Top Ten Rock n Roll Criminals
Rock stars are just like regular people; they eat, they poop, they occasionally don’t pay their taxes or murder people, yup, just like you and me.
Seriously though, a surprising amount of rockers have been arrested. You’d think with all the money and the fame, you’d do your best not to be sent to the slammer but alas the following ten rock stars have all been arrested for something or another… none of it good.
10. Scott Weiland (Stone Temple Pilots, Velvet Revolver)
Scott has had a problem with drugs over the years. He has been arrested at least twice for buying drugs (once dressed as a pimp apparently) and a number of DUI’s. He has since cleaned up a bit but still seems to have a knack of getting thrown out of bands.
9. Rob Collins (Charlatans UK)
Rob Collins picked up his friend one night and drove him around. They popped by an “off license” and Rob’s friend got out (a corner store that also sells booze) and promptly pulled out a gun and robbed the store. Collins apparently had no idea what was going on until he heard gunshots but he made the mistake of driving his friend away which got him charged with armed robbery. This got dropped to “assisting an offender after an offence” and Rob ended up in prison for four months. Sadly, Collins died due to drinking and driving while not wearing a seatbelt. He crashed and went through the windshield.
8. Ian Brown (The Stone Roses)
Ian was headed home on a flight and for some reason… kind of went nuts. It began with a misunderstood slight from a flight attendant and ended with Ian banging on the door to the cockpit. He was sentenced to four months in jail but ended up only serving two.
7. GG Allin
GG ended up being arrested or threatened to be arrested a lot. But that’s all part and parcel to a stage show that involves cutting yourself and defecating on stage and occasionally throwing it crowd members. The charges that did more or less stick were “assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder” involving a woman who he apparently cut, burned and drank her blood. Allin plea bargained and ended up spending over a year in jail for felonious assault.
6. Chuck Berry
Regarded as one of the most important men in rock n’ roll history, Chuck Berry has had a few run ins with the law including transporting a minor over state lines for sexual purposes (from Mexico), tax evasion, and was sued by a number of women due to a camera being placed in the women’s washroom of a restaurant he owned. This ended up with the police raiding his home and busting him for pot possession.
5. Big Lurch
I know what you’re saying, “Who?” but due to the circumstances around his arrest, Big Lurch made this list. Big Lurch is a rapper from Texas who worked with the likes of Too Short and Mystical. When he was 24, he was in a car accident that broke his neck. After exiting the hospital, Lurch found he was still in a lot of pain. He also discovered that PCP seemed to help his pain. Unfortunately it also lead to an episode where Big Lurch killed his roommate and ATE pieces of her while high on PCP. He’s currently serving a life sentence for the murder.
4. Phil Spector
A long history of being volatile and brandishing guns (at John Lennon and The Ramones) didn’t do Phil any favors when he was arrested for the murder of Lana Clarkson.
3. James Brown
The Godfather of soul has had many brushes with the law starting at age 16 when he did time (3 years) for theft. In 1988, the Sex Machine was arrested for drugs and weapons charges and then again after leading police on a high speed chase which included more weapons and drug charges. This was followed by battery charges from his wife and one of the greatest denial interviews ever filmed. In 2000, Brown had charges laid on him after charging at a electric company worker with a steak knife… a worker Brown had called in due to his lights “not working”. Wow, maybe he really was the hardest working man in show business.
2. Rick James
Rick James once said cocaine is a hell of a drug. He wasn’t kidding. While in the spiral of addiction, James and his (future) wife kidnapped a women and held her for six days, beating her, burning her and making her perform sexual acts against her will. Then, while on bail from those charges, James and his wife assaulted another woman over a twenty hour period. He served two years in Folsome Prison.
1. Varg Vikernes
When it comes to crime, it’s hard to beat this black metaller from Norway. Varg was the main man behind Burzum has been convicted of arson on 4 churches along with the murder of Oystein Aarseth (Euronymous from Mayhem). When the police went to Varg’s place they found explosives and 3000 rounds of ammo. While on a brief leave from prison, Vikerness tried to escape by car jacking a family at gunpoint. And believe it or not, his sentence ended and he is out and about in France.
Now loyal readers, who else should be on this list? Please leave you ideas in the comment section below!
