50 Top Tweeters in Music
Rock stars, of course, express themselves through music. But Twitter, the perfect forum for anyone with a big ego, atrocious grammar and a smartphone, has proven a natural fit for these effusive souls. We've now read enough tweets about tour grub, philosophies of life and Persian rugs the cost of compact cars that we felt compelled to offer this guide to music's top Tweeters. Click through for the folks to follow.
By Amos Barshad
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Mandy Moore
Why You Should Follow Her: The former teen pop-star is not really very active as a musician these days, but as long as she keeps doing stuff like Tweeting photos of Ryan Adams' cracked iPhone screen, we'll be following her.
Characteristic Tweets:
"Another reason to love Fridays…… Bill Maher is back!!! Thank Goodness.""there's been a lot of jefferson starship playing around the house lately and i gotta say, i'm kinda digging it. :)"
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Sondre Lerche
Why You Should Follow Him: Lerche's whimsical indie pop is full of understated charm, and so is his feed. Think: Comments on advanced DVD technology and images scouting sessions for music video locations.
Characteristic Tweet:
"Turns out I'm a natural parallel parker. Avoided it for 8 yrs now I do it for laughs. That's right. I just parallel-parked your mind." -
Ryan Adams
Why You Should Follow Him: Ironically for the hilariously prolific Ryan Adams, his feed was actually only active for ten Tweets in June, but they were great enough that we're following just in hopes he'll come back.
Characteristic Tweets:
"I am auditioning for Cats today! Wish me luck!""Cyclopsided"
Gallery: Photos from Ryan Adams and the Cardinals: A View of Other Windows
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Ghostface Killah
Why You Should Follow Him: His activity sometimes depends on whether or not he’s in the midst of a promotional cycle, but when it’s on, Ghostface’s feed is garbled and random in the best way. Like most people, Ghostface knows that referencing Ghostface lyrics is never a bad idea.
Characteristic Tweets:
“Fuck That. Run! Cops got guns.”“Supercalifragalisticexpialidocious. Dociousaliexpifragalisticcalisuper!”
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Patrick Wilson (Weezer)
Why You Should Follow Him: Front man Rivers Cuomo is on Twitter too, but Wilson gets the nod for his informative and entertaining links to videos of crazy Russian street-bike riders and such.
Characteristic Tweets:
"haha, if anyone has an Ibanez Jem Swirl project with LEDs in the fretboard let me know""U remember 24/7 Spyz? They were always spying, nonstop."
Gallery: Rolling Stone's Rockstar Weekend Kicks Off With Weezer
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AC/DC
Why You Should Follow Them: The hard rock legends' feed takes an interesting tack: each Tweet commemorates another day in the history of the band, like a mobile Behind the Music.
Characteristic Tweets:
"January 06, 1953 Malcolm Young, the seventh of eight children, is born to William and Margaret Young in Glasgow, Scotland.""December 31, 1973 An early incarnation of AC/DC performs what is widely regarded as the band's first ever concert on New Year's Eve at…"
List: The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, Number 72, AC/DC
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Ryan Leslie
Why You Should Follow Him: The producer and performer lets you into his professional life, with Twitpics of studio boards and Grammy Award invitation emails. Doesn't worry about being funny, which can be a real relief on Twitter.
Characteristic Tweets:
"'Rockin' 'Christian Dior Denim Flow' live at the Bowery Ballroom with Kanye West & John Legend. Mike Dean on keys""Everyone doing video: please watch out for @Evan_ERogers' killer instinct. And I quote: 'we been killin 'em'."
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Pete Wentz
Why You Should Follow Him:The former Fall Out Boy bassist provides hit-or-miss jokes and shout-outs to his music buddies, plus the occasional look into the domestic life of the Simpson-Wentz's.
