Can FAT people rock?

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Question inspired by "creepiest old men in rock" thread, and my experience of seeing Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings of the Guess Who recently, which makes me say, perhaps. (They belong on both of these threads.)

Greatest evidence to the contrary: Jerry Garcia, and that disgusting harmonica-spluttering blubber fuck from Blues Traveler.

Reason I'm asking: I don't know what 90% of these musicians I listen to look like, and horribly, there could somehow be some connection between blubberyness and the music I listen to, and I would never even know it, so I need to know for peace of mind!

Another possible person- Dave Thomas of Pere Ubu- I somehow have the impression, maybe I read it & forgot, that he's fat. He sure sounds fat. Old Pere Ubu rocks, but his solo record my brother got was the biggest dissapointment of unlistenable, worthless noodly shit ever. Now I'm confused. Even worse he's also Mormon. Randy Bachman is a famous Mormon too. Famous, fat, creepy, mormons... is that worth starting a new thread for?

― sucka (sucka), Sunday, 31 August 2003 15:42 (twenty-three years ago)

Black Francis?

― ModJ, Sunday, 31 August 2003 15:46 (twenty-three years ago)

Jack Black.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Sunday, 31 August 2003 15:47 (twenty-three years ago)

Proves that they can't.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Sunday, 31 August 2003 15:48 (twenty-three years ago)

fat people can rock.

http://www.ioproductions.com/archives/music/images/minute.jpg

this is the back of Senior, undoubtedly rocking
http://www.juniorsenior.com/photoalbum/87/1215.jpg

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Sunday, 31 August 2003 15:51 (twenty-three years ago)

Homer Simpsons was the rockingest, wigged-out sanation manager ever. and fat. his dancing to BTO (Bachman again!) was the rockingest thing ever.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Sunday, 31 August 2003 15:52 (twenty-three years ago)

I find the basic premise of this thread utterly, utterly baffling.

(btw, i saw tad. they rocked. qed)

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Sunday, 31 August 2003 15:54 (twenty-three years ago)

http://homepages.nyu.edu/~alr237/poisonidea_main.jpg

― donut bitch (donut), Sunday, 31 August 2003 15:55 (twenty-three years ago)

http://osric.com/~jeremy/pics/seannana/snn5.jpg

St. Patrick, bass player for Sean Na Na & the Dillinger 4

he'll kick your ass.

― Kingfish (Kingfish), Sunday, 31 August 2003 16:11 (twenty-three years ago)

Randy Bachman is skinny now!

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Sunday, 31 August 2003 16:13 (twenty-three years ago)

yeah and David Thomas has never been a Mormon. Jehovah's Witness, yes, but not a Mormon.

And he rocks.

― hstencil, Sunday, 31 August 2003 16:16 (twenty-three years ago)

When I was younger I had this impression that all heavy metal musicians were really fat.

Now I'm fat, so maybe I should start a metal band to honor the flabber.
Anyways, Clutch = Rockingest American band of the 90s, and there's a few thick thighs among them.

― Øystein Holm-Olsen (Øystein H-O), Sunday, 31 August 2003 16:16 (twenty-three years ago)

David Thomas from Pere Ubu

― Andrzej B. (Andrzej B.), Sunday, 31 August 2003 16:20 (twenty-three years ago)

Dumpy's rusty nuts.

― Keith Watson (kmw), Sunday, 31 August 2003 16:34 (twenty-three years ago)

Why should I bother saying anything substantial on this thread when Sean is just gonna get freaked out?

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Sunday, 31 August 2003 16:39 (twenty-three years ago)

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/pic200_web/drp100/p120/p12009dp9q5.jpg

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Sunday, 31 August 2003 16:53 (twenty-three years ago)

hell yes, donut bitch. i'll never forget how small thee slayer hippie's guitar looked on him... scarily, poison idea is still going strong - saw a poster for them here in spain just the other day!

― philip sherburne (philip sherburne), Sunday, 31 August 2003 16:53 (twenty-three years ago)

http://koti.mbnet.fi/cityporo/Sekalaista/laulaja.jpg

― mrjackhandey, Sunday, 31 August 2003 17:04 (twenty-three years ago)

Hah! That's the cover art for Brian Turner's WFMU marathon CD!

― Shaun (shaun), Sunday, 31 August 2003 17:06 (twenty-three years ago)

Ladies and germs I bring you Romeo Void, whose lead singer, Debora Iyall, definitely *did* rock muchly, thus answering to the affirmative the question posed in the thread title:

http://www.iyall.com/RVSpit.jpg

Take that, you sizeists. ;)

― Just Deanna (Dee the Lurker), Sunday, 31 August 2003 17:08 (twenty-three years ago)

d. boon

― Bryan (Bryan), Sunday, 31 August 2003 17:46 (twenty-three years ago)

Stuart Braithwaite of Mogwai?

