You may or may not have heard of the infamous 27 club, for those in the latter or for those innocently ignorant, let me explain.
The 27 club is a macabre reference (which started with the drowning death of Brian Jones) given to a group of high profile and extremely influential musicians who have died at just 27. Most notably, Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix , Janis Joplin and Amy Winehouse. All very talented, all very famous, all sadly met with a tragic demise at the same age.
What most people ask themselves when it comes to this myth is why the number 27? Well let’s look into that shall we. Some theorists believe the number 27 holds a doomed astrological destiny. Astrologists believe in something called ‘Saturn’s Return’ which first appears in a person’s zodiac chart between the ages of 27 and 30 (have I lost you already? Here’s an example of a zodiac chart).
This phenomenon known as Saturn’s Return can be good or bad depending on its placement in your chart. A bad one causes regret and suffering so much so that Saturn can often be referred to as the Grim Reaper. This explanation, though clearly drivel, tries to offer a reason as to why these musicians found the age of 27 so particularly difficult and troubling. According to astrology they had a bum Saturn and therefore succumbed to the “Grim Reaper”
This theory ties in heavily with what most people believe in relation to the 27 club. People believe it’s a curse, befallen on the truly gifted, as if some punishment bestowed by a supernatural force for being talented? I know its bullshit, but its creative bullshit. I do appreciate the degree of imagination behind the theories. Let’s be honest, life would be boring without nutters.
But these are just myths, and they give no logical explanation as to why all these musicians died at the same age. The relationship between them is only pronounced through mere coincidence. The unfortunate truth is these artists were battling their own demons, which lead them to issues with substance abuse and ultimately their premature end. But that kind of explanation doesn’t capture our morbid fascination with the myth, like astrological phenomenons or demonic curses, do they? That is why the legend never fails to renew our interest over time.
But now a recent study has gone and poo pooed on this myth by throwing science at it to prove we’re all gullible. The study done on home turf reveals more musicians die at 56 and not 27. 56 doesn’t have the same kind of emotional impact as the number 27 does it? Dianna Theadora Kenny a professor of Psychology at the University of Sydney has busted the myth through very sophisticated data analysis and visual diagrams like this one below !(because hey who doesn’t want to see death represented on a graph?)
In case you can’t be fucked figuring this picture out here it is in words. The research found that just a very unimpressive 1.3 percent of the 11,054 musicians included in the study died at the age of 27. The findings also showed that statically more died at 28. So according to science, and my bet is they’re probably more reliable then the conspiracy nuts, there is no statistical evidence to support the theory of the 27 club. Until of course another boffin comes along and dispels this study.
But Kenny doesn’t stop there! To further prove that the “27 cub” is bogus she produces yet another graph which indicates how many musicians are needed to die at 27 to support the myth (I think by this stage she’s getting bit carried away, but hey when in Rome!) According to her maths skills, a minimum of 1.5% to 1.6% of deaths in the population need to occur at age 27 to “justify” the 27 Club statistically. And by population I believe she means the 11, 054 musicians she sampled for the purpose of the study. So there! There’s just not enough death to sustain your theory you freak!
More interestingly Kenny also managed to reveal something about the “club” that perhaps no one really considered or rather noticed before, that those musicians who died at 27 were more likely to belong to a newer genre. Whereas musos who belonged to the older genres (being categorized in the study as jazz, blues, country and gospel) enjoyed longer lives. Which is surprising to me, in particular gospel music. I mean, it takes me a considerable amount of effort not to rupture my own aorta when I accidently flick to a Hillsong broadcast on a Sunday morning.
So back to the other interesting stuff about this study, who are these sneaky musos who managed to surpass the ill-fated 27 and live onto the ripe old age of 56? Well Kenny actually doesn’t give any indication of who these destiny - dodging Judas’s might be, so I went Googling. Here’s a few I can name.
• Beethoven
• Brook Benton -wrote a song called “Rainy Night In Georgia”
• Clive Burr- Iron Maidens drummer on their first 3 albums
• Linda McCartney - she was a member of Wings!
• Marvin Isley - Of the Isley Brothers fame
• Jackie Laundy - of the Chantels
• Roger Miller
• Johnny Ramone - okay technically he was 55 but! He passed a month before his 56 birthday so I’m callin it!
All I can say is, good on ya Kenny for proving wrong, our morbid belief in such a club, and instead sparking our new interest in why the hell musicians are dying at 56? And on that note …..Who wants to start a new conspiracy theory with me????
*If you want to read more about kennys study you can find her report HERE
-Bise
