Blood
on the
Tracks

With the specter of Phil Spector looming large, here’s a rogues’ gallery of some of music’s most notorious killers

R.L BURNSI E D . 1959

INCIDENT: The late
Mississippi bluesman
shot a local thug in
the head and chest,
allegedly over a
game of craps.

DEFENSE: “I didn’t
mean to kill nobody.
I just meant to
shoot the 
sonofa-bitch in the head.”
 
SENTENCE: Sprung 
after six months at the
request of a foreman
who wanted help with
his cotton harvest.

SPADE COO L E Y
1961

INCIDENT: The “King
of Western Swing” 
pummeled and choked his
wife to death in a
drunken, jealous rage.
 
DEFENSE: “I’ve been
half-crazy, but I
never meant to cause
Ella Mae harm.”
 
SENTENCE: Life in
prison; was granted
furlough to play a
charity show in 1969.
After performing, he
had a heart attack
backstage and died.

VARG VIKERNES 1993

INCIDENT: The leader
of Norwegian black
metal band Burzum
stabbed Mayhem 
guitarist Øystein 
Aars-eth multiple times
with a pocketknife.
 
DEFENSE: “I saw it
as a preemptive
strike. He had plans
to torture me to
death while 
video-taping it.”

SENTENCE: Released
in May after serving
16 years.

2 005
MAC MINIS TER

INCIDENT: The rapper
shot two men with an
AK-47, apparently in
retaliation for the
murder of Mac Dre.
 
DEFENSE: “They’re
just targeting me
because of my 
relationships in the rap
game.” Was on the lam
for five months and
even recorded a guest
spot on the Game’s
Doctor’s Advocate.
 
SENTENCE: 
Double-life. DAVID PEISNER

IN LISTENING

Writer-director Eli Roth, of Hostel infamy and costar of Quentin Tarantino’s
gonzo war epic Inglourious Basterds, on the soundtrack to his life

What music were you obsessed with in high school? Iron Maiden.

When I was 13, I silk-screened an Iron Maiden Eddie on the back of my

Repo Man and Clockwork Orange T-shirts. Even though I was really fat, I

avoided getting beat up because the tough kids would pass me their jean

jackets and be like, “Do Eddie from Number of the Beast.” What did you

listen to in preparation for your scenes in Inglourious Basterds?

Right before the scene where I beat a guy to death with a baseball bat, I

listened to Miley Cyrus. My girlfriend put that on my iPod as a joke,

and I was so morti;ed that the other guys might ;nd it that

I just started going crazy. “Nobody’s Perfect” became my

psych-up-to-kill song. What’s the last album you bought

on somebody’s recommendation? Brad Pitt mentioned

Kings of Leon on set, so of course everyone went out and

bought every Kings of Leon album. I liked Aha Shake

Heartbreak. Who comes after Wilco on your iPod? I

stopped listening to Wilco because an ex-girlfriend gave

me an album of theirs, but I still have them on here. Next

is William Shatner. Then [guitarist-banjoist] Willie Ames.

Then Wu-Tang. Do you have a go-to karaoke song?

I kill with the B-52s’ “Rock Lobster.” Name an album that is

guaranteed to get you laid. Serge Gainsbourg’s Histoire de

Melody Nelson. It’s French. If you can’t get laid with Serge

Gainsbourg, then you have no business getting laid. Give me

a playlist on your iPod. I have a “Shower Mix” that I use as

my clock when I’m getting ready. I don’t want to have to worry

about watching the time, so if I have ;ve minutes to shave and

I’ve already heard [Paul Simon’s] “Late in the Evening,”

then I know I’m late. Is there a song that you con-

sider torture to listen to? [Beyoncé’s] “Single

Ladies” makes me want to throw up. What was

the last song that made you cry? I was at

Quentin’s house around New Year’s, and we got

stoned and played Paul Zaza’s “The Ballad of

Harry Warden” [from the 1981 ;lm My Bloody

Valentine] about 30 times. It conjured up this

period of innocence and childhood, when the

only thing in our existence was watching hor-

ror movies. We got teary-eyed. PHOEBE REILLY

BOB D’AMICO;DISNE Y;COUR TES Y EVERE T T COLLEC TION ;DUFF;; JASON MERRI T T;GE T T Y IMAGES ;ROTH;; PE TER NOBLE;REDFERNS;GE T T Y ;B52S;; KELLY A S WIF T;RE TNA ;SHATNER;

CLOCK WISE FROM TOP LEF T: DAVID RACCUGLIA; ELLIS R. BOSWOR TH;AP PHO TO; MICK HU TSON;REDFERNS;GE T T Y; COUR TES Y SMC; FRANCOIS DURAND;GE T T Y IMAGES ;PI T T;;

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