Speaking of which, I remember hearing somewhere that Michael Bolton originally wanted to be a heavy metal guy.
I guess the one upside is that there’s no concern that he used underaged boys as his models. Mikey was all about the fully developed men.
As far as I know Roy Clark was pretty happy with his career in television, but he could play the strings offpretty muchany stringed instrument.
John Lennon went to art school with the idea of being a writer and artist. Fortunately, he got sidetracked by music.
I’m surprised they don’t all have beards and tattoos.
Ian Dury trained as an artist (one of his tutors was Peter Blake) and was an art teacher and (to some extent) a commercial artist before music. As to whether he was an artist who wanted to be a musician or vice versa…
Actually there is a long British history of Art School bands. Brian Ferry studied fine art, and taught art and pottery. Virginia Plain took its title from one of his paintings. Deaf School met at Liverpool Art College. Joe Strummer spent a year at the Central School of Art and Design in London. And so on - there are lots.
Ooo - I’ve just stumbled across this old thread.
j
Jack Benny was a professionally trained violinist, but was only able to find work as a comedian.
Max Brand was so invested in trying to become a famous poet that he refused to use his real name for any of the westerns he wrote.
John Lennon had no ambition to be a trained artist. He barely managed to pass grammar school and went to Liverpool College of Art only because his Aunt Mimi insisted he receive training for some kind of respectable career. He wanted to be a musician first and foremost, a fact reflected in his abysmal performance as an art student.
British art schools were renowned as havens for misfits like Lennon who were bright but had no ambition/aptitude to go on to university. A truly staggering number of pioneering British rockers —including Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Syd Barrett, Jeff Beck, Eric Burdon and Pete Townshend — came out of art schools. Very few if any had serious ambitions to become artists.
The only Beatle to whom this category applies is Stuart Sutcliffe. He wanted to be (and arguably was) a great painter and is chiefly known to history as a piss-poor bass player.
[ETA: I see Treppenwitz and I are of similar minds.]
And then there is the guitarist for Queen:
From Wikipedia:
:o OK, missed a good one.:smack:
My screen name Bob Bitchin AKA Tommy Chong was a musician/comedian.
Obviously he was in Cheech and Chong, I won’t name his band:eek::rolleyes::p:D
I thought he was trying to be an opera singer.
I was totally expecting that to be an Office Space link.