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It’s no surprise that we have multiple style articles having to do with music. The second article we ever published was on the most stylish artists of the nineties–a list we look back fondly on and whose choices we still stand by firmly. This was comparably easier to do than the current task we have saddled ourselves with. It’s MUCH easier to name the most fashionable musicians within the confines of just one decade–there can only be so many people to choose from. Compiling the most stylish musicians of all time (OF ALL TIME) is something that can change like the weather. Depending on the day of the week, Dylan may or may not make that list as far as we’re concerned.

Though we agree with most of the entries on GQ’s list of the same, we wanted to include some of the talents of those they either forgot or intentionally left off, while at the same time eschewing their choices that we wouldn’t have as our sixth man if we were playing the Washington Generals in a game of musical basketball. Ziggy Stardust? Absolutely. Drake? T.I.? Lou fucking Reed? No, sirs. Talented musicians all, but being around other people who have style does not make you stylish by osmosis. That’s not how this works. That’s not how any of this works.

So as a counter, and addendum, a revision of the GQ article and to add our two cents into the ring of who does and doesn’t belong on The List, we less than humbly submit those who Gentlemen’s Quarterly et. al. surely meant to include in their sartorial pantheon, as well as the men who are less likely to be mentioned in lists like these, but belong on them nonetheless.

Charlie Watts* – When people mention The Rolling Stones, they inevitably focus on the Glimmer Twins and none of the other members of the band. This is a shame and a scandal, for the eternal spirit for us has been their steadfast drummer Watts, who, other than the aforementioned Mick and Keef, is the only unchanged member of the longest act in Rock n’ Roll. He was never the flashiest drummer or even the most technically proficient (Moon The Loon, John Bonham, and Neal Peart he was not,) but Watts’ brought an elegance and air of gentlemanly panache to Rock n’Roll that for us made him the fashionable thinking man’s drummer. (For an added bonus, google the story of why, on one occasion, punch Mick Jagger in the face.)

Noel Gallagher (2006 and beyond) – The early years of Britpop megaband Oasis were characterized mostly by two things: the constant squabbling of brothers Liam & Noal Gallagher (the former of whom was on GQ’s list,) and the brothers’ Beatle-esque haircuts. Younger brother and frontman Liam’s more resembled The Jam’s Paul Weller (again, GQ) while Noel The Elder for sure could’ve doubled as Ed Sullivan-era Paul McCartney in the hairdo department. Cut to the years since 2006 and a wizened Noel Gallagher, having quit his much-publicized cocaine habit, has started to look leaner without the gauntness of Keith Richards and has learned to start dressing in more well-fitting clothing and even the occasional suit. Oasis’ heyday may be twenty-plus years gone, but the man who wrote one of the greatest albums of the past forty years looks better now at fifty-one than he did at 29, back when Wonderwall was still fresh and douchebags with guitars hadn’t ruined it yet.

Frank Sinatra* The reason why Sinatra was and remains a legend goes beyond his timeless voice, his high-profile romantic life, his alleged mob ties, and his (although dubious Academy Award-winning film career, or connection to John Kennedy. Sinatra is the epitome and probably the patron saint of what is now a bygone generation of gentlemen who, regardless of class, income, or occupation, knew that a real man dressed with self-respect and that for one to be regarded in kind, one had to take pride on one’s appearance. Not for vanity’s sake, but rather to show that you valued yourself and actually gave a damn about the mark you made in the world and the impression you left on others. We need more Sinatras today; Clooney can’t do it all by himself. (Added bonus: Google the story of Ol’ Blue Eyes threatening violence on a would-be billiards partner because said player wasn’t, in Sinatra’s opinion, “dressed appropriately. Just because you’re shooting pool doesn’t mean you can dress like a schlub.)

George Harrison

Ahh, the “Quiet Beatle.” Such a misnomer. Only when compared to such giant egos and massive personalities like John Lennon and Paul McCartney can a man who brought so much sonic brilliance to Rock n’Roll be considered “quiet.” George always let his guitar (when it wasn’t weeping,) and his style speak louder than his mouth did, from the slim-cut suits from the early days to the hipster-chic look on the roof of Apple Records. Now silenced forever, George remains the “Thinking Man’s Beatle,” but also the most interesting.

Interpol

If we’re being honest, we had no idea what the members of Interpol looked like before we began doing our research for this article. That being said, they look EXACTLY like we would’ve imagined they do. They look like the could either be cast members from the movies Primer or Boiler Room, or the guys your high school sweetheart started dating in college who calls his parents by their first names. That aside, they gentlemen know how to wear a suit while singing love songs that also sound like monotonous Orwellian propaganda being belted out by an incel with a bullhorn.

The Roots

Before they were Jimmy Fallon’s house band, Philadelphia’s The Roots were an anomaly in hip-hop: rappers who played instruments and looked like a rock band. I know they’re not the only rap artists that do this, but The Roots are able to take the good parts of hip hop from the ’80s and ’90s while at the same time being a throwback to 1970s-era funk and soul artists like Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye.

Franz Ferdinand

Of all the bands named after former emperors, this is, by far, our favorite. You don’t ever see the Lee Harvey Oswalds looking so dapper, do you?

Stone Gossard

A reminder that this article is not a “Best Dressed” list, but rather a “Most Stylish” list, we give you the man probably most responsible for “inventing” the Grunge sound that originated in Seattle in the late 1980s. Starting off in the highly influential bands Green River and Mother Love Bone, Gossard went on to found what is possibly the greatest American rock band ever, Pearl Jam. Not one to wear tailored suits or be mistaken for a Burberry model, Stone is, if nothing else, a man with style. Not just with his clothing, but with his hair. His speech. Even the way he plays guitar. As the rhythm guitarist for the seminal rock band, Gossard created the riffs for the iconic tracks “Alive,” Even Flow,” “Black,” and a host of other tracks that are indelible in the psyche of music. He also may be the coolest motherfucker to ever pick up an axe since Hendrix.

Elton John

He wore electric boots and a mohair suit. I think I read it in a magazine.

But seriously, the man can do no wrong, stylistically. Yes, many (if not most) of his outfits worn throughout his fifty-year career are garish, ridiculously over-the-top, unnecessarily gaudy, and louder that an air raid siren, but obviously, this is part of the reason we love Elton John. Any idiot can play the piano and write songs. But it’s his showmanship and those silly getups that make him a legend. If Willy Wonka were a musician, we’d like to think he’d look a lot like the Rocketman.

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* – With minimal exceptions