Rock Stars Arrested: 4 Of The Funniest Times The Law Won
Morgan Wallen just became, for the second time, one of the many rock stars arrested over the years. He was convicted of a felony for throwing a chair off a…
The Police badge isnt always something you want to see, especially if you are in trouble with the law. Rock Stars like Morgan Wallen recently found himself in the crosshairs of the law.
heliopix via Getty ImagesMorgan Wallen just became, for the second time, one of the many rock stars arrested over the years. He was convicted of a felony for throwing a chair off a Nashville bar rooftop. Which on its face, isn't that bad. However, the chair he threw landed just a few feet from two police officers standing on the sidewalk down below, cnn.com reported. The Police weren't super happy about it and off to the clink Wallen went. Whoops.
Rock Stars Arrested For The Most Random Things
But in the grand scheme of things, what Morgan Wallen did doesn't even come close to be the biggest, greatest or most offensive things a rock star has done to get a gig in cell block H. The many rock stars arrested over the years are neither few nor far between. The relationship they have with law enforcement is real. And, in many cases, real funny.
Man On The Plane
R.E.M.'s guitarist, Peter Buck, was known as a very chill, quiet and a gentleman, until April of 2001. That's when the normally mild-mannered rock star went off the rails. On a flight from Seattle to London, he caused complete mayhem. As the story goes, per rollingstone.com, Peter Buck drank 15 glasses of wine and, by his own account, took a sleeping pill.
Buck was apparently getting belligerent, so the flight attendant would no longer serve him alcohol. That's when all hell broke loose. Yogurt, service carts and F-bombs went flying. This dude even choked one of the flight attendants with his necktie (I guess people still wore neck ties in 2001). Buck faced two years in prison for the incident, but was later cleared of all charges, according to theguardian.com.
Bark At The Moon, Urinate On The Wall
In Feb of 1982, Ozzy Osbourne was drunk and high in San Antonio, Texas. He was stumbling around in a green dress that belonged to Sharon (who was still just his girlfriend then). Well, the Prince of Darkness needed to take a leak, so he picked some random wall. But it was no ordinary wall. According to loudwire.com, it was one of the most beloved and culturally significant buildings in San Antonio. The Alamo.
Well, not quite the Alamo. It was actually Alamo Plaza across the street. Nonetheless, it was still significant, and the people of Texas weren't happy at all. Not only was he arrested, but he was banned from performing in San Antonio. And not just for a year or two, he was banned for a whole decade. It was so bad, that even years later, Ozzy received deaths threats over it, even after he apologized and donated money to the folks who looked after the Alamo. Luckily, he survived his visit to San Antonio, and he is still with us. Barely.
Thorn In My Pride (And Ego)
Denver. 1991. A 7-11 convenience store. According to westword.com, a woman in the store notices a very tall, long haired man buying beer. She tells her friend, excitedly, “That's the lead singer of the Black Crowes." Her friend's reply? "Who are the Black Crowes?”
Well, that didn't make Chris Robinson (Black Crowe's singer) very happy. He went ballistic, berated the chick (the one that had no idea who he was) for buying Twinkies. Then he spit on her and then just walked out of the store with two cases of beer. Well, the cops found him and arrested him and his bruised ego. In the end, he was sentenced to six months probation for assault and disturbing the peace, westword.com reported. Plus he was fined $53... or, in rock star currency, two bottles of vodka.
Another Tricky Day With A Huge Hotel Bill
Back in the day, when rock stars could afford to trash hotels, they did. Epically. But none more epic than Keith Moon of The Who, at his birthday party in 1967. The victim was a Flint Michigan Holiday Inn. Keith was celebrating his 21st birthday and started the evening off with a food fight. Then he drove a Lincoln Continental into the hotel pool, rocked out with his... you know what out, and lit toilets on fire. It cost the band tens of thousands of dollars. The band was banned from the hotel forever.
Years later, we are all still talking about. Including The Who's Roger Daltry. Check out him telling Conan Obrien about the incident.
https://youtu.be/Bw0Hs21gKss?si=BsOeLQsNOOXP4-9G
Bottom line, no, it's not smart for Wallen to be throwing chairs off the roof of hotels. However, when it comes to rock stars arrested over the years, what Wallen did was less destructive, cheaper and, frankly, far more boring.
Kurt Cobain: 6 Pieces of Memorabilia That Sold Big at Auction
Kurt Cobain was born on February 20, 1967. While he was only on the Earth for 27 years, he left an impact that is still felt today.
