50 coolest people who've ever lived. Who's on your list?

[Flying pig437]

1. John Lennon. He founded the band that defined the defeat of social conservatism that could have us still in its fevered grip. Plus among othr things he had a weird brilliant lovely/horrible unique singing voice, wrote several timless classics....only several mind...wrote a lot more very good songs, took a lot of drugs and fell hopelessly in love with a woman most other guys wouldn't have given a second glance because of who she was rather than how she looked and that was despite the fact he could have had anyone he wanted…inc. Linda who wanted him but had to settle for Macca.
2. Jimi Hendrix-Indescribably superior guitarist
3. Richard Nixon-The only U.S Pres bad ass enough to have to have been got rid of by his own country who were obviously far more scared of him than that countries enemies with whom he had started making friends, and was so utterly wonderfully cool that he once used the occasion of attending a banquet in his honour hosted by the People’s Republic of China in the Great Hall of the People’s Republic to intimidate the attendant powerful members of the People’s bureaucracy by telling them he would be ‘mindful’ of the People’s republic ‘interests’ thereby using the banquet held in his honur to insinuate he could just as easily act against the people’s republic of China’s interest. When was the last time you, simply for your own amusement, deliberately intimidated the ruthless rulers of a billion people while they were feeding you the finest food they could get their hands on?
4. James Joyce-Passed off incredebly straightforward book as ssome kinda work of epic genius-only really on list for writing in aforementioned book that the great flood was a 'tyranical incontinence'. So high for being possibly one of only 3 people on the list who I am 100% certain wasn’t/Isn’t a god botherer.
5. Christine Barnett-Girl I went to school with who is uniquely beautiful and cool enough to reply to some ridiculously ott emails I sent her on Friends reunited. She hasn’t accepted my Facebook friends though
6. Ludwig Wittgenstein-Solved all philosophical problems…TWICE!!!!!
7. Paul McCartney-Did heaps of great and entertaining things but has only ever done one truly cool thing… Bringing in the tapes the Beatles used for the Musique concrete background for John Lennon’s crap song Tomorrow never knows turning it from a crap song into something incredible that will still sound like it was made 10,000 years in the future 10,000 years in the future.
8. Spike Milligan-Spent 99% of his career writing utter tripe and the other 1% writing the most inspired and wonderfully creative comedy the world has ever or will know. Also publicly called Prince Charles a ‘grovelling little bastard’.
9. Elizabeth Taylor. World class nympho and timeless beauty who got called an ‘erotic vagrant’ by the pope at the height of the Cleopatra affair with Burton, which she was conducting under the popes nose. Also around the same time she said ‘America hates me and I hate America’. I wonder what where her American social conservative critics stuck that!

