Are these the wackiest rock star demands?
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Steak and two veg .. all AC/DC really want is some meat, mash and gravy. Picture: AP
Source: AP
IT DOESN’T take much to make Iggy Pop happy just be sure seven dwarfs are on hand to greet him in his dressing room.
And that four-metre boa constrictor you’re putting in Nikki Sixx’s room? It’s about one metre shy of his minimum requirement.
Welcome to the difficult, demanding, downright wacky rock star requests found in their concert riders, or contracts presented to promoters detailing an artist’s requirements, included in the new book Excess All Areas.
Veteran music industry insider Sue Richmond got her start at A&M in the 1980s and ran her own record label in the ’90s. Along the way she’s heard her fair share of horror stories and collected her favourite riders with help from British music mag Q.
British rock band Status Quo, for example, refused to play a show because their rider-requested Marks & Spencer white tube socks were not in their dressing rooms. Van Halen holds the dubious distinction of having the most famous rider of all time. The band’s 53-page 1982 rider included requests for "one large tube K-Y Jelly" and, most famously, "M&Ms (WARNING: ABSOLUTELY NO BROWN ONES").
Though touted as an example of rock star excess run amok, David Lee Roth says it was actually an ingenious test of a venue’s attention to detail.
"So in the middle of this huge contract rider … it was like a Chinese phonebook … I had them place a clause, in the middle of nowhere," David Lee Roth explains in an 2012 interview with NPR. "If I saw brown M&Ms on a catering table, then I knew the promoter did not read the full rider."
If he found a venue in breach of contract, the show would be canceled, and the promoter would have to pay out in full. Though many of these riders sound ridiculous, they’re often taken seriously "if only to avoid the wrath of 10,000-strong audience," Richmond writes.
Legend … Van Halen (David Lee Roth pictured) holds the dubious distinction of having the most famous rider of all time. Picture: AP
Source: AP
AC/DC
Tea, coffee, sparkling water, Coca-Cola, Sprite, Gatorade, one bottle of white wine, one bottle of red wine, Bailey’s (for drummer Phil Rudd), cheese, raw vegetables, sweets, chewing gum. Proper meal with, for example: salad, mashed potatoes with gravy, sausages or lamb cutlets or beef, custard and cake. Cartons of cigarettes and tobacco so (singer) Brian Johnson can roll his own.
Amy Winehouse
Absolut vodka (must be Absolut), Jack Daniel’s, selection of fine beers (for the band), PG Tips teabags, water. Jerk chicken, rice and peas, pizza (margherita), vegetarian and non-vegetarian sandwiches. Doritos, nuts, and bananas. Camel Lights, fresh towels, Sign for the door that reads: "Only Big Boys Can Enter."
Demands … Amy Winehouse demanded Absolut vodka (must be Absolut), Jack Daniels and a selection of fine beers (for the band). Picture: Supplied
Source: Supplied
Goldfrapp
One whip (not PVC) or riding crop (leather handle), table tennis bat (wooden handle, stippled, Acme or better).
The Rapture
One used paperback novel (English language please).
Slipknot
Six cans of Chef Boyardee ravioli, one large bag of assorted Starburst fruit chews, six assorted cans of Campbell’s chunky soup, box of baby wipes, 12 pairs of white tube socks.
James Brown
Hooded hair dryer, iron, ironing board, towels, soap, deli tray with assorted meats and cheeses, coffee, tea, soft drinks (Coke products), Gatorade, champagne (Cristal or Dom), one electric golf cart.
Stylish … no surprise James Brown wanted a hooded hair dryer and iron ironing board. Picture: AP
Source: AP
The Prodigy
A packet of Crunchy Nut cornflakes, six bowls, six spoons and a bottle of Dom Perignon champagne.
Elvis
10 soft drinks and four cups of water.
The Beatles
A black and white television set and a few Coca-Colas.
Eminem
Two bottles of Bacardi, two bottles of Hennessy cognac, four bottles of still mineral water, two cases of Mountain Dew (caffeine-charged soft drink) — imported from America, four bottles of orange juice, trays of assorted fruit. A selection of Taco Bell (Mexican-themed fast food) — imported from America.
Fast foot taste … Eminem has requested a selection of Taco Bell (Mexican-themed fast food) imported from America. Picture: AP
Source: AP
Iggy Pop
Seven dwarves, pizzas to give to the homeless, and pre-chopped broccoli florets, to make them easier to throw away.
Motley Crue’s Nikki Sixx
A supply of clean ice, four self-contained candles, one boa constrictor, one machete, one stainless steel double-bladed combat/survival knife (not serrated), 1one fully suppressed Heckler & Koch MP-5 SD sub-machine gun and 500 9mm rounds.
Stereophonics
One ass-shaped pinata filled with Cuban cigars and dark chocolate Cacique rum liqueurs, one box of indoor fireworks, oneroll of black gaffer tape. One DVD from this selection: Twin Town, Goodfellas, Alfie (Michael Caine original), Wild Geese, Where Eagles Dare, Enter the Dragon, Cool Hand Luke, Deep Throat.
The Beatles A black and white television set and a few Coca-Colas.
Elton John
Two-metre sofa, love seat, easy chairs, table lamps, floor standing lamps, coffee table, six food banquet tables (covered with white linen table cloths), large green plants, large arrangement of coloured flowers (no chrysanthemums, lilies, carnations, or daisies).
Lots of flowers … Elton John has asked for a large arrangement of coloured flowers – but no chrysanthemums, lilies, carnations, or daisies. Picture: AP
Source: AP