Characteristic Tweets:
"trying to get @ashsimpsonwentz to go H.A.M. and make a croque-monsieurs late night. ""i feel like i should not know what saffron or a vinegar reduction is- only i really dont anyway. "
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Colin Meloy (The Decemberists)
Why You Should Follow Him: Meloy mostly provides useful information on release and tour dates for the dedicated Decemberists fan, plus links to books his friends wrote — but he makes sure to pepper in enough brainy yuks to keep things interesting.
Characteristic Tweets:
"suggest interview question for @spatouttweets. I've got one: is it true the band is an agitprop device for Obama's atheist/socialist agenda?""I am listening to Nick Lowe, folks. Nick f&$^ing Lowe."
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Damian “Pink Eyes” Abraham (Fucked Up)
Why You Should Follow Him: The oft bare-chested hardcore front man is a bit more sincere than one would expect, often focusing on meat-and-potates studio updates and the like.
Characteristic Tweets:
"I can't say whether or not people will like our new record but I can say that making it has been the most challenging experience of my life.""I think the "Golden Voice" guy has shown us all how willing the world is to help the homeless… as long as they have an exploitable skill."
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Paul Van Dyk
Why You Should Follow Him: The superstar house DJ comes off fairly mild-mannered on his feed, where links to solemn in-studio Facebook photos dominate. A shocking dearth in references to Ibiza ecstasy parties.
Characteristic Tweets:
"And…back into the studio finishing off the new album! :)""Enjoying a day off… :)"
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Alex Kapranos (Franz Ferdinand)
Why You Should Follow Him: The same sharp wit on display in Franz Ferdinand's best lyrics pops up in Kapranos' Twitter.
Characteristic Tweets:
"Does Bob Diamond have the most punchable face in Britain?""Listening to chart music makes me feel I've returned to the late '90s: Ace Of Bass, Faithless & insincere saccharine boy bands"
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Local Natives
Why You Should Follow Them: Mostly focused on keeping fans informed about pre-sales and tour dates, but with enough funny Tweets to separate themselves from the indie-rock pack.
Characteristic Tweets:
"Playing on Fallon tomorrow if the weather doesn't impede the Spokane->Minneapolis->New York flight. Tune your television!""I can't figure out if there's more grit in True Grit or Back to the Future part 3"
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Silversun Pickups
Why You Should Follow Them: The LA bummer-rockers keep it frothy on Twitter, amusingly answering fan questions and providing Twitpics of stuff like the dry erase board from their rehearsal space that they use to figure out set lists.
Characteristic Tweet:
"Got into a fight with the director. She clocked me._b RT @_ChrisWilliam_: Brian- why did you have a black eye in the kissing families video??" -
Lily Allen
Why You Should Follow Her: Can be ho-hum for significant stretches, but she occasionally spikes her feed with excellent bits of real-talk contentiousness. Most recently, Allen got into a Twitter beef with Piers Morgan about appearing on his show.
Characteristic Tweets:
"Wow, judging by your responses Piers Morgan seems to be just a little marmitey.""Christina from Greys Anatomy is a repellent individual."
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Jay Electronica
Why You Should Follow Him: The underground vet might get famous soon; he was recently signed to Jay-Z's Roc Nation. But right now he's still accessible enough that he Tweets his personal email. Also provides inspirational catchphrases and quotes himself.
Characteristic Tweets:
"every doctor aint a healer, and every healer aint got a medical degree.""Wake up. I dare you."
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Slash
Why You Should Follow Him: Slash doesn't bother with rock star pretenses, preferring to use Twitter as a platform for his inner guitar-nerd. And if that wasn't endearing enough, he signs off each Tweet with this homemade Slash emoticon: Iii|; )'
Characteristic Tweet:
"Going thru gtrs for the tour today. I've replaced all my amps w/AFD 100s. Will be a sweet sounding set up. Iii|; )' ""Just had dinner w/MK. He had spinach for dessert. No kidding. Iii|; )'"
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Tokyo Police Club
Why You Should Follow Them: A steady stream of updates from the road and the studio from the underrated Canadian act. A nice look into the workmanlike life of an indie band coming up.