10. Bill Gates-Delivered unto us the greatest technological revolution in the history of the world and even more cooly just when I wanted it
11. Margaret Thatcher-Massively…immensely loses cool points for being a social conservative and a vile warmongering whore but she wasted Marxist socialism as a credible political force in my country and for that I will forgive her A.N.Y.T.H.I.N.G
12. Homer. Created the worlds first fiction 4,000 yrs. Ago. Extremely cool for the fact in the intervening 4,000 yrs. No one’s managed to create anything better.
13. Stuart Sutcliffe because if he hadn’t have died he’d have been John Lennon’s best friend and because he did die has become a very intriguing figure in the Beatles story
14. Quentin Crisp-For being more super-mega-ultra ‘out’ than anyone else had ever been before at a time when it was not only profoundly uncool but also freekin’ dangerous as hell
15. Alexi Sale. Just sorta looks cool don’t he? ½ working class man in the street ½ arty creative genius type. Gains points for being cool despite never really having done anything very impressive
16. Buzz Aldrin. He’s ****in’ Buzz Aldrin. How ****in’ cool is that. Armstrong has no idea whatsoever about being cool…the ****in pope’s cooler than him which just goes to show how much of a #coolfail he is
17. Craig Scanlon
18. David Bowie-Played all the David Bowies on every David Bowie album
19. Yasser Arafat-Highly charismatic hyper-active Egyptian political figure who despite spending decades right slap-bang in the middle of the most intense, vituperative, volatile, long lasting and dangerous political dispute the world has ever known remained more easy-going than anyone else who’s ever lived. Bizarre! Loses marks for being a god botherer. (Yasser means easy-going btw.)
20. Simon Wiesenthal-Classical levels of moral integrity and sacrificed his life to a good cause with some kick-ass results. Loses marks for being a god botherer, I’m guessing a/w.
21. Richard Burton,The actor- for being the most handsome man who’s ever lived and probably therefore the worlds greatest ever babe magnet. He was described by a movie director as ‘the world’s greatest loser’ This is because to be a a great loser you have to seem to be the complete opposite which is what Burton did seem to be. May his tortured soul R.I.P
22. Keith Moon-1/2 man ½ drum kit
23. Alan Turing. I’ve no concept whatsoever of anything he ever did or wrote but he’s obviously important to the development of computers and got ****ed-over by the conservatism of modern policalal mores n ****.
24. Che Guvara. Just beatig out Bob Marley as the ultimate bedroom poster icon. He’s on here grudgingly. Can’t ****in’ stand the guy.
25. Fiona Butler
26. Philip K.Dick-Brilliantly made sci-fi more fi than sci- Loses marks for being a god botherer…at points If not throughout his life
27. Rembrandt-Finest painter the world has ever known. Loses marks for being a god botherer
28. The first person to conceive or realise language
29. The entire rest of the female half of the human race outside of the ones named individually on here inc. sicko’s like Myra Hindley and Rose West
30. Clinton. Gains points for almost certainly faking being a god bother and for being what I call the optimum politican or having the potential to be the optimum politician if we didn’t live in such a ****in’ ridiculously conservative world where a guy getting his dick sucked bizzarely can nearly result in the downfall of a fine albeit slighty too ruthless at times politician…I’m talking about that mentally ill guy Clinton fried to appeal to conservative when 1st running for President.
31. Obama. Loses marks for being a god botherer. Possibly the most charismatic person on the list and that seriously is saying something. Charismatic to the world in general I mean…not to me. (see next entry)
32. Helen who works in the library of a much derided northen English town who I proposed to last year. She’s cool for never wearing make-up, never wearing a skirt or dress…well not to work a/w and for being the most ineffably cute thing in the known universe despite being kinda goofy and ugly looking and for being but for a slight mis-queue on behalf of the stars my uber-soul mate. Obviously loses marks for refusing to marry me.
33. Alfred Hitchcock. Watching his movies creates an experience outside of the artform itself. (I know what I mean anyway)
34. Mike Batt for ripping off JoHn Cages tedious idea to dictate that 4.33 of silence is music and then getting sued over it giving me one of the best laughs of the best 10 yrs.
35. Cpt. Beefheart-Bullied a bunch of musicians into creating a musical version of cubism and then took all the credit for it. Loses marks for pathetically obviously ripping off Howlin’ wolf’s vocal style
36. Sherlock Holmes…well y’know…
37. Stuart Copeland for going on tour with Sting is a **** written on his drum kit
38. Prince Charles. Hate the guy but I’ve seen footage of him reacting to an obvious assassin in the crowd very cooly.
39. Roger Waters. Wrote the sublime lyrics on the greatest album ever made…well my favourite
40. Pete Best. Just imagine meeting him!!!!
41. John Terry-Twice, rightly. appointed twice, wrongly, removed as England football cpt. and because after being red carded for trying to get away with assaulting a Barcelona player in a massive match had it said of him ‘not for the first time his behaviour had people wondering just what goes on in his head’
42. Mick Hucknall. Cool for being uncool but obviously being far far far happier than his many many many haters all of whom must think that they’re cooler than him and are unaware that the only places where it actually matters that they’re cooler than him is in those peoples heads. Also apologising to all the women he’d ever slept with is if not cool then at least profoundly funny
43. Nelson Mandela-Crap terrorist but beautiful soul
44. My prostitute friend Cheryl who’s cool because the Doncaster emergency services now refuse to come and help her anymore when a member of the public rings them up to tell them they’ve found her slumped on the pavement in one of her heroin induced coma’s. I love you Cheryl XXX
45. The dancer who’s dancing on her own at the start of the Black Eyed peas I’ve got a feeling. She might actually be the least cool person who’s ever lived but she’s just managed to brake through my cynicsm, my misanthropy and my utter hatred of dancing so I’ll give her respect for that.
46. Ed Wood jr-Miracullously made films that were made against incredible odds. Not only was it a miracle they got made because they were so bad but it was a miracle they got made because their subject matter was so quirky.
47. Ian Curtis. Talked the talk…then hung himself.
48. S*****
49. Colin Joyce.
50. Me- because I once stole Colin Joyce’s shampoo in the prison showers ‘cause he’d welched on paying up on a bet he lost to me.

