OK – So most of us have a few skeletons in the closet, but when you’re a famous musician, one wrong move could leave a lasting mark on your record. Here are a few of our favorite mug shots along with the stories behind them:
Jimi Hendrix – The guitar legend was arrested in the Toronto, Ontario airport in 1969 for possession of heroin and hashish – Luckily, the authorities believed the old “someone slipped it into my bag” story and all charges were dropped. Besides, who would think that Jimi would use drugs – C’Mon!
Janis Joplin – Almost a year before her death, Janis Joplin was arrested in Tampa, Florida in November 1969 on a charge of disorderly conduct – The singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company had apparently said some less then polite things about the local police force from the stage. The charges were eventually overturned when a judge ruled that her statements constituted free speech.
Mick Jagger – The Rolling Stones frontman has been arrested on more than one occasion. This mug shot is from a 1967 drug raid on guitarist Keith Richards house.
Willie Nelson – Nelson and two others were busted by a border patrol officer in Sierra Blanca, Texas in November 2010 for possession of six ounces of pot. This is the third arrest for Nelson, age 77 – In 1997 he was arrested after cops saw a joint in his ashtray. In 2006 he got popped for a pound of pot and three ounces of shrooms.
It’s not known if he was ordered to check into Texas detox centers or not though.
NOTE: Willie isn’t the only famous person to get busted by Sierra Blanca cops for pot = Fiona Apple, Snoop Dog and Armie Hammer also got popped in this town. Bus drivers take note!
John Popper – The Blues Traveler frontman was arrested in April 2003 for misdemeanor marijuana charges
Jim Morrison – At a 1969 concert in Miami, Morrison was arrested after allegedly revealing his genitals to the crowd. he was convicted the following year for indecent exposure and profanity, but always denied it. In 2010, the state of Florida pardoned him.
Glenn Fry – The Eagles legend was arrested in Columbus, Ohio in May of 1973 for drug possession and public intoxication.
Steven Tyler – The Aerosmith frontman was arrested in March of 1967 for marijuana possession in Yonkers New York. At the time he was 18 years old.
David Bowie – Bowie, Iggy Pop, and two female friends got busted for felony possession of marijuana in March 1976 at the Americana Hotel in Rochester, NY. All four ended up getting off the charges.
David Crosby – He spent nearly nine months in PRISON after being arrested in April 1982 for cocaine possession in Dallas, Texas.
George Clinton – PFunk was charged in December 2003 for cocaine possession and possession of a pipe after police approached him at a gas station near his Tallahassee, Florida recording studio. Two years probation, 200 hours of community service and court costs.
Johnny Cash – Cash was busted in October 1965 when US Customs agents found hundreds of pills in his luggage when he returned from a trip to Juarez, Mexico. He received a 30 day sentence and had to pay a $1000 fine.
Sid Vicious – The Sex Pistols bassist had been taken in two months before he allegedly murdered his girlfriend Nancy Spungen, but while out on bail he got arrested once more after he smashed a bottle over singer Patti Smith’s brother Todd during a Skafish concert. After he spent two months on Rikers Island, he died of a drug overdose the same day he was released; however, many believe it was Vicious keeping up on his end of a suicide pact he had with Spungen.
Trey Anastasio – During Phish’s hiatus, Anastasio was arrested for criminal possession of a controlled substance and DWI drugs. The frontman was stopped by police while driving through Whitehall, NY at 3:30am and after failing a field sobriety test, was found to be carrying Xanax, Hydrocodone, and Percocet that had not been prescribed to him. He completed probation and later credited the bust for turing his life arond and helping him sober up.
Kurt Cobain – Five years before Nirvana exploded onto the scene, Kurt Cobain was arrested by Aberdeen, Washington police for trespassing while intoxicated.
Marilyn Manson – Brian Hugh Warner, or Marilyn Manson as he likes to be called, was picked up by Detroit cops on a charge of criminal sexual conduct in July of 2001 – While performing, he proceeded to grind his junk on a security guard’s head. He later pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor and paid a $4000 fine.
Michael Todd- Former Coheed and Cambria bassist Michael Todd was arrested for “armed robbery and possession of narcotic painkillers” at a Massachusetts Walgreens after he told workers that he was carrying a bomb and would detonate it if he didn’t get pain paill. he was sentenced to one year of home confinement and three years of probation.
And from the we may not be famous but we’re damn interesting file:
PHISH HAMPTON REUNION SHOW – 2009: These were just some of the poor souls were picked up in Hampton Roads, VA during Phish’s three day reunion run in March of 2009 – Police made 194 arrests, mostly all of them for non violent crimes and claim that they siezed over 1.4 million in drugs. Now that I have your attention, be sure to know your rights when you’re pulled over. 1. Be respectful and 2. AM I FREE TO GO are the magic words. The police cannot hold you against your will unless they have PROBABLE CAUSE (like there’s a joint behind your ear). But you have to ask them if you’re free to go once they’ve given you a ticket, warning, whatever.
Here’s a good link for additional tips on dealing with an encounter with the police. http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/police-stops-when-pulled-over-30186.html
