Top 20 Most Shocking Music Myths
For this list, we'll be exploring the most widely spread rumors and myths about famous players in the music industry. We won't be including the Ozzy Bat bite, as that actually happened. Let's get to it!
Sid Vicious’ Mom and His Ashes
Another Top 10 Most Shocking Music Myths
A few months after the death of his girlfriend Nancy Spungen, Sid Vicious died of a heroin overdose. Since he wanted to be near her in death, the punk rocker’s mother was to take his ashes to the cemetery and spread them over her grave. The rumor that she fell while transporting them through Heathrow Airport and spread them all over there instead has never been fully put to rest.
"Love Rollercoaster"’s Scream
Top 10 Musical Artists Who Collaborated & Fell in Love
The Red Hot Chili Peppers covered this song in the 1990s, but it’s The Ohio Players’ 1975 original that’s still got people talking thanks to a scream heard during an instrumental break. One story states the album’s cover model uttered the shriek while being burned by honey during the recording session. But the wildest legend claims that it’s a murder victim’s final scream. The truth is less shocking: it’s the voice of the band’s own Billy Beck.
Michael Jackson and the Elephant Man
Top 10 Michael Jackson Music Videos
Due to his deformities, Joseph Merrick became part of a freak show during the 19th century and was known as the Elephant Man. Almost a century after his death, MJ supposedly offered to buy his remains for anywhere from $50,000-$1 million. Whether or not that’s true, it wouldn’t have been possible anyway: the Elephant Man’s skeleton was never up for sale and any other remains had been previously lost.
The White Stripes are Brother and Sister
Top 10 The White Stripes Songs
This duo claimed to be siblings for some time, so it follows that this myth gained significant traction over the years. In reality, they got married in 1996, and later divorced in 2000. With their dark features and similar complexion, combined with their clear musical chemistry, it’s always been easy to believe the two could have been brother and sister, jamming it up from birth.
Mama Cass and a Ham Sandwich
Mama Lola - Too Far (Official Video)
After weeks of fasting and performing, Mama Cass suffered a heart attack and died while sleeping when she was just 32. But before the autopsy could confirm this, the press jumped on the fact the remains of a sandwich were found near her body. As such, the tale that the former Mamas and the Papas member choked to death on her food still gets repeated to this day.
Elvis Lives
Top 20 Elvis Presley Songs
Sometimes diehard fans have trouble letting go – especially Elvis fans. Inconsistencies on his death certificate caused some to suggest The King faked his death, and tabloids are full of people who claim to’ve seen him in the flesh. Fake death theories are also attached to Jim Morrison, since his body was never autopsied, and Tupac, who keeps releasing new music that fans believe references future events.
Charles Manson Auditioned for the Monkees
Charles Gounod's Faust: Legendary French Opera
Most people are aware of the tenuous connection between Manson and “Helter Skelter” era Beatles, but another superstar 60’s act is rumored to have connections to the notorious cult leader. Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones of the Monkees have both jokingly claimed Manson was among the group of young men auditioning for a role in the TV series that launched the band. Since Manson was in prison serving a ten-year sentence when the auditions took place, this one just doesn’t add up. He was also 30 years old at the time, and NBC showrunners were looking for men between the ages of 17 and 21.
Psychedelic Bandanas
Top 10 Psychedelic Bands
Jimi was almost as famous for his drug use as he was for his guitar skills, so it’s not crazy to think he’d found a way to combine them. Rumor has it the guitar great hid LSD under his bandanas while performing and absorbed the acid through self-inflicted cuts in his forehead. But that’s not all: the shady circumstances surrounding his death encouraged a persistent rumor that Hendrix was murdered.
Stairway to...Hell?
Top 10 Most Shocking Music Myths
As possibly the greatest rock band of all time, there’s no shortage of folklore and urban legends surrounding Led Zeppelin. About 10 years after the release of their magnum opus “Stairway to Heaven”, televangelist Paul Crouch of the Trinity Broadcasting Network claimed the band had hidden satanic messages in the song’s lyrics by using back masking. According to Crouch, the “bustle in your hedgerow” section when played backwards actually sounds like “Here’s to my sweet satan”. The band has always denied the rumor , with recording engineer Eddie Kramer describing it as “totally and utterly ridiculous”.
