10 Worst Burnouts In Rock History

The entire music machine is always about serving the bottom line at the end of the day. For most money-hungry record labels, you just want to follow the money and pump out more material regardless of whether or not your band actually is inspired. Even though some bands were able to rise to the challenge, more often than not burnout has to set in.

Given that most of these acts have to balance touring life and being in the studio while trying to keep their own sanity, sometimes drugs and alcohol have to be brought in to help keep the thing rolling. That adds insult to injury though, as most of these artists found it hard to actually adapt to the rock star lifestyle once they finally hit it big, becoming more and more uncomfortable with their own celebrity. Whereas some people gravitate to it naturally, the worst cases don't end up making it to the other side.

As opposed to just having to release a bad album, some of these artists paid for their burnout by overdosing or outright quitting the music business, never to be heard from again. Fame can be a wonderful thing, but this is when it comes with a price.

The arrival of the Sex Pistols in the musical mainstream was a watershed moment for the punk community. Though neither Steve Jones nor Johnny Rotten were absolute masters of their craft, the impact that their first album had on the punk scene going forward was nothing short of a time bomb going off. However, things can build up when you base your entire career on anarchy.

While Nevermind the !*$% was released to the public with a bang, things started to go south pretty quickly once they took to the road. Hell, before the record was even finished, Glenn Matlock had been replaced with Sid Vicious, who couldn't even pull off the studio tracks for the final mix. Right after their contentious interviews and taking the piss out of the Royal Jubilee, The Pistols' arrival in America was what finally signaled their end.

Across every show, Vicious was getting more and more out of control, going so far as to perform strung out and famously carving "I need a fix" into his flesh prior to one show in the South. By the time the final show happened, Rotten only got through a handful of songs before walking off early, leaving every member to find their way back to England on their own. Even though the Pistols have earned their spot in history, this isn't the best model for any rock star life going forward.