Characteristic Tweets:
"TORONTO!! Show up early tonight to help us color in our new tour posters, and don't forget to submit your own online!""We are releasing a hand-made magazine which will be sold on this next tour. We are insanely excited. Are you?"
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Ted Leo
Why You Should Follow Him: Online, Leo's always been forthcoming about his career; he's blogged about the challenges of maintaining profitability as a veteran indie act. His Twitter, though, is a more lighthearted travelogue.
Characteristic Tweets:
"Today would have been the only day that flamenco jazz gtr guy could've started playing 'Baker Street,' and have had it been o.k. He blew it.""And I haven't heard "Greensleves"/"What Child is This" in a LONG-ass time, yo – thanks again!"
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Aimee Mann
Why You Should Follow Her: Mann might never again reach the heights of her Twitter beef with Ice-T, when she criticized his acting on Law & Order: SVU and he told her to "eat a hot bowl of dicks." Her amusing, low-key self-deprecation is pretty good on its own, though.
Characteristic Tweets:
"Today me and MP are clearing out a bunch of junk from our backyard. All the lessons I've learned on 'Hoarders' are coming in handy!""I got some air-tight containers to store flour in, and @timheidecker got large plastic bins for cables and surge protectors. Woooo!"
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Andy Milonakis
Why You Should Follow Him: Admittedly more of a comedian than a musician, Milonakis' feed is a natural place for his scatterbrained oddities.
Characteristic Tweets:
"Photo: My baby dog looks really funny here. He’s actually 4 but he looks young like me.""My blood is boiling today between missed UPS packages and missed calls, I wanna drop kick a random stranger in the pussy (guy or girl)"
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St. Vincent
Why You Should Follow Her: Boldly nerdy and adorably precious; recently tried to get a "dustoffyourlibrarycard" hashtag going.
Characteristic Tweets:
"Tracy Morgan's memoir, 'I Am the New Black,' is sold out at every bookstore in Manhattan. #trustme.i'velooked.""Did I mention I'm working on a new album? I'm working on a new album! All other details TBA in due time, friends. X"
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Solange
Why You Should Follow Her: Beyoncé's hipster baby sister has interesting friends, stories about her son, and inner thoughts she'd like to share with you.
Characteristic Tweets:
"Yo. I don't believe in violence but I almost beat someone's ass tonight. Lot a bit of Martin, but a lot a bit of Malcom.""Can someone introduce me and Regina King on a friday night, when I have a sitter?"
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Amanda Palmer
Why You Should Follow Her: The former Dresden Doll front woman (and author Neil Gaiman's better half) provides another feed that provides a non-glammy look into the life of a working musician.
Characteristic Tweets:
"punk Tasmanian boys dancing to surf music.""@sxipshirey I grabbed his ass and told him it was from you. He says to say 'I love that fucking guy'. MANLoVE!!!"
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Chris Brown
Why You Should Follow Him: Brown has deleted his account multiple times following unfortunate incidents, but can't stay away for good. Don't you want to be there the next time Breezy has a Twitter meltdown?
Characteristic Tweets:
"Being as though I've been consistent with my mixtapes, how do u think F.A.M.E is gonna sound? I'm curious!""I want every woman to smile today!!! We men appreciate you! Your our strength and weakness!!"
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Taylor Swift
Why You Should Follow Her: As ruthlessly wholesome as Swift's real life persona, which means it's actually more fun for haters interested in parsing exactly the level of steely, behind-the-scenes calculation on hand here. Also, sometimes Tweets photos of herself with BFF Selena Gomez.
Characteristic Tweets:
"Got to rehearsal early. No one else is here yet. So……I'm in the production office making a necklace out of paper clips.""At my mom's birthday dinner! There are exactly 13 people here."
