Voting Station

Niccolo Paganini

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Musician

The Resume

    (October 27, 1782-May 27, 1840)
    Nicknamed 'The Devil's Fiddler' (or so believed)
    Violin virtuoso as performed across Europe from age fifteen

Why he might be annoying:

    His stage performances were rather garish and bombastic, replete with long black cloak and curly hair.
    Rumours circulated about his being in legion with His Satanic Majesty.
    Critics accused Paganini of being 'a mountebank, a boaster, a pretender and disgustingly rich' yet on the other hand, they urged audiences to 'pawn all their goods so they could hear Paganini,' adding 'Woe to him that lets [Paganini] depart unheard.'
    He suffered from syphilis, and took mercury injections as explained his gaunt pallor.
    Groupies would gather outside the halls where he performed.
    A regular concert gimmick of his was to begin playing a violin solo, then gradually break the strings until only one remained on the violin.
    He lost a substantial fortune on an unsuccessful casino in Paris.
    Having refused the Rite of Absolution on his death bed, church officials banned his being buried in sanctified ground.
    His family repeatedly played all manner of games with Church officials, all the while cooking up imaginative ruses as to the disposition of his corpse.

Why he might not be annoying:

    His flamboyance on stage persona paved the way for the likes of Liberace, Shoji Tabuchi and other entertainers with flamboyant stage routines.
    His contorted appearance was actually Ehler's-Danlos' syndrome, a pathological disorder that causes the muscles to bend and twist into the most freakish positions at will.
    Young girls quickly fell under his spell at concerts--perhaps the first 'groupies' in musical history, no?

Credit: Iludium Phosdex


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 6 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 8 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 13 Votes: 7.69% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 4 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 10 Votes: 30.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 11 Votes: 45.45% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 10 Votes: 20.0% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 14 Votes: 35.71% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 9 Votes: 44.44% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 20 Votes: 35.00% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 26 Votes: 38.46% Annoying
    In 2008, Out of 34 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2007, Out of 66 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2006, Out of 86 Votes: 54.65% Annoying
    In 2005, Out of 158 Votes: 49.37% Annoying
    In 2004, Out of 231 Votes: 41.13% Annoying
    In 2003, Out of 495 Votes: 47.47% Annoying
    In 2002, Out of 1070 Votes: 45.51% Annoying