Howard Stern talking about Phish

"They are like the Grateful Dead without the hits." -Howard Stern

Wierd Al is still the best at spoofs

Stitches and the Top "Violent/Crazy" music awards

One thing that makes Stitches so entertaining is his blatant disregard for the potential consequences of his videos. In his video "brick in yo' face" he writes "I love sellin' blow," on the screen, while waving around assault weapons. It could just be an act, but the machine gun tattooed on his face suggests that he really is committed to the lifestyle he raps about. He's only 18, so I'd be curious to follow his story and see if violence or incarceration are in his future, which would only make him more entertaining.

In my opinion, Stitches wins the award for "most violent/crazy" entertainer right now (a category I just invented for artists that fit the profile of "most violent/crazy" in their time). There will always be a place for that, someone just needs to step up and claim the spot and fans will follow. In my years of listening to music a few others have done the same and gotten a loyal following as a result. To be clear, I'm not promoting the behavior of these artists or their fans, this is simply an analysis.

Knowing how to use this niche to get attention is a smart marketing tool to say the least. And a number of acts have and continue to use it to gain popularity and profit.

These are the top of my list of good music that fits the "most violent/crazy" music:

1. Eminem (Slim Shady LP, Marshall Mathers LP 1 and 2) - Easily the most talented in this group, which is why he gets the #1 spot.
2. 50 Cent (Get Rich or Die Tryin') - Shot nine times and incarcerated multiple times prior to this ultra-violent rap classic
3. Marilyn Manson (Portrait of an American Family and Smells Like Children) - Just really violent and loud and offensive to parents
4. 2Pac (Strictly for My N.I.G.G.A.Z. and All Eyez on Me, probably other albums/songs I'm missing)
5. Notorious B.I.G. (Ready to Die)
- The fact that #4 and 5 were murdered adds to their "most violent/crazy" status
6. The Sex Pistols (Never Mind the Bollucks, Here's the Sex Pistols)
7. ONYX (Bacdafucup)
8. Beastie Boys (License to Ill)

Honorable Mentions:
Then there are a few others that co-leaders of a larger scene in their prime:
9. Dr. Dre (The Chronic and Chronic 2001)
10. Metallica (Metallica)
11. Pantera (Cowboys from Hell)
12. Wu-Tang Clan (36 Chambers of Death)
13. Snoop Dogg (Doggystyle)
14. Operation Ivy (they only really had one album)
15. Rancid (Let's Go)
16. DMX (Its Dark and Hell is Hot)
17. Nirvana (Nevermind) - His suicide helped put him on this list.

Craziest fans:
These cult bands are mainly crazy because of their diehard fans who have a tendency to partake in widespread use of drugs and/or violence. One thing that allows these bands to grow and guarantees their success is that the more drugs and concerts the fans partake in, the more attached they become to the band and the more detached they become from conservative American culture which is less accepting of that lifestyle:

1. Insane Clown Posse (Drugs, Violence) - ICP gets #1 since they promote drugs AND violence. Fans call themselves Juggalos and Juggalettes, and throw glass bottles in the air at their annual Gathering of the Juggalos while yelling "Woop Woop." The females often walk around topless at the events and drugs of all kinds are bought and sold in an open market. Fans love to drink "Faygo," which is a cheap brand of syrupy soda sold in the Detroit area. ICP is not known for their talent or musical prowess, but the loyal fans in this category don't care as much about that since they are already so invested in the social aspect of the scene. This is the only band on this list I have never listened to or liked very much, but the festivals do seem like a good time so I added them to this list.

2. The Grateful Dead (Drugs) -  Very talented musicians who invented the concept of "shakedown street," which is an open drugs/food/goods market outside of concert grounds. Fans followed the band around to hundreds of shows, with the general acceptance of the concept that psychedelic drugs add to the experience. The band had hundreds of songs, varied their set-lists from show to show, and improvised sufficiently for fans ("Deadheads") to be willing to pay to see them over and over without feeling like it was repetitive. The shakedown street created an internal economy that allowed fans to travel and see them without having to work full time outside of their tours.

3. Phish (Drugs) - Very talented musicians who follow a similar format as The Dead to profit from their die-hard "Phans or Phish-heads" who follow the band around the country with a similar shakedown street/internal economy format and improvisational music foundation as the Grateful Dead. The internet has allowed this economy to extend to the cyberspace, with some Phans being able to sell goods online and profit from Phan related message boards and websites.

Honorable mentions in other arenas:
1. Sports - Mike Tyson - (Late 80s - early 90's)
2. Movie director - Quentin Tarantino (Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Inglorious Basterds, Kill Bill)

Not on this list:
I excluded underground acts that might be super violent/crazy, mostly because I don't know them, but also because they failed to capitalize on their violence/craziness.

I digressed a bit from Stitches. Feel free to comment and suggest any I might have missed.