#10 The Bowie and Jagger Romance
20 Most Shocking Music Scandals
What do you get when put together one of rock’s most androgynous artists with one of the genre’s most uninhibited showmen? Well, for one thing, you get a ridiculous music video featuring bad ‘80s style and strange dance moves. But what’s even more interesting are the rumors of their more-than-friendship. Add Bowie’s ex-wife claiming she caught them in bed together and you’ve got one heck of a rock ‘n’ roll story.
#9– He Sold His Soul for Rock ‘n’ Roll
Po Lazarus - Rock N Roll N Ritual (Official Music Video)
Robert Johnson’s complex style made him a legend. What’s also legendary is how the King of Mississippi Delta Blues allegedly got his skills: by selling his soul to the Devil. Some point to his short life and songs like “Me and the Devil” as proof, but others know it was natural talent and hard work. Another musician who allegedly made a deal with the Devil? Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page.
#8 – Cow Got Your Tongue?
Top 10 Music Myths Debunked
Amid KISS’ loud anthemic music, eye-catching costumes and onstage antics, Gene Simmons made tongue-wagging his signature move. His appendage quickly caught the attention of fans (and groupies) for its unusual length. And soon, stories spread that The Demon had a cow’s tongue attached to his own. But don’t worry: it wasn’t true and it wasn’t possible. Simmons’ tongue looked nothing like a cow’s and medicine wasn’t that advanced then anyway.
#7 – Marilyn Manson’s Ribs
Marilyn Manson Biography: Life and Career of the Antichrist Superstar
And now, the rumor that circulated in millennial elementary school hallways for years. A known provocateur, Marilyn Manson built a hugely successful career off of being edgy and controversial, but despite what you heard on the school playground, he did not have any of his ribs surgically removed to facilitate self-fellatio. It started after one of the industrial rocker’s outlandish live shows, but Manson has debunked this rumor on multiple occasions, much like the myth that he starred as Paul Pfeiffer from The Wonder years.
#6 - Mick Jagger, a Mars Bar and Marianne Faithfull
Motley Crue VS Mick Mars | Diddy Pays Sting K | July Talk Crown Lands | Atsuko Chiba Interview
It wasn’t a secret that the Rolling Stone and Marianne Faithfull were a couple during the late-‘60s. But what was surprising to some was the tale that Jagger was eating a Mars bar out of the singer’s private parts when cops busted a party at Keith Richard’s house. In reality, nothing of the sort transpired – though Jagger and Richards did later go to trial on drug charges.
#5 – A Bloody Good Time
Top 20 Greatest Music Videos of All Time
Years of substance abuse led Keith Richards to want a clean slate. The solution? A blood purification procedure. But his status as a member of The World’s Greatest Rock & Roll Band meant the media hounded him about it. So he fabricated an outrageous tale claiming doctors changed his blood with a new supply. Another Richards anecdote: The Stones’ guitarist also said he snorted his father’s ashes.
#4 - Stevie Nicks’ Nose
Top 10 SHOCKING Music Scandals
It was during her time with Fleetwood Mac that Nicks developed a cocaine habit. It got so bad her doctor told her she could die if she continued snorting the drug through her nose. In order to get around this, Nicks allegedly had a roadie supply the powder into her, uh, nether parts while she was on tour. Though the artist has denied the legend, she’s still asked about it in interviews.
#3 – Paul No More
Top 10 Most Violent Music Videos
The Beatles were the subject of many rumors, including one where they smoked up at Buckingham Palace. After an American university paper said the Cute One died in a car crash and was replaced by a lookalike, the story picked up steam with help from radio stations and “clues” in the Fab Four’s lyrics and album art. While he was in an accident, Macca’s alive and going strong today.
#2 – Courtney & Kurt
Top 20 Most Controversial Music Videos
When a shotgun and note were found near Kurt Cobain’s lifeless body, most accepted the Nirvana frontman’s death as suicide. But conspiracy theorists cried murder. Journalists and filmmakers took this idea further by suggesting his wife Courtney Love was behind it all – see the El Duce interview in “Kurt & Courtney.” However, most have concluded there isn’t enough evidence to support the murder claim.
#1 - Led Zeppelin and the Mudshark Incident
Cardi B BANKRUPTS YouTuber | AI Takes Over Music | Led Zeppelin VS The Beatles | DieHumane Interview
Known as the Shark episode, this urban legend supposedly involved Led Zep members using pieces of a shark to penetrate a groupie’s nether regions. However, the band’s road manager claimed he did the deed and used a red snapper instead. Though Vanilla Fudge’s Mark Stein apparently recorded the incident, no actual proof has ever been uncovered.
