Rock Legends With The Weirdest Antics

Rock stars aren’t exactly known for being quiet, let’s face it. It’s hard to stay grounded when your daily life includes loud fans, stadiums that are packed, and paychecks that are worth a million dollars. When someone is that famous, they often do some pretty crazy things with their life.

But not every outrageous rock star story is truly “weird.” Take Nikki Sixx from Mötley Crüe—he literally died for a couple of minutes after an overdose. That’s intense, even shocking, but it fits the typical rock-and-roll chaos. Or GG Allin, who became infamous for his extreme behavior, though much of it was rooted in trauma and addiction. Those stories feel more tragic than bizarre.

The tales we’re talking about here? They’re in a different league. These are the ones that make you say, “Wait… they did what?” We’re diving into the quirks, the oddball habits, and the truly unexpected sides of rock stars. Whether it’s an odd obsession, a weird hobby, or a completely illogical way of life, these artists stand out for accepting and owning the strange. Some people do weird things occasionally, while others do it all the time. In any case, they show that being weird is sometimes part of the rock deal.

Jack White
Jack White has never exactly played by the rules—and that’s part of what makes him so fascinating. When Consequence reviewed his 2018 album Boarding House Reach, they didn’t mince words. Their one-word summary? “Weird.” And honestly, they weren’t wrong. One track was inspired by music handwritten by Al Capone while locked up in Alcatraz. That kind of oddball creativity is classic Jack White.

Then there’s the whole early-career mystery of The White Stripes. He and Meg White were introduced as siblings, but surprise—they were actually married and later divorced. Jack still tried to keep that little detail under wraps for a while.

In 2012, The New York Times described his multi-use Nashville building as looking like it was “designed by an imaginative kindergartner — a cross between Warhol’s Factory and the Batcave.” That magical, chaotic vibe includes his massive taxidermy collection. He once bought a giant elephant head on American Pickers, and back in 2001, his Detroit home was packed with animal heads—some literally stacked in corners because there wasn’t enough wall space.

Oh, and he has a strange dislike of nurses and enjoys reading scrapbooks from old insane asylums. Weird? Absolutely. But also, totally Jack White.

Stephen Morris
Stephen Morris, best known as the drummer for Joy Division and New Order, has one of the most unexpected hobbies in rock. While most musicians might splurge on sports cars or guitars, Morris went in a completely different direction—he started collecting tanks. Yes, real tanks. He even drives them around the English countryside, sometimes staging mock battles with post office vans just for fun.

Trying to explain the appeal to Electronic Beats, Morris said, “Some people like rollercoasters … It’s a bit like that, driving a tank, and the fact that you could destroy a lot of things by driving over them and somehow when you don’t do it you feel very relieved. It’s an adrenaline thing but it’s a slow sort of adrenaline thing because they don’t go very fast.”

Interestingly, the whole thing started when he wanted a vintage car, but his wife wasn’t on board. “Two weeks later I saw someone selling a tank, and I said maybe I’ll get a tank instead. And she said yeah, get a tank. So I ended up buying a tank!”

Still, he admits, “I always wondered what it was like inside one and now I can tell you it’s not very nice.” And while he’d love to drive them more, “this bloody music keeps getting in the way.”

Tom DeLonge
Tom DeLonge isn’t just the guy from Blink-182 who sang about teenage angst—he’s also one of the most dedicated alien enthusiasts in rock. His fascination with extraterrestrials goes all the way back to Blink’s 1999 album Enema of the State, which featured a track called “Aliens Exist.” Since then, what started as a quirky interest has turned into a full-blown mission.

DeLonge claims to have collected “hundreds of hours of interviews with government workers who allegedly know about aliens.” He even says he’s had his own experience with them. As he told Papermag, “My whole body felt like it had static electricity … It sounded like there were about 20 people there, talking. And instantly my mind goes, okay … they’re not here to hurt us … But they’re working on something.” He also believes his phone was tapped by the government and says scientists have reached out to confirm what he knows.

Muse frontman Matt Bellamy shared that DeLonge once promised to show him proof. “Apparently there’s a warehouse in Vegas holding some weird alien s*** that he’s going to take me to one day,” he told Tone Deaf. While DeLonge did help push for the release of UFO footage in 2020, he’s already moved on—to Bigfoot.

Prince
Prince was never one to blend in. From his bold fashion and androgynous style to that time he famously changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol, he always did things his own way. But surprisingly, those headline-grabbing moments weren’t what made Prince truly unusual—especially considering the name change was a protest during a bitter fight with his record label.

The real quirks? Those showed up behind the scenes. On tour, Prince would travel with his own hairdresser—but instead of hotel-room styling, he’d rent out an entire local salon for personal use, often without warning and at any cost. In one Washington, D.C. incident, fans caught wind he was inside, and the buzz nearly caused a riot. And while his fanbase adored him, the love wasn’t always mutual—Prince was known to sue or threaten fans who shared concert videos or photos online.

Then there were the pet doves, who not only lived with him at Paisley Park but were even credited as background vocalists on one of his albums. Inside his Minnesota compound, he challenged A-listers to brutal matches of ping-pong and basketball—and usually won. And in the studio? A strictly enforced swear jar. Because of course Prince had rules—even for profanity.

Dusty Hill
Dusty Hill, the legendary bassist of ZZ Top, wasn’t your typical rock star. While most musicians kick back during a break from touring, Hill decided to take a different path—he took on a blue-collar job at an airport. “I had a lot of jobs for a month at a time or a week or whatever, but I wanted to have that regular experience,” he told Ultimate Classic Rock.

Hill had been performing almost his entire life. “I’ve been a singer since I was 8, and I’ve been a musician since I was 13 and pretty much on the road since I was 14,” he said. But fame never got to his head. He changed his name, kept a low profile, and even altered his look (this was pre-beard!) to blend in. And when people recognized him, he’d simply deny it. “I did not want other people to think that I thought I was full of myself. But the main thing is that I didn’t want to start feeling full of myself. So I did it to ground myself.”

And this wasn’t his first odd gig. Back in the ‘60s, he and Frank Beard toured the U.S. pretending to be the Zombies. His response? “It was the ’60s, man.”

Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper may be the king of shock rock on stage, but offstage, he says he’s a lot more low-key—especially after giving up drinking. Still, back in the wild early days, he found himself at the center of one of rock’s strangest and most infamous stories: the 1969 chicken incident. It’s the kind of bizarre tale that became legend—and one Cooper has had to clear up more than once.

As the story goes, someone in the crowd threw a chicken on stage during a show. Cooper, thinking it would fly, tossed it back into the audience. Unfortunately, it didn’t soar—it dropped straight into the crowd, who then tore it apart. The press ran wild with it, claiming Cooper had killed the bird himself in some twisted onstage ritual.

But the truth? According to bassist Dennis Dunaway in his memoir Snakes! Guillotines! Electric Chairs! (via Rolling Stone), the band actually had two pet chickens named Larry and Pecker. They loved them. Cooper never meant any harm. Dunaway later noted the upside of the strange scandal: “It helped get us off the hook with animal protection organizations, who, after the chicken incident, showed up at every Alice Cooper gig to prevent our murdering chickens, which we never did.”