God knows there are thousands of musical cats who exude or have exuded coolness at one time or another. To whittle this list down to a manageable 10 isn't an exact science, but to make the task more feasible, I've set some criteria.
First, the coolest of the cool have staying power. So if you've only come into the public eye in the last 5 or 10 years, you haven't proven yourself yet. Second, if you're now dead, and your death could've been prevented, consider yourself axed. This includes suicides, OD's and getting shot by your dad (sorry Marvin!). Third, if you agreed to let one of your classic songs get butchered by P. Diddy, you belong on a much less flattering list (you blew it, Jimmy Page!). There are more, but I only have so much space. So let's get to it, shall we?
10. John Coltrane - Look, I'm pushing 30, not 70, so my knowledge on jazz is limited to a summer school college class I took on the subject. It could've been a lot of folks -Charlie Parker, Thelonius Monk, etc. - but Coltrane's free jazz was noisy, chaotic, hopped up and subversive. This was the hip-hop of its time. Hell, it was the punk of its time. Punk = coolness.
9. Dave Grohl - He's only been around a relatively short time, coming into prominence as Nirvana's drummer in the early 90s. Here's why he made the cut: The Foo Fighters are one of the greatest guitar rock bands out there, and that's because Grohl remembers that while vocal hooks are all well and good, you can't make good rock music without killer riffs. He unabashedly bleeds old school metal, punk, hardcore and new wave and ingeniously weaves them all together into pop greatness. On top of that, when he plays live, he's not just the handsome badass frontman; he's also funny as hell. Charisma = coolness.
8. Ani DiFranco - Those who dismiss DiFranco as a man-hating, angry grrl folk punk are just as myopic as some of her diehard fans, many of whom stopped listening when she released "Dilate", a record that focused on heterosexual heartbreak rather than politics. To add injury to insult, she later got married (gasp!) to a man. She then chastised her close-minded fans on the title track of 1998's "Little Plastic Castle" and frequently scolds her audience when they become distractively over-exuberant during her performances. You could call her a devout feminist, a bleeding liberal, a current divorcee, a prolific and eclectic songwriter, or a successful indie record label owner. To quote her, she's "32 flavors and then some." All she's ever been to me is honest, wearing all strengths and foibles on her sleeve, making her one of the few artists to really revel in humanity. Honesty = coolness.
7. Willie Nelson - One day I'll meet a non-Texan who will associate my home state with the Red-Headed Stranger rather than the Village Idiot currently in power. When I do, I'm gonna marry that girl (or guy, for that matter…a person this astute is a rare find). Ignoring that Julio Iglesias duet, Willie is still writing beautiful folk and country music today. He still gigs regularly. He's still got long hair. He's still high as a kite. And he's still sticking it to the man. Creative longevity = coolness.
6. Dr. Dre - Okay, misogynistic and violent lyrics aren't everyone's cup of tea, but he's a storyteller, not a role model. He's not only written and produced some of the most kicking jams of the last two decades, he's also had an eye for burgeoning talent since his days spearheading N.W.A. There were certainly hip-hop artists before him who left their valuable stamp on hip-hop, but how many of those artists stuck around for more than a few years? Dre, thanks to intelligence and business savvy, has withstood and influenced trends for close to 20 years, helping make the careers of Eminem, 50 Cent and my favorite, the Snoop D-O-double-G. Influence = coolness.
5. Mick Jagger - The Rolling Stones have become a punch line of sorts, mostly because they continue to tour in the face of imminent elderly status.You know what? Mick and the boys don't give a damn, and they're still raking in the dough. Laugh all you want, but Mick can rock a crowd, even today. I'll watch him get decked out in crazy get-ups and slink across the stage, and suddenly, he's become the ageless rock star. With the exception of perhaps Beck, no other living heterosexual male can get away with what Mick does and make it look good. Keepin' on keepin' on in the face of detractors = coolness.
4. Tina Turner - The woman is class, beauty and soul all wrapped up in a sexy, 65-year old package. She's a survivor and a role model, and oh yeah, her voice graces some of the greatest pop songs of the last 40 years. In recent interviews, she comes off humble in her current place in music while not shying away from the fact that at one time, she was the Queen Diva. Classy plus classic = coolness.
3. Otis Redding - Bow your heads and remember the most soulful man in music history. Had a tragic plane crash not cut short his life and career, who knows what might have been, as evidenced by his uncharacteristic, posthumous release, "Dock of the Bay.” I can't listen to that song without thinking that he's singing to me from Heaven, giving me comfort in times of trouble. If I ever find the great love of my life, Otis' music will walk us down the aisle. Romance plus soul = coolness.