[davidjay]

yeah, i'm pretty sure i'm in the top 10.

[danielcaux]

I don't have such a list, nor can I be bothered to think of one... But two names come to my head right now: Mark Twain and Oscar Wilde.

[my breakfast.]

1. John Lennon. He founded the band that defined the defeat of social conservatism that could have us still in its fevered grip. Plus among othr things he had a weird brilliant lovely/horrible unique singing voice, wrote several timless classics....only several mind...wrote a lot more very good songs, took a lot of drugs and fell hopelessly in love with a woman most other guys wouldn't have given a second glance because of who she was rather than how she looked and that was despite the fact he could have had anyone he wanted…inc. Linda who wanted him but had to settle for Macca.

You can give the Beatles credit for many things, but they did not defeat "social conservatism" (whatever multitude of sins that might cover), nor did the people listening to them. Billion dollar hippies like Steve Jobs and the Ben and Jerry's dudes just took a slightly different path to hit the same pay dirt.

2. Jimi Hendrix-Indescribably superior guitarist

Superior to what or whom? I recently listened to Hendrix's Isle of Wight performance from 1970 and I cannot say it was that amazing. Hendrix was stuck with a certain playing style that was increasingly at odds with progressive music at the time. A lot of what he played was based around barre-chord voicings and keeping your left hand in one place (or right hand in his case) on the neck. He had some interesting chord voicings and embraced electronic effects the second they came out, but I wouldn't say he was better or worse than other guitarists.

[Flying pig437]

1. John Lennon. He founded the band that defined the defeat of social conservatism that could have us still in its fevered grip. Plus among othr things he had a weird brilliant lovely/horrible unique singing voice, wrote several timless classics....only several mind...wrote a lot more very good songs, took a lot of drugs and fell hopelessly in love with a woman most other guys wouldn't have given a second glance because of who she was rather than how she looked and that was despite the fact he could have had anyone he wanted…inc. Linda who wanted him but had to settle for Macca.

You can give the Beatles credit for many things, but they did not defeat "social conservatism" (whatever multitude of sins that might cover), nor did the people listening to them. Billion dollar hippies like Steve Jobs and the Ben and Jerry's dudes just took a slightly different path to hit the same pay dirt.

I never said they defeated social conservatism...I said they defined the defeat of social conservatism. Maybe it'd have been better to put 'best deifined' or best symbolised or most symbolised. Also from the rest of your point you seem to think social conservatism and economic greed are the same things. Social conservatism is the kind of conservatims that wants everyone to live like the stereotypical 50's U.S middle class family and that, although still practised in milder ways by enormous no's of people has basically been done away with by the social revolutions the Beatles best symbolise. It's not got, or I didn't mean it to have, anything to do with economics or corporate greed or anything like that.

[Flying pig437]

2. Jimi Hendrix-Indescribably superior guitarist

but I wouldn't say he was better or worse than other guitarists.

Wouldn't you?

[my breakfast.]

Wouldn't you?

No. Most electric guitarists have lived and recorded after Hendrix was alive. Hendrix never heard Jimmy Page, Tony Iommi, Eddie Van Halen or any of those guys. Hendrix never saw the massive impact on pop music. Hendrix never saw Yes (except in their most early stages), he never saw Genesis, he never saw The Cure, he never saw Nirvana or the White Stripes.

Hendrix had to push guitar ideas further from really the first principles; Elmore James and Muddy Waters records. It is amazing the 'big leap forward' that Hendrix created but only in the context of the times.

And I feel that your definition of social conservativism is still alive and well!

[moom]

There's lots of cool people, BUT on my PERSONAL top list of known musicians there are a few:

Roger Waters - "I'm an artist, I can't tell lies". That's Artist.

