[Rock Town Hall suggests you turn down your speakers before clicking on the following YouTube clip, especially if Mom, the kids, or your boss are around.]
I’m sure by now you’ve all heard the legendary Troggs Tapes, the profanity-filled band argument captured in the studio, on tape, for posterity! If you haven’t heard it, you may do so by clicking on this thread’s introductory YouTube clip. It’s audio only, so feel free to close your eyes and envision the angry and unformfortable reactions by band members.
What I’d like to hear are your favorite rock tantrums. They could be other leaked recordings of well-known bands in the heat of battle, written anecdotes thereof, or possibly best of all your personal experience with rock tantrums, whether as an observer or participant. Who knows, maybe I’ll share a few of my sudden “retirements.”
Obviously, George Harrison’s snippy meltdown during the Get Back sessions must be mentioned.
I was going to mention in the Nick Cave thread that Blixa Bargeld’s parting words to the Bad Seeds, supposedly, were: “I didn’t get into rock ‘n’ roll to play rock ‘n’ roll!”
Those are some awesome parting words from Mr. Bargeld! Definitely the sort of magic moment that only a rock tantrum can inspire.
I can never find the clip on YouTube for use here – and I do not have the energy to rent and watch the thing again – but isn’t it the Monterrey Pop concert film that captures a rock tantrum by Stephen Stills that requires Crosby and Nash to “love him out of it?”
there’s the classic Murray Wilson freak out (drunk) during the “help me rhonda sessions”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-N3V8rayX8M&feature=related
also the famous Yngwie Malmsteen flipout on an airplane: “now you’ve unleashed the fucking fury!”
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/Blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=8100
Classics, Sat. You have always struck me as a calm, cool sort among musicians. Have you ever thrown a rock tantrum or found yourself in the middle of one? I could see you playing peacemaker.
oh…i’ve got a temper. but nothing major has ever happened when i’ve been the leader. and yeah, i’ve been the peacemaker when i’m on board as a supporting musician. i’m fortunate to have played mostly with pretty grownup dudes. the ones who weren’t sort of fell by the wayside.
i save my tantrums for parking authority tools!
I always liked Lou Reed’s double live album of rock tantrum/insult comic stand-up routine, “Take No Prisoners”, on which he tears into Clive Davis, Rock Critics (by name; about 3 of ’em), the audience, the people that hired him to write a musical version of Nelson Algren’s “A Walk on the Wild Side”, the Warhol “Superstars” mentioned in the song “A Walk on the Wild Side”, Patti Smith, & many others. All captured in stunning stereo binaural sound.
Saturn, please say that we can hope to see you on a future episode of Parking Wars. I’ve lost a few hours of my life here and there watching that show. It satisfies my jones for your great city.
One of the Byrds reissues has a session recording of a rock tantrum, though in that case it’s the entire band yelling at the drummer.
Oopsies, Of course the album title above should read “TAKE No Prisoners”.
saturn, that Y.M. tantrum if flippin’ hilarious! Thanks man, that’s a keeper.
In relation to The Malm-ster, I don’t know if this is a commonly made joke, but a guy I knew was playing a live video of Yngwie, which all of those in the room were quipping on, when this guy says, in the middle of one of Mr. Fury Unleashed lenghty solo wanks, “Yup. He’s going for baroque!” I got a chuckle out of that one.
Is Take No Prisoners the only rock tantrum that masquerades as a live album?
BigSteve, I don’t know where the cameras were when i got a ticket on Shackamaxon st. (I’ll bet Kilroy did, too. Shawk: ballsiest park job i’ve ever seen on that now-policed, once PPA free zone). the meter maid with whom i had an exchange would’ve lost her job if her bosses could’ve seen what she said to me.
glad you like the yngwie spazzout, bobby! it couldn’t be funnier!
Mr. Mod, To the best of my knowledge Lou was on the vanguard of that particular sub-genre. That is, unless there is some riot grrrl act that released a live album (“All the males to the back! I only wanna see womyn in front of the stage!”). Most of those bands struck me as the definition of, if not rock tantrum, then Tantrum Rock.
I’m reminded of the Jimmy Destri-Clem Burke onstage hissy fit I witness when seeing Blondie as part of a huge show at Philly’s old JFK stadium, as documented here:
https://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/index.php/2007/03/07/genesis_reunites_supper_s_ready_pass_the
Anyone with the misfortune to have experienced one of Phantom Tollbooth’s live “performances” in the late ’80s, would have (9 out of 10 times) witnessed a band that was ALL ABOUT the rock tantrum. Biggest bunch of petulant babies I’ve ever seen. They always had to be on the same bill as a band I actually WANTED to see.
Mr. Mod, hate to Prince-Nez you, but you’re probably thinking of tWoodstock. Crosby, Stills & Nash didn’t come together until 1969.
Also, that Byrds tirade against Michael Clarke was a bonus track in the Nortorious Byrds Brothers CD.
The Kinks certainly had more than their share of tirades, starting w/Mick Avory slicing Dave’s head in Cardiff in 1965 & Ray’s quitting speech at White City in 1973 before going to the hospital to have his stomach pumped, among other such incidents.
Guilty as charged. I remember throwing a fit about the monitor mix up at that club on the Blvd. in the Philly Northeast…I must have blocked the club name out from embarrassment… maybe someone here can remember the club name?
We were on a bill with Ben Vaughn and Radio Rodeo? The sound dude was completely inept (or so it seemed) and I acted like a complete douche.
I’m sorry.
Bobbyb, your words on Phantom Tollbooth are most helpful. Did Frankie ever tell you about the time we were in Boston and went to T.T. the Bear’s to see Phantom Tollbooth and Volcano Suns? Not so much because we cared about either band, but we were going to be playing there and wanted to scope out the joint. It ended up being a spectacularly bad and highly entertaining show. Both bands seemed as if they took the stage in mid-band fight. Neither band played anything resembling a song. After what you’ve said I’m thinking that both bands were improvising to represent the bad blood they carried from the back room to the stage. Thanks for putting it all in perspective!
Diskojoe, Pince Nez as need be! Maybe it was Woodstock. I haven’t seen either film in ages. This could explain why I’ve never been able to locate the clip. Does anyone else remember the “love him out of it” moment that, I believe, Graham Nash instigates?
Mrclean, The Empire Rock Club is the club whose name you’ve blanked out!!! We opened there for you once as well. Maybe it was the same soundman. The guy we had the night we played with you looked like someone you’d find in solitary confinement. I distinctly remember him cutting up crank on the mixing board before, during, and after our set. That may be all that needs to be said on the matter.
Billy Joel:
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DEFDB1039F93BA15754C0A961948260
And while searching for that, I came across this Elton John video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LX0v_bcOHH4
Somewhere on the WFMU blog there is a audio clip of Roger Waters whining on stage about people shooting off fireworks during his performance. He gets increasingly self-righteous and near hysterics as people begin whistling. As I have always hated Roger Waters, it has always cheered me up – he says something like “for fuck’s sake stop letting off fireworks and shouting and screaming, I’m trying to sing this song.”
Oh yeah, there’s Joni Mitchell’s rant – what festival was that.
Joe Jackson – I saw him yell at people for being late to the show. Awesome.
Well, Mr. Mod, it’s just the reference libraian in me.
One rock tantrum by David Crosby that did make Monterey Pop (well, the bonus disc of outtakes in the Creterion edition) was when he went on & on about Sir Paul taking LSD & about the Kennedy assination while the rest of the Byrds stood embarrassed.
Whoops, I spelled librarian wrong. As the 21st Century cliche goes, “My bad.”
I think the fireworks rant occurred during the Pink Floyd tour which culminated with Waters spitting on an audience member. Maybe it was the same show.
That Billy Joel story is awesome. Leave it to that asshole to ruin Glasnost.
I’m loving these rock tantrums! We’re going to have to dig up the Waters one from the WFMU archives. I’m sure that will warm the cockles of many Townspersons hearts, Plasticsun!
I’m pretty sure that the more rock tantrums we hear about from our stars, the more comfortable some of you may feel in sharing your personal experiences with this dynamic.
How about Ryan Adams having someone thrown out of a gig for repeatedly requesting “Summer of 69”?
Yeah, I was thinking about the Joni Mitchell meltdown too. It was at the 1970 Isle of Wight festival, and there’s a film of it out there. Here’s a brief synopsis of the incident from wikipedia:
Good times.
cdm said
How about Ryan Adams having someone thrown out of a gig for repeatedly requesting “Summer of 69”?
