With Just A Hint Of Mayhem

Music reviews, gig reviews, fun trivia and extra added random stuff!

Mayhem’s Before They Were Famous #9 – Simon Le Bon January 15, 2025

Filed under: Before They Were Famous — justwilliam1959 @ 11:15 pm
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Before he became a mega successful front man for Duran Duran, Simon Le Bon was a child actor. He appeared in a Persil TV advert in the UK. Maybe the band should have cashed in on that and changed some of their song titles. How about “Persil Earth”, “Is There Something I Should Wash”, “Hungry Like The Wash”, “The Wash Boys”, “A Wash To A Kill” or “Ordinary Wash”.

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Mayhem’s Before They Were Famous #8 – Beck January 2, 2025

Filed under: Before They Were Famous — justwilliam1959 @ 7:11 pm
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Before he became a slacker superstar and well known musical polymath and icon Beck (a.k.a Beck David Hansen) was apparently a YMCA ID photographer. What kind of job is that? Did he leave it because he was a Loser baby?

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Mayhem’s Before They Were Famous – 7. Macy Gray, Faith Hill, Pink and Shania Twain November 10, 2024

Filed under: Before They Were Famous — justwilliam1959 @ 11:22 pm
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This is a bumper issue of our Mayhem’s Before They Were Famous series featuring four artists! What do female music superstars Macy Gray, Faith Hill, Pink, and Shania Twain have in common? They all worked at Ronald McDonald’s place under the golden arches! Whilst their music styles might be miles apart, all of these women knew their fast food! But were they lovin’ it? Who knows

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Mayhem’s Before They Were Famous – 6. Gwen Stefani October 19, 2024

Filed under: Before They Were Famous — justwilliam1959 @ 9:50 pm
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Before No Doubt’s success, lead singer Gwen Stefani was “Just a Girl” serving ice cream at a local Dairy Queen. She and her older brother Eric, also a No Doubt founding member, took turns dishing out soft serve to customers. Was that a bit of a cold and flaky job?

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Mayhem’s Before They Were Famous – 5. Kevin Richardson (Backstreet Boys) September 28, 2024

Filed under: Before They Were Famous — justwilliam1959 @ 10:13 pm
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Does that facial hair have its own designated mathematical term?

I have it on very good authority that before joining the Backstreet Boys, Kevin worked as a Ninja Turtle at Disneyworld in Florida. Backstreet’s back….. Cowabunga, alright! OK, I admit it, music snobbery kept me from saying this but “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” is an awesome tune and the video is rather good too!

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Mayhem’s Before They Were Famous – 4. Jonathan Davis (Korn) August 21, 2024

Filed under: Before They Were Famous — justwilliam1959 @ 1:02 pm
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Many people, often for the wrong reasons cite metal bands like Korn as dark and related to horror. I don’t really see that, well maybe the dark part. But for those who do see them like that knowing what frontman Jonathan Davis’ first job will not change your opinion. He was an embalmer, albeit for a short while, after completing a mortuary studies course. Some Korn songs including “Dead Bodies Everywhere” and “Pretty.” are apparently drawn from that working experience.

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Mayhem’s Before They Were Famous – 3. Malcolm Young (AC/DC) February 16, 2024

Filed under: Before They Were Famous — justwilliam1959 @ 4:23 pm
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The late, great Malcolm Young magnificent AC/DC guitarist worked in a bra factory as a sewing machine mechanic before the band took off. Do you think that skill helped him play guitar better?

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Mayhem’s Before They Were Famous – 2. Bill Withers January 8, 2024

Filed under: Before They Were Famous — justwilliam1959 @ 11:00 pm
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It is nearly three years since I published the first of Mayhem’s Before They Were Famous series, kicking off with Noddy Holder. Click here to read that one.

So the second in the series is long overdue and it features the late, great soul legend William Harrison Withers Jr, a.k.a Bill Withers. Bill’s first job was making toilet seats for Boeing airliners. Probably not the Poopersonic planes. Apparently, he wrote “Ain’t No Sunshine” during that time. When that song became a big hit in 1971 he refused to resign from his job because he believed the music business was a fickle industry. He was probably right, but he was a hell of a talented artist. Before his toilet seat making role he spent nine years in the US Navy, finally leaving in 1965. “Ain’t No Sunshine” bagged him a Grammy for Best Rhythm & Blues Song in 1971. Bill famously walked away from the music industry in 1985 (in that he did not sign a further record contract) and by all accounts continued to live a happy and fulfilling life.

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Mayhem’s Before They Were Famous – 1. Noddy Holder January 25, 2021

Filed under: Before They Were Famous,Trivia — justwilliam1959 @ 11:36 pm
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This is the first in a series of snippets of what rock and pop stars did before they were famous. If you know what your favourite rock star did before they made the big time feel free to give me a shout. You will definitely get a name check. First up is the voice of Slade, Noddy Holder. Apparently one of Neville’s first jobs was as a milkman. Among the customers on his route was Ozzy Osbourne’s dad. Although my research suggests that this tale might not be true. Can you enlighten us Mr. Holder? One story about Noddy’s early career which I found in a few places was that he was a roadie for Robert Plant’s band, the Tennessee Teens, in the 60s. He also used his father’s window-cleaning van to drive Percy Plant and the band to gigs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qu_ozjAu_vM

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