The Biggest Assholes in Rock: A Damone-Approved Deep Dive

There’s a fine tradition in rock ’n’ roll of bad attitudes and larger-than-life egos. But then there are the true champions of jerkdom — the backstage terrors who take the cake (and smash it on the venue floor). In this Damone-style deep dive, we’re calling out the biggest assholes in rock history with satirical glee. Strap in for tales of tantrums, tirades, and total chaos from some of music’s most notorious characters. (Don’t worry, we brought receipts.)

Axl Rose

Axl Rose didn’t just burn bridges — he torched entire cities. In 1991, the Guns N’ Roses frontman halted a St. Louis concert to punch a fan for sneaking a camera. “Thanks to the lame-ass security, I’m going home!” he yelled (radiox.co.uk). Cue the $200,000 riot bill and dozens of injuries (latimes.com). (Nothing says rockstar like inciting a Midwest riot because someone snapped your photo.)

A year later, Axl bailed on a Montreal show after Metallica’s James Hetfield got roasted in a pyro mishap — “vocal issues,” he claimed. Another riot. Rose didn’t just pick fights with fans — he famously told Kurt Cobain to “keep your bleep wife in line” at the 1992 MTV VMAs (bestclassicbands.com). He’d recently called Courtney Love and Cobain “a junkie with a junkie wife” (loudersound.com). Class act. He’s the guy who once kept a crowd waiting for hours — until fans rioted in Vancouver when he never showed up (latimes.com). If rock ’n’ roll is supposed to be dangerous, Axl’s your poster boy.

Ted Nugent

Ted “The Nuge” Nugent: where loud guitars meet even louder mouths. This motor-mouthed maniac has spent decades proving that a big stage doesn’t come with a filter. Nugent’s concerts are a barrage of bombast — full-tilt guitar shredding and a mouth that never stops running.

He’s the self-proclaimed “Motor City Madman” — emphasis on mad. Between his over-the-top stage presence and a knack for stirring up controversy just for the hell of it, Ted has carved out a permanent place in rock’s hall of infamy. If rock ’n’ roll is about volume and attitude, Nugent’s been at 11 since day one.

Liam Gallagher

You can’t talk about rock assholes without name-dropping Liam Gallagher. Oasis didn’t break up so much as detonate in a cloud of profanity and flying tambourines. In 2002, Liam got plastered in a German hotel, kicked a cop in the ribs, and lost his front teeth in the brawl (independent.co.uk).

But it’s his mouth that does most of the damage. He called Blur “wankers,” dubbed Chris Martin a “geography teacher,” and compared Noel and his wife to serial killers Fred and Rosemary West (theguardian.com). He once heckled his own band from the balcony during an MTV Unplugged show — after bailing on vocals because of a “sore throat” — swigging beer and shouting insults while Noel begged for basic respect (musicradar.com). Liam: the walking, talking, drinking, punching soap opera.

Gene Simmons

Gene Simmons: part rock star, part carnival barker, all jerk. This is the man who tried to trademark the “devil horns” hand gesture in 2017 until the internet laughed him out of the room (vice.com). He’s even trademarked the moneybag $$ symbol because… of course he did.

Gene once barged into a Fox News staff meeting uninvited, ripped open his shirt, yelled “Hey chicks, sue me!”, and told Michael Jackson pedo jokes so tasteless Fox News banned him for life (theguardian.com). He’s opined that depressed people should “just kill themselves” (later apologized) and claimed women can’t have careers and families — charming, right? (theguardian.com). Gene’s the ultimate brand whore: he’ll slap a KISS logo on anything, even a coffin. Rock’s winking sphincter — emphasis on winking.

Yngwie Malmsteen

Swedish shredder Yngwie Malmsteen is proof that God-given talent doesn’t come with humility. His motto? “How can less be more? It’s impossible. More is more!” (truthinshredding.com). And he lives it.

On a 1988 flight to Tokyo, after being doused with water, Yngwie unleashed a meltdown for the ages: “You’ve released the fing fury!… I’ll fing kill you!” he screamed (norselandsrock.com). He even named an album Unleash the Fury to commemorate that mile-high meltdown. He’s notorious for diva demands, bandmate insults, and the kind of self-importance that makes Spinal Tap look humble. Yngwie doesn’t just play guitar — he plays the world’s most arrogant shredder.

David Lee Roth

Diamond Dave: Van Halen’s spandex-swathed frontman with an ego to match. “I’m not conceited. Conceit is a fault and I have no faults,” he once bragged (azquotes.com). Roth’s biggest flex? Van Halen’s rider demanded no brown M&Ms backstage, under penalty of show cancellation (npr.org).

Dave’s also the guy who once ditched Van Halen to make a movie starring… himself. When Eddie Van Halen balked, Dave bailed, promising a reunion once he was a movie star. (Spoiler: the movie flopped.) Love him or hate him, Diamond Dave’s strutting, swaggering act is the blueprint for the cocky frontman — a dude who knew he was an asshole but made sure you were having fun watching him do it.

Courtney Love

Courtney Love: riot grrrl queen, tabloid trainwreck, and patron saint of “IDGAF.” As frontwoman of Hole and widow of Kurt Cobain, she became a ’90s tabloid fixture with her scorched-earth feuds. She’s punched female rockers, trashed Nirvana’s surviving members, and feuded with pretty much every woman in a band. When Bikini Kill reunited in 2019, Courtney sniped they were “total amateurs” and that Hanna “is a good hype man but her persona is a DIY nonsense dilettante… they suck.” (medium.com).

