Weirdest rider demands

Pop stars have got the lot. Everything money can buy is served on a silver platter by a preening slave. But still it isn't enough. Our most famous stars are renowned for making ever more outrageous demands, pushing their ego and the patience of their paymasters and the outside world to the absolute limit.

Although she's never been considered a diva, this week Rihanna seemed to confirm her ascension to the top table of spoilt ridiculous pop brats. On the shoot for her new video, ‘What's My Name', the Barbadian beauty reportedly demanded that everything in her trailer should be black.

And lo, furnishings, towels, robes and even the candles were delivered to her specifications in New York. But how do her orders compete with the best/worst of her rock and pop peers? Find out below as we list the top 25 weirdest rider demands known to man or myth from across music folklore.

25 Paul McCartney

Nineteen leafy 6ft plants. Four leafy 4ft plants. Vegetarian catering (including no meat by-products).

24 James Brown

Two girls under the age of 21 and a ladies' hair dryer.

23 Jamie Cullum

Ice (must have no straight edges). A full-length mirror (must have lights around it). A deck chair.

22 Jools Holland

Twelve local postcards with 1st class stamps.

21 Madonna

A new toilet seat. Twenty five cases of Kabbalah water.

20 Oasis

"Lots of" Guinness. "Lots of" beer. "Lots of" red wine. "Lots of" vodka. A bottle of whisky. Monster Munch. Wotsits. Doritos and dip.

19 Beyonce

A two-man love seat. Temperature must be 78F in dressing room.

18 Luciano Pavarotti

No distinct smells anywhere near the artist. A golf cart and a bedroom, which "must be kept in total darkness".

17 Arctic Monkeys

A novel of the venue's choice.

16 The Pogues

A bottle each of gin, vodka, dry white wine, Martini, brandy, champagne, ginger beer. A bottle of Rock shandy. Two bottles of non-alcoholic Beck's and 24 bottles of beer. Marlboro Red and Lights. Benson & Hedges. Chocolate.

15 Frank Sinatra

An ear, nose and throat specialist equipped with the anti-inflammatory drug Decadron.

14 David Hasselhoff

Life-size cut-out of David Hasselhoff.

13 Al Jolson

A plaque on the dressing room door that reads: "Al Jolson - World's Greatest Entertainer".

12 Elton John

Seventy-four towels. Flowers (NO chrysanthemums, lilies, carnations or daisies).

11 Jennifer Lopez

White flowers. White tablecloths. White curtains. White candles. White couches. Low-watt lightbulbs. Coffee to be stirred counter-clockwise. Skittles.

10 P Diddy

A $300,000 bullet-proof Maybach sedan car.

09 Jane's Addiction

A room with an "earthy, velvet/velour-type atmosphere".

08 Mariah Carey

Cristal champagne. One box of bendy straws. One special attendant to dispose of used chewing gum. Tea service for eight. Puppy. Kittens.

07 Prince

A physician to administer a Vitamin B12 shot before the show.

06 Marilyn Manson

Air-conditioning always on full. Haribo gummi bears. Bottle of Absinthe. A bald hooker with no teeth.

05 Mogwai

A framed picture of Princess Leia from ‘Star Wars'.

04 Motley Crue

A 12ft-long boa constrictor. A sub-machine gun. Local Alcoholics' Anonymous meeting schedules.

03 Van Halen

A bowl of M&Ms, minus all the brown ones.

02 The Rolling Stones

HP sauce. Shepherd's pie. Paintbrushes. Snooker table. TV (capable of showing cricket matches). Toilet (on wheels). All the brown M&Ms that Van Halen discarded.

01 Iggy Pop

Seven dwarves. A Bob Hope impersonator. Broccoli "cut into individual florets and thrown immediately into the garbage". The production of a reality TV show in which contestants cook dead dogs on a tropical island.

What do you think of our top 25? Which bizarre rider request have we missed out? What would you demand be served in your dressing room? Have your say below...

(Collected from ‘The Little Red Riders Book: The Backstage Requests Of Rock 'n' Roll's Most Famous Artists' and numerous online sources)