― Nick H, Sunday, 31 August 2003 17:49 (twenty-three years ago)

Leslie West

― dave q, Sunday, 31 August 2003 17:50 (twenty-three years ago)

http://www.cornzine.com/pic/live/crowbar/crowbar2.jpg

― Siegbran (eofor), Sunday, 31 August 2003 17:51 (twenty-three years ago)

And, of course, Messiah Marcolin.
Who might not as much have rocked as brought on the end of the world (and the end of at least one stage's poor not-too-robust floor, according to rumour?)

― Øystein Holm-Olsen (Øystein H-O), Sunday, 31 August 2003 17:57 (twenty-three years ago)

Bassist from Napalm Death and drummer from Midas Uno say yes!

(As do Poison idea who donut bitch has already mentioned - but don't get too fat because the guitarist is too big to leave his house much nowadays)

― mei (mei), Sunday, 31 August 2003 18:32 (twenty-three years ago)

Aretha Franklin to thread!

― Orbit (Orbit), Sunday, 31 August 2003 18:48 (twenty-three years ago)

http://www.mugweb.nl/images/dikkedennis.jpeg

― Siegbran (eofor), Sunday, 31 August 2003 19:08 (twenty-three years ago)

Buster Bloodvessel from Bad Manners.

― d.w., Sunday, 31 August 2003 19:16 (twenty-three years ago)

http://www.spitfirerecords.com/images/Crowbar-Group.jpg

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Sunday, 31 August 2003 19:19 (twenty-three years ago)

Wow that bloke two pictures above is frightening. He looks a bit like Garry Bushell. Why does he have a picture of Geoffrey Howe on his tummy?

― Keith Watson (kmw), Sunday, 31 August 2003 19:20 (twenty-three years ago)

That's Fat Dennis, mascot & guest singer of Peter Pan Speedrock ("we put the speed back in rock and the rock back in speed"). Saw them opening for Motörhead last year, the guy's always quite a sight to behold. Those two pics on his Buddha gut are Johnny Jordaan & Willy Alberti, two (long deceased) Dutch crooners.

― Siegbran (eofor), Sunday, 31 August 2003 19:39 (twenty-three years ago)

I saw David Thomas with Pere Ubu live last year in Brooklyn. He rocked as hard as I've ever seen anyone rock, and he was FAT. I mean, Kingpin fat. Walking around on stage with a cane fat. Carrying around a handkerchief in his back pocket the size of a tablecloth fat. I have a tape of their Letterman appearance in 1991, and he was, of course, a fat man then, as he has always been, but there's absolutely no comparison. Back then, he was the sort of fat guy who could be sort of dapper and urbane in a pomo Oliver Hardy sort of way, but now he's just terrifying and post-human. Which admittedly might be part of why he rocked so hard, along with the fact that his voice was still in fine fettle, even though he generally had to sit on an enormous stool when he wasn't singing to catch his breath. He also had an enormous yellow vest with various electronics attached to it, which created all sorts of feedback when he'd slam his chest into the amplifiers. I was amazed, but also afraid, both of him and for him.

― Jesse Fuchs (Jesse Fuchs), Sunday, 31 August 2003 21:32 (twenty-three years ago)

Incidentally, the handkerchief was red, and in Thomas's left back pocket. Which, if you read all the way to the end of this article, should evoke all sorts of intriguing images.

― Jesse Fuchs (Jesse Fuchs), Sunday, 31 August 2003 23:22 (twenty-three years ago)

have Ultrasound been forgotten already?

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Sunday, 31 August 2003 23:25 (twenty-three years ago)

Black Francis?

He started out normal-sized, IIRC.

― Christine 'Green Leafy Dragon' Indigo (cindigo), Sunday, 31 August 2003 23:59 (twenty-three years ago)

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00000I0QQ.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

OK, they were not really fat, just a little hefty. But they were the first people (after D. Boon, but he showed up in the thread before I could mention him.

― Christine 'Green Leafy Dragon' Indigo (cindigo), Monday, 1 September 2003 00:03 (twenty-three years ago)

...that I thought of when I saw this thread. (I hit the submit button WAY too soon there.)

― Christine 'Green Leafy Dragon' Indigo (cindigo), Monday, 1 September 2003 00:04 (twenty-three years ago)

man, if this thread was "can MIDGETS rock?" everyone would be up in this guy's ass.

― your null fame (yournullfame), Monday, 1 September 2003 00:16 (twenty-three years ago)

yeah, i find this thread appalling.

