Voting Station

Seymour Stein

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Entrepreneur

The Resume

    (April 18, 1942-April 2, 2023)
    Born in Brooklyn, New York
    Birth name was Seymour Steinbigle
    With Richard Gottherer of the Strangeloves, founded Sire Records (1966)
    Credited with discovering the Ramones, Talking Heads, and Madonna
    Other acts signed to Sire included the Pretenders, the Replacements, the Cure, the Smiths, Morrisey, Depeche Mode, Ice-T, and Ministry
    Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2005)

Why he might be annoying:

    In school, he listened to a portable radio in class, having convinced the teachers it was a hearing aid.
    He dropped out of college after two months.
    He passed on a chance to sign up Jimi Hendrix.
    He came out of the closet when he was 75.
    He said, 'I could have been a better father, I could have been a better husband, but I had no choice. The main thing in my life was music and it came first.'

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was intern at Billboard magazine in his teens.
    He helped develop Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart (1958).
    He signed Madonna to the label while in the hospital recovering from open-heart surgery.
    His ex-wife Linda was murdered by her personal assistant (2007).
    His oldest daughter Samantha died at 40 from a brain tumor (2013).
    His explanation for his success: 'I have good ears, I'm a hard worker, and I love what I do.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 113 Votes: 50.44% Annoying