Before Tweeting showed off the worst in celebrities, you could always rely on hasty interviews and comments taken out of context for entertaining banter. Most of them were said while the subject was highly intoxicated. These are some highlights….


“The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There’s also a negative side …” Hunter S. Thompson– The writer behind Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas takes a well aimed pot shot at the music industry.


“The only good thing about America is that you killed John Lennon.” (Onstage in New York, 1992). Nicky Wire of the Manic Street Preachers on his contempt for America and John Lennon.


“My guitars are my umbilical cord. They`re directly wired into my head.” Kirk Hammett– Metallica guitarist. Huh? Kirk Hammett was trying to explain the innate creativity he feels while playing the guitar, but ends up sounding like he skipped biology class. .


“My left Testicle has more charisma than Damon”- Liam Gallagher speaking about Blur front man Damon Albarn during their infamous feud during the Brit-Pop years.


“It’s important that Oasis are rude about everybody and that they get drunk. That’s what people like you want, and you encourage them. Fair enough. It’s nice, isn’t it? But it’s nothing to do with me. They came to see us in Manchester and they were very pleasant boys. Very nice. I’d like to see that as a quote. Oasis are very nice boys.”- Blur’s Damon Albarn weighs into the Oasis/Blur spat.


“Most rock journalism is people who can’t write, interviewing people who can’t talk, for people who can’t read.” Frank Zappa on music journalism. We would like to believe he was wrong about the first part…


“I’ve never had a problem with drugs. I’ve had problems with the police.” Keith Richards on his ‘non-existent’ problem with illegal substances. Although he does have a problem with coconut trees…


“Love is 2 minutes and 52 seconds of squelching noises.” The romantic meanderings of Johnny Rotten.

“Every time I see Bono in those big fly glasses and tight leather pants I just can’t hack it. I can’t see that as solving the world’s problems. He’s crushing his testicles in tight trousers for world peace.” Johnny Rotten on U2’s Bono.


“We’re more popular than Jesus” John Lennon on The Beatles’ fame. In context, what Lennon was actually saying was that in years to come Christianity will “vanish and shrink”, as he was reading extensively about the religion and this was just one of his nuggets of wisdom. However it got taken out of context and to the rest of the world, it made John look like even more of an egomaniac.


“The ’60s are gone; dope will never be as cheap, sex never as free, and the rock and roll never as great.”- Abbie Hoffman (American activist) paints a sad and dull future.


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