Weekly survey: Who is/was the biggest weirdo in music?
Sometimes creativity and eccentricity go hand-in-hand, something that’s often apparent with music types. While some may feign being weird as part of an image or persona, there are those who are truly, madly, deeply weird through-and-through 24/7.
My example is Prince. He was undeniably a musical genius, a once-in-a-generation talent. But he was also supremely weird. Kevin Smith has the camel story.
Then there’s this tale from Brandon Gillard, a bass player who once encountered Prince.
Now that Prince has set the bar, who else belongs in this club?
In the full-length video of that Prince story- I’m the one who originally asks the question that starts that whole story in motion. The video is great, but in person, it was a whole different story. Thanks for sharing it!
When you meet a lot of well-known musicians, you do definitely get the impression that these people are “artists,” first and foremost, and have their own unique way of looking at the world and living their lives. It doesn’t have to be something outrageous, but you notice that some of them aren’t on the same wavelength as the rest of us.
The two most eccentric people I’ve ever seen perform are David Wilcox, and Garth Hudson, from The Band. Both of them get onstage and they’re on another planet.
For my money I’d have to go with Otto Von Schirach. Saw him open for Skinny Puppy and it was one of the weirdest shows I’ve ever seen.