"Thank you SO much for the Peoples Choice Award! It's sitting here all sparkly in my hotel room. I love you guys. :)"
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D.A. Wallach (Chester French)
Why You Should Follow Him
Knowing that he's not famous for people to care about his Twitter just because it's his Twitter, indie rocker Wallach wisely ups the entertainment level with jokes about being a crack dealer and Tweets at Amber Rose.Characteristic Tweets:
"This block is so hot that hawaiian tourists are taking helicopter tours overhead because they think it's a volcano!!!!!!!!!""He's been around for years but Cory Gunz is absolute virtuoso. I've always been blown away by him."
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Erykah Badu
Why You Should Follow Her: True to form, Badu sends out hippy-dippy positive vibes while flashing a well-earned sense of self-worth.
Characteristic Tweets:
"what you think about me is nunna my bitness. -Oprah Winfrey""sending everyone good good energy to use thru out the years- thru out the lifetimes!"
"socks and draws again."
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Yelawolf
Why You Should Follow Him:
The gritty Alabama MC earns his keep with an active Twitpic rate; one recent offering captured a guy in a full leopard-print outfit at a urinal. Newly signed by Eminem to Shady Records, so his stories might get more interesting. Bio reads "Rapper, Skateboarder, Drinker."Characteristic Tweet:
"Preshate everybody congratulating me .. I'm workin on my album right now .. More motivated than ever .. Ghet-O-Vision.Interscope.SHADY !!!!!" -
Wavves
Why You Should Follow Him: The pop-punk brat takes smug potshots at celebs and hooks up crucial photos of him playing drunk golf. A certain druggy vibe permeates.
Characteristic Tweets:
"Rachel Uchitel is addicted to LOVE?!? celebrity rehab needs to re evaluate""If I hear this 'oh u fancy huh?' song one more time I might kill a cop/ set a bomb off in the airport"
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Justin Vernon
Why You Should Follow Him:
Kanye's bearded falsetto-toting muse big-ups bands, offers in-studio updates, provides links to funny viral videos, and talks sports. Casual, but focused.Characteristic Tweets:
"anybody out there; i'm coming up on finishing the biggest thing i've ever tried to do and 'm feeling overwhelmed with gratitude""Packers! NFC Championship! Mike Mcarthy, Don Driver for Prez! In Rodgers We Trust!"
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Lil Wayne
Why You Should Follow Him: Considering his logorrheic output, one might expect a fount of awesome throwaway couplets. Instead, Weezy stays earnest, updating fans as to his location and providing bits of motivational speaking.
Characteristic Tweets:
"love is selfless""Treasures are meant to be found."
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Tim Harrington (Les Savy Fav)
Why You Should Follow Him:
Les Savy Fav's outlandish front man knows he has to fulfill certain wild man expectations on his Twitter — and, thankfully, has no issues doing so.Characteristic Tweets:
"I was Santa at this party last Thursday for the wilderness Inc. Anyone got the pix? Also, where do you buy salvia in NYC?""Dear Chubby Cho- when tour mom made you move so I could have the best seat for Harry Potter I was like, "Suckaaa! Burn- tssss!"
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Fabolous
Why You Should Follow Him: The New York vet's Twitter feed might accidentally sound like the name of a Real Housewives spin-off, but the content's a bit grittier than that. Tells tour stories, talks well-intentioned shit, and makes jokes about running through his DVR backlog.
Characteristic Tweets:
"Workin on a mixtape.. only rappin over samples & soul beats.. Havin trouble pickin a title.. Want the word SOUL 2 b in it tho.. Any ideas?""Anybody wanna get they ass beat in Words With Friends, send ur name!"
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Andrew W. K.
Why You Should Follow Him: Party! Party! Party! Party! Oh, also: Party!
Characteristic Tweets:
"My THREE DAYS AWAKE / ONE DAY ASLEEP plan is working! Now I'm on another three days awake before we go to Australia on Monday.""PARTY TIP: If you party with a sparrow, don't mess with its wing. If you party with a dog, watch out for its tail and snout."
