Rock stars are famous for their over-the-top lifestyles, and many truly embraced that reputation. Their wild behavior often led to unforgettable stories and tragic outcomes, proving that the thrill of partying can quickly turn into danger. Here's a look at musicians who took excess to an extreme.
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00:00Rock stars are famous for their over-the-top lifestyles, and many truly embraced that reputation.
00:06Their wild behavior often led to unforgettable stories and tragic outcomes, proving that the thrill of partying can quickly turn into danger.
00:14Here's a look at musicians who took excess to an extreme.
00:18During his 1970s peak, Rod Stewart faced a dilemma.
00:22How to preserve his signature raspy voice while indulging in the excesses of rock star life?
00:28He loved singing his heart out, but also craved the after-party perks, namely a hefty dose of cocaine.
00:34Snorting the drug would damage his nasal passages and, ultimately, his throat.
00:39To avoid harming his voice, Stewart got creative, finding alternative ways to get the cocaine into his bloodstream without the typical risks.
00:47This cunning approach allowed him to maintain his iconic sound while indulging in his rock and roll lifestyle.
00:55And I, for one, still don't understand the chemistry of it, and never will, for as long as I live.
01:01Stewart mentioned in his autobiography, Rod,
01:04We started buying anti-cold capsules from the chemists and separating the two halves of the capsules, replacing their contents with a pinch of cocaine.
01:12Stewart revealed that the pill would be ingested in a very unconventional place, not typically recommended.
01:18They would dissolve effortlessly into the system.
01:21Rod Stewart resorted to creating his own cocaine suppositories, a method that worked for him, but is far more complicated for others.
01:28You know, because sometimes you have it, sometimes it escapes, some people never find it in their entire lives.
01:35For years, the Playboy Mansion was the epicenter of extravagant parties and indulgence.
01:40Hugh Hefner, surrounded by playmates, lived a life of luxury and leisure,
01:45hosting celebrities and high-profile guests in a decadent haven for wine, women, and music.
01:51The mansion was a playground where rules seemed non-existent, and guests could freely explore whatever pleasures they desired.
01:58However, in 2004, Dave Navarro, guitarist for Jane's Addiction and the Red Hot Chili Peppers,
02:05revealed a moment that even the mansion's wildest culture couldn't condone.
02:09In his book, Don't Try This at Home, A Year in the Life of Dave Navarro,
02:14he shared an incident from a visit to the mansion.
02:16After arriving with several women, Navarro prepared and injected heroin as the women undressed.
02:22In an altered state, he used his syringe to attempt writing on the wall with his blood.
02:26Though he cleaned up the mess, the act was enough to get him permanently banned from the mansion,
02:31a severe punishment in a place where few boundaries were ever set.
02:34Being banned from a sanctuary of excess like the Playboy Mansion speaks volumes about the extremity of his actions.
02:42Why don't I just keep him here for a little while until he calms down?
02:46Ozzy Osbourne's legendary rock antics are so wild that many sound like urban myths, yet most of them are true.
02:53He really did bite the head off a bat during a live performance,
02:57and in a fit of drunken rage during a record label meeting, he chewed off a dove's head.
03:02But that's just a taste of his outrageous behavior.
03:04On his 1984 tour with Motley Crue, things went to another level of depravity.
03:10As detailed in The Dirt and its Netflix adaptation, the band was hanging out at a hotel pool in Lakeland, Florida.
03:17After being denied cocaine, Ozzy, ever the eccentric, snorted a line of ants through a straw.
03:22As if that wasn't enough, he then urinated all over the pool deck in front of families and onlookers.
03:28To top it off, Osbourne proceeded to lick up his own urine from the ground.
03:32This bizarre and disgusting act was just another in a long line of substances and outrageous behavior
03:38that Ozzy added to his rock and roll resume, cementing his place in music history for his shocking antics.
03:44It was fun at the time, but then we all just thought it wasn't a very good idea anymore.
03:49So you have a more stable life now?
