Robert Crumb illustrated a story a female friend had related about meeting Boz Skaggs while out drinking. She told him, “I don’t want to both you, but I just wanted to say I really love your music” to while he replied “I hope you have a nice death.” The friend said she cried for hours.
Kate Bush is an evasive interviewee about subjects she doesn’t wish to discuss, but she is genuinely sweet in person. And this give me an opportunity to mention the time she called to thank me and compliment me on the music video I made to one of her songs.
There’s a saying of sorts - “Good guys, bad band, bad guys, good band” which seems to often prove true.
I have to say, though that there’s likely some contributing factors to this. Creative people tend to be moody, bands tend to be worn out from travel, lack of sleep, substance abuse, income levels not matching fame levels, etc., and probably just get to an unhappy and unpleasant place due to all of that. Having random people come up to them and saying stupid shit is probably an old, unfunny joke.
Wow you must really be an asshole 
Actually, to a man, we’re really nice guys…doh!
ETA: I actually think that some of the unpleasantness is a matter of post-sucked-up-into the-machinery world weariness. For bands that haven’t made it, this isn’t a factor.
Those are excuses used by assholes. I am friends with the members of a band that plays more than 250 dates a year. And they are not doing this in a tour bus, they are doing it in a regular van. They sleep in motels some nights, in friends home others, and in the van if no other choices are available. They have been doing this for years, building up their following. They are not failures, they had a #2 album on a Billboard chart, it’s just that touring constantly is how you build a career if you are not the property of a major label.
They are really sweet people, totally approachable. Nobody gets to be a diva in a van.
Musicians who are assholes would be assholes if they were working in a factory.
I normally only see the professional side of musicians. They know full well that the show can’t go on without the “little guys” like me (ok, I’m a woman but you get the point). Usually they see no point in being dicks to people who can throw a monkey wrench into the works.
But in my first hand experience…
Musicians who consistently acted like total jerks: Shania Twain (Not Rock, I know. But she had a provision in her rider that nobody is allowed to look at her, and for that she deserves an honorable mention), Joe Perry (arrogant and oblivious), Ace Frehley (short temper both drunk and sober), Lars Ulrich (self-absorbed dick), Kerry King (another “don’t look at me” type), the late Mike Starr from AIC (mean AND dumb), and Scott Stapp (Scott Stapp).
Musicians who were unflappably nice all the time: Jimmy Buffet, Phil Lesh, Ozzy Osbourne, Warren Haynes, Slash, Bret Michaels, Lisa Loeb, Rob Halford, Jerry Cantrell, Tom Petty, Joey Ramone, and Steven Tyler.
Musicians who were nice until they were approached by idiots: Kid Rock, Dave Mustaine, Gregg Allman, Keith Richards, Paul Stanley, and Lemmy.
And finally, musicians who I was afraid would be dicks but turned out to be somewhat cool: Jim Martin from FNM (funny, not ugly or scary at all), Gene Simmons (he was bearable when not surrounded by ass-kissers), David Lee Roth (see Gene), Jimmy Page (when he was awake), Johnny Thunders, and sometimes, if the stars aligned and the wind blew right, Axl Rose (when off the road, away from the band and talking about safe topics like how awesome Lords of the New Church were).
I get that; I’m just saying that the road, etc. has different effects on different people. I have no doubt that some can do the grind and still be nice, but I don’t necessarily put the asshole tag on someone who isn’t unflappably pleasant given the circumstances. And I definitely know there are certified assholes out there.
I’m a huge Tori Amos fan (who supposedly is super nice to all her fans) and she told this story about meeting him once and how awful he was.
Then she transitioned into an enjoyable rendition of “Don’t Look Back in Anger”, reworking some of the lyrics to say “You ain’t ever gonna burn my heart out… MORRISSEY!”
I’m sure Morrissey is an arsehole, but I’m also sure he wouldn’t have been all that bothered that Tori played an enjoyable version of a song by a completely different band. If it had been one of his songs, he’s be after royalties.
Richard Carpenter has always come across as very jealous of his sister. I recall even Olivia Newton-John (who rarely says anything bad about anyone) said, that Karen Carpenter was responsible for their success and Richard needs to realize that. This was after Karen’s solo album was shelved. ON-J and Karen were very good friends
I once had the chance to meet Al Harlow of Prism. He was a genuinely nice guy, willing to spend a little time with a fan, and to talk about the band and its hits.
On the other hand (and answering the OP’s question), I’ve also met Burton Cummings, who was with the Guess Who, before he went solo. He made it clear that he had very little time for, or interest in, the “little people.” Mind, this was back in about 1982 or so, and he may have mellowed over the years, but I didn’t take away a very good impression of him from that meeting.
Obviously I meant to type “not a physically imposing person”
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Not to derail the thread, but why the hell did he say that? What could possibly have been going through his head at the time?
From how Skaggs was drawn, one would assume a large quantity of alcohol was sloshing through it. But if Crumb drew it, I’m pretty sure it happened. Drawing realistic scenes of real life, he is mercilessly honest.
Oh I’ve no doubt it happened. But damn, besides being an asshole, must be one hell of a morbid drunk.
Yeah, I’ll second that Tori is a sweetheart. Met her when she played Schuba’s introducing Little Earthquakes. This was before she had a Bosendorfer, and was playing a broken Yamaha electric grand and had to crawl under it to fix the sustain pedal during the show.
From the world of Punk and Indie Rock:
Henry Rollins comes across as a huge self-absorbed jerk in almost every interview I’ve ever seen him do. (Jello Biafra, too.)
Here’s a Rollins classic from his Black Flag days:
…and Rollins in an interview with “Nardwuar the Human Serviette”
Nardwuar has to be one of the most annoying, irritating people on the face of the planet. But his interviews are great because he really brings out the best and the worst of his subjects.
Two more videos of singers attacking fans:
Ben Weasel of “Screeching Weasel”
…and Anton Newcombe of the “Brian Jonestown Massacre”
Your link is not valid. That always seemed non-credible to me as well, like someone trying to convince me that Fred Rogers sold crack.
Jerry Lee Lewis seems pretty awful in real life.