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Weird Al Yankovic
Why You Should Follow Him: The Hall of Fame parodist delivers a steady, reliably amusing patter that veers from topical commentary to self-deprecation.
Characteristic Tweets:
"Hold on… the cryogenically frozen disembodied head of baseball great Ted Williams is now a homeless YouTube singing sensation??""I love listening to early Beach Boys. Those are the kind of harmonies you can only get from YEARS of parental abuse."
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Lil B
Why You Should Follow Him: The hip-hop folk hero's Twitter — where he espouses his "anything goes"-based philosophy — might be more central to his artistry than his actual music.
Characteristic Tweets:
"sum1 told me that cult is short for culture.. if that's the case then I can understand that ! – Lil B""MAN YALL GIRLS IS GUNNA GO CRAZY WHEN YOU SEE MY "V" MAGAZINE PHOTOS NO LIE TYSON BECKFORD GON RESPECT IT NEW BRA IN THE MODEL GAME – LIL B"
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M.I.A.
Why You Should Follow Her: Proudly illiterate, occasionally political, only partially comprehensible — just like the real M.I.A.!
Characteristic Tweets:
"ITS THE MUSIC!….. im not saying it should be free im saying it should be freeer VICKILEEKX – leak me NYE!""IF I can jus start with 1 TAMIL child/family released from a detention center per show in OZ, i will have made 8 me's !"
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Pras
Why You Should Follow Him: The forgotten Fugee has returned to relevance alongside his frenemy Wyclef as post-earthquake Haiti advocate. His feed is a beguiling combination of personal anecdotes, charged up benedictions, and greeting card philosophy.
Characteristic Tweets:
"Sometimes I wonder if love is worth fighting for, but then I remember your face and I'm ready for war. ""Having dinner with Prez Bill Clinton and Sean Penn in Haiti. Haiti future is looking incredibly bright….."
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Himansu (Das Racist)
Why You Should Follow Him: How could Himansu — the portlier, more Indian half of prankster-rap duo Das Racist — not have a cryptic, hip-hop-nerd-joke riddled Twitter feed? He does, of course, and it's a natural extension of the "just joking we're not joking just joking we are joking" Das Racist mentality.
Characteristic Tweets:
"someone asked me what I think immortal technique doin, I sd 'awno, googlin fuck bush?'""dap broke into singin 311 down jus now?"
"indians like love dying in stampedes… but white people? white people are mad corny… feel me?"
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Tyler, the Creator
Why You Should Follow Him: The leader of divisive teen blog-rap cult heroes Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, Tyler uses Twitter to promote his crew's fuck-the-world mentality. Uses the 'F' word constantly, which is something he will hopefully grow out of.
Characteristic Tweets:
"I AM A FUCKING TABLE""Jews Are Fucking Cool"
"I AM STILL THE MOST SWAGGED OUT UNICORN IN THE FUCKING EXISTENCE OF FUCKING UNICORNS NIGGA."
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50 Cent
Why You Should Follow Him: The obvious inspiration is Kanye's Twitter: wildly braggy and deeply odd, 50's feed perfectly reflects the common perception of the remarkably self-aware rapper. During the recent New York City snow storm, 50 tweeted photos of him shoveling with neighborhood children for money.
Characteristic Tweets:
"Have you ever met some one who was so smart you couldn't understand half the s**t they were saying?""BBH billionaire brother hood I'm connected, I'm respected,I got my hustle perfected. Ill show you what I'm talking about. Lol"
"I did the NAACP awards announcements this morning. It was cool I had fun doing it."
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Diplo
Why You Should Follow Him: Missives direct from the multifaceted life of the itinerant DJ and producer. One good way of figuring out what to get into on any given Friday night is to check his feed to see what he's doing, and then doing it too.
