Nelly's Band-Aid And Other Celeb Accessory Tales
Aside from the work that they create, some celebrities and artists are known just as much for particular accessories they always display as part of their ensemble. The item in question becomes something of a talisman for the celebrity. But for the fans, it becomes an item of mystery, because we rarely know why they always have that particular item. Well, wonder no more. Here are some stories behind Nelly's Band-Aid...and more!
Nelly and His Band-Aid
If you've ever seen a music video for one of Nelly's early hits, like "Hot in Herre" or "Pimp Juice," you've probably noticed that he used to sport a tiny bandage on his left cheek. If you wondered why it was there, you're not alone. According to a couple of stories floating around out there, the need for the bandage originated from a basketball injury. However, Nelly continued to wear it long after the injury healed in honor of his friend and music collaborator City Spud. During the early part of Nelly's career, Spud was sentenced to ten years in prison for armed robbery, according to The Village Voice. When Spud was released after nine years of his ten-year sentence, Nelly's bandage came off.
Michael Jordan and His Tongue
Normally, a tongue wouldn't be considered a piece of clothing, but Michael Jordan stuck his out so much while playing for the Chicago Bulls that it might as well be part of his uniform. Whether Jordan was dribbling up the court or flying to the rim from the free-throw line, his tongue was there with him. The story originally went that this affectation came from his father, but in an interview that can be found on YouTube, Jordan reveals that he actually got it from his grandfather, saying, "My granddad stuck his tongue out and if I'm working on my car or something around the house I find myself going [sticks tongue out] really concentrating."
Slash and His Top Hat
Looking as Slash's top hat, you'd think he was a magician, rather than lead guitarist for Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver. The idea does fit, since he's something of a wizard on the guitar. But according to him, he wears the hat because he's shy. In 2010, he told Alternative Press, "You can pull it down, pull your hair down over your face and just sort of hide behind that." He went on to say, "I've always been a little nervous in front of crowds." It's hard to believe, considering he's been playing guitar in front of large crowds since the 1980s. What's even more interesting is how he got the hat in the first place. Slash claims to have stolen it from a store on Melrose Place in Los Angeles back in 1985. He then decorated it with pieces of a belt that he stole from the shop next door to that one. We hope the stores' owners never saw or read any of the interviews in which he admitted that.
David Foster Wallace and His Bandana
If you've ever seen a picture of David Foster Wallace, late author of the massive Infinite Jest and subject of the 2015 film The End of the Tour, there's a 99.9% chance that you've seen a picture of him wearing a bandana. He wore it so much that Jason Segel made sure to wear one when he portrayed the author in the aforementioned film. In an interview, Wallace said that he began wearing the bandanas while he was a student in Tucson to prevent sweat dripping from his head and onto his manuscript pages in the hundred-degree heat. The troubled author continued wearing them because he "felt better with them on," and they became a "security blanket" for him, and Wallace continued to wear them until the end of his too-short career.
George R. R. Martin and His Turtle Broach
George R. R. Martin, author of the mega-popular A Song of Ice and Fire series of novels (which, you should know, is the literary basis for HBO's Game of Thrones), is rarely seen without his turtle-shaped brooch, with which he adorns his fisherman's cap. For a man who writes about knights, zombies, and dragons, a turtle seems like a strange thing to wear. But at San Diego Comic Con 2012, Martin said, "When I was a kid, growing up in Bayonne, New Jersey, I lived in a federal housing project, and we were not allowed to have a dog or cats. The only pets I could have were turtles." And like any child, Martin named all of his turtles, but unlike most children, Martin came up with elaborate backstories for all of his pets, in which they were all knights or kings who stabbed each other in the back and killed each other. Hence, if it weren't for turtles, we wouldn't have Game of Thrones.
Tom Wolfe and His White Suits
Tom Wolfe, author of The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test and The Bonfire of the Vanities, is probably known for his signature white suits as much as he is his massive novels. There was a time at the very beginning of his career when he did not wear them, but that all changed because of a tailoring error. According to Tom Wolfe, A Critical Companion, he had ordered a white suit for the summer, wanting to appear like a Southern gentleman. However, the suit was made from material too heavy for the summer, so Wolfe began wearing it in the winter. Because this wasn't a typical winter clothes color, people actually got annoyed at him wearing it, which he found gratifying, so he continued to wear them. The downside? People probably mistake him for Colonel Sanders from KFC all the time.
