unpleasant.