Vince Taylor was the late 1950s-early '60s rock star who inspired David Bowie's concept album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Except Taylor was not an alien, he was an Englishman raised in America, and his downfall was not exactly ego, it was LSD. Taylor found fame in rock-and-roll with his American accent, black leather, and scorching stage presence, fueled by amphetamines and alcohol. But in 1965, when Taylor joined his band in Paris after a trip to England where he dropped acid, he declared his name was now Mateus and he was from outer space and the son of God besides. Even worse, he set a stack of cash on fire. That started a decline that ended Taylor's musical career.
While many musicians experimented with the drug and went on with their lives, Taylor wasn't the only rock star that succumbed to LSD to the detriment of his career. There was also Peter Green and Danny Kirwan of Fleetwood Mac, Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd, and Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. Read how LSD affected the musical careers of each of them at Messy Nessy Chic.
(Image credit: Hugo van Gelderen (ANEFO))