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Rock's rich history of boarding-school brats

By DANIEL BROCKMAN | January 5, 2010

Stroke of genius: Julian Casablancas goes it alone. By Daniel Brockman.

Much of the early backlash that followed the Strokes' meteoric rise had to do with the idea that a '00s punk revival couldn't be spearheaded by a band of moneyed prep-school twerps — as if boarding school and rock stars didn't go together like marmalade and scones. Whether we're talking about Julian Casablancas meeting several future Strokes at Switzerland's Institut Le Rosey or a young John Mellor (later Joe Strummer) plotting his assault on the bourgeoisie at the prestigious Freemen's School in Surrey, a number of rock's most potent powder kegs have started off in crested blazers. Here are just a few of the preppiest insurrectionists:

FREDDIE MERCURY OF QUEEN | The young Farrokh Bulsara blossomed as a musical prodigy when he left the family nest in Zanzibar to study at St. Peter's boarding school in Mumbai. It was here that he started his first band (the Hectics) and began calling himself Freddie, planting the seeds for the persona that would front one of the most successful (and flamboyantly awesome) acts of all time.

BRUCE DICKINSON OF IRON MAIDEN | At heart, boarding schools are about escape — which in young Master Bruce's case meant goodbye to Nottinghamshire and hello to Northamptonshire's Oundle, as well as to the school war-games society that he co-founded. A fitting pursuit for the future belter of "Die with Your Boots On" and "The Trooper."

TIM AND NEIL FINN OF SPLIT ENZ/CROWDED HOUSE | Boarding school can be as brutal as it is posh — in his native New Zealand, at Auckland's Sacred Heart College, Tim Finn set a school record by receiving 35 canings in one year. He passed on his defiant spirit to his younger brother, Neil, and the two would go on to form two of NZ's most exciting bands. Both have spent decades using their musical careers to benefit various social causes — no doubt in large part because Tim understands what it means to be at the other end of the lash.

Rock of the ages
The year 1983 was a heady time for metal. Many a successful career got jump-started with a prominent release: Mötley Crüe's Shout at the Devil , Def Leppard's Pyromania , Dio's Holy Diver , Iron Maiden's Piece of Mind .
The Big Hurt: 10-year glitch
It boggles the mind that as recently as a decade ago, if you wanted to hear "Knockin' da Boots" by H-Town (and you did, believe me), you'd have to perform a primitive prayer ritual: you'd call some creepy guy with a really deep voice and beg him to play it, then wait by your radio for an hour in the hope that he'd answer your plea.
Interview: Skeletonwitch’s Scott Hedrick
You know you've made it to rock’s Big Time when interviewers catch you as you're boarding a jet, instead of loading the tour van. And although Athens, OH's Skeletonwitch didn’t happen to be boarding their own Iron Maiden-like 747 when we reached them, they’ve got too much going on these days to make it all happen on four wheels.
Boys meet girls
Much of the press tumult over Beach House has focused on how the duo’s idiosyncratic musical style folds into a surging wave of like-minded indie artists eschewing rock histrionics for a gentler path to the hearts of music listeners.
Coachella builds a sweaty buzz over three days in the California desert
Coachella builds a sweaty buzz over three days in the California desert
Allysen Callery's alluring Winter Island
Folk singer/songwriter Allysen Callery received scores of positive press for her 2010 sophomore disc, Hobgoblin’s Hat (pick it up, along with her ’07 debut Hopey , at iTunes and cdbaby.com ).
Photos: High on Fire at the Middle East
Phantom warlords High on Fire demolish the Middle East with their bonecrushing steamroller of metal.
Broken Social Scene | Forgiveness Rock Record
Recent “loudness wars” notwithstanding, dynamics in music have very little to do with actual volume.
Human touch
“Get me something to stop the bleeding!” were the first words to come spilling out of David Yow’s mouth as his recently reunited Jesus Lizard tore into the first song of their triumphant set last Saturday night at the Paradise.
Brute forces
When you get down to it, most music is an attempt to create auditory allegories for our life experiences, whether they’re joyous Maypole dervishes or nightmarish St. Vitus’ dances of doom.
The numbers of the beast
As a million fingers air-guitared frantically, Maiden put on a fireballing motherfucker of a show.
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Topics: Music Features , Celebrity News, Julian Casablancas, Julian Casablancas, More

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