I saw him on tour shortly after that (it may have been the next night). He had no tantrums the night I saw him but it was one of the biggest rock pouts I’ve seen. I assume per the pub he was getting post this. Or maybe this is his usual stage persona. Anyway, he spent the whole night looking down, moping around, like he’d rather be anywhere but on stage. What a waste of a night.
This is a different kind tantrum but several years ago the Waxwing’s had a record release show. They reportedly didn’t put on much of a show that night. Anyway, the band’s record label owner was at the show and he wrote a pointed, four letter filled rant at them that was at HIGH volume. One of the band members must have shared it with someone via email and then naturally it made the rounds.
I’m sure that was seen by you all?
You know, I’m starting to think I’ve gone down this road before, thinking that the Stills tantrum was from Monterey… Maybe it’s the Big Sur film, which I probably haven’t seen since high school, on some late, late movie? Go 4 minutes into this clip, right after the shot of Robert Downey Jr. from Tropic Thunder, and you’ll see a spectacular piece of crowd control by Stills, confronting a heckler. I’m thinking there might have been a post-confrontation scene cut later in the film in which Nash and Crosby “loved him out of it.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CboU0iUefv4
Or maybe I’ve had to be loved out of too many of my own tantrums and have ascribed this scene from my own life onto the life of CSNY…
That label head’s rant about Waxwings was great. I’d forgotten all abou that.
Yeah, in his monologue at around 6:08 Stills says “I had some guys around that loved me out of it,” but I assume he’s talking about the two guys that intervened in the fight and walked him back to the stage.
Is Stills a candidate for Mandom?
Especially while wearing a poncho, I’d say DEFINITELY, BigSteve. I am so inspired from reviewing the Big Sur performances that I’m tempted to spend part of a little gift I got for reaching an anniversary at work on a few Stills-led CSNY tracks.
Moddy, Not only do I remember that P.T./V.S. incident, I’ve still got the HEADLINES fan-letter thingy that Frankie used as a forum to attack the likes of said ‘artistes’. I believe it was titled, “Give Us Your Contracts!”, which was quite the rant itself! It also kinda betrayed an endearing naivete, thinking that anyone on Homestead actually got any money out of the deal, or much else, for that matter. He also had some choice words for whatever that band was that had a puppet show incorporated into the act, & one w/ a female lead singer who came out with a ton of outfits on, one on top of the other. She would, during the set, remove one after another, until she was, no, not naked, but down to some t-shirt or something with a silly slogan on it. I believe Mr. Stipe of R.E.M. employed a similar gimmick at one point.
To paraphrase Mr. John Cale, “they were the best of times/the stupid kind”.
While this doesn’t really count as a “rock” tantrum, it IS one of my favorite musical tantrums. Go to;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-ssZeOZkWU
If that doesn’t get you there, just go to YouTube music channel & enter ‘Buddy Rich chews his band out”. You’ll have your choice of the 2:47 version, or the much more satisfying 9min. & then some version.
It always brings to mind the story about how, after Buddy’s death, some wag called his #, asking, “Hello. Could I speak to Buddy Rich?”, to which Buddy’s widow replied, “I’m sorry, but Buddy has passed away”. A few minutes later, the same voice is on the line, asking the same question, Buddy’s widow replying, “No, I just told you, Buddy has passed away.”, to which said wag replies, “I know. I just wanted to hear you say it again.”
Now I’m going to have to dig out my old Give Me Your Contract! piece and see about posting it here. The band with the pretentious woman singer was on a label run by Eno, if memory serves, and featured a really cool writer from the early Big Takeover, Tim Sommers (?), and an Asian guy who played with Glenn Branca when I saw him. I can’t recall their name. With all that pedigree, I thought the band would be great. Instead they were terrible. The puppet show band was Miracle Legion. Also wedgie worthy.
Moddy, I just dug it out! It appears in Headline #8. Sorry, the piece was titled, “Give Me Your Contract!”
Apparently, it was Green St. Station, not T.T.’s 9I thought it sounded a bit early for that club). The whole of the article was dumping on P.T. & V.S.
Miracle Legion, right. Incredibly silly band.
At this writing I’m listening to “Jailhouse Rock-a-Bubba”.
I’m not sure where the screed against that Tim Sommer’s band appeared. A quick run through the 9 Headlines I have in front of me isn’t giving it up, but, I too, feel as though I should remember their name.