Many musicians have talked about the impact of the late Nirvana frontman. Billie Joe Armstrong once said of Cobain, "When someone goes that honestly straight to the core of who they are, what they’re feeling, and was able to kind of put it out there, I don’t know, man, it’s amazing. I remember hearing it when 'Nevermind' came out and just thinking, we’ve finally got our Beatles, this era finally got our Beatles, and ever since then it’s never happened again."
Patti Smith said in 1996 she was happy a generation of young people had Nirvana growing up. She noted, "I didn't know anything about Kurt's torments or personal life. I saw the work and the energy, and I was excited by that."
Surprisingly, Cobain also has a lot of love from the rap community. Complex gathered quotes from some of the biggest rappers of all time about how much they admire Cobain. Jay Z likened Cobain to artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, who also died at 27 and struggled with substance abuse.
The reach of Cobain has continued as Nirvana is always introduced to new generations. Dave Grohl said during an October 2023 appearance on Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend, "What I've realized is that kids these days, there's like a window between the ages of 10 and 13 or maybe 11 and 14, where almost every kid goes through a Nirvana phase."
This impact is why when Cobain-related items go up for auction, they sell for massive price tags. In the past decade, Cobain memorabilia has seemingly become a subset of the entire celebrity auction market.
Want proof? Check out these six items that sold big at auction.
His Hair
Let's start with the weirdest (and grossest) piece of Cobain memorabilia that sold in recent years. In May 2021, Iconic Auctions sold six strands of the late Nirvana frontman's hair for $14,145. Proceeds from the auction went to The Crew Nation Global Relief Fund for crew workers that were unemployed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Per the item's listing, "Supremely rare presentation of six strands of Kurt Cobain’s hair. Unique presentation on a 8.5” x 11” sheet includes six strands of Cobain’s blonde hair, the largest measuring approximately 2.5,” and housed in a small card with plastic overlay 1.75” x 2.” This one-of-a-kind artifact is entirely fresh-to-market, and accompanied by an impeccable lineage of provenance including images of Kurt posing with the woman who cut this hair, scissors in hand, and a fantastic shot of the hair actually being cut! The lucky friend who trimmed the Nirvana frontman’s iconic blonde locks, was an early confidant, Tessa Osbourne, who cut his hair in 1989—well prior to his “Nevermind” breakthrough—whilst on the “Bleach” Tour."
A Used Paper Plate
Not far behind his hair is a used paper plate. (Seriously, we wish we were kidding!) In May 2019, Julien's Auctions sold a used paper plate Cobain wrote a set list on for a 1990 Nirvana show at the 9:30 nightclub in Washington, D.C. The winning bid? $22,400!
Cobain's Blockbuster Video Card
Here's one that'll hit you right in the nostalgia: In 2017, Julien's Auctions sold Cobain's Blockbuster Video card. The card was issued at a Los Angeles store location located at 1508 North Orange Grove. The card was estimated to sell for between $400-$600. It ended up selling for $2,187.50.
Cobain's Cardigan from 'MTV Unplugged'
Cobain's olive-green mohair cardigan he wore during the band's now-legendary appearance on MTV Unplugged sold via Julien's Auctions in October 2019. It sold for a whopping $334,000. That winning bid made it the most expensive sweater to ever be sold at auction. Julien's Auctions originally estimated that the Cobain sweater would sell for between $200,000-$300,000.
The 1969 Fender Mustang Competition Lake Placid blue finish electric guitar used in the 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' music video
Originally estimated to sell between $600,000-$800,000, this unique piece of rock/music video history ended up selling for $4.5 million in May 2022. The electric guitar was yet another piece of Cobain memorabilia sold by Julien's Auctions.
Per a press release from Julien's Auctions, "The guitar was acquired by The Jim Irsay Collection in Indianapolis in a bidding war among collectors and bidders all across the globe who participated live at the Hard Rock Cafe® New York, online at juliensauctions.com and on the phone...In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, the Cobain family is donating a portion of the proceeds of the legendary guitar and select Kurt Cobain items to Kicking The Stigma, the Irsays' initiative to raise awareness about mental health disorders and remove the stigma associated with these illnesses."
The 1959 Martin D-18E Acoustic-Electric guitar Cobain played on 'MTV Unplugged'
Last, but certainly not least, is this truly historic piece of Cobain memorabilia. In June 2020, Julien's Auctions sold the 1959 Martin D-18E Acoustic-Electric guitar Cobain played on MTV Unplugged. The guitar was estimated to sell for $1 million, but it ended up going for $6.01 million!
In the process, it set the following records: World's Most Expensive Guitar, World's Most Expensive Acoustic Guitar, World's Most Expensive Martin Guitar, World's Most Expensive Piece of Memorabilia and World's Most Expensive Nirvana Memorabilia.