In 1995, she interrupted Madonna’s live interview by literally throwing a makeup compact at her, then babbled through the segment like a coked-up goblin. In 2004? She flashed Letterman on live TV and was arrested hours later for braining a fan with a mic stand (ew.com). One day, two disasters. She once said, “Dating me is like dating a big red fire truck. I come with scandal, history, and controversy.” Understatement of the century, Court.

Roger Waters

Roger Waters: Pink Floyd’s brooding genius turned insufferable tyrant. By the ’80s, Roger was so control-freaky he booted keyboardist Rick Wright, quit the band, then sued them for daring to keep playing. He once spat in a fan’s face for being “too loud” at a show — that incident inspired The Wall, because of course it did. (kslx.com).

Lately, Waters has taken his brand of surly genius from rock ego to something much darker. He’s been accused of making antisemitic comments repeatedly — calling his agent a “f**king Jew” and joking about “Jew food.” (theguardian.com) He even wanted to drop confetti shaped like swastikas and Stars of David at a show. In Germany, he’s under investigation for wearing a Nazi-like costume onstage — his defense? “Anti-fascist performance art.” Sure, Rog. Cities have tried banning him outright for these stunts. He insists he’s just telling “hard truths,” but he’s become living proof that being a “creative genius” doesn’t mean you’re not also an intolerable jerk.

Morrissey

Ah, Morrissey — the pope of mope who’s become the high priest of NOPE. Once the wry voice of indie alienation, Morrissey’s now better known for his drama and self-importance. He’s canceled shows because it’s too cold, too hot, or because the venue dared to serve meat. He’s stormed offstage because he “smelled burning flesh” at Coachella and demanded all meat be banned from his shows. (theguardian.com).

Lately, Moz has been peddling far-right nonsense, calling the Chinese “a subspecies” over animal rights issues and defending sketchy political figures. He’s also feuded with basically everyone he’s worked with. Once, he had an autograph-seeking fan thrown out of a show for annoying him, then later posted an open letter calling the crowd rude. Morrissey: because even your fans need to meet your purity tests.

Sting (Dishonorable Mention)

Sting might not hurl brown M&Ms at groupies, but his ex-bandmates have called him a world-class control freak. He treated the rest of The Police like session musicians for his solo fantasies. Stewart Copeland once literally broke Sting’s rib during an argument — “he was an arrogant ‘Lion King’ from birth,” Copeland said. (theguardian.com).

Offstage, Sting’s legendary pretension is… well, legendary. He’s bragged about his intellect, his yoga, his lute albums. And yes — he’s the dude who claimed he could have tantric sex for seven hours straight, then later walked it back saying, “Well, that includes dinner and a movie.” Sure, Sting. Sure.

Glenn Danzig (Dishonorable Mention)

Glenn Danzig: metal’s evil Elvis with a black belt in being a pain in the ass. In 2004, he got clocked cold backstage by a singer from another band after refusing to let them play. The punch was caught on video and instantly became legendary. Danzig claimed he “let” the guy do it to avoid a lawsuit. Suuuure. (vice.com).

At Fun Fun Fun Fest 2011, he showed up late, demanded French onion soup and vitamins, whined about the weather and “a head cold,” then cut his set short when the plug got pulled. He even tried to incite a riot. The promoter called him out: “His name is Glenn. Stop by his house in L.A. with some kitty litter in trade for your refund.” (exclaim.ca). Danzig: tiny dude, massive ego, bigger punchline.

G.G. Allin (Dishonorable Mention)

If you’ve never heard of G.G. Allin… consider yourself lucky. This self-styled “rock ’n’ roll terrorist” didn’t just cross lines — he bulldozed them. He literally shat onstage, threw it at fans, cut himself open, and punched anyone in range. (thedailybeast.com).

He once promised to kill himself onstage as the ultimate performance. (Mercifully, he OD’d in 1993 instead.) Even his tombstone got defiled: fans kept crapping on it to “pay tribute” until the cemetery had to hide it in storage. If you want a lesson in how not to do shock-rock, G.G. is it.

Phil Spector (Dishonorable Mention)

Phil Spector: brilliant producer, world-class psycho. He pulled guns on everyone — John Lennon, Leonard Cohen, Dee Dee Ramone — if you dared suggest a second take, he’d literally put the barrel to your head. (mentalfloss.com).

Spector didn’t just wave guns around — he was convicted of second-degree murder in 2009 for shooting actress Lana Clarkson. He died in prison in 2021, the final act of a man who proved that genius and horror can ride shotgun in the same limo.

Swagger vs. Tyranny

So what separates a rockstar with swagger from an outright backstage tyrant? Rock ’n’ roll has always thrived on a bit of ego — the smashed guitars, the snarky interviews, the odd brown M&M meltdown. That’s part of the show. But these Hall of Shamers? They forgot the difference between a good attitude and just being a grade-A jerk. They crossed the line — and then built a career there.

So here’s to the ones who never lost sight of the fans — and here’s to the rest of these cautionary tales. May we remember: it’s one thing to be larger than life, but another to be smaller than decent.

Still tappin’

Damone