the list of 9 for july 21, 2004:
THE NINE UGLIEST ROCK STARS ALIVE

Why is it that rock stars seem to get all the girls (or boys)? I suppose it has something to do with talent, fame and charisma. It sure doesn't have anything to do with beauty. To prove my theory, I have listed the nine ugliest that I could think of, out of hundreds of contenders. (In fact, there are so many repulsive rock & rollers that one can only come to the conclusion that many people turn to rock music as a way of compensating for their horrible looks.) For this list, I'm purposefully ignoring Chad Kroeger of Nickelback, Lemmy from Motorhead and Shane McGowan of the Pogues, who are already quite consistently voted rock music's ugliest in various polls.

  1. KEITH RICHARDS. All the Rolling Stones are hideous, but unlike Mick Jagger, Keith wasn't cute even when he was young.

  2. PATTI SMITH. I did have Polly Jean "PJ" Harvey in this spot, then a friend reminded me of Smith, whom I had forgotten. Owing to the fact that I couldn't find a sufficiently ugly photo of Harvey to use, I had to agree that she had a certain appeal. Smith, however, absolutely does not.

  3. TIMBUK 3. This country-rock duo had a one-hit wonder with "The Future's So Bright (I Gotta Wear Shades)". You get two uglies for the price of one.

  4. RIC OCASEK. How did The Cars' gangly, Ichabod Crane-like singer wind up with supermodel Paulina Porizkova?

  5. NOEL & LIAM GALLAGHER. Heavily-eyebrowed Oasis louts. Some bad genes running in that Gallagher family.

  6. THOM YORKE. There's something almost lovable about the Radiohead front man's lazy eye, pasty skin, lumpy face and thinning hair. But he still looks uncomfortably similar to the Deliverance banjo boy.

  7. ADAM DURITZ. Whiny, self-important singer/songwriter for the Counting Crows, one of rock's worst bands ever. This slob is the poster child for why white people should reconsider getting dreadlocks.

  8. JOHN POPPER. I don't believe fat equals ugly, but the Blues Traveler singer/harmonica player is morbidly obese and just gross. He knows it, too, hiding behind his hat and his shades and his horrible harmonica as often as he can. The linked photo shows Popper's fully exposed face. Beware!

  9. DOLORES O'RIORDAN. I'm listing the frightening-toothed Cranberries singer over likelier candidates such as Steven Tyler and Rush's Geddy Lee because this list has been too guy-heavy. In the sexist world of pop music, only "hot" women usually become stars, so performers like Dolores and Patti - and Alanis, and Mama Cass, and the brunette half of the Indigo Girls - deserve some sort of kudos for making it big despite looking like barf.


Copyright © Mark Tapio Kines 2010