The Resume

(February 25, 1941-April 11, 2001)
Born in New York City, New York
Birth name was Alexander Bull
Played guitar, bass guitar, pedal steel guitar, banjo, bagpipes, oud, and sarod
Recorded the albums 'Fantasia for Guitar and Banjo' (1963), 'Inventions' (1965), 'E Pluribus Unum' (1969), 'Demolition Derby' (1972), 'Vehicles' (1991), and 'Steel Tears' (1996)

Why he might be annoying:

He began shooting heroin in his teens.
At age 18, he was arrested trying to rob a pharmacy.
The liner notes to his second album falsely claim that he played at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival.
He said, 'I kept trying to do different-sounding records, and I'm sure I left a lot of fans behind as a result.'

Why he might not be annoying:

He received banjo lessons from Erik Darling of the Weavers.
He was one of the first Western musicians to show an interest in Indian and Arabic music.
He was influence on the development of psychedelic music.
AllMusic called him 'a walking encyclopedia of musical instruments and styles.'
Admirers of his music included Jimi Hendrix, Steve Winwood, Joan Baez, and Patti Smith.

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• Animal Names
• Banjo Strummers
• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 85]
• Folk Singers
• I Abused Cocaine
• I Abused Heroin
• I Attended Boston University
• I Died in 2001 (Ranked: 60)
• I Have Lung Cancer
• Look at Me and My Pet
• Profiles 53501-53750 (Ranked: 53563)
• Residents of Greenwhich Village [New York City]
• We Died on the Same Day (Ranked: 20010411)

Year In Review:

In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying