# What celebrities are complete bastards? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 18, 2009, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827 "2009-01-18T04:38:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/61 "2009-01-18T21:32:05Z")
I grew up in West L.A. and now live in Santa Barbara. I have seen many dozens of celebrities in my life just going about their normal business. For the most part I ignore them but I’ve chatted with a few. In all of my years only one celebrity was a dick to me: Christopher Lloyd. He lives in Montecito, in fact he lost his house in the most recent fire. My favorite sushi place in the area is in Montecito. I’ve been going there since it first opened several years ago. I’d seen Chris in there before, by himself, at the far end of the sushi bar. I went in with my then wife and Chris was there with a friend/date. The date was at the end of the bar, then Chris, then two empty seats. There was also one table open. When we went in the hostess directed us to the table but I asked to be seated at the bar. The hostess was a little hesitant but sat us next to him. When we sat down, he looked at me like I was a complete piece of shit and how dare I take the stool next to him. He then turned himself sideways so that his back was to me and his face was to his date and he spent the rest of his time that way. I assure you that I didn’t say “hello” to him let alone stare or try to talk to him. What an ass. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/62 "2009-01-18T21:39:28Z")
Aside from the guitarist in the group Stone the Crows, when has someone been electrocuted on stage?: > **[Stone the Crows](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_the_Crows)** > > Stone the Crows were a Scottish blues rock band formed in Glasgow in late 1969. They are remembered for the onstage electrocution of guitarist and founding member Les Harvey. > The band were formed after Maggie Bell was introduced to Les Harvey by his elder brother Alex Harvey. After playing together in the Kinning Park Ramblers, their next band Power was renamed Stone the Crows (after a British/Australian English exclamation of surprise or shock) by Led Zeppelin's manager, Peter Grant. The ban... ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/63 "2009-01-18T21:42:03Z")
My old boss once sat down next to Jason Alexander at a blackjack table in Vegas. They played for awhile in total silence, barely even making eye contact with each other. After awhile, the actor leaned over to my boss and said, “Hey, thanks for not making a big deal about me being here. I really appreciate it.” Then he walked out. My boss looked at the dealer and said, “Who the hell was that?” He honestly had never seen an episode of _Seinfeld_ in his life! ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/64 "2009-01-18T21:50:48Z")
Does that make Alexander a bastard? I’m confused. Sounds like a fairly nice thing to say. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/65 "2009-01-18T21:54:25Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > He honestly had never seen an episode of _Seinfeld_ in his life! Heh. A good friend of mine owns a little charter fishing boat. He had Julia Louise Dreyfus and her husband on his boat four of five times at the height of the popularity of _Seinfeld_ before he even knew that she was an actress. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/66 "2009-01-18T21:58:07Z")
> [@Illuminatiprimus](#): > > Does that make Alexander a bastard? I’m confused. Sounds like a fairly nice thing to say. No, I wasn’t trying to imply he was a bastard (sorry, OP), but I did think it was kinda funny that he just assumes everyone on the planet knows who he is. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/67 "2009-01-18T22:07:39Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Aside from the guitarist in the group Stone the Crows, when has someone been electrocuted on stage?: > > [Stone the Crows - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_the_Crows) Keith Relf, formerly lead singer of _The Yardbirds_ was electrocuted playing his guitar. Wiki says his guitar wasn’t properly grounded. Don’t know if it was onstage or not. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/68 "2009-01-18T22:16:17Z")
It wasn’t on stage: > **[Keith Relf](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Relf)** > > William Keith Relf (22 March 1943 – 12 May 1976) was an English musician, best known as the lead vocalist and harmonica player for rock band the Yardbirds. He then formed the band Renaissance with his sister Jane Relf, the Yardbirds ex-drummer Jim McCarty and ex-The Nashville Teens keyboardist John Hawken. > Relf was born in the Richmond Institution on 22 March 1943 to Mary Elsie Relf (née Vickers) and William Arthur Percy Relf. Keith had a sister Jane. His father was a builder, while his mothe... ---