03:50No.
03:51Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry earned the nickname Toxic Twins due to their notorious heroin and cocaine use.
03:59Their reputation was solidified when even the infamous Keith Richards backed up their wild lifestyle.
04:05Tyler reflected on this in a 1990 Rolling Stone interview, revealing just how extreme their habits had become.
04:11Jerry Garcia says that we were the druggiest bunch of guys the Grateful Dead ever saw.
04:16So that gives you some idea of how f***ing crazy we were.
04:19Tyler admitted that he and some bandmates were so consumed by their drug use that they lacked the energy for other indulgences,
04:26a decision he later regretted.
04:28He shared this in an interview, explaining,
04:35We were more interested in the finer.
04:37During his path to sobriety, Tyler likely had some deep self-reflection,
04:41leading to powerful realizations about his life and choices.
04:45That is E to the Z or twiddle-a-ding disgusting!
04:49You haven't heard me sing diddle-a-ding yet.
04:51In the early 1980s, British rocker Billy Idol brought punk into the mainstream,
04:56blending it with pop rock elements.
04:58His signature look, spiked, bleached hair, a defiant sneer and ripped shirts became synonymous with punk style.
05:05But while his appearance screamed punk, his lifestyle was pure rock star.
05:09Idol took hotel room destruction to new heights when he trashed a penthouse suite in Bangkok, Thailand,
05:14surpassing even the wild antics of legendary bands like Led Zeppelin and The Who.
05:19No way!
05:21In 1989, Billy Idol checked into a luxurious hotel and stayed for three weeks,
05:27turning his suite into a chaotic party zone filled with drugs, alcohol and women.
05:32The hotel management had enough and demanded he leave, but Idol refused.
05:36In the end, they had no choice but to call in the military,
05:39who subdued him with a tranquilizer dart and physically removed him.
05:43After the dust settled, Idol received a hefty bill for the destruction, $250,000 in damages.
05:49No way!
05:51While much of Guns N' Roses notorious reputation revolves around frontman Axl Rose and guitarist Slash,
05:58bassist Duff McKagan played a crucial role in the band's legacy.
06:02His rise to fame was fueled by an intense combination of alcohol and cocaine,
06:06with McKagan regularly consuming a staggering half gallon of vodka each day, over 40 shots.
06:12Recognizing the toll this was taking on his health, he switched from vodka to wine,
06:16hoping for a less damaging alternative.
06:18However, this move didn't save him.
06:20In 1994, McKagan's pancreas ruptured, and doctors warned him that one more drink could be fatal.
06:27Reflecting on this, he told The Independent,
06:29My mom had Parkinson's and I saw her come in crying.
06:33Seeing her youngest son on tubes, that turned me around.
06:36And that was like all the rehab I needed.
06:39Motley Crue's Vince Neil favored alcohol, but Nikki Sixx took things further.
06:44After crashing his Porsche in 1983 and injuring his shoulder, Sixx became hooked on painkillers.
06:50However, they quickly lost their effect, leading him down a much darker path,
06:54as detailed in the band's memoir, The Dirt.
06:57Heroin began to consume me, first to kill the pain of the shoulder,
07:01then later to kill the pain of life, which is the pain of not being on heroin.
07:06By 1986, Nikki Sixx's heroin addiction was well known among those close to him.
07:11After being sent to rehab, he famously escaped by leaping from a second-story window.
07:16On December 23, 1987, after a night of partying with Guns N' Roses, Megadeth and Ratt,
07:23Sixx overdosed in his hotel room.
07:25His dealer injected him with a fatal dose of heroin.
07:28Unconscious and near death, Sixx was revived after two minutes of being clinically dead,
07:33thanks to two adrenaline shots from a paramedic.
07:36This near-death experience marked a pivotal moment in his chaotic lifestyle.
07:41Led Zeppelin's iconic sound was powered by just four musicians,
07:45three of whom played instruments, with John Bonzo Bonham's drumming
07:49playing a key role in the band's massive, precise sound.
