# Rockers with surprising side hustles **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 14, 2025, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365 "2025-05-14T13:26:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2025, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/1 "2025-05-14T13:26:45Z")
Brain May from Queen is, rather famously, an astrophysicist, but did you know Jeff “Skunk” Baxter from both Steely Dan and The Doobie Brothers is a defense contractor and advisor to Congress on missile defense? And I don’t know how well known it is outside of NY’s EMT circles --there is such a thing! My son is an EMT and they do kinda congregate in talky in-group circles-- but David Lee Roth is certified and has done a lot of volunteer work incognito. Easy for him because he does not look like he did when he wore spandex and make-up to work. Those are the ones I know off the top of my head. Who else is out there doing Not Rock? ---
**Author:** ![We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/We_re_wolves_not_werewolves)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2025, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/2 "2025-05-14T13:29:49Z")
Greg Graffin, lead singer of the punk band Bad Religion, has a PhD in Zoology and has been a college professor and lecturer. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2025, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/3 "2025-05-14T13:32:33Z")
The Offspring’s Dexter Holland is a doctor of biology. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2025, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/4 "2025-05-14T13:52:01Z")
John Tichy, one of the guitarists in Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen, had a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan and became head of the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Nuclear Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, New York. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2025, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/5 "2025-05-14T14:07:08Z")
Former teen idol Bobby Sherman worked as a paramedic for the Los Angeles Police Department. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2025, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/6 "2025-05-14T14:08:12Z")
> [@F.U.Shakespeare](#): > > Former teen idol Bobby Sherman worked as a paramedic for the Los Angeles Police Department. All because of his guest star appearance on Emergency! ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2025, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/7 "2025-05-14T14:37:41Z")
Bruce Dickinson (yes, THE Bruce Dickinson) of Iron Maiden is a commercial pilot. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2025, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/8 "2025-05-14T14:45:10Z")
> [@F.U.Shakespeare](#): > > Former teen idol Bobby Sherman worked as a paramedic for the Los Angeles Police Department. LAPD? Not LAFD? ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2025, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/9 "2025-05-14T14:47:11Z")
> [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](#): > > Greg Graffin, lead singer of the punk band Bad Religion, has a PhD in Zoology and has been a college professor and lecturer. Also Brett Gurewitz, the guitarist and co-founder of the band, is the founder and owner of Epitaph Records, a major independent record label. But since that’s music-related, maybe not so much a ‘side hustle’ as a main hustle. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2025, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/10 "2025-05-14T14:48:23Z")
Craig Morgan is a country singer and currently back in the Army Reserve Craig is a former Army Ranger, EMT and Assistant Deputy Sheriff. > **[Country star Craig Morgan reenlists in Army Reserve at 59](https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/country-star-craig-morgan-reenlists-army-reserve-59)** > > Country music star Craig Morgan decided to reenlist in the U.S. Army Reserve at age 59, after having previously served before his music career. > **[Craig Morgan Pulls Two Children Out of a Burning Home, Puts Out Fire](https://tasteofcountry.com/craig-morgan-saves-children-from-house-fire/)** > > While everybody else was enjoying the Grammy Awards this past Sunday, Feb. 13, former Army Ranger, EMT and Assistant Deputy Sheriff -- and country singer ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2025, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/11 "2025-05-14T14:48:41Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > LAPD? Not LAFD? [That’s what wiki says:](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Sherman#Post-entertainment_career) He volunteered with the [Los Angeles Police Department](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Police_Department), working with paramedics and giving CPR and first aid classes. He became a technical Reserve Police Officer with the [Los Angeles Police Department](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Police_Department) in the 1990s, a position he still held as of 2017.[[8]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Sherman#cite_note-groovy-8) For more than a decade he served as a medical training officer at the Los Angeles Police Academy, instructing thousands of police officers in first aid and CPR. He was named LAPD’s Reserve Officer of the Year in 1999. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2025, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/12 "2025-05-14T14:54:20Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Brain May from Queen is, rather famously, an astrophysicist In addition, May is a huge fan of “stereoscopy” (3-D photography), and operates the “[London Stereoscopic Company](https://shop.londonstereo.com/),” which sells viewers, photographs, and books to enable people to view 3-D photos. May designed an inexpensive 3-D viewer, which his company sells, along with a mix of vintage cards (images originally created in the 19th century) and modern images, many of which feature astronomical images, or pictures of his band, Queen. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2025, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/13 "2025-05-14T14:55:26Z")
Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend created and co-wrote the Netflix anime series _Neo Yokio._ ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2025, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/14 "2025-05-14T14:59:07Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > The Offspring’s Dexter Holland is a doctor of biology. Dexter also has a full line of hot sauces out that are pretty damn good under the “Gringo Bandito” label. [![](https://i0.wp.com/food.theplainjane.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/gringo-bandito-offspring.jpg?fit=1200%2C775&ssl=1) ](https://i0.wp.com/food.theplainjane.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/gringo-bandito-offspring.jpg?fit=1200%2C775&ssl=1) ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2025, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/15 "2025-05-14T15:02:03Z")
More of a country artist than a rocker, but Willie Nelson started a company to make biodiesel fuel (made from soybean oil and vegetable oil, instead of petroleum), which was marketed as [BioWillie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie_Nelson_Biodiesel). (It’s not clear to me if BioWillie is still made, or if Nelson has any direct connection to it anymore.) Much less surprisingly, Nelson also started a [cannabis company](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie%27s_Reserve). ---
**Author:** ![gregorio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/fbc32d/32.png) [@gregorio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gregorio)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2025, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/16 "2025-05-14T15:30:45Z")
Jacki Fox (Jackie Fuchs) of the Runaways went on to a career as a lawyer. And more importantly a four game **Jeopardy!** champion. The leader of the **Hong Kong Cavaliers** has had many interesting jobs such as physicist, neurosurgeon, test pilot and adventurer. One could add professor of art history if you wanted to stretch a little. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2025, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/17 "2025-05-14T16:08:18Z")
Sammy Hagar has a number of business interests outside of music, namely tequila entrepreneur, restauranteur, and a travel agency for touring bands. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2025, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/18 "2025-05-14T16:21:38Z")
Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull owned salmon farms. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2025, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/19 "2025-05-14T16:24:25Z")
> [@F.U.Shakespeare](#): > > > [@Spiderman](#): > > > > LAPD? Not LAFD? > > [That’s what wiki says:](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Sherman#Post-entertainment_career) > > He volunteered with the [Los Angeles Police Department](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Police_Department), working with paramedics and giving CPR and first aid classes. He became a technical Reserve Police Officer with the [Los Angeles Police Department](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Police_Department) in the 1990s, a position he still held as of 2017.[[8]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Sherman#cite_note-groovy-8) For more than a decade he served as a medical training officer at the Los Angeles Police Academy, instructing thousands of police officers in first aid and CPR. He was named LAPD’s Reserve Officer of the Year in 1999. > [@F.U.Shakespeare](#): > > > [@Spiderman](#): > > > > LAPD? Not LAFD? > > [That’s what wiki says:](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Sherman#Post-entertainment_career) > > He volunteered with the [Los Angeles Police Department](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Police_Department), working with paramedics and giving CPR and first aid classes. He became a technical Reserve Police Officer with the [Los Angeles Police Department](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Police_Department) in the 1990s, a position he still held as of 2017.[[8]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Sherman#cite_note-groovy-8) For more than a decade he served as a medical training officer at the Los Angeles Police Academy, instructing thousands of police officers in first aid and CPR. He was named LAPD’s Reserve Officer of the Year in 1999. Reading the link you provided > [@Wikipedia](#): > > “Eventually, he left the public spotlight and became a paramedic. He volunteered with the [Los Angeles Police Department](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Police_Department), working with paramedics and giving CPR and first aid classes”. So he was: 1. A paramedic 2. A volunteer instructor for the LAPD. that does not necessarily mean he was a medic for LAPD. A quick googling looks like LAPD SWAT _may_ have some medics but that may be only to treat those injured in high danger SWAT calls, first officers, but then possibly any injured suspects, & not necessarily responding to treat anyone who is sick or injured outside of those calls. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2025, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/20 "2025-05-14T16:32:51Z")
George Harrison co-owned a movie production company, HandMade Films; he was friends with the Monty Python troupe, and he founded the company in order to finance _Monty Python’s Life of Brian_. The company produced several other well-known films in the 1980s, including _Time Bandits_, _Mona Lisa_, and _Withnail and I_. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365.md?page=2)