Tag: 80s

Bizarre Items from Musicians that Sold for Ridiculous Amounts of Money

How much would you be willing to pay for an authentic item from your favorite musician? A guitar pick caught in concert, a shirt, scarf, autograph, or even an instrument itself are all commonplace among collectors in the music world. However what about personal, and every day items you wouldn’t necessarily associate with your favorite act. Believe it or not, some of the highest closing auctions for musicians belong to some of the most unique items that may seem like nothing more than common trash to some. Well, one mans trash is another’s treasure they say, and with that in mind here are just a few of the most bizarre items that sold for ridiculous amounts of money at auction.

Justin Timberlake’s French Toast

If you had to re-read that we don’t blame you! Yes, this is correct. All the way back in the year 2000, Justin had just finished a morning interview on New York based radio station Z-100 where he was served a French toast breakfast. According to Ew.com, the morning show host then listed the remaining slices on eBay where they sold at auction for a whopping $1,025. The winner was a 19 year old student who claims she would “probably freeze-dry it, then seal it…then put it on my dresser”. We hate to burst her bubble, but I got French toasts this morning at Denny’s for $7.

Jerry Lee Lewis’s Ointment

Photo: Julien’s Auctions

Typically people don’t want the possession of their own ointment to be public knowledge, let alone someone else’s! But, what if that some else is “the killer” himself? The auction containing a tube of nasal ointment and two empty prescription pill bottles belonging to the wild child himself ended at $384. A substantial amount of money for something that I’m sure we could categorize as medical waste of you ask me. Even more intreating, the items were put up for auction by Lewis’s Ex-wife.

William Shatner’s Kidney Stone

Photo: GoldenPalace.com

The spoken word artist is no stranger to the occasional online auction, His Star Trek costumes reaching over $100,000 at times. However, in 2006 Shatner himself took to Julien’s Auctions to list his “sizable” kidney stone in an effort to raise money for Habitat for Humanity. Offering a substantial $25,000, the auction was won by GoldenPalace.com, an online casino. Additionally, the casino initially offered $15,000 which Shatner turned down! Clearly William knows exactly what “a piece of him” is worth!

Britney Spears’s Pregnancy Test

Photo: The Sun

There’s obsessive and then there’s down right creepy. While none of these items have been particularly “normal” to want in your collection, we can’t help but think this the next level. Fortunately for our sanity, the piss stick was taken by GoldenPalace.com in 2005 to add to their ever-growing collection of “oddities”. That being said the online casino rolled out an impressive $5,001 for charity on this one. Surprisingly snagging the item a lot cheaper than a piece of Britney’s used gum that went for $14,000 and didn’t even include a COA.

Elvis’s Backgammon Board

Photo: Julien’s Auctions

Next time you are convinced nobody plays Backgammon, just remember The King himself was an avid player who even took his travel board with him. That same travel board would find its way to auction in 2016 closing at $1,024. A few rounds of high stakes backgammon and the buyer will have his money back in no time!

Six Strands of Kurt Cobain’s Hair

Photo: IconicAuctions.com

Capping off our list with the most recent addition to the auction block. Over the weekend of May 15th 2021, Six strands of Kurt Cobain’s hair sold for $14,145. Notably, the hair in question was accompanied by an official COA as well as a photograph of the seller with the late Nirvana frontman during the haircut. Now don’t get me wrong, I love Nirvana as much as the next guy, but I’m not going balls to the walls to showcase 6 strands of hair. In that vein, if you’ve got the money I’ve got a haircut coming up soon!

Would you break out the checkbook for any of these items? What’s the weirdest music memorabilia you’ve seen up for sale? Let us know down below! Make sure to follow along for more and check out all our other blogs right here!

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/articles/4e641c9b-1a1f-4b07-9201-5843854aaa25

https://www.nme.com/photos/23-of-the-weirdest-things-sold-on-ebay-by-rock-stars-or-in-the-name-of-music-1422967?ampm

https://www.juliensauctions.com/

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KISS and “Makeup”

KISS founders Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley don’t see eye to eye on the current state of Rock Music.

