10 More Hugely Outspoken Men In Rock And Metal Music

Since its conception, rock music has been built on its ability to make a statement. Defining figures from the monumental genre have come and gone, but the underlying sentiment never seems to change. From Chuck Berry to Corey Taylor, the timeline of rock has chopped, changed and curved precariously through every passing trend without losing sight on its core purpose.

Over the decades, flagship names in rock have spoken up about a plethora of issues in confidence to be hailed as heroes, while others have been judged to be out of line. But where do we draw the line between bold and crude, ballsy and shocking, or plucky and mouthy? When does someone stop being inspiring and fall into infamy?

The prior edition of this article included the likes of Henry Rollins, Jello Biafra, Frank Zappa and John Lydon, yet there were plenty of notable high profile names who could not fit into the list. As a result, we have compiled a sequel to said previous article to ensure that we include every man in mainstream rock who is either outspoken, obnoxious, audacious, or a combination of the three. Who knows, maybe a third article will also be required.

Despite the fact they're generally considered the greatest punk band of all time, the real life story of the Ramones was marred by tragedy, love affairs, illness, internal conflicts and quite literally working themselves to death.

Johnny and Joey were the only two consistent factors of Ramones' line-up throughout their 22-year careers but the band's UK publicist, Mick Houghton, described the pair as "chalk and cheese". In politics, Johnny was a staunch conservative while Joey was a liberal. Highlighting this, Johnny Ramone famously shouted "God bless President Bush" when Ramones were inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

Ramones songs such as 'It's Not My Place in the 9 to 5 World' and 'Bonzo Goes to Bitburg' both emphasise Joey's left-leaning beliefs; the latter particularly proved the political disparity in the band. Johnny thought 'Bonzo Goes to Bitburg' was insulting to Ronald Reagan (who he regarded as the best US president ever) and forced the label to change its name to 'My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down' ahead of the US single release.

Away from internal band affairs, Johnny's controversial statement in 1985 that "punk is right wing" still divides the scene to this day, provoking an endless supply of heated hostility between fans. In an article by Far Out Magazine, they acknowledge that Johnny's contribution to the primordial punk movement was 'incredible and should never be forgotten', yet still refer to him as a 'terrible punk', reiterating his outspoken image, which has already outlasted his own lifetime.