Michael Jackson and His Sequined Glove
Michael Jackson's white sequined glove was his signature while he toured for his phenomenal album Thriller. How he came to wear a solitary glove shows just how sharp the late artist truly was.. According to Bill Whitten, Jackson's late designer, audience members missed the quick hand gestures Jackson made while he danced. The purpose of the glove was to draw the audience members' eyes to Jackson's hand. And why one glove? Everybody wore two gloves. It was too plain and simple for the King of Pop. He thought the one glove was cooler. And you know what? He was right. On a side note, in July 2015, one of the gloves sold at auction for $20,000.
Lil Jon and His Pimp Chalice
While Lil Jon isn't the only rapper to carry around a pimp cup, he is the rapper who became most associated with one. It's not surprising. Lil Jon is very proud of his pimp cup. He sings about it, features it in his videos, and he even, it's rumored, carries it around in a special briefcase so that it doesn't get damaged. This is understandable, as the best pimp cups are known to cost upwards of $1,000. He, and any rapper who has one, carries it around as a status symbol. It's special piece of bling, just like a pimp cane, that signals to people that he is a pimp, a player in a management position, as Ice-T once put it. But it's probably the one piece of a pimp's uniform that's taken with the most seriousness. It's been reported that a woman named Debbie the Glass Lady actually prays over these cups. Why? We're guessing it's to protect them from evil, as she did with Lil Jon's. So when you see Lil Jon with his chalice, know that you should show him some respect.
Mr. T and His Jewelry and Mohawk
Mr. T, whose real name is Lawrence Tureaud, is known for three things: pitying fools, his gold chains, and his mohawk. While we can't tell you why he pities fools (aside from a healthy streak of emotional empathy), we can talk about the other two. The gold chains come from Mr. T's days as a bouncer. Drunk patrons who got tossed out of the bar invariably left something behind, a necklace, a ring, a bracelet, what have you. Mr. T began wearing the items whenever he worked the door. That way, they got their stuff back without having to go back in the bar, as they usually got banned from coming back. His mohawk came along after he quit bouncing and decided he wanted to give acting a try. While reading a copy of National Geographic, he came upon a picture of a Mandinka warrior wearing the distinctive hairstyle. Mr. T thought it was a powerful look, and allowed him to represent his African heritage. We pity you if you forget any of this.
Flavor Flav and His Clocks
With the huge clock he wears around his neck, Public Enemy hype man Flavor Flav is never late for anything because he always knows what time it is. And that's exactly why he wears it. He has said in interviews, the clock "represents time being the most important element in our life....we got to live each second to our best value." Wise words, but the origins of the clock aren't so profound. Flav has also said that, early in his career, a friend dared him to wear the clock, instead of the stopwatch he normally wore. Flav liked the craziness of the look, and it stuck. It stuck so much that Flav is said to own about 100 of the gigantic timepieces. Yeah boyeee!
Bret Michaels and His Cowboy Hats
So Bret Michaels wears a cowboy hat. Lots of musicians do. Why is Bret Michaels' hat such a big deal? It's because he didn't always wear one. During his early days with his band Poison, Michaels always sported a bandana of some kind, but not the cowboy hat. That's a new addition to his ensemble. Why he wears it now is kind of embarrassing—or at least he must think it is. If rumors are true, Michaels is going bald. That's right, one of the godfathers of hair metal may be losing said hair. If he wants to keep wearing the hat, he's a grown up, and it's his choice to make. But we think he should just accept his impending chrome-domery.
Hunter S. Thompson and His Cigarette Holder
As gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson waged his war against those he found objectionable, he did so with a cigarette clamped between his teeth—or rather, he did so with a cigarette placed within a cigarette holder clamped between his teeth. While it may look like a pretentious affectation, it isn't. He used the holder for a practical reason. First, you should know that Thompson didn't refer to it as a cigarette holder, but a filter. Now, at one point or another, Thompson happened to see the amount of filth that collected in one just after one day. After that, he always insisted on using one. But when you think about it, it seems a little silly that he fretted over a little cigarette filth when you consider Thompson's legendary and prodigious drug use.
Keith Richards and His Headbands
Nowadays, lots of men wear headbands, so Keith Richards wearing one doesn't really seem all that special. However, you should know that Richards is the one who pioneered this look for men. Before him, only women wore headbands. But Richards wasn't trying to make a fashion statement or start any trends when he began wearing them on stage. Rumor has it that his headband is where he keeps his lighters while he's performing. Richards won't keep them in his shirt pocket because he changes his shirts a lot on stage, and he's afraid he'd forget to take the lighter out. So he began wearing the headband out of necessity. Of course at this point, he can afford to hire someone just to hang on to his lighters for him, so he must continue to wear the headbands because he likes them. After all, he is a man of wealth and taste.