Music Urban Legends

[StoneMtn]

boiler rat started a thread asking for music trivia. While I was thinking about what to post, I thought of all sorts of "facts" I know about musicians, that I really can't say are true or not. I've heard so many things, that I've never seen verified, that it occurred to me I probably know more "urban legends" about musicians, than I know trivia.

So, this thread is started for people to post things they've heard about musicians, and others to reply and give some input as to whether they think the "fact" is true or not. I am actually starting this, because I want to know the answer to this:

1. I once heard of a Frank Zappa album that was a very small release, like hundreds of copies. I heard it was called Frank Zappa "Rip Off". I was told that you put the album on your turntable and hear Zappa say "Ha ha. You've been ripped off.", and then the needle goes right to the centre of the album; and that's it.

I've looked online several times, and see no evidence that this album ever existed. If it did, though, I'd think copies would (ironically) be really valuable today.

So, does anyone know if this urban legend is true at all? Does this album exist?

(Feel free to post your own music urban legends here, as well.)

[hamilton]

Paul is dead.

[Blane]

boiler rat started a thread asking for music trivia. While I was thinking about what to post, I thought of all sorts of "facts" I know about musicians, that I really can't say are true or not. I've heard so many things, that I've never seen verified, that it occurred to me I probably know more "urban legends" about musicians, than I know trivia.

So, this thread is started for people to post things they've heard about musicians, and others to reply and give some input as to whether they think the "fact" is true or not. I am actually starting this, because I want to know the answer to this:

1. I once heard of a Frank Zappa album that was a very small release, like hundreds of copies. I heard it was called Frank Zappa "Rip Off". I was told that you put the album on your turntable and hear Zappa say "Ha ha. You've been ripped off.", and then the needle goes right to the centre of the album; and that's it.

I've looked online several times, and see no evidence that this album ever existed. If it did, though, I'd think copies would (ironically) be really valuable today.

So, does anyone know if this urban legend is true at all? Does this album exist?

(Feel free to post your own music urban legends here, as well.)

i heard about the same album (in grade school, I think) but by the "cheech and chong" people. Interesting.

[StoneMtn]

Aha! In true urban-legend-tradition.

I expect that someone else here will say they heard of the same album, by Dr. Demento, or something.

I'll bet it never existed.

Any other music-urban-legends out there to share?

[phishtaper]

i once heard garth brooks released an alt-rock album under a pseudonym ...

[Irie Guy]

i once heard garth brooks released an alt-rock album under a pseudonym ...

Well that one unfortunately was true

Chris Gaines

[shitidiot]

I once heard Stevie Nicks did so much blow that her sinus cavities collapsed ... so she would get a roadie to blow it up her ass with a straw.

2 month later same story with Elton John

[jayr]

^^poor roadies^^

[StoneMtn]

5. I heard that Ozzy was once staggering around a runway waiting for his private plane, when he had to relieve himself. He urinated on the nearest car, which just happened to be a cop-car, and happened to be inhabited by a cop at the time; who wasn't impressed.

If I had to bet, I'd bet that one is true (to some degree).

[elemeno]

I once heard Stevie Nicks did so much blow that her sinus cavities collapsed ... so she would get a roadie to blow it up her ass with a straw.

2 month later same story with Elton John

sounds like a good time to me, what are you doin this afternoon.

[bouche]

Here's a few

John Lennon and Mick Jagger had gay man sex according to urban legend.

Mama Cass choked on a Ham Sandwich.

I thought that Ozzy Osbourne biting the head off of a dove was urban legend but I found this great bit on wikipedia:

After signing his first solo career record deal he came in to meet some of the people who worked at the record company. His plan was to release doves into the air to get people to notice him, but when no one noticed, he changed his plans. He grabbed a dove, bit its head off, then spat the head out. Then with blood still dripping from his lips a security guard came to remove him; on the way out he bit the head off another dove. Despite its controversy, this act has been parodied and alluded to several times throughout his career and is part of what made Ozzy Osbourne infamous.

Osbourne admitted that, at the height of his drug addiction, he shot his family's pets:

"I was taking drugs so much I was a wreck, The final straw came when I shot all our cats. We had about 17, and I went crazy and shot them all. My wife found me under the piano in a white suit, a shotgun in one hand and a knife in the other.".

[headymamamyrna]

Elvis Presley shot his television to pieces.

[ersh]

A great one I heard involved the band Dayglo Abortions. Apparently, one night in a band room...maybe the Embassy in London...they took apart the TV, took a shit inside it, and put it back together. Of course no one could find the stench of it for weeks. People I've told it to have told me they heard about another band at another venue, etc.

[headymamamyrna]

Thats why Elvis shot the TV.It was full of shit!

I finally know now after all these years.

[bouche]

i'm laughing at this dialog right now. wow.

[headymamamyrna]

That was the idea to make you laugh!

[popo weenie]

Elvis Presley shot his television to pieces.

Elvis never in his life did a thing wrong, now you know who i like

not real good english eh?

maybe bradm can straighten this out

[Velvet]

Mama Cass did not choke on a sandwich, ham or otherwise. I saw it on VH1.

Legend has it that Jimmy Page played the solo on You Really Got Me by The Kinks. True?

[Blane]

The Beatles had a session drummer for all the later recordings (Sgt. Pepper and after I think). Ringo wasn't good enough. (so the legend says)

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

I was at an evangelical retreat in Akron when I was in my early teens and went to an anti-rock seminar where we were told that Janis Joplin died from shooting peanut butter (that's only one of about twenty little tidbits that I can still recall).

[Velvet]

Oh man, at Pentacostal youth group they used to tell us the craziest bullshit about rock groups.

AC/DC means After Christ Devil Comes, didja know that?

Which reminds me of the ultimate in musical urban legends:

Backwards masking.

[Davey Boy 2.0]

what about bob weir shagging donna?

fact or fiction?

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

Backwards masking.

…congratulations. You've just discovered the secret message. Please send your answer to Old Pink, care of the funny farm, Chalfont.

("Empty Spaces")

I remember one session where they did the old "Stairway to Heaven" bit backwards, but doubled the bass and kicked in more speakers, for added effect. Scared the shit out of me at the time. Now it just underscores how psychologically manipulative they were (are).

Years later, travelling in India, I had a good laugh when I met an evangelical Indian who went on a five-minute spiel about backmasking (he had gone into conniptions when I started playing Hotel California on guitar, saying it was devil music because of the "backmasked messages" on it). Funny the way these things spread globally.

[AD]

Mama Cass did not choke on a sandwich, ham or otherwise. I saw it on VH1.

she died of a heart attack, did she not? bouche posted the sandwich thing here because it's an 'urban' legend.

[Velvet]

Yup, I think heart attack. One reporter mentioned a ham sandwich being in the room and it spread from that. That's the rumour VH1 is spreading around anyways.