We’re all interested in celebrities, even if we don’t always want to admit it. There’s a fascination about the world’s rich and famous, and though the actors and reality TV stars dominate the papers, musicians too have their unique quirks that we don’t always get to know about.
Here are five of the world’s best known musicians, past and present, and the facts about them that might surprise you. From secret scientists to online casino enthusiasts, there’s still a lot you don’t know about your favourite musicians.
Adele – Conqueror of the jitters
The British singer has taken the world over in only a few short years. With only three albums to her name, she has smashed charts and broken records time and time again, and the soulful singer had dominated the music industry since her debut with ’19.’ But did you know that the pop sensation still suffers from stage fright? Adele, arguably the most powerful women in music right now, gets the jitters so badly that she had to create an alter ego to inhibit when she gets on stage. So, if you ever get to see Adele perform live, you’ll know that she’s pretending to be Sasha Carter, a combination of Beyonce character Sasha Fierce and the legendary June Carter Brown.
Slash – Dinosaur Crazy
The former Guns ‘n’ Roses guitarist is widely regarded as one of the coolest people in music history, and it’s not hard to see why. Not only is he immensely talented, but Slash’s oversized top hat, sunglasses and Les Paul guitar is an iconic look and synonymous with what it means to be rock and roll. However, Slash is a man of hidden-depths; did you know that he’s a huge fan of dinosaurs? The rocker has a huge collection of dinosaur figurines and artwork, as well as a collection of live snakes and reptiles, and loves to talk about them whenever he gets the chance.
Johnny Cash – Science Fiction Writer
Though the Man in Black’s lyrics have been long-celebrated, and Cash’s music remains well-loved by fans everywhere, it looks like he didn’t have the same successes when it came to writing fiction. It often comes as a surprise to people that Cash tried his hand at writing science fiction under the pseudonym of ‘Johnny Dollar.’ One story was about 21st century America being conquered by Russia named ‘Holografik Danser’ and was written in 1953.
Scott Ian – Professional Poker Master
The Anthrax guitarist has been interested in casino games since the 1980s, though back then he was more of an amateur player when it comes to games like Poker. He played casually for a long time, but broke into professional poker after being taken aside by Phil Hellmuth, one of the world’s best and most famous poker players, and since then he’s been all across the globe.
Ian has enjoyed a string of successes since his pep talk from Hellmuth, including VH1 Classic’s ‘Rock ‘n Roll Celebrity Poker Tournament’ and has also taken to playing through online casinos. If you’d like to give the game a try and play like Scott Ian, you can start at an online casino like Betway. While it’s clear that Ian didn’t start in the online casino, the state of the game has evolved to be well-suited to online platforms, and you can enjoy the traditional aspects of the game whilst taking advantage of the technological benefits.
Lady Gaga – Classically Trained Musician
The indomitable Lady Gaga has a very carefully crafted and impeccably maintained image; that of the outlier, the unique and quirky force of nature that defies the stereotypes surrounding popular female musicians. But behind that image lies a true music-lover, and Lady Gaga knows her way around a piano as well as boasting a beautiful singing voice. Lady Gaga was accepted into Juilliard at the tender age of 11, though she did not attend, and has also attended the Tisch School of the Arts in New York. In other words, Lady Gaga is not so much as a pop fad but a musical prodigy.