Musicians who have (or may have?) Asperger's Syndrome.

Post Reply New Topic

nar i did'nt totally mean that don't read in to it too much. besides im a bit of a posser i mean i got my own band but i live in outback australia and as long shot hero say "Be the music, not the scene." ...rrr anyway how about dead milkmen some of thier songs are like a page from hitch hikers guide to the galaxy they just go on about nothing in particular what do think one of them got AS maybe? check out the video in you tube vidoes forum.

oh yeah punk pathetiques kinda like uk oi bands who just write kinda funny songs. actualy movement seems kinda strong there are a few of them but the whole movement thing doesnt really worry them. "Be the music, not the scene.",

I doubt any of you have heard of them, but what about Mikael Stanne from Dark Tranquillity?
Obviously it is rude to make assumptions like this about people you've never met, but if I had to nominate someone, it would be him.

Don Van Vliet?

The other day there was this music special about Rammstein, the german band, and there
where all the guys talking, and when they asked the keyboard player (the skinny guy)
"what do you want to do when the tour is finally over"
and he said
"be at home and don't see people"

hahaha!

he was serious



and yes, he looked odd

Maybe wishful thinking on my part, but Thom and Jonny of Radiohead both strike me as having AS traits. Especially Thom.

"tell me more"
(quote from the simpsons )

I agree with the person before who nominated Beck Hansen. He seems pretty Aspie to me, and it probably stems from more than just being raised as a Scientologist. I mentioned him in another thread as well: http://www.wrongplanet.net/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=28097&start=30

Thom is quite evasive and has never enjoyed interviews, touring and all the constant change associated with it seems to fluster him.

Jonny is just a savant, who doesn't talk much if at all.

Watch the documentary 'meeting People is Easy', to see what I mean.

www.myspace.com/thecurseofwesternculture

Dude, I'll send you €10- if you smile in your avatar. f**k.

Yeah, I've thought so to. Captain Beefheart is/are amongst my all time favourites. Somewhere on Youtube there's an interview with Don and his mannerisms and way of speaking are definitely not mainstream. Worth searching for some of the clips of live performances too. One of the most talented musicians of the past century.

As someone suggested earlier, John Frusciante(plays guitar in the Red Hot Chili Peppers) is a very likely aspie, this is especially apparent in the lyrics on his(brilliant) solo records. Also, he seems confused and slightly uncomfortable in interviews, he temporarily quit the band in the 90's due in large part to the stress of touring, and although his rythms are usually very strict and repetetive he uses a lot of odd chords and scales and clearly spends a lot more time studying music theory than the average rock guitarist. Plus he has a modular synth, which is not an instrument most neurotypicals would have the patience to use.

Among my favorite musicians there are two who immediately jump out:

The first is Brian May of Queen. He's known for being very quiet and avoids the typical rock star lifestyle - he keeps a frequently-updated blog and claims that drugs or alcohol make him feel very unwell, so he doesn't use them. He also has an intense fascination with astrophysics which he has never let go of despite becoming an internationally famous and wealthy guitarist, and has recently co-authored a book on the subject. His blog seems filled with expressions of disbelief and anger at people who don't agree with him on certain causes. In interviews he speaks softly and seems to have a lot more thought in his head than what comes out of his mouth. Lastly he seems to have a sort of mysterious "otherworldly" look about him like some autistics have.

The second is Vince Clarke, currently of Erasure and formerly of Yazoo and Depeche Mode. His primary reason for leaving Depeche Mode was that their heavy touring schedule was too intense for him. From there he kept jumping from band to band until he found a working partner who allowed him a great deal of control over how things would be done. He seems very dull in interviews and always brings them back around to topics he feels comfortable with, usually the programming of various types of synthesizers. When he writes lyrics on his own they tend to be complete nonsense as he focuses mainly on the programming of the music rather than expressing any sort of emotion through the lyrics. Also in interviews he rarely discusses other people except for those within his inner circle (his bandmate, his wife, etc). He's also been described as very "regimented" and keeping things on a carefully planned schedule, and is known for appearing very worried on stage (where he generally stays far out of the spotlight) because he is obsessive about making sure everything comes out absolutely perfect.


Naturally it's not for me to say if either of these people have AS since I've never met them, but as far as I can see they definitely show signs of it. It's equally likely they're just shy, geeky, or perfectionist. Either way, they certainly give me something to relate to and look up to, as they've both been very successful and happy despite not being terribly skilled socially.

I'm a huge GnR/VR fan and I've always wondered about Slash.

He is extremely anti-social; we're talking about a man who grew his hair long so he could hide behind it whilst on stage to pretend there was no audience there! Almost a kind of "I can't see you, you can't see me!" thing.

He is extremely talented but also quite intelligent; something that is very rare outside of the Autistic spectrum. Most people are either talented creatively or academically, but rarely both.

He never seems to quite know what to say; if you've listened to him in an interview, it's mainly um's and ah's, with the odd sentence and the rest filled in by Duff.

He has a lot of obsessive-compulsive qualities; he has a collection of over 130 guitars, most of them pretty much the same, which is a heck of a lot even for a guitar player! Also he is obsessed with cats and snakes, and still mourns the ones he gave up when his first child was born. It is also claimed that, in interviews, once finished with his cigarettes (he is an extreme chain smoker) he takes each discarded filter and sets it upright on the table in front of him.

Yeah Slash is most likely AS. I know I'd have well over 100 guitars if I had the money. Hell, I almost impulse-bought a mint green fender strat at Music Center a few days ago. I already have a strat and I almost spent 250$ on another just cuz I liked the color.

Oh yeah, and Slash also always wears dark glasses which may have to do with eye-contact. And lets not forget the time he threw a fit because he lost his special top-hat in Cleveland (it was recovered late by a homeless guy who sold it back to Slash for over $1000)

Haha, yeah.
Although I think he was more angry about the hat than upset because he left it in a limo at the Grammys so he figured the driver must have taken it because there's no one else who could have.