I remember the piece concerning the Tim Sommer’s band ending with the line, “…and we can all laugh the singer of_______ off the stage.”
Townspeople,Sorry bout going crazy with the commas above. Can’t wait until that damn secretary is back from her vacay!
Man, listening to this old “Head” stuff is really leading me to believe Andyr & Mr. Moderator were the Daltrey/Townshend of their day, dynamic-wise.
i just remembered that while doing sound at ‘the balcony’ here in philly, i got to watch grant hart have a major meltdown on the crowd. he was playing a solo set, and people were talking during his songs. he would have none of it: “i mean….not only is it incredibly fucking RUDE…it’s IGNORANT. i mean…what the fuck did you people pay to see?” at which point someone said “NOT….YOU.”
Yeah many years ago I saw T Bone Burnett get really pissed about people talking too much during the first song of his solo set at Tipitina’s. He was right, it was ridiculous, but then he said “Everyone who wants to listen, come back to my dressing room.” Except that of course we couldn’t do that. After ten or fifteen minutes of nothing passed, I threw a rock tantrum and demanded my money back from the manager. They refused. Burnett eventually re-emerged and played some more, but it was not a good night.
The whole “Please be quiet, I’m performing” tantrum may be the least-excusable of all tantrums. The audience may suck, but there should be better ways of trying to pull them into the performance than DEMANDING that they shut up and listen to every one of your possibly boring songs. It hurts to have an audience not care about what you’re doing, but them’s the breaks.
It’s not CLASSICAL MUSIC – even a solo rock ‘n roll artist is playing rock ‘n roll to a more or less rock ‘n roll audience. Elvis and Chuck Berry weren’t entitled to have a captive audience; you’re not either. The day I have to attend a rock show of any sort with a tennis or golf fan’s limitations will be a sad day indeed.
Didn’t Paul Anka’s tirade get featured on RTH way back when?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LsnW0WZlKQ
Notice the reference at 0:45 of the Troggs audio to Larry Page, who, as I understand it, adored instrumentals and got half from Grenville, who, in turn, had been owed half from Robert.
That Paul Anka clip is AWESOME! That’s just the way it is. Too many quotables to quote.
Speaking of Gimme Shelter there’s Keith’s very brief tantrum onstage at Altamont — “If that cat right there doesn’t stop it, man, we’re not playing!” It didn’t work. Hard to believe, after Mick nicely asked his brother and sisters to “cool out.” And I guess Marty Balin had been trying to love it out of the Hell’s Angels when he got punched unconscious.
wow…i guess the guys get shirts then.
bob dylan getting overly righteous and self-preservational due to someone’s tossing a glass out of his hotel room:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZuD8NwX_eY
is he auditioning for a role? what a scenery chewer.
and as an added bonus, just a reminder of the classic Casey Kasem bit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDYK2H0ldbo
and please…don’t get me started on sports tirades.
Christian Bale’s movie tantrum has been turned into a rock (or at least dance) tantrum:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRF9mfKgknY
And Bill O’Reilly’s famous meltdown has been turned into a jazz tantrum:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z46jvbZdP2g
Since Mrclean has been the only Townsperson, I believe, to step forward with his own experience, and since I have trouble believing no other musicians have either instigated or been in the crosshairs of a rock tantrum, I’ll share my recurring form of rock tantrum: “retirement.”
The two main bands I’ve been in have blessed me with at least one equally combative, opinionated band member. I can’t relate to tales of peaceful bands or bands that act out their disputes through passive-aggressive means. My friends and I are usually take aggressive-aggressive measures – well short of fisticuffs, I should make clear.
In the old days, when I had a much worse temper and was much worse at dealing with frustrations, I’d simply “retire” mid-rehearsal, when I realized that yelling and various mind games wouldn’t work and all I could think of doing was punching out a bandmate, usually one of my close personal friends on either vocals or drums. Retirement meant suddenly turning off my amp, unplugging my guitar, and packing up my equipment. Then I’d walk out the door. A minute later a band member or two would come after me, love me out of it, and get me back to work. We did a lot of fighting in rehearsals, in the studio, and after shows (I believe Chickenfrank once related a particularly scathing postgame analysis in the wee hours following a show), but we never took it out on The People. Although we disliked and were jerks to all but a handful of soundpeople (a few of whom in the Halls of Rock), I don’t think we ever cut loose on anyone like that.
