Things You Didn't Know About Chad Kroeger
Vote up the things about the Nickleback frontman that you didn't know.
Nickelback is simultaneously one of the most popular bands in the world, and one of the most hated. The group's polarizing reputation extends to their singer and frontman Chad Kroeger, and stories of his life and adventures on the road will either make you cringe in agony or swoon in adoration.
Regardless of what haters (including the band Slipknot and in all statistical likelihood, you) have to say, Kroeger has managed to win the respect of many artists, and has sold millions of records all around the world. And he's lived a pretty insane life along the way.
- 10 VOTES
Kroeger Thought He'd Foreseen His Own Death
Kroeger once thought he knew when he was going to die. In an interview with Playboy magazine, the musician revealed that he would die at 40. And not just that – his demise would come on his 40th birthday:
I dreamed it – I'll be onstage and have a heart attack, and the crowd will think it's part of the show. It's been foretold.
Kroeger celebrated his 40th birthday in 2014.
- 20 VOTES
Kroeger And Avril Lavigne Had A Fairytale Wedding
Kroeger married early 2000s' alt-punk-rock darling Avril Lavigne. In a November 2013 episode of Chelsea Lately, Lavigne opened up about their wedding day, saying "It was in a castle, south of France, it was by the water. We got married at nine o'clock at night, and partied until six in the morning." The three-day-long event also featured a fireworks show over the Mediterranean and a massive after-hours dance party.
Kroeger reportedly told HELLO! magazine, "I had goosebumps from head to toe and my eyes filled with tears. It's a moment I will never forget as long as I live."
- 30 VOTES
Kroeger Once Paid A Crew Member To Stick His Junk In A Fan
Photo: Lunchbox LP / Flickr / CC BY 2.0When an interviewer from Men's Health asked Kroeger if he had any crazy "life on the road" stories, the rockstar recalled a time when the members of Nickelback were on tour in Germany, and bored out of their minds. The band was very close to their crew, and the performers enjoyed trying to convince workers to do some pretty outlandish things:
In a back room in the venue where we were playing, there was an old fan with a metal blade. And we paid the drum tech... 600 deutschmarks...[to] stick his johnson in the fan... I can still hear the 'bleh-bleh-blehhhhhhh' of the blade slowly sputtering to a stop, and this blood-curdling scream. It was fantastic.
- 40 VOTES
Nickelback's Breakthrough Album Dropped On September 11, 2001
Photo: Nickelback / YouTubeNickelback's third album, Silver Side Up, was the first to truly catch fire in the US, and contained the massive hit "How You Remind Me." The album also happened to be released on September 11, 2001. "When I woke up, the record was really an afterthought," Kroeger said. "It wasn't till hours after we'd been watching CNN where someone went, 'Oh, no, our f*cking record came out today.'"
He also said that the band had a concert at a state fair in Pennsylvania that night, and couldn't cancel it. "We did a couple of songs, then I said, 'You know what? This has been one of the darkest days in our history. But why don't we try and end it on a positive note? You guys can use us to take your mind off what's on CNN, and we'll do our best'... It alleviated the tension. Everyone rushed to the front of the stage, and we had a great rock show."
- 50 VOTES
Kroeger And Avril Lavigne Are Separated, But Not Totally Estranged
As previously mentioned, Kroeger and Avril Lavigne got married in 2013, but separated two years later. At the time, Avril said, "We are still, and forever will be, the best of friends, and will always care deeply for each other." It appears that statement wasn't just for show, as in 2016, the pair posed together at a Grammy party. Then, in 2017, Avril joined Nickelback onstage in Los Angeles to duet with Kroeger for the song "Rockstar."
- 60 VOTES
Detroit Lions Fans Petitioned To Stop Nickelback From Performing During Halftime
Photo: Focka / Flickr / CC BY-ND 2.0In 2011, Nickelback was booked to perform at halftime during the Detroit Lions's annual Thanksgiving game. Many fans of the team weren't happy with the selection, and before long, a petition was launched on Change.org that aimed to bar them from performing. The petition read, "This game is nationally televised, do we really want the rest of the US to associate Detroit with Nickelback? Detroit is home to so many great musicians and they chose Nickelback?!?!?!"
The petition earned over 50,000 signatures. Despite that, the performance went on as scheduled. However, after just one song, "Here and Now," Kroeger and his band decided that enough was enough, and ended the set a little early.
- 70 VOTES
Kroeger Was Ranked Sixth On A List Of The "100 Unsexiest Men In The World"
Photo: Thakingdome / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0In 2006, The Boston Phoenix put out a list of the 100 Unsexiest Men in the World. While comedian Gilbert Gottfried claimed the top spot, Kroeger managed to rank as the sixth most unsexy man in the world. The Nickelback singer charted one spot ahead of R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills, and two spots ahead of Osama bin Laden.
- 80 VOTES
Kroeger Knows That A Lot Of People Think Nickelback is Stupid
Photo: Elwedritsch / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0Nickelback has been the butt of jokes since they emerged on the scene, a fact that hasn't been missed by Kroeger. In a 2012 interview with Men's Health, Kroeger said that some of the people who attend Nickelback's concerts won't openly admit they like the band. The singer wondered if his group was "the biggest guilty pleasure in the world," which prompted the interviewer to liken Nickelback to McDonald's, since both are widely scorned yet incredibly popular. Kroeger approved of the comparison, saying, "Yeah, man, I'll take that title. The McDonald's of rock. I like it."
- 90 VOTES
Kroeger Spent Time In Juvie
Photo: sezzles / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0In the song "Photograph," Kroeger growl-sings about how he broke into his school to steal money about a half dozen times. In reality, Kroeger admitted that the true number was closer to 11. "I was taking some artistic license by changing the number, " he said. One of his motivations for stealing money was that he wanted an amp for his guitar. However, authorities eventually found out about his crimes, and at 14, he was sent to a juvenile detention center for two months in 1988.
When Playboy asked Kroeger about the best thing he ever stole, he responded, "I stole a small truck, and I was facing jail time. My lawyer pleaded it down to joyriding."
- 100 VOTES
Kroeger Thinks People Misinterpret "Rockstar" And "How You Remind Me"
Video: YouTube
The song "Rockstar" features lyrics like, "I need a credit card that's got no limit and a big black jet with a bedroom in it." When it debuted and painted the picture of a hard-living, hard-rocking band, listeners threw all kinds of shade in Nickelback's direction because, well, it was Nickelback. Nickelback didn't have the reputation associated with typical, hard-partying rock bands, and audiences thought it was ridiculous that Nickelback was pretending otherwise.
It turns out that was kind of the point. Kroeger said the lyrics are meant to be satirical, and that many people seem to miss the point. "Nobody hears a Nickelback song and thinks, 'That's some wicked irony.'" He also said that some people think "How You Remind Me" is a sweet love song, but in reality it's "absolutely backhanded."