― dengo matherton (dubplatestyle), Monday, 1 September 2003 00:18 (twenty-three years ago)

but it's par for the course, i guess.

― dengo matherton (dubplatestyle), Monday, 1 September 2003 00:18 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm appalled at your appallment. Trumped!

― Jesse Fuchs (Jesse Fuchs), Monday, 1 September 2003 00:20 (twenty-three years ago)

Best. Thread. EVER.

― David Allen, Monday, 1 September 2003 01:09 (twenty-three years ago)

http://www.tvtome.com/images/people/37/5/83-6855.jpg

― Michael Dubsky, Monday, 1 September 2003 02:26 (twenty-three years ago)

i think it was mykel board who wrote an article in maxiumumrocknroll in which it was said that any band with a fat guy in it was probably pretty good.

― your null fame (yournullfame), Monday, 1 September 2003 04:41 (twenty-three years ago)

wow they can. Romeo Void? cool man I didn't know abouth that. Now I am enlightened.

― sucka (sucka), Monday, 1 September 2003 04:47 (twenty-three years ago)

fat people rock, for sure, and they also occasionally roll.

― Brandon Welch (Brandon Welch), Monday, 1 September 2003 04:47 (twenty-three years ago)

joints, that is

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Monday, 1 September 2003 04:48 (twenty-three years ago)

that too

― Brandon Welch (Brandon Welch), Monday, 1 September 2003 04:57 (twenty-three years ago)

david gilmour grew so fat that he outgrew his house that was made for a thin man but then one dat he got up off his fat arse and decided to give the little house to some relief organization or other and now he lives in a house made for a rich fat rocker like david gilmour

― Roger Waters, Monday, 1 September 2003 05:16 (twenty-three years ago)

BETH DITTO- FRONTWOMAN OF GOSSIP IZ PHAT, SEXY, AND F*ING ROCKS...SUFFER U EVIL SKINNY BITCHES, SUFFER! GO EAT A SAMMICH U HUNGRY MUTHAFUCKAS!!!
LOVE YA' GOTTA GO, BYE!

― Heaven, Monday, 1 September 2003 08:14 (twenty-three years ago)

Doomie?

Um, well there was a good Albini interview in (I think) MRR where he said the best thing about Tad was the same as the best thing about D Boon, ie they were both too big to jump around and make total tools of themselves.

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Monday, 1 September 2003 08:41 (twenty-three years ago)

(btw, i saw tad. they rocked. qed)

tad were the worst band in the history of the world

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Monday, 1 September 2003 08:43 (twenty-three years ago)

Screaming Trees.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Monday, 1 September 2003 08:48 (twenty-three years ago)

Sigh.

― kate (kate), Monday, 1 September 2003 11:23 (twenty-three years ago)

hi kate!

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Monday, 1 September 2003 11:27 (twenty-three years ago)

Big John Duncan of the Exploited (and.....er....Goodbye Mr.Mackenzie)..and roadie for Twisted Sister and....er...Nirvana.
http://www.chez.com/lenfer/exp63.jpg

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 1 September 2003 21:24 (twenty-three years ago)

I think this question doesn't go in depth enough, what we have to understand is not just wether or not a person is fat, but rather, why they are fat. For example, people who are morbidly obese because they patronize McDonalds, eat hormone-filled dead cow, and spend there time at home buying stocks in NIKE from their computer - well, they're corporate whores. Corporate whores are totally incapable of rocking (See: Everything on any major label, ever, especially Metalica). However, people who are fat because of their asthma medication, or as a statement, or because they're vegan, or because they ate Metalica alive and they haven't been digested yet, or because they ate an SUV (As a statement), or because they spent they're childhood listening to CRASS instead of exercizing, or because they're emulating the bassist from D4, or because . . . I forget what I was talking about.

― Billy-Bob Bakunin, Monday, 1 September 2003 21:43 (twenty-three years ago)

Oh my god, as soon as I fix my home computer I will come to this thread and I will win it with a single picture post, mark my words. Yes, Fat people can rock.

― Dan I., Monday, 1 September 2003 21:46 (twenty-three years ago)

The Fat Boys were fat.

They did "The Twist" with Chubby Checker, who was also, by coincidence fat. That rocked.

― Keith Watson (kmw), Monday, 1 September 2003 21:48 (twenty-three years ago)

...maybe I should start a metal band to honor the flabber.
-- Øystein Holm-Olsen

Oi, Øystein - do lemme join your band! I'm not exactly toothpick-slim m'self, and I so wanna wanna - hell, mebbe even canna -- play some slo-mo doom tambourine for honest.

Well, least we should forget -- Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E.! Who did rock, in a manner of speaking, and, like, massively so!

