We all have fears, some more irrational than others, and rock stars are no exception. Many of the great rock legends of recent generations have unfounded fears, some stranger than others. From insects to compromising situations to the strangest things we’ve ever heard. Here are some of the most curious.
David Bowie, Chris Cornell, Gene Simmons, David Lee Roth, Christine McVie & Brian Wilson – Flying
Flying: A person who travels on tours more than 300 days a year is supposed to have no problem with airplanes, right? After all, you are moving around the world in flights of hours. Well, some of the great rock myths were afraid to fly. That is the case of David Bowie, who traveled long distances by car on his tours to avoid catching a plane. Was the White Duke the only one? No, Gene Simmons the same man you can see playing airborne bass at Kiss concerts also hates airplanes. David Lee Roth, Brian Wilson, Christine McVie, and Chris Cornell are also prime examples of artists who hated airplanes.
Ozzy Osbourne – Rats
For a man who is called a prince of darkness who bit a bat’s head off is surprisingly fearful of rats. The reason is that they transmit many diseases for which we have no cure, according to him.
Slash – Hand Injuries
Slash, one of the legends behind the ax in rock history, and his fear seem kinda make some sense, and he described it as somewhat “quirky.” “I don’t like leaning my arm out of the window of my car when I’m driving like some people do. I’m very sensitive about fingers, hands and all that … digits!”
John Lennon – Legacy
Regarded as one of the greatest songwriters in the history of music, John Lennon seemed to have a phobia of his own legacy. This was revealed by Paul McCartney during his interview with 60 minutes. “I remember John was a bit insecure. I remember him once, particularly, strangely out of the blue saying, ‘I worry about how people are gonna remember me,’” McCartney revealed. “I was like, ‘John, listen to me. Look at me. You’re gonna be remembered as one of the greatest people,’” an emotional McCartney continued. “I said, ‘Because you are. You know, you’re fantastic.”
James Hetfield – Responsibility
James was afraid of the responsibility of treating his addiction, he admitted. “I’ve been afraid of responsibility my whole life – not wanting to take responsibility for myself.” The rocker went on to recall an elementary school project where he was told to work with a group of fellow students. “I was, ‘Hey, how about we do this?’ and all these ideas. Then they said, ‘Okay now, choose your leaders who’s responsible for the stuff.’”
Freddie Mercury – Spiders
He might be fearless when he’s on stage, but in his personal life, one of the things he’s afraid of was spiders. His friend Jim Hutton recalled the legendary singer’s arachnophobia. “On many occasions, no sooner had Freddie gone to the bathroom to clean his teeth before bed than he’d come running out screaming. ‘Spider!’ he’d say.
Dave Grohl – Small Spaces
During his interview with MTV’s Kurt Loder, Grohl revealed that he is claustrophobic.”I have crazy claustrophobic dreams, weird elevator dreams where the elevator closes in, and all of a sudden I am lying down — oh my God, it’s a casket. Just freaky stuff like that.” The feeling also cropped up while traveling. “Sometimes in airplanes, I can’t stand that fact that I can’t get off if I want to,” he admitted.
Axl Rose – People
In 2008, after releasing Chinese Democracy, it was rumored that he was suffering from anthropophobia (feeling intense fear or anxiety at the thought of being around other people), however, he never verified if it was true.
Alice Cooper & Joe Perry – Needles
Who has not been given an injection and has looked away, trembling and waiting for, once and for all, that anguishing moment is over. And it is that vaccines, blood tests, and others are as necessary as they are unpleasant. Well, ironically, Alice Cooper doesn’t like anything at all, either. According to himself, he has not had a single test done for more than 30 years. Just like Alice Cooper, the same thing happens to Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry. Although he carried the fear of before, a bad experience with drugs in which he ended up bleeding profusely from a badly inserted needle, made him never go near one again.
Matt Bellamy – Alien Impregnation
Yes, as you read. It’s weird, very weird and, if you identify with this, at least you will know that there is another human being who experiences the same thing. It’s about Matt Bellamy, singer, and guitarist for Muse. In an interview with NME back in 2000, a young Bellamy claimed that his greatest fear was Alien Impregnation.
Bruce Springsteen – Donald Trump
In an interview with Billboard, Bruce Springsteen questioned Donald Trump’s competence to be president of the United States and expressed his fears for the policies he applies. “I’ve felt disgust before, but never the kind of fear that you feel now,” he said ‘ The Boss went on to explain that his fears stem from concerns over hate crimes, racism and bigotry. “My fears are that those things find a place in ordinary, civil society and the country changes in a way that is unrecognizable, and we become estranged.”
Ringo Starr – Germs
Bad health. Ringo was a very sickly child, so much so that he was on the verge of death several times. At age 6, he suffered appendicitis that soon led to severe peritonitis and even a coma. In 1953, he contracted tuberculosis and had to spend two years in a sanatorium.
Johnny Cash – Snakes
Dear Cash, like Indiana Jones, suffered from ophidiophobia, or what is the same, an incredible fear of snakes.
Paul Stanley – Bullying
Frontman for KISS, Stanley had a facial deformity since he was born, preventing his right ear from forming. So, as a child, he struggled with the fear of being bullied by other kids – and he suffered regularly at school.