KISS bassist Gene Simmons has found himself in the headlines numerous times in the past weeks with his controversial comments regarding the current state of rock music. What stared out as an isolated claim regarding the lack of “legendary” artists in the current era eventually caught the attention of Alice Cooper as well as fellow KISS member Paul Stanley.

“Rock is Dead”

Photo: Ultimate Classic Rock

Gene Simmons claims of the end of the rock genre came up during an interview with Gulf News, when asked about the current state of Rock an’ Roll and thoughts about those who claim rock has died, Simmons had this to say, “Rock is dead. And that’s because new bands haven’t taken the time to create glamour, excitement and epic stuff. I mean, Foo Fighters is a terrific band, but that’s a 20-year-old band. So you can go back to 1958 until 1988. That’s 30 years. During that time, we had Elvis, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Rolling Stones, on and on.” While Simmons is doubtful any current era bands or artist will be considered “Legendary” within the next 30 years, some of his fellow musicians don’t feel this is the case at all.

Cooper Calls Bull!

Photo: Billboard

Upon hearing Simmons’ claims, Alice Cooper told NME, “I would like him to do my taxes, He’s a business man, and business-wise, it’s valid, but I guarantee you right now that in London somewhere, in garages, they’re learning Aerosmith and Guns ‘N’ Roses, There’s a bunch of 18-year-kids in there with guitars and drums and they’re learning hard rock. It’s the same with the United States: there’s all these young bands that want to resurge that whole area of hard rock.” Discussing the state of rock music at large, he said the genre is “where it should be right now”.

Cooper goes on to explain the genre is alive and well existing, not in The Grammys or The Mainstream but rather on “the outside looking in” as it should be. The full NME interview can be seen below:

https://youtu.be/-NBfguTvDx4

Stanley Stands In

Photo: Louder Sound

The comments not only resonated with rock icon Alice Cooper but also fellow KISS band mate Paul Stanley! Stanley’s stance sides with Alice Cooper defending the genre and claiming, “I think that life, rock, whatever it is, is never a constant,” he says. “Let’s say, for example, if you take somebody’s pulse and it’s weak, it doesn’t mean they’re dead. It means that the pulse is weak. And it doesn’t mean it won’t come back stronger. I don’t think that music can ever be dead. I don’t think that bands can be dead, rock can be dead. It just takes somebody to reignite it to the level that it has been at some time in the past.” In an interview with Canada Talks on Sirius XM, according to AltPress.

Bitter Bias?

While both KISS leads appear to be on opposite sides of the spectrum when it comes to the current state of the rock industry, that doesn’t appear to have driven a wedge between the two… yet. While the band is still scheduled to tour, they have pushed back any future dates until after pandemic restrictions have been lifted. Stanley still plans to take his solo project on the road playing smaller clubs and venues in the meantime.

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Randy Savagisms

What are the absolute greatest and most iconic Macho Man quotes of all time?

Oh Yeah! Macho Man Randy Savage is renowned as one of the absolute greatest of all time both in the ring and out. A character so large he became not only a sports entertainment icon but a pop culture icon as well! A name-stay of the 80s and 90s and still commonplace today, the late great Macho Man has certainly left his impact over multiple generations. With a aura about him that will seemingly ever fade, we’re looking back at some of the most iconic and quoted Randy Savage lines of all time, DIG IT!

Comparatively Speaking,

Combine your typical mumbled, adrenaline fueled, rage induced 80s wrestling promo with surpassing articulation and metaphors and you’ve got yourself a classic Randy Savage promo. Never had this been more evident than in the build up to The Macho Man’s Intercontinental Championship match against Champion Tito Santana. In a backstage interview for the history books with the legendary Mean Gene Okerlund, Savage began his now infamous rant by presenting a trash bin seemingly from nowhere before uttering the phenomenal line, “Tito Santana, Comparatively speaking you are nothing but garbage.” In an interview segment full of memorable lines and actions, including the iconic “Grain of Sand” bit, we’ve got to go with the one that started us down the rabbit hole!

