Headline-Grabbing Facts About Machine Gun Kelly, Music’s Manic Pixie Dream Boy
These days, almost everyone has heard about the wild antics of Machine Gun Kelly.
Whether you love him or love to hate him, his TMI tomfoolery definitely grabs a lot of headlines—especially when it comes to his on-again-off-again fiancée Megan Fox. Read on to find out how this lost boy became public enemy number one.
1. He Had An Unsettling Start
On April 22, 1990, Machine Gun Kelly was born Colson Baker to missionary parents in Houston, Texas. It’s too bad that his parents’ desire to spread the good word took them from Egypt to Germany, Chicago, Denver, and more. This itinerant existence was definitely stressful for young Colson. Sadly, his life was about to get even worse.
2. He Suffered A Heartbreaking Loss
As if always being the new kid wasn’t painful enough, nine-year-old Colson’s world fell apart when his mother abandoned the family for another man. Colson would later write about it in the song “Burning Memories”: “
This one’s for the mama that I never knew / I took acid just to burn all of my memories of you”.
To make matters worse, Colson and his increasingly mentally unstable father had to pick up and move yet again.
3. His Father Fell Apart
Even though Colson’s dad tried to pick up the pieces by moving with his son to Denver to live with his sister, things were not looking up. Colson’s father began a dark descent into depression, which resulted in years of unemployment.
During these tough financial times, Colson had to sleep in a chair instead of a bed and only owned two outfits, which led to major ostracization at school. At a shockingly young age, he turned down a very dangerous path.
4. He Was Headed Down The Wrong Path
By the age of 14, Colson hadn’t yet chosen his outlaw stage name, but he was starting to get in trouble with the law—and we aren’t talking about a cute li’l shoplifting charge. In Rolling Stone, he confessed to having had some serious charges but would not divulge what they were.
Sadly, this wouldn’t be the last time he took things too far.
