Sheryl Crow and some asshole with a feather in his hat

There are limitless ways for amusement to turn to disgust.

Like...a singer who has unsightly or obnoxious back-up singers or band members.

On Letterman's show, Sheryl Crow was pleasant-looking but bland, like the song she was singing. Under the best of circumstances, your eye might drift to see what else is going on. But one couldn't help doing it when her moronic bassist (and isn't it always the bassist with nothing better to do) had to dress up like a boob.

What's with the big stupid hat with the fucking feather in it? What's with the idiot words on the t-shirt?

Jeez, if you're part of the back-up band, BACK THE FUCK UP!

Why is it that rock groups have so many phony morons pretending to be cool? Why be the "hey, look at me, I gotta be part of a rock group, look how stupid I dress" guy?

Crow put together quite an unsightly bunch.

Can you name a favorite band where there's some repulsive goon you wish wasn't on lead guitar? Some clod behind the drums that should be replaced? Some attention-getting simpleton dancing around or grimacing or wearing a ridiculous outfit way different from everyone else, or showing off by gargantuan arm-swinging while plucking a simple note?

You can take your pick with Paul Simon's back-up group, which includes silly looking Africans in native garb, and a jerk who shifts from violin to bass elaborately miming like some silent film actor, while wearing dopey clothing and some kind of flip Samurai hairstyle piled on his dimwit dome. I think this guy has changed his name once or twice out of shame. At one point he was called Don Snow.

It's pretty sad when one member of a group is a clueless, attention-seeking clown (as opposed to just a clown, if you recall make-up wearing Zal Cleminson in the Alex Harvey band. Somehow that worked, to let people know this band was not to be taken too seriously).

What's REALLY sad is when it's not one member of the group...when pretentious stage antics are done by both a back-up singer and the lead. But I ain't naming names, Bruce and Little Steven...