Youtube.com: ZombiFloorCleaner

Funky like a monkey…

Honestly It baffles me this one isn’t more commonplace in the casual discussion of Randy Savage! One of the most out there and wacky lines in his arsenal, The a Macho King would occasionally bust it out be it backstage or on talk shows! With a dead serious demeanor and without missing a cue only Savage could utter the iconic phrase, “The tower of power, Too sweet to be sour, Funky like a monkey, Sky’s the limit and space is the place.” And still come off as a total badass! Our overly sized rhinestone and feather hat is off to you King!

Youtube.com: ZZz 3rD eYe zZZ

You Can’t Say That!

Sometimes the best moments are blink and you miss it situations, and this entry is no exception! Finding ourselves backstage once again with Mean Gene, Randy Savage begins explaining to the analyst that he could beat Larry Bird on a basketball court, before then informing the viewing audience of his friendship with musician Rod Stewart! Recounting a phone call between the two Macho explains that “Macho Madness is more seductive than sex.” Which is only made greater by Mean Gene’s reaction of, “You can’t say that on Tv!” Tying it all together is the ever slick Macho Man retorting, “I can say that.” We can’t argue with that logic!

Youtube.com: ZombiFloorCleaner

Not a Racist!

In today’s day and age being called a racist simply because of a minor disagreement seems an unfortunate common place. While many artists, actors, and celebrities have found themselves in headlines over remarks they may or may not have made decades ago that are now deemed “inappropriate” Macho Man Randy Savage made his stance very clear on the issue of race. Appearing as a guest on the Arsenio Hall Show, Randy Savage walked out to the set head to toe in full wrestling gear. Upon sitting down to start the episode, Arsenio moved an ottoman out of shot to discuss Macho’s boots. When he began his question by addressing the fact Savage was in fact wearing one white and one black boot, Macho was too quick on the draw blurting out, “I’m not a racist!” This is why we love you Randy!

Youtube,com: Mike Funk

Snap Into It!

The Macho Man became a larger than life household name in part to his illustrious thEn WWF career, but it was his iconic Slim Jim commercials that brought The Macho King into homes to stay! One of the most quoted, imitated, and well known advertisements of all time, nothing since has seemed to have the lasting impact as that of Savages Slim Jim promotions! While they may have attempted to rekindle the magic in recent years, sorry Edge, but nothing will ever surpass the over the top enthusiasm of Randy Savage snapping into a Slim Jim!

RetroCommercial.com

(Honorable Mention)

With so many iconic lines and promos to dig through its nearly impossible not to leave any out. However, it just wouldn’t feel right to exclude the iconic “Cream of The Crop” promo! While rather than any specific line, this entire promo is solid gold! From savage’s wild movements around a rather confused Mean Gene, to him pulling seemingly an unending amount of creamer from out of thin air, Randy Savage proves in this interview alone that he truly is The Cream of the Crop!

Youtube.com: CGatto

Oh, Yeah!

It is absolutely impossible to talk about The Macho Man without mimicking his trademark, “Oh, Yeah!” Step aside Kool-Aid Man, The Macho King is the true innovator of the popular phrase. Present is almost every single Randy Savage promo ever recorded and transcending the world of spots entertainment, The Macho Man changed American Culture with his trademark voice and two simple words, Oh, Yeah!

Youtube.com: WWE

OH WOW MAN FREAK OUT!

