The tale of Bun E Carlos and the finest aesthetic look of the era: “I always wanted to look like Keith Richards”

While late-1970s rock stars often wore flamboyant stage clothes, Cheap Trick drummer Bun E Carlos became known for dressing like an ordinary working man. His rumpled shirts, dark ties and horn-rimmed glasses helped give the band a distinctive look and showed that a rock-star image did not have to be glamorous.

Born Brad Carlson in 1951, he joined Rick Nielsen to form Cheap Trick in 1973, alongside Tom Petersson and Robin Zander. Carlos said he had wanted to look like Keith Richards, but accepted that he did not; instead, many of his clothes came from second-hand shops and cost as little as 50 cents. By the band’s 1979 international breakthrough with *Cheap Trick at Budokan*, his everyday style had become a recognisable part of their identity.