As far as bad publicity goes, rapper will.i.am having his diva-esque interview demands leaked online by a journalist is way up there.

The document, with the cringeworthy title “Tips for maximising your interview time with will.i.am”, was posted to Twitter by Telegraph UK journalist Harry Wallop – who was clearly not concerned with ever being granted a second interview.

Handed out to journalists before their interviews, the document included bizarre demands such as “no need to go into details about your outlet or your personal background”, and “if he asks you to repeat or restate a question, this indicates that you need to ask crisper, more direct questions”.

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For the record, will.i.am denied having any knowledge of the demands when questioned by Wallop.

But the real shame here is the sheer number of bizarre celebrity demands we’re unlikely to ever see.

Fortunately, a number of high-profile leaks give us an idea of how crazy stars’ riders can get.

The music industry’s craziest riders

When it comes to demanding obscure tour riders, it’s a battle between the old-school rock guys and the female divas.

For example, Van Halen earned a bad reputation in the 1980s for their demanding rider, but apparently justified their request for “no brown M&Ms” by claiming it was a way to find out if their list of requests had been read and duly noted – including the important safety requests for their crew.

Next we have ’90s pop darling Britney Spears, who almost takes the (carb-free) cake with her request for McDonalds cheeseburgers without the buns. Sure, the pressure to stay thin in the spotlight must have been enormous, but the image of those lonely patties sprinkled with shredded lettuce is hard to swallow.

Lady Gaga perhaps unsurprisingly joins the list with her request for a mannequin with puffy pink pubic hair, while another cheeky inclusion was a pack of Magnum condoms for Crazy singer Gnarls Barkley (aka CeeLo Green).

The Rolling Stones unwittingly showed their age recently by asking (on top of the standard booze and cigarettes) for a set of written instructions on how to operate the electronics in their room.

Nineties metal band Korn wanted a whopping 72 full-sized towels on each of their tour stops while Cher used to request a separate room just to store her extensive wig collection.

It gets weirder. Ozzie Osborne and Motley Crue requested three oxygen tanks and a 12-foot boa constrictor, but naturally it’s diva incarnate Mariah Carey who tops the list, demanding 20 white kittens and 100 doves for a Christmas appearance in London in 2009.

Of course, riders aren’t always adhered to by venues – especially the more ridiculous items. In case you were wondering, the kittens were vetoed for safety reasons, but Mariah did get the doves.

See the full list of will.i.am’s demands below

Just one of the three A4 sides handed to the journalist. Photo: Twitter