Who is the most offensive band 20th Century popular music?

In principle, yes of course, but this only works if Mayhem have/had the huge global (pop-)cultural impact as Eminem. Which they don't, obviously.

Philip Glass Ensemble, hands down.

Is Candy-O the one with the Vargas cover, because that probably would've been enough

See: R. Kelly, Chocolate Factory

Who gets to decide what's offensive? Appealing to all genders, races, classes and orientations was definitely too much for a lot of people to handle.

I get this image of him putting strings on a kid and playing it with his bow. *hides*

That was offensive?

It wasn't just the band, Sex Pistols *FANS* were attacked in the streets; and not even just by young hard cases either - I was even spat at in broad daylight in the middle of the high street of my home town in 1977 by some sweet little old dear who could have been my grandmother, just because I had a GSTQ T-shirt on.

Not the most offensive band in 20th Century music maybe, but they sure did seem to upset an awful lot of people at the time.

stewart his name was BERNARD BROOKE-PARTRIDGE: age 16 i committed it to the black book of my year-zero mind as a capital offence against punk — he actually died very shortly after (though not i hasten to add as a result of anything i had done...)

the story of the rites of spring riots is very questionable: there was definitely a big noisy fuss at the first performance (at a vanue notorious for its let's-fuck-stuff-up audiences), but strav himself always noted that this was the ONLY ruckus it ever caused in performance, and in fact attributed it more to nijinsky's choreography (which was apparently somewhat michael clark-ish!!) (ie peasant-y and lewd)

Seems to me the Pistols didn't get much shock-reaction from the US press until the Sid/Nancy murder thing. There is something peculiarly British about the Sex Pistols offensiveness. The Stones cut a wider swath (as did, I would guess, Elvis and NWA).

*which is "offensive" if you take it out of context etc etc

That was offensive?

Around that time Axl made some comment about AIDS that pissed off a lot of people.

...and I'm told that people still walk out on it today.

Did they ever burn Hall and Oates records? I know that a number of fundie types hated them (of all people) because of "Winged Bull."

It's offensive to eat your own poop.

i think GG is prob. far from the most offensive

If it means most morally objectionable I'd have to guess Skrewdriver or Mayhem, though it would be a total guess because I've never heard either band. Why would I want to?

If we're talking social impact - i.e. Their obscenity had an effect on people whether or not they had heard the record - I'd suggest Prince or 2 Live Crew for kickstarting the PMRC stickering nonsense.

I've always loved how Lennon weasled out of the apology he gave to the press: "...It was wrong, or it was taken* wrong..."

* It was a joke about how popular we are, haven't you stupid Americans heard of hyperbole?

The only example I can think of right now is Charlotte Church for those 9/11 remarks that were discussed round here a while back. Could it be that she is the most offensive person in popular music?