John Lydon/Johnny Rotten - think. Question everything. And anger is an energy.

John Lennon - see Waters.

the Gallagher brothers - sod off, one wrote some top tunes and the other one sang them. In personal life? No gimmicks.

Ritchie Blackmore - do not think standard.

Борис Гребенщиков/ Boris Grebenschikov (russian band Akvarium/ Аквариум) - embrase any style.

[danielcaux]

Is Frank Zappa in that list? He's perhaps the coolest and most cynical guy in the history of Rock and Roll. Of course some people think cynics are jerks... but oh well.

Don't you think Diogenes was the coolest philosopher after all? I do.

[moom]

Is Frank Zappa in that list? He's perhaps the coolest and most cynical guy in the history of Rock and Roll. Of course some people think cynics are jerks... but oh well.

1. He would be in my list should I have discovered him more.

2. Some people are simple-minded.

[Flying pig437]

...And I feel that your definition of social conservativism is still alive and well!

This was my definition of social conservatism 'social conservatism is the kind of conservatim that wants everyone to live like the stereotypical 50's U.S middle class family'. If u want to argue that that's alive and well in this day and age then good luck to you.

[David Smith]

Wouldn't you?

No. Most electric guitarists have lived and recorded after Hendrix was alive. Hendrix never heard Jimmy Page, Tony Iommi, Eddie Van Halen or any of those guys. Hendrix never saw the massive impact on pop music. Hendrix never saw Yes (except in their most early stages), he never saw Genesis, he never saw The Cure, he never saw Nirvana or the White Stripes.

Hendrix had to push guitar ideas further from really the first principles; Elmore James and Muddy Waters records. It is amazing the 'big leap forward' that Hendrix created but only in the context of the times.

And I feel that your definition of social conservativism is still alive and well!

I'm curious as to who you would consider both a better guitarist than Hendrix and also a more accomplished song writer

[my breakfast.]

I'm curious as to who you would consider both a better guitarist than Hendrix and also a more accomplished song writer

Hendrix was hardly an amazing songwriter, his lyrics are of the Moon/June/Spoon variety and vaguely describe acid trips. Hey Joe is not his lyrics, Killing Floor is not his and Watchtower was not his....

Better songwriter and guitarist??? John Martyn. John was an amazing acoustic player and experimented with effects and different tunings and chord voicings. His lyrics actually make sense (+1), deal with real issues (+2) and aren't just recycled blues mumblings (+4). John could also sing in tune live (+5) and play in tune live (+6).

Hendrix was the coolest dude going when I was 16. He stood in front of an amp turned up to 10 and made all this feedback garbage. However his blues playing and singing is nothing compared to the originals (Elmore James, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy) and his onstage 'stunts' (smashing equipment, dry humping his guitar playing it behind his back) were all gimmicks he 'borrowed' of previously unknown blues musicians.

Seriously, try listening to his Monterey set without the flashy visuals and you are left with pretty weak playing.

As I said before, he was responsible for the 'great leap forward' in terms of guitar popularity, and he saved the Fender Strat from extinction (they were not selling well in 1967) but so much has been done since then that is far more musically solid.

Also;

Roger Waters - "I'm an artist, I can't tell lies". That's Artist.

Hmmmmm

John Lydon/Johnny Rotten - think. Question everything. And anger is an energy.

Fronted a cartoon punk band, fronted a band that was more self-indulgent than the prog and kraut bands it was meant to be better than (PIL) and now flogs butter.

John Lennon - see Waters.

Wife beater.

the Gallagher brothers - sod off, one wrote some top tunes and the other one sang them. In personal life? No gimmicks.

Pair of shaved monkeys. Their lyrics are 'pulled from a barrow' awful and they are basically the icon of chavs everywhere. Personal life is also important!

Ritchie Blackmore - do not think standard.

Wears a wig and tights and plays stupid fairy music now.

[Stephen]

I agree with some on these lists but I was asked this once before and I answered with Keith Richards. I think 'cool' is perhaps more about attitude rather than what you've achieved in life.

[moom]

My Breakfast... I don't know how I am supposed to take you seriously, so - whatever.

I'm going to ask is - who's on your list and why? Is there such a list at all?