**Author:** ![Simmerdown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simmerdown/32/14859_2.png) [@Simmerdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simmerdown)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/69 "2009-01-18T22:17:16Z")
> [@Scissorjack](#): > > I read an interview with Eddie once where he explained that the main purpose behind that clause was safety: with a whole bunch of electrical equipment up on a strange stage in an unknown venue it could be downright hazardous if the promoter cut corners or didn’t know what they were doing: the “electrocuted singer” bit in **Almost Famous** wasn’t made-up, and was a genuine hazard at jerry-built venues. Their gig contract had a bunch of specifications about the kind of setup they needed in order that nobody was electrocuted or incinerated, with the “Brown M&M’s” clause thrown is a test: if the promoter had skipped over that bit, chances were he’d skipped over some potentially dangerous stuff too. Is there any anecdotal evidence of promoters who didn’t pass the test? What would be the consequences if Diamond Dave stuck a finger in and pulled out a brown one? Who would make sure everything was grounded correctly? Or would they just cancel the show? ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/70 "2009-01-18T22:25:32Z")
Yeah, to tell you the truth, that whole Van Halen “making sure the promoters did their job” thing sounds bogus and like PR to cover their asses after making silly demands. For one thing, having someone pluck the brown ones from their M&Ms would be a pretty easy thing for a promoter to have someone do, and a pretty easy thing for the guys in the band to notice hadn’t been done. Plus, I know _I_ wouldn’t have confidence that the much more complicated job of setting up the band’s wiring safely was done just because someone took the trouble to take the brown ones out of the M&Ms. On the other hand, I don’t know that I’d want to eat M&Ms that some anonymous person had pawed through, so maybe they’re telling the truth and never intended to eat the M&Ms to begin with. ---
**Author:** ![ZebraShaSha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/eada6e/32.png) [@ZebraShaSha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZebraShaSha)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/71 "2009-01-18T22:26:57Z")
> [@Illuminatiprimus](#): > > I missed this first time around - whatever the guy who wrote that rider is on, I want some. [Continued Hijack about Riders] The best one we ever recieved (for a moderately well known indie band) included several pages of just random shit, but it was hillarious - a 1987 Fleer baseball card, a mint condition Furbie, etc. [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/72 "2009-01-18T22:30:17Z")
I interviewed Jane Siberry once. She made me feel very small, slightly bruised. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/73 "2009-01-18T22:30:52Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Aside from the guitarist in the group Stone the Crows, when has someone been electrocuted on stage?: > > [Stone the Crows - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_the_Crows) [Keith Richards](http://www.nme.com/news/keith-richards/21795) in 1965. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/74 "2009-01-18T23:05:05Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Aside from the guitarist in the group Stone the Crows, when has someone been electrocuted on stage?: > > [Stone the Crows - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_the_Crows) Ace Frehley of KISS, Lakeland FL, Destroyer tour. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/75 "2009-01-18T23:20:53Z")
Not to be pedantic, you guys, but when someone is electrocuted it means they died. From M-W online: Main Entry: elec·tro·cute Pronunciation: \i-ˈlek-trə-ˌkyüt\ Function: transitive verb Inflected Form(s): elec·tro·cut·ed; elec·tro·cut·ing Etymology: electr- + -cute (as in execute) Date: 1889 1 : to execute (a criminal) by electricity 2 : to kill by electric shock ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/76 "2009-01-18T23:42:59Z")
Past champions– Gabe Kaplan, of _Welcome Back Kotter_. Sank the franchise. Lee Majors, of _The Six Million Dollar Man_. Cruel, by reputation. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/77 "2009-01-19T00:10:07Z")
There’s been a few threads here about John Walsh of _America’s Most Wanted_ fame being a bit of a dick. ---
**Author:** ![vison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e47774/32.png) [@vison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vison)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/78 "2009-01-19T00:15:09Z")
I respectfully disagree with the contention that if you’re electrocuted, you’re dead. I know a guy who was electrocuted on the job 5 years ago. He was very badly hurt, but not dead. In the Workers’ Compensation report he was described as having been “electrocuted”. There is a story, possibly apocryphal, about the term “electrocution” being used to describe “execution by electricity”. Edison loathed Westinghouse, this was all to do with A/C vs D/C in the early days of electricity use. A/C won out, but that’s the extent of my knowledge of that, and no doubt - no doubt at all - I got that much wrong, too. At any rate, there was evidently some controversy over what to say about the impending execution by electricity and what the “term” should be. Edison suggested that the guy was going to be “Westinghoused”. I like that story, and if it’s not true, it oughta be. Edison was not famous for being nice. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/79 "2009-01-19T00:26:50Z")
In any case, the question I was asking was if anybody beside the guitarist from Stone the Crows was electrocuted on stage (and died from it). ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/80 "2009-01-19T00:28:15Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > Celine Dion or “Runaround Sue” Dion? The latter. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827.md?page=5)