Top ten twats in rock and pop.

[Snake Plissken]

Irish no-part-harmony stool-disembarkers

*applauds*

[Jah Womble]

Former Westlife member Brian McFadden spent a few years in Australia after leaving the Irish no-part-harmony stool-disembarkers; he recorded a single called Just The Way You Are (Drunk At The Bar) featuring lyrics that appear to glorify date rape.

The single was withdrawn after somebody pointed out that all this might not have been the greatest idea.

"I like you just the way you are
Drunk as shit dancing at the bar
I like it and I can't wait to get you home
so I can do some damage
I like you just the way you are
Jump in the back seat of my car
'Cause I like it and I can't wait to get you home
So I can take advantage"

Hoo-ha.

I mean, I know he isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but what in Christ's name made him think those lyrics represented an okay sentiment to hold - let alone express in public?

[G-Man]

I think it's fair to say that the likes of R. Kelly, Phil Spector, Michael Jackson and their likes exceed the definition of "twat".

[Sits]

I think Westlife do Vegas now.

[Sits]

Oh no, that’s Human Nature. How, oh how could I possibly confuse them?

[Sits]

Van Morrison has Asperger's apparently. But I'm not just routinely defending hometown and childhood heroes: John Fogerty is a surly fcuker,Sir Nodwald a Tory wankah and Jake Burns hasn't bought a round since the Anglo Irish Agreement etc etc

Amazed there was no mention of the bassist from Ash.

[Duncan Gardner]

After my time possibly

I do remember the local magistrate mother of a then-teenage Ash member telling the NI media that yes, he could go on tour to Japan with Megadeth (or whoever), as long as he first finished revising for his A Levels and helped her prune the rose garden

[Jah Womble]

I think it's fair to say that the likes of R. Kelly, Phil Spector, Michael Jackson and their likes exceed the definition of "twat".

Okay - good point, well made.

Swap 'R Kelly' for 'Mark Morrison' on my earlier post.

[Satchmo Distel]

Pharrell Williams (doing benefit gigs for the IDF. The IDF! Not only a brutal racist force of cunts but already one of the most heavily funded organisations on the planet)

Plus his writing credit on the Robin Thicke song that was both rapey and plagiarized.

I am tempted to add Elvis Costello but I think Top 10 is too harsh. He's in the lower reaches of the Top 40 for this, when there is so much competition from Roger Daltrey, Chuck Berry, Eric Clapton, etc.

On the point of where we draw the line between twat and actual evil, I would contend that twats break informal norms of behaviour whereas evil is crimes of assault against people. Many twats may of course have assaulted partners and friends who chose to stay silent. Lennon was a self-confessed bastard who receives a free pass too often even from biographers.

[Duncan Gardner]

Lennon was a self-confessed bastard who receives a free pass too often even from biographers

"He was three-quarters of the Beatles' [criminal record]"? (Philip Norman)

[anton pulisov]

While Kanye is an arsehole, he will forever have the "George Bush doesn't care about black people" moment going for him.

Can I perhaps mention Joe Elliott of Def Leppard. The ultimate twat. The Alan Partridge of rock.

[E10 Rifle]

Cheese-addled Tory and 90s relic Alex James out of Blur surely worth a nomination?

[Guy Profumo]

Tony Blair

[Toby Gymshorts]

Jay Kay of the Jamiroquais is a twunt of the first water.

[Satchmo Distel]

Van Morrison has Asperger's apparently.

It's possible but I think it will be decades before the psychology of such individuals, and its nature/nurture mix, is properly understood. In the meantime, he's a prolific artist who needs to promote his albums so at the very least someone should have gently advised him to seek help.

[Duncan Gardner]

so at the very least someone should have gently advised him to seek help

Perhaps they have?

I don't know him. Other than media gossip through his career my knowledge is limited to Johnny Rogan's biography and that my mate grew up in the next street to him. Mate's Da gave Van his first job as an apprentice welder, sacking him soon afterwards as playing the dockside clubs late at night affected his timekeeping

[Benjm]

Amazed there was no mention of the bassist from Ash.

I seem to remember Calvert, OTF's man behind the mixing desk at the Belfast Empire, vigorously disliking him.

Dollar's David Van Day appeared to be a horrible person, going by that documentary made around the time that he launched a hostile takeover of Bucks Fizz.

[Benjm]

Plus his writing credit on the Robin Thicke song that was both rapey and plagiarized.

He sings on it and is in the video too. It's difficult to feel all that sorry for Robin Thicke but Williams was basically the senior partner on that record. Williams got away with it because people think he's cool while Thicke got thrown under the bus.

[Jah Womble]

Dollar's David Van Day appeared to be a horrible person, going by that documentary made around the time that he launched a hostile takeover of Bucks Fizz.

...only to be scuppered by the Provisional Brotherhood Of Man?

Van Day also gave Sonia a right slating after her performance on one of those reality 'music reunion' thingies some good while ago.

Mind you, he was right, as she was blimmin' awful.

[Benjm]

...only to be scuppered by the Provisional Brotherhood Of Man?

DVD was ruthless but he wasn't suicidal. He'd have known better than to tread on the hem of Martin Lee's flares.

[RobW]

Bobby Gillespie.

What's the problem with Bobby?

[elguapo4]

Kenney Jones is a foxhunting Tory twat. See also Brian Ferry.

[WOM]

Jay Kay of the Jamiroquais is a twunt of the first water.

No clue what that could mean, but I'll support the nom. I saw that video where a photog head-butted him and it's glorious.

[gjw100]

Possibly apocryphal but there was an anecdote about Van Morrison relayed on an old Word podcast which, if I remember it correctly, involved members of his band becoming so pissed off with his twattish behaviour after a week of rehearsals that before he showed up one morning they each removed one of the many harmonicas Van kept in a bag slung from his mike stand, wiped them vigorously up their arse cracks and put them back in the bag.

[3 Colours Red]

no-part-harmony stool-disembarkers

Tools On Stools, I called them.