# Rock stars who rejoined the workaday world **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [July 2, 2021, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-stars-who-rejoined-the-workaday-world/945498 "2021-07-02T10:38:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2021, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-stars-who-rejoined-the-workaday-world/945498/61 "2021-07-04T23:07:58Z")
Peter Garrett also has a law degree which predates his time with Midnight Oil. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2021, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-stars-who-rejoined-the-workaday-world/945498/62 "2021-07-04T23:10:24Z")
Well, for a lawyer, elected office _is_ a fairly typical example of the workaday world. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2021, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-stars-who-rejoined-the-workaday-world/945498/63 "2021-07-05T08:30:24Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I suspect that many, or all, of them are what used to be called a “gentleman farmer”. I suspect you’re right; it’s certainly true of James and Gill, although they do at least muck in (I mean, no one becomes a pig and turkey farmer as a hobby - the smell alone, oy vey…). ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2021, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-stars-who-rejoined-the-workaday-world/945498/64 "2021-07-05T15:43:26Z")
Late 60s-early 70s singer/actor Bobby Sherman became an EMT in Los Angeles, first as a volunteer, then officially. He later was promoted to the rank of Captain at the LAPD, and was a medical training officer, training police officers in CPR and First Aid. Not bad for a former teen idol. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2021, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-stars-who-rejoined-the-workaday-world/945498/65 "2021-07-05T15:49:36Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > He spoke at a large church in my old town which was attended by a co-worker who told me about this, and one thing he mentioned was that their manager had ripped him off (not an uncommon thing to this day). > In February 2010, an autobiography _Me, The Mob, and The Music_ was published. James announced that deals were in hand to turn the story into both a film and a [Broadway](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadway_theatre) play.[[3]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_James#cite_note-Bio-3) [Barbara De Fina](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_De_Fina) is producing the film. > > It was evident when James first met [Morris Levy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morris_Levy), the head of [Roulette Records](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roulette_Records), that Levy was willing to strongarm others when necessary. Those signed to Roulette were there to produce money for the company, having their needs met only when it pleased Levy. Asking to be paid meant intimidation; to survive, those under contract to Roulette needed to find a means of generating income that did not involve the record company, such as personally booked tours.[[5]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_James#cite_note-Gazette-5) While a Roulette artist had great creative control when recording for the company, the lack of payment for those efforts was difficult to take.[[4]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_James#cite_note-Book-4)[[5]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_James#cite_note-Gazette-5)[[11]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_James#cite_note-Interview-11) > > James estimates the company owed him $30–40 million in royalties he never received.[[5]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_James#cite_note-Gazette-5)[[12]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_James#cite_note-NYT-12) Roulette was used as a front for organized crime, also functioning as a [money laundering](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Money_laundering) operation, as Levy was closely allied with the Genovese crime family. [Wikipedia Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_James#Music_and_the_mob) IIRC Tommy waited till the bad guys were all dead before publishing and Levy was the inspiration for Hesh on the Sopranos. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2021, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-stars-who-rejoined-the-workaday-world/945498/66 "2021-07-05T17:17:05Z")
> [@dorvann](#): > > This is related to theme of the thread: > > This was a few years ago. Wasn’t there a former actor was photographed working as a cashier or bagger at a store? I believe the morning shows(Today and Good Morning America) made a big deal about it–him having to lower himself to do menial labor. If I remember correctly he was African American but his name eludes me. I seem to recall, also, that at the time of Michael’s death, one of the Jacksons was stocking shelves in a grocery store. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-stars-who-rejoined-the-workaday-world/945498.md?page=3)