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Monday, 1 September 2003 22:19 (twenty-three years ago)

Shit, my Big John Duncan photo vanished. Bugger.

Oh well, other rockin' fat folk:

1. Jet Black of the Stranglers -- He may be fat and old, but he's cooler than YOU'LL ever be.
2. Tad Doyle -- Tell him he doesn't rock, and he might sit on you.
3. Kike of the Pleasure Fuckers. Spanish Fat People Rock TOO!
4. Handsome Dick Manitoba of the Dictators USED to be fat.

I don't like them, but all those nearderfucks in the Deftones seem pretty hefty too, no?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 1 September 2003 22:38 (twenty-three years ago)

This discussion is hurtful. Some of us would like nothing more than an unreconstructed headbang to The Darkness but nature has placed our chins in the way.

― Mike (mratford), Monday, 1 September 2003 23:04 (twenty-three years ago)

Stuart Braithwaite of Mogwai?

he's not fat.

does he rock?

― RJG (RJG), Monday, 1 September 2003 23:10 (twenty-three years ago)

Sacrifice your chins to Satan.

Dan I, bring it on man, can you destroy the curse of fucking Jerry Garcia on fat people who attempt to rock?

― sucka (sucka), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 05:41 (twenty-three years ago)

I think ONLY fat people can rock.
Skinny people (eg, that dude from Poison, LaToya Jackson) suck.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 13:51 (twenty-three years ago)

David Thomas = Jehovah's Witness

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 14:43 (twenty-three years ago)

http://money.cnn.com/2002/01/08/companies/wendys_obit/dave_thomas.01.jpg

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 14:57 (twenty-three years ago)

Whoops, wrong Dave Thomas.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 14:57 (twenty-three years ago)

B. Mould/G. Hart of Husker Du

― Stephen Boyle (SBoyle), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 16:25 (twenty-three years ago)

Of course fat folk can rock...the problem is that once they start, it takes extra effort to STOP rocking. And even when they stop, parts of them still slosh back and forth for the excess inertia.

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 18:56 (twenty-three years ago)

what band is this?
http://koti.mbnet.fi/cityporo/Sekalaista/laulaja.jpg

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 21:04 (twenty-three years ago)

spice girls.

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 23:03 (twenty-three years ago)

i thought it was anal cunt

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 23:07 (twenty-three years ago)

two months pass...

I'm impressed that Gier chose Fats Domino.

― Lord Custos Omicron (Lord Custos Omicron), Tuesday, 11 November 2003 18:57 (twenty-two years ago)

More of the great and tubby:

Solomon Burke
Flo & Eddie
Notorious B.I.G.
Brian Wilson
Big Mama Thornton
Etta James
Howlin' Wolf
Muddy Waters
Count Basie
Leadbelly

― dylan (dylan), Tuesday, 11 November 2003 19:48 (twenty-two years ago)

what band is that last picture?!!! I still want to know.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Tuesday, 11 November 2003 19:51 (twenty-two years ago)

i'm still waiting for Dan I.'s contribution, he's got me curious

― Felcher (Felcher), Tuesday, 11 November 2003 19:58 (twenty-two years ago)

MOST VISUALLY REPULSIVE THREAD EVER.

i thought the reason we invented the internet was to avoid seeing fat people? at least, that's why i invented it.

― Dean Gulberry (deangulberry), Tuesday, 11 November 2003 20:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Meat Loaf to thread

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 11 November 2003 21:05 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't know about the rock part, but Boo-Yaa Tribe have to weigh the most (in total band weight).

― Matt Helgeson (Matt Helgeson), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 00:46 (twenty-two years ago)

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/dre300/e382/e382984f3zd.jpg

― nate detritus (natedetritus), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 02:26 (twenty-two years ago)

That guy from Bowling For Soup is HUUUUUUGE.

― Francis Watlington (Francis Watlington), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 02:43 (twenty-two years ago)

lowell george was a bit pudgy especially when fluffed out in his black sealskin coat, but he could rock, i'd say.

― bflaska, Wednesday, 12 November 2003 02:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Billy-Bob Bakunin and Notorious B.I.G. kinda own this thread.

― Flyboy (Flyboy), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 11:21 (twenty-two years ago)

"This is called Tarred and Feathered because JIM'S TOO FAT and he's going to die, probably."

http://www.cardiacs.com/images/garage_steve_jim1.jpg

― Philip Alderman (Phil A), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 12:13 (twenty-two years ago)

I can't believe Frank Black/Black Francis has only been mentioned once in this thread as an example of an overweight guy who can rock.

Well, now he is mentioned twice.

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 13:58 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.spitfirerecords.com/images/Crowbar-Group.jpg

― Chris B. Sure (Chris V), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 14:03 (twenty-two years ago)

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