Characteristic Tweets:
"Vegas wuz amazing I hope I dint git aids""I'm on stage look @me"
"weirdest 24 hours of my life.. u guys can read about it in my autobiography ill write when im 55"
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Mike Skinner (The Streets)
Why You Should Follow Him: Almost exclusively links to new songs or in-studio videos, plus mini-rants against predictive texting. Maintains healthy and open fan communication channels.
Characteristic Tweets:
"i love you all. i am going to cuddle you in whatever o2 academy or apollo i encounter you in febuary""the tron daft punk album is blowing my mind. nothing but synthesizers set to a 160 piece cinematic orchestra. NEXT LEVEL"
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Diddy
Why You Should Follow Him: Can be an eyesore at times, overrun with self-promotion, @'s and re-tweets. But, at its best, this feed is the world's greatest (free) self-help seminar.
Characteristic Tweets:
"'Say it straight, simple, and with a smile' -the tag on my yogi tea""Whatever you most love to do is what you will do best. – R.Marston #LTTP BE YOUR BEST TODAY!!!!!"
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Best Coast
Why You Should Follow Her: Bethany Cosentino, the gabby marijuana aficionado behind Best Coast, is insular and scattershot. Her boyfriend, Wavve's Nathan Williams, and her indie-rock celebrity cat Snacks (who, of course, has his own Twitter) are recurring characters.
Characteristic Tweets:
"Omg teen mom makes me so sad. Teenagers are so mean to their parents! Sorry mom and dad for being a mean teen once!""why do i even waste my time getting manicures? i peel the polish off after 1 day!"
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Ezra Koenig (Vampire Weekend)
Why You Should Follow Him: The sharply dressed Vampire Weekend front man plays the gleeful smart-aleck on his feed, bantering with fans and Tweeting links to listings for Ying Yang Twins live shows.
Characteristic Tweets:
"wowwww. are u excited 4 "Hall Pass"? saw the trailer b4 Lil Fockers, looks pretty good""Silver dollar pancake inflation is out of control. That shit is bigger than a DVD."
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Patrick Carney (The Black Keys)
Why You Should Follow Him: Via adorable music videos, self-effacing Colbert Report appearances, and a gang of other delightful little moments paraded out during their breakout year, the Black Keys revealed that there are two huge clowns behind all that razor-sharp blues-rock. In between carrying on conversations with his pals and re-tweeting LeBron James, Carney — the drumming half of the duo — keeps the good times rolling with irreverent non-sequiturs.
Characteristic Tweets:
"Who wants to finance my tv show pilot about a bald male judge and an ice queen judge who date each others kids. It's called overruled.""How many perverts are watching everyone loves Raymond?"
"Omg! You ever really think about how big the universe is? It's insane it's really big (I think) lol. But I think it must be right? "
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?uestlove (The Roots)
Why You Should Follow Him: The legend of ?uestlove's hyperactive Twitter account runs far and wide, and for good reason: presented in unfiltered stream-of-consciousness style — full of stray observations, gentle shit-talking, and great tips on songs — the feed is a constant marvel.
Characteristic Tweets:
"wowsers. ginnifer goodwin is a whole new woman. looks incredible on @latenightjimmy. can't wait for last season of big love.""we aint been this hype in our rehearsal room since "straight outta compton" #killingROSANNA"
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Kanye West
Why You Should Follow Him: The Greatest Twitter Feed of All Time has gone into semi-dormancy since the release of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, but hopefully the promotional run for Watch the Throne, 'Ye's album with Jay-Z, will bring it roaring back. Calculatedly quotable Tweets about fur pillows and jogging in Lanvin prove the best Kanye parody is currently being executed by Kanye himself.
Characteristic Tweets:
"I thought LOL signified a joke… I didn't get the 2011 LOL doesn't signify a joke anymore memo… LOL or something else I guess ""I'm working 30 hours a day at least #LOUIETWEETS"
"I've finally realized as long as you use profanity when you talk about art and fashion it's better accepted!!!"