Music History

11 reasons why Stephen Hawking rocked

For someone who was born on the 300th anniversary of Galileo’s death, it’s somehow mathematically appropriate that Stephen Hawking died on Albert Einstein’s birthday as well as on Pi Day. Today his achievements in physics and cosmology are being remembered around the world.

When he was diagnosed with ALS in the 1960s, he was given two years to live. Instead, he survived for decades and became the best-known scientist since Albert Einstein.

Here are eleven pop culture reasons why Hawking rocked.

1. He appeared on Star Trek:TNG playing poker with Data, Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein.

2. He was part of saving Lisa’s brain on The Simpsons

3. He played a jerk on Futurama

4. He put Sheldon in his place on The Big Bang Theory

5. David Gilmour sampled his voice for this song from the Pink Floyd album, The Division Bell

Hawking, though, wasn’t much of a rock fan. He preferred classical music. However….

6. Hawking was partial to at least one Monty Python song.

7. The Manic Street Preachers have a song called “Me and Stephen Hawking” on their 2009 album, Journal of Plague Lovers

8. Turbonegro’s song “Intro: Into the Party Zone” features a cameo from Hawking.

9. He inspired the creation of a rapper named MC Hawking.

10. And no, that’s not Hawking in Radiohead’s “Fitter, Happier.” That’s Thom Yorke’s synthesized voice–but you can see where Thom was going with this.

11. Even the Foo Fighters think he’s cool.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 39205 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

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