The old saying goes "You can't create something truly beautiful without knowing what pain is." I personally agree with that, from my own experiences, that rings true. You can also create something truly beautiful from joy as well. All through history though, there has been some tortured artists from Mozart to bluesman Robert Johnson being hounded by Satan. To Pete Ham and Tom Evans (of Badfinger) suicides to the lifelong turmoil of Marvin and his father ending in Marvin's death. This list of tortured music artists runs deep. Who would you consider to be a tortured music artist?

Don't know if Satan had anything to do with his problems, but...



...Syd Barrett might fit the bill.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...rmusic.htm

Hotlegs said:

2pac was overrated to me, he only had dear mama and i get around. California dreamin was so stupid and only showed his ignorance of him and the whole west coast people. The bad thing about that horrible song is that Compton, inglewood, south central does not even look as close to what they claim it looks like. I be disappointed everytime i go out there, i be expecting to see gang members , people running with guns in there hands. 2 pac sucked to me and notorious big was way better than him.

It doesn't have to be so extreme that it ends in ones death. And one is not tortured simply because they "look the part". I would imagine that more artist than you would think are tortured in some way. Especially if they are critical of/hard on themselves. And even more so for they create alone.

About the most tortured soul I can think of...



...other than myself of course.

saintsation said:

In his case, the best way to regard him as is a Ghetto Superstar. I wasn't a great fan of him neither. However, prior to him writing bullshit songs with Death Row, he actually wrote quality rhymes that didn't get much airplay b/c he was much more militant like Public Enemy at that time. So, I can understand where you are coming from believe me.

gotta include kurt cobain and janis joplin, certainly.

i'd even throw karen carpenter on the list, even though she managed to keep a placid facade throughout her life.

saintsation said:

Wow.

I think he was better than that.

I think he created an image for himself that consumed him. He didn't start out Thug Life. He invented it. He felt the pressure to become it. And he died because of it. IMHO, whatever issues he had either caused that or were caused by it.

nick drake

Now that I think about this a little more...



...Jimi Hendrix for sure.

*Issues with management
*The music he wanted to play vs the music people wanted him to play

tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...rmusic.htm

Sly Stone


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...rmusic.htm

theAudience said:

that's a crazy lookin' picture of him.

you're right.

oh, and brian wilson. i just saw the documentary about "smile" today, and the man definitely had/has demons aplenty.

Billie Holiday


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...rmusic.htm

Anxiety said:

You just pre-empted my pictorial post on him.

tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...rmusic.htm

Already mentioned Hendrix...



...but his buddy to the left, Brian Jones, could make the list.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...rmusic.htm

theAudience said:

Anxiety said:

Very good pick with Karen. Such a beautiful voice and face, too.

blackguitaristz said:

and a girl drummer.

theAudience said:

Now Aud, u KNOW that I wanted to add Jimi, but I swear, I left him for u!

theAudience said:

Definately Brian Jones, the most creative Stone.

theAudience said:

Yes. I told ya'll that this list runs deep.

Louis Armstrong and for awhile there, Little Richard. His bout being torn between gospel and rock and roll.

Dare I say, but I do feel Prince falls into this category. Maybe not today, but, I belive there was a time. P has even gone on to say that the urge to make music sometimes is so strong that it's a curse.

John Lennon

blackguitaristz said:

i'm not sure about that - i think he went through a really intense period in the the mid-to-late '90s, but the difference between him and what we'd consider "tortured artists" is that he pulled through without destroying himself or giving in to the pressures and tragedies around him. dude's a strong willed and healthy guy - i think a lot of the "tortured artists" that we think of are people who not only had hard lives, but also were kind of fragile souls to boot. i don't think of prince that way.

blackguitaristz said:

I was going to saying that BG Baby but I left P for you .

Rick James definitely.

Anxiety said:

Anx, I knew u were going to chime in with something like that!

Would Morissey be tortured, or just a sad sack? (Really asking here)