Who are some musicians who have Asperger's Syndrome?

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I thought he really did not It's all a matter of perspective, isn't it?

Allthough he died before the dagnosis existed, Frank Zappa is a good example. He'd sit alone for up to 16 hours making music, often forgetting to eat.

And he didn't do drugs and still made the type of music he made. Definately an aspie or something.

James Durbin from American Idol has said he was diagnosed with both Asperger's and Tourette's. Now he's making a fairly decent career for himself.

James will be my American Idol forever...loved watching him perform last year as he was so into it every time. I am very similar when I play piano and hope you'll check out my videos on youtube....bombergal1.

Thebicyclingguitarist wrote:
"....when I was growing up in the 1960s. I did some research and self-diagnosed upon being told about Aspergers by a counselor in the late 1990s, and in the past decade I have been tested and officially diagnosed at least twice (the most recent time upon applying for services a couple years ago from the Developmental Disability branch of the local health department). I am finally hooked up with the right agency"

A couple of questions.

1. Has it impacted the availability of health insurance to you?
2. What "major breakthroughs" might there be.

Since I do not have full blown Asperger or have learn to adapt with it. I wouldn't change much of my condition, if anything.

Maybe stop the ringing in my ears, but I can move my attention away from it, so it isn't that bothering unless I let it be.

Social skills improvement aren't that important to me any more. I've been married and had three kids and can get along with people as much as I need to. I wish I didn't need financial help every once in a while like I do, but that is because I have no value for money. I do not agree with the consumerist society, so once I have enough to pay the bills, I go play with my kids or on my guitar. And sometimes that means I get caught off guard and need a loan till I get caught up. It bothers me because my kids and everybody else I know, always have money and never need help.

But I may just be a shy, introverted, NT with above average intelligence, and other quirks similar to Aspie but without the "uncontrollable" aspects of it.

So I'm curious what is it about being Aspie that you would want to change or be medicated for?

Based on the lists of names that I've seen, of people with Asperger, there are some pretty impressive names on that list. And they never had any medicines or analysis or anything and still made significant contributions and led pretty normal lives.

Being "normal" isn't something I would ever aspire to. LOL

And trusting doctors is not a virtue of mine. I think they are all full of themselves and experimenting on all of us most of the time.

I've been blessed with good health most of my life, so I haven't needed them. When I have, I've seen mixed results.

So, whats to "fix" in an Aspie?? (I apologize if I am showing my ignorance here)

I smoke weed and make electro and techno, usually never bother to arrange anything because risers, reversed hi-hats and white nois is boring, and it's usually in A Minor. That count?

1. Having an accurate diagnosis and being set up with the correct agency has made a big difference in the support I get for day to day living. I get some help from the Southern Oregon Regional Brokerage. I was referred to them by the Developmental Disability branch of the local public health department.

2. I am hopeful that someday medical science will find a way to "deintensify" my sensory input. Everything is always "too intense" for me. That intense world theory of autism seems to fit me whether or not it fits anyone else.

As I said too, I appreciate the gifts of my autism: a greater than average vocabulary, encyclopedic knowledge of many subjects but especially history and science, talent at figuring songs out "by ear", etc. But the sensory overload has made my whole life a hell, and my inability to make social connections due to my not being able to read the cues most people "get" normally isolates me even further. I don't want to lose my gifts, but if I were offered a chance to become a mindless slug but without pain, or continue existing as I do, mindless slug would look pretty good let me tell you...

As with you, having greater social skills isn't really that important to me. It might prevent me being taken advantage of as much, or my being hurt by others or my hurting others (accidentally!), but it doesn't cause physical suffering the way my sensory issues do.

I try to explain to others what it is like to be me, and fail. Imagine living skinned alive in a world that rains salt with blinding strobe lights, loud screeching noises, hot and cold blasts, obnoxious strong odors, unpleasant textures, etc. Sounds don't have to be loud to be painful. Things like a neighbor's T.V. through an apartment wall hurt me, a lot, when other people can barely hear it and can apparently ignore it or block it somehow. Oh and besides these sensory overload issues, other people don't understand you and you don't understand them. What excites them bores you, and vice versa, and you can't make a connection with anyone on any subject, ever!

Just a few years ago something new happened to me. Did you ever feel trapped and uncomfortable underneath a blanket, where you felt a compelling need to throw the blanket off of you? My whole body felt like that, deep down to the bones inside, a great strong urge of being trapped and uncomfortable like when you feel a need to throw a blanket off of you to get some fresh air and stretch your limbs. I felt a great need to throw my body off, but I couldn't! It was quite unpleasant. I don't have that particular feeling all the time, but since that first time a couple years ago it is not uncommon. I hope medical science will eventually find a way to turn down the volume on my senses or how the inputs are processed. I hope this helps you understand!

I always like the Moody Blues and I wonder if Justin Hayward has some aspergers. He keeps a low profile and one of the songs is "talking out of turn". Years ago on TV he was involved in a lawsuit with Patrick Moraz. When questioned the man looked like he was going to crap himself. Perhaps more comfortable on a stage than with people?

As for me, I'm still that little fat boy from South Central PA that's afraid of his own shadow. I also always wore my heart on my sleeve. Like the late country singer Roy Acuff, if I can no longer perform, I no longer want to be bothered!

I am thinking Matt Bellamy

It this just going to be "slightly odd, extremely talented musician I like is an Aspie on the basis that they are slightly odd, extremely talented and I like them" all over again?

One of the few confirmed is Example, who seems very much NT, no real quirks on stage or anything. Some very quirky individuals (Bowie often gets suggested in these threads) definitely didn't have autism, too many successful relationships, no reported sensory issues that can't be explained by drugs, good inflection...
David Byrne claims he "had" undiagnosed autism as a child "but grew out of it", which to me means he doesn't have autism. It isn't a phase you go through. If he takes a test and "passes" it today then fine

Craig Nicholls from the Vines and Gary Numan have both been diagnosed.

Although he's never confirmed this himself, I have a strong feeling that Ariel Pink (of Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti fame) may also have it. He seems immersed in his music to the point of near monomania, wrote a song called "House Arrest" after his car got impounded because he failed to pay a series of parking fines (very aspie!), got married and then divorced a couple of years later, and once threw his guitar on the floor and walked offstage during an early show because it wasn't going well and the audience weren't responding enough for his liking (which sounds like a classic aspie meltdown to me).

Other than that, I'm not sure. I'm wary of speculating about which dead musicians may or may not have had it, as we can never be entirely sure. I'm inclined to agree that David Byrne probably doesn't have it if he thinks he grew out of it, as it's a lifelong condition. Bob Dylan? Maybe. David Bowie? Not convinced - he's way too good an actor and too skilled at promoting himself through the press.

im an aspie and i design techno music.

Check out my first blog.

-Gary Numan

-Savant "Aleksander Vinter" (a producer of complextro, dubstep, etc)

Similarly, Bradford Cox (Deerhunter/Atlas Sound) has displayed several traits along the lines of this. He already has at least one diagnosed disorder though (Martians disease)