2. Iggy Pop - This guy has probably avoided death hundreds of times. He's getting up there in years, and he's still a manic, flailing lunatic on stage. He's one of the true forerunners of punk and left his influence on the music of other notable cats like David Bowie and Lou Reed. The man continues to breathe, sweat and bleed rock and roll, for better or worse. Iggy Pop = coolness.
1. Bono - Too obvious? Hell yes. The man embodies ALL of the above coolness attributes. He's a classic front man. He's got soul, punk and rock flowing through him. He takes music that isn't particularly groundbreaking and injects it with a goose bump-inducing performance. U2's been doing it for almost 25 years, and I can't think of another band who has maintained that level of consistency for that long. Then take a look at Bono's work outside of music, where he's working to save the world, bravely eschewing partisan politics and working all angles to get what he wants. Does he harbor a Messianic complex? Probably. He's a goddamn rock star, after all. But he balances his arrogant swagger with a sweet, do-gooder heart. How many rock stars truly use their influence to better the world in the way that Bono has? That's about as cool as it gets.
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Written by Guest on 2007-06-13 22:22:39
 |
Written by Guest on 2007-07-31 09:45:05
Where is Hendrix?? |
MILES DAVIS
Written by Guest on 2007-08-02 20:31:56
HOW ABOUT MILES DAVIS!?!?!? THE DEFINITION OF COOL |
I agree with the above posters
Written by Guest on 2007-08-17 03:45:01
Miles Davis in particular. But what about the coolest rock band of all time THE VELVET UNDERGROUND. Or how about any of its infividual members. Lou, John, Sterling or Moe are all in a completly in a separate league to bono. |
Written by Guest on 2007-12-12 15:47:10
Um Slash ! Hello ? anybody there.  |
HUH!!!!!!!!!!
Written by Guest on 2008-04-04 06:56:12
WTF!
wheres david gilmour!!! |
you sir..
Written by Guest on 2008-05-28 04:10:26
.. are a douche. john coltrane and iggy pop, yes. but where's tom waits? he's far cooler than bono. in fact you could put just about anyone where bono is. |
ltpbdlso
Written by Guest on 2008-06-18 04:19:07
bdinyteq [URL=http://orccdhql.com]sitjrzqr[/URL] oynmiqli http://jfblzggo.com slghwbgr kxxghboc |
I have one word...
Written by Guest on 2008-07-25 05:59:14
ELVIS - It really doesn't get any cooler than that. |
Bono...WTF?
Written by Guest on 2008-11-22 00:56:45
This list is definitely lacking. I would definitely agree that Miles Davis, Elvis, Tom Waits, and Hendrix should be on this list. I also think that Bob Dylan, James Brown, Jim Morrison and so many others should be up there too way in front of people like Bono or Dave Grohl. All of these guys had so much more charisma and just plain cool factor than people like Bono. |
Written by Guest on 2009-02-19 22:18:44
Frank Zappa
Jimi Hendrix
Steve Malkmus
Wes Montgomery
James Brown
MF Doom
You know, and so on. |
Written by Guest on 2009-02-19 22:19:31
Oh, and Led Zeppelin.
Oh, and John Lennon. |
JImi Baby!
Written by Guest on 2009-05-15 09:48:37
How can you NOT include HENDRIX???? |
John Lennon?
Written by Guest on 2009-06-03 16:15:35
Wow... no Lennon. I think he was the coolest. Bono pushes irritating |
industry of cool
Written by Guest on 2010-02-07 21:48:02
Kay here it is, if ya know who they are you'll agree... If not
1. syd barrett
2. thurston moore
3. young jimmy page
4. kevin shields
5. miles davis
6. john lennon
7. lou reed
8. neil young
9. roky erickson
10. young bob dylan |
Izzy??!?!
Written by Guest on 2010-06-26 10:53:36
What bout the coolest musician, if not the coolest guy, ever: Izzy Stradlin... Most probably don't know him but he's the rhythm guitarist of Guns N' Roses, the guy is coolness himself. |
CASH
Written by Guest on 2010-08-09 01:10:54
Where is Johnny Cash???? |
yo
Written by Guest on 2010-10-05 14:08:11
You diddnt say ...
Omar rodriguez lopez
fela kuti
or Glen Hansen (me) :L |
yoyo
Written by Guest on 2011-09-27 19:17:30
and the bad ass james hetfield? |
eddie vedder
Written by Guest on 2012-01-17 20:48:33
i understand theres only 10 spaces but eddie vedders energetic performances in his early days then his soulful ones nowadays are inspiration all pearl jam songs mean something and the dedication to there fans is unbelievable and also the bravery to always stand up for what he believes in nomatter who disagrees is outstanding coolness incarnate |
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