# 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:** 3
**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, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/41 "2025-05-14T20:35:17Z")
Paul McCartney is an accomplished painter and has written several children’s books. ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2025, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/42 "2025-05-14T21:00:35Z")
Deniz Tek - one of the founding members of Radio Birdman, 70’s pre-punk band from Sydney, and still actively performing. As his Wikipedia page exhaustingly describes: > Tek is a trained ER doctor and ex-navy flight surgeon who currently splits his time working in emergency departments in hospitals in New South Wales and [Hawaii](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaii) while still taking time to record and tour. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2025, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/43 "2025-05-14T22:21:27Z")
Caveat: I’ve never listened to The Mountain Goats so I’m not sure if they truly rock. But one of the band’s members wrote a book called _Devil House_ which I loved. It’s literary fiction blending true crime with journalism. There are parts of it that are downright experimental. He’s written three books. While opinions on _Devil House_ are mixed, he is a solid, skilled writer with a lot of depth. These aren’t vanity projects. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2025, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/44 "2025-05-15T00:02:27Z")
Greg Kihn of the Greg Kihn Band was a morning deejay and the author of several horror novels. I tried one and didn’t care for it, but it was nominated for a Bram Stoker award. ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2025, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/45 "2025-05-15T00:04:08Z")
Trevor Hurst, lead singer of Canadian rock band “Econoline Crush” (and they kick ass in their music) became a nurse who has become a trusted member of a Canadian Indigenous community in Manitoba. Here’s a CBC article about him: [https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/trevor-hurst-canupawakpa-dakota-nation-1.7111590](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/trevor-hurst-canupawakpa-dakota-nation-1.7111590) ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2025, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/46 "2025-05-15T00:06:07Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Brain May from Queen is, rather famously, an astrophysicis (emphasis added) excellent typo ---
**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 15, 2025, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/47 "2025-05-15T00:07:24Z")
I meant to do that! ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2025, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/48 "2025-05-15T01:17:07Z")
After being lead guitarist with Country Joe and The Fish, Barry Melton had an impressive career as a lawyer. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2025, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/49 "2025-05-15T01:28:09Z")
And Tek, as a flight surgeon, was the original [Iceman](https://www.stripes.com/branches/navy/2022-03-09/top-gun-iceman-deniz-tek-radio-birdman-val-kilmer-tom-cruise-5287770.html), although it seems the writers didn’t steal his call sign. I must admit I love the idea of a “call sign committee”. ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2025, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/50 "2025-05-15T03:20:10Z")
He’s in his 70s and quite a bit older than me, but with that sort of lifestyle he makes me feel like Grandpa Simpson. And for those who’ve never seen or heard Radio Birdman [try this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmH0OeDLGEE). ---
**Author:** ![Disinfectus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/disinfectus/32/11085_2.png) [@Disinfectus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disinfectus)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2025, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/51 "2025-05-15T03:33:55Z")
Guitarist, [Steve Morse](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Morse) (Dixie Dregs, Kansas, Deep Purple) worked for a short time in the 80s as a commercial airline pilot. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2025, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/52 "2025-05-15T03:57:17Z")
> [@Llama\_Llogophile](#): > > Bruce Dickinson (yes, THE Bruce Dickinson) of Iron Maiden is a commercial pilot. Was. He’s recently stopped due to regulations and his age. But it was glorious to to see Ed Force 1 land at LAX with Bruce at the helm! ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2025, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/53 "2025-05-15T04:03:33Z")
Maynard James Keenan, the singer for Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifier, owns a vineyard and has his own wine label. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2025, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/54 "2025-05-15T05:39:22Z")
> [@Disinfectus](#): > > Guitarist, [Steve Morse](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Morse) (Dixie Dregs, Kansas, Deep Purple) worked for a short time in the 80s as a commercial airline pilot. I was going to mention Steve Morse. If I remember correctly he got disillusioned by the industry. He put in a lot of work and got tons of critical acclaim but it didn’t translate to album sales. To me he’s the best guitar player ever. I first saw him live back on the first Steve Morse Band tour. It was at The Stone Pony and I stood 5 feet away and was mesmerized. Didn’t see him live again until he was with Flying Colors, a woefully underrated band. I saw each one of their 3 live tours. In recent years I saw the reunion tour of the Dixie Dregs and the recent semi-tour of the Steve Morse Band. He was the longest serving guitar player in Deep Purple but they wouldn’t let him be inducted with the rest of the band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Which is bullshit. He left Deep Purple a few years ago when his wife got very ill. That’s when he started doing sporadic dates with his trio. He couldn’t do a prolonged tour. Sadly she died last year. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2025, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/55 "2025-05-15T05:46:24Z")
Jon Bon Jovi has a couple of restaurants. At JBJ Soul Kitchen you can go eat and pay a suggested donation. Or if you are in need you can eat for free. Or you can volunteer to work there. It’s an interesting concept and execution. > **[JBJ Soul Kitchen | JBJ Soul Kitchen](https://jbjsoulkitchen.org/)** ---
**Author:** ![Capn\_Carl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Capn\_Carl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capn_Carl)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2025, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/56 "2025-05-15T07:36:20Z")
J. Geils owned an auto repair shop that specialized in vintage Ferraris. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2025, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/57 "2025-05-15T07:58:47Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > Paul McCartney is an accomplished painter and has written several children’s books. Captain Beefheart aka Don Van Vliet also was a respected and successful painter. ETA: painting seems to be a frequent side hustle for singers. Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Ron Wood also come to mind. And both Graham Nash and Bryan Adams are serious photographers. ETA2: Pete Townshend was an editor for Faber&Faber in the 80s. He also, like Dylan, is an author. ---
**Author:** ![mozchron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2025, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/58 "2025-05-15T11:36:21Z")
Has anyone mentioned Jack White of the White Stripes? He apprenticed as an upholsterer before hitting it big in music, had his own shop, and still does it as a hobby. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2025, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/59 "2025-05-15T12:56:48Z")
Gerard Way, lead singer of _My Chemical Romance_, also writes comic books. You may have heard of at least one of them (or at least the TV series based off it) - _The Umbrella Academy_. ---
**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 15, 2025, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365/60 "2025-05-15T13:02:28Z")
Probably more ‘retirement hustle’ than ‘side hustle’, but former Rolling Stone Bill Wyman, an avid detectorist, designed and sold a signature metal detector. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockers-with-surprising-side-hustles/1018365.md?page=4)