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Remembering Eddie Van Halen

Remembering Eddie Van Halen

Eddie Van Halen tragically passed away on October 6th 2020 after a long battle with lung cancer. Eddie was diagnosed with cancer in 2015, and though he was a frequent smoke, attributes it to a metal guitar pick he would often hold in his mouth. While the music industry and the world as a hole are devastated at this lose, we are able to look back at the incredible life and career of the Van Halen Co-Founder and remember some of the lasting impressions and moments he has left with us. The following are just a few of the things we will continue to remember Eddie Van Halen by.

The Frankenstrat

https://frankenstrat.wordpress.com/about/

When thinking of Van Halen one image always seems to comes to mind, That guitar. Eddie Van Halen is well known for his custom hardware, the first and most famous of course being The Frankenstart. Comprised of a Fender Stratocaster body personally modified to fit a Gibson PAF humbucking pickup, which was encased in paraffin wax to reduce feedback due to the nature of it’s installation, and off-centered to allow the differently spaced strings of a Fender bridge to be able to be picked up. Removing both tone control knobs, Eddie opted rather to use one of the knobs marked “Tone” on his volume control. He wasn’t even close to done there however, When deciding on a pick guard EVH chose to shape a vinyl record over the controls, which was later replaced. Now onto that classic paint job. Originally painted black, Van Halen used gaffing tape to section off strips of the body before painting the guitar over again in white, then once more in red. Did I mention that later on in his career Eddie decided to add a sideways three way switch in the middle of his guitar that wasn’t actually connected just to throw off imitations. A copy of the Frankenstrat can be found in the National Museum of American History, but in April of 2019 the original was displayed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

His Solos

Listening to Van Halen it becomes very clear, very fast, it’s all about the guitar. With all the time and effort he out into creating the instrument how could it not be! Eddie Van Halen is known world over as one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Playing with a wild and fast style that has yet to be replicated, Eddie used every possible aspect if the guitar. Known best for his signature tapping, a style of playing based around using both hands to hammer string on the neck of the guitar, EVH left us with some of the absolute most iconic and memorable solos of all time. Most notable, Van Halen’s instrumental track Eruption features a near two minute guitar solo from EVH popularly considered one of the greatest solos of all time. Featuring on the self title album Van Halen, The track leads perfectly into You Really Got Me, beginning in key of A flat and ending on E flat. Eddie Van Halen will forever go down in history as one of the greatest there ever was to pick up six strings.

Music Videos

Whether it’s prancing around in three piece brown suits in Hot For Teacher or flying across the stage in Panama, Eddie steals the scene. Eddie Van Halen was true superstar both on stage and behind the camera and always looked like he was having the time of his life doing it. Think back, when I say Van Halen music video, do you see Eddie in the scene that comes to mind? Who could forget him flying across the screen guitar in hand in Panama, or strutting down a library desk busting out one of the meanest solos of all time. These are images that have been engrained in our brains and society for decades. Not to mention my personal favorite, that cheeky smile in Jump knowing damn well the history he’s making with that guitar. Something just hits different in a Van Halen music video, and that something is Eddie.

Van Halen

Above all else the greatest gift EVH ever gave us was himself. Van Halen was formed in 1972 with brother Eddie and Alex, and have been a staple on our radios and in our homes since. A band like this with a line up this powerful only comes around once in a lifetime and Eddie was the force that brought it together. We will always have the unforgettable, iconic, and rockin’ tunes of Van Halen to remind us how legendary and unique Eddie Van Halen was. One of the greatest guitarists of all time, and one of the most influential musicians to ever take the world by storm, none of this happens without Eddie Van Halen. Rest In Peace.

-Style

Staff, TMZ. “Eddie Van Halen Dead at 65 from Cancer.” TMZ, TMZ, 6 Oct. 2020, http://www.tmz.com/2020/10/06/eddie-van-halen-dead-dies-cancer-65/.

“Eddie Van Halen.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 6 Oct. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Van_Halen.

“Frankenstrat.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 7 Oct. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstrat.

“Eruption (Instrumental).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 7 Oct. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eruption_(instrumental).

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