00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at the most erratic and unconventional musicians
00:11of all time.
00:19Number 10.
00:20Bjork.
00:21Bjork is easily Iceland's most famous musician.
00:32She first rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lead singer of the Sugar Cubes, before
00:37achieving even greater success as a solo artist.
00:41Her music, known for its highly experimental and innovative edge, became increasingly eccentric
00:47over her first three albums, and has remained consistently quirky.
00:54Bjork's peculiarities extend beyond her music.
01:01Her arts, videos, and fashion all stand out for their surreal aesthetic.
01:06Perhaps one of her most iconic looks was the swan dress she wore to the 2001 Oscars, which
01:12the Telegraph hailed as one of the most iconic red carpet looks.
01:17Bjork's fearless embrace of her peculiarity has made her a musical giant, inspiring countless
01:22fans globally with her unique vision.
01:33Number 9.
01:35Captain Beefheart's.
01:36Captain Beefheart's most iconic work, Troutmask Replica, produced by Frank Zappa and performed
01:42with his magic band, is as much a hot mess as it is a meticulously crafted masterpiece.
01:54Beefheart wrote every song on piano in nine hours, despite having never played the instrument
02:00before.
02:01Each instrumental part was transcribed, and the musicians played them as perfectly as
02:06However, the recording process was grueling.
02:16At one point, the drummer was pushed down a flight of stairs for failing to play a strawberry.
02:21None of the parts were in sync, and Beefheart recorded vocals without hearing the instrumentals,
02:26resulting in music's most carefully composed mess.
02:36And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
02:38The full story is too long to recount here.
02:42Number 8.
02:43Ozzy Osbourne.
02:44It's no exaggeration to claim that Black Sabbath and their frontman, the Prince of
02:49Darkness, Ozzy Osbourne, pioneered heavy metal.
02:56Since the band's monumental debut in 1970, Osbourne has gone on to become one of music's
03:01most significant and bizarre figures.
03:05There's an abundance of wacky stories surrounding the singer, like the infamous 1982 incident
03:10when he bit the head off of a bat on stage.
03:13A year earlier, a dove suffered a similar fate at his hands, reflecting his history
03:18of shocking acts involving animals.
03:26This behaviour may trace back to his time working in a slaughterhouse, which likely
03:31desensitised him to animal cruelty.
03:33Another crazy story involved accidentally drugging a vicar after his wife unknowingly
03:38gave him a spacey kick.
03:48Number 7.
03:49Sun Ra.
03:55Claiming to be a messiah sent from Saturn by cosmic beings to speak through music is
04:01quite a curious backstory for a musician, and is one of many reasons Sun Ra is considered
04:07so eccentric.
04:20During his life, he composed more than a hundred full-length experimental jazz albums.
04:25His music was unlike anything on Earth, creating sounds he believed aligned with the cosmos's
04:31vibrations.
04:37Sun Ra pioneered Afrofuturism, an aesthetic combining African culture with science fiction.
04:44He rejected his given name, racial identity, and Earthly constraints and embraced an otherworldly
04:50persona as an act of liberation.
04:53Although he passed away in 1993, his legacy endures, and his music will continue to inspire
04:58many for decades.
05:07Number 6.
05:08Yoko Ono.
05:28Yoko is one of music's most polarizing figures, considered a misunderstood genius by some
05:39and despised by others.
05:41Contrary to popular belief, she didn't break up the Beatles, although she has made many
05:46questionable art choices, like putting John Lennon's bloodied glasses on an album cover.
05:59Much of the hostility she faces stems from racism and misogyny, but despite individual
06:04opinions of her, everyone agrees she's pretty peculiar.
06:08Ono is famous for her avant-garde scream, used as a way to express feelings words fail
06:13to convey.
06:14However, not everyone appreciates it.
06:17For example, she belted her lungs out while performing with Chuck Berry once, which was
06:21so out of place that the sound engineer muted her completely.
06:34Number 5.
06:35Michael Jackson.
06:42Rising to fame as one of the Jackson 5, the King of Pop became the most famous person
06:47in the world at the peak of his career.
06:50His eccentricity was a result of his unique and tragic upbringing, along with the isolation
06:55caused by his stardom.
07:01He had a childlike love for toys, cartoons, and animals, stemming from a desire to recapture
07:06the childhood he never had.
07:08This longing was reflected in his private amusement park, Neverland Ranch, where his
07:13moonwalking pet chimpanzee Bubbles lived.
07:16Known for his peculiar purchases, Jackson reportedly attempted to buy the elephant man's
07:21bones for $1 million, but his bid was rejected.
07:25His uniqueness as an artist has solidified him as one of music history's most fascinating
07:30figures.
07:40Number 4.
07:41Prince.
07:42Prince was a musician, performer, and cultural icon who cultivated an unconventional image
07:48that still stands out.
07:56A music prodigy, he seamlessly blended a multitude of genres and mastered several instruments.
08:02Prince was a Jehovah's Witness, which meant he would have gone knocking on strangers doors,
08:07enlightening them about his faith.
08:18He took this work seriously, one time knocking on a Jewish household's door and insisting
08:24on finishing his message despite their disinterest.
08:27He also didn't believe in time, refusing to count his age.
08:35In 1993, he created Glam Slam Ulysses, a funk-infused adaptation of Homer's epic.
08:42Prince was an icon who truly lived life on his own terms, which is something we can all
08:48look up to.
08:52Number 3.
08:54Frank Zappa In his own words, Frank Zappa never set out
08:58to be weird.
08:59It was always other people who called him weird.
09:07Zappa was a renowned band leader, guitarist, and composer who rejected norms and embraced
09:13unconventionality.
09:15One of his first TV appearances featured him showing how to play a bicycle, foreshadowing
09:19his unusual career.
09:28Zappa despised apathy and encouraged his fans to vote by putting registration booths at
09:33live shows.
09:35He also upheld artists' rights when in 1985, he testified at Congress in opposition to
09:40a proposed censorship law.
09:50During his monumental speech, he famously said, and contributed to blocking the passage
09:57of the bill.
09:58Decades after his death, he's still considered one of music's most innovative stars.
10:11Number 2.
10:12David Bowie One of the most celebrated musicians of all
10:14time, David Bowie constantly displayed boundary-pushing levels of creativity.
10:27His eccentricity was a fundamental part of his artistic identity, with an unparalleled
10:32ability to constantly reinvent his image.
10:35From Ziggy Stardust to the Thin White Duke, he constantly transformed stylistically.
10:47There are countless stories highlighting Bowie's oddities, like the fact that he kept urine
10:52in his fridge to protect it from witches.
10:55Another is that while recording Station to Station, his diet was primarily peppers, milk,
11:01and narcotics.
11:07Bowie frequently challenged the industry's standards, which has become an essential part
11:12of his lasting legacy.
11:30Number 1.
11:31Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Many struggle to understand how innovative
11:39Mozart was, with his music being over 200 years old now.
11:44During his life, many of his works were groundbreaking and also controversial.
11:56He was a peculiar person by the standards of any period.
11:59For instance, he once proposed to Aloysia Weber, who later gave him the cold shoulder.
12:04Outraged, he played a revenge tune, essentially telling her to kiss his behind.
12:16He later married her sister, whom he controlled obsessively, banning her from walking alone,
12:22going to casinos, and even restricting her bath time, out of fear that she'd drown.
12:38Mozart was rebellious for the era, and will forever be remembered as one of history's
12:43most original composers.
12:45Who do you think takes the cake for being the oddest musician of all time?
12:49Let us know in the comment section.
13:20Don't forget to like and subscribe!
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