07:52His pounding beats on tracks like Immigrant Song and Rock N' Roll drove the band's heavy influence,
07:58but Bonham's energy wasn't confined to his drumming.
08:01He lived just as intensely offstage, particularly with his excessive drinking.
08:06Like many rock legends, Bonham struggled to balance his legendary performances
08:11with the chaos of his personal life,
08:13ultimately finding it hard to control the rock star lifestyle that came with fame.
08:24Bonham's drinking was a constant, even during rehearsals.
08:27In September 1980, while Led Zeppelin gathered at Jimmy Page's house,
08:31Bonham consumed an alarming amount of alcohol, about 40 shots of vodka.
08:36He drank so excessively that he blacked out.
08:38Unable to wake up as his body tried to expel the alcohol,
08:42Bonham tragically choked on his own vomit and died.
08:45His heavy drinking habits ultimately led to his untimely and devastating end.
08:50Keith Richards, perhaps the ultimate rock n' roll survivor,
08:53has defied death multiple times despite his extreme drug use.
08:57The Rolling Stones guitarist was deep into heroin in the early 70s,
09:01and not long after, he claimed to have been poisoned by strychnine-laced heroin.
09:06Against all odds, he has continued to outlive the dangers of his notorious lifestyle.
09:19Keith Richards' wildest moment might just be when he snorted his father's ashes.
09:23He revealed the bizarre incident in an interview with the NME,
09:27making headlines for this unforgettable act.
09:38Though the spiritual effects remain unclear,
09:40Richards did observe one unexpected side effect from snorting his father's ashes.
09:46They got me off.
09:49Keith Moon, the legendary drummer of The Who,
09:52is often remembered not just for his unparalleled drumming skills,
09:56but for his outrageous behavior that became synonymous with rock n' roll excess.
10:00Moon wasn't just about making music,
10:02he made hotel room destruction an iconic part of the rock star lifestyle.
10:06His 21st birthday in 1967 in Flint, Michigan, is a prime example.
10:11After drinking all day, Moon hit the stage,
10:14but the real chaos began later at the Holiday Inn.
10:17During the band's party, Moon ignited a food fight,
10:20then stripped down, running around without pants or underwear.
10:24In the madness, he tripped and knocked out a tooth,
10:27but was so inebriated that the dentist refused to administer anesthetic for the emergency repair.
10:32The party quickly spiraled into chaos,
10:34with Moon's antics leading to tens of thousands of dollars in hotel damage.
10:39Moon's destructive streak didn't end there.
10:41It became routine for him to wreak havoc in hotel rooms,
10:44often using cherry bombs to blow up toilets.
10:47And when he wasn't obliterating the facilities,
10:49he was using explosives to destroy his drum kits,
10:52cementing his reputation as rock's ultimate wild man.
11:00In 1978, after several hospitalizations,
11:03Keith Moon tried to quit drinking with the help of medication for withdrawal.
11:07Tragically, he overdosed on the prescribed drug,
11:10leading to his untimely death at just 32 years old.
11:14The wild rock and roll lifestyle is often filled with stories of excessive partying and hotel destruction,
11:20but the events of December 8, 1984,
11:23cast a dark shadow over the hard rock scene,
11:26marking a tragic chapter in Motley Crue's history.
11:29Vince Neil, the band's lead singer,
11:31had been drinking heavily at a beach house for days without interruption.
11:35Late that night, he decided to go out for more alcohol,
11:38taking Hanoi Rock's drummer Razzle along for the ride.
11:41Already severely intoxicated,
11:43Neil lost control of the car on a winding road,
11:46crashing into another vehicle.
11:47While all involved were injured,
11:49Razzle, just 24 years old, tragically died at the scene.
11:53Neil, arrested for drunk driving,
11:55was left to face the devastating consequences of the reckless partying
11:59that ultimately led to a fatality.
12:01This incident remains one of the most somber moments in rock history.
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