In the other main band that I did, when I was blessed to play alongside the cool-headed E. Pluribus Gergely, rehearsal and recording-session fights continued. The two of us got into some legendary knockdowns with a third bandmate willing to stir shit himself and two other bandmates who were emotionally distressed over all the dysfuntion. One time at a rehearsal, when our drummer was being particularly difficult about following the arrangement, he suddenly put down his sticks, got up from his throne, and walked out the door! The other former Head member and I knew EXACTLY what he was pulling: RETIREMENT! We followed him outside for the requisite loving and healing.
Eventually, all the loving out of it that was required for any given band member on a given day led to factions within the band, which probably sealed our inability to continue as a band.
i am probably blocking my memories of my own tantrums out of embarrassment.
but i do remember this moment.
my early 90s band the uptown bones headlined the re-opened khyber, thanksgiving wednesday, 1989 and packed the place: we were given our share of the door, which was 500 plus $$$. sweet.
The next time we played there with the electric love muffin, we packed the place again. after being handed a paltry 75 bucks, and witnessing the muffin open their envelope to discover only $100, i noticed said club’s booking agent, onstage fronting his vanity vehicle (a band for whom i sometimes bass’d). i snuck up behind him while he sang, and laid the wood on him like i was knocking a QB from his blindside… *POW*… off the stage he went…in a heap.
tantrum complete.
mod, with regard to my “calmness”, i also came across a very long discussion between simon and i over whether should write an ending to a song or just let it ‘end itself’: two guys in a heated disagreement, bound and determined NOT to be the one to raise his voice, and with naturally deep, calm, sounding voices to begin with. at a low volume, it sounds like two rhinos sharing a joke….or a talk show about coffee.
I watched Gregg Foreman throw a sissyfit at the soundman when the Delta 72 opened for Man or Astro Man at the TLA about 10 or 12 years ago.
I saw that Grant Hart tantrum at the Balcony too. I walked the fuck out.
I watched Mark E. Smith, for no apparrent reason, punch his guitarist and keyboard player onstage, then walkoff 4 songs into the only Fall show i ever saw at the Troc.
Henry Brann, the Electric man, was doing lights on a Joni Mitchell/CSNY tour in the 70’s After a show 1 night, Steven Stills walked into the room, saw an empty cooler full of ice and sucker punched Henry for drinking the last beer.
a few minutes later, he saw the other 3 coolers.
he’s a creepy bully.
Can Iggy Pop have a tantrum?
Well, I’m not really sure but when I saw him long ago at the Longhorn Bar he had a moment anyway. He couldn’t stand the spot light overhead shining on him. He kept yelling “shut that fucking light fucking off” and so on. They would but you could barely see his face. So they tried to turn on the light again after a few songs and he again starting yelling some more, threatening to leave if they didn’t. Anyway, Iggy naturally won the battle and remained in shadows….
Are musicians prone to light sensitivity issues? I think the last time I saw Pere Ubu, maybe 10 years ago at Upstairs at Nick’s, or whatever that place was called, there was a string of lights in a clear tube that ran around the walls of the stage, like piping on an upholstered chair. The lights were for decoration only; they couldn’t have caused any glare if you opened your eyes and looked right into the strand of lights from 2 inches away. As the band took the stage an obviously annoyed David Thomas started complaining about the lights, saying it wasn’t Christmas or some such holiday. For all to hear he yelled back to the lighting person to say that he wouldn’t play until they took down the Christmas lights. A couple of guys quickly ran up to the stage and pulled out the staples that were holding the decorative lights in place.
After the show members of the band were milling about the crowd. The guitarist – Tom [blanking on last name], the guy from Dub Housing who had rejoined the band for that tour – had a big crowd of fans and well wishers around him. I joined in and told him how much I loved his playing. Thomas was wedged into the darkest corner he could find, looking like the Hunchback of Notre Dame or some other put-upon creature from films of that period. A couple of dudes tried to chat him up, but he was having nothing of it. Walk on by…
here’s the Waters clip:
http://blog.resonancefm.com/archives/54
Beautiful, Sat! Thanks for digging that out.
Surprised no one has mentioned Chuck Berry’s freakout on Keith Richards about his amp in “Hail, Hail Rock and Roll”.
That’s a good one. I heard they remedied the problem by relenting to Mr. Berry, then hooking up an extension amp, set at a reasonable volume, & putting the mic on that for the recording.