A friend of mine was essentially the queen on punk in Baltimore and D.C. In the 90s. Several CDs with decent sales and sold out club tours. She’s now got her PhD from Rutgers and is working on a long term research project.
I roomed in college with a guy whose band ended up signed by SubPop records. Lots of attention. Tours MTV and so forth. Now he’s in IT and still occasionally plays with the band.
I’ve known a fair number of people who tried to make a go of it in various fields in show biz- everyone from my brother (an insurance salesman and occasional rock guitarist) to my old friend Cheryl (an alto who played “witches, bitches and boys” in opera productions all over America).
Most eventually got “real” jobs, but continue to perform now and then, where possible.
Yeah, I think people can underestimate how little it pays to be in a semi-successful or even “sucessful” band. Bands I would consider “successful”( but not mainstream radio friendly ) and influential like the Pixies and The Feelies really made very little money in their heydays. Strings of critically lauded albums and cult status often doesn’t equal financial success. I remember reading John Doe of X back in the late '80’s saying he made more money in a couple of very minor walk-on roles in movies than in all his band days put together.
I believe only about 1 in 6000 bands becomes famous, that is a stat I’ve heard. Of course fame could just mean that you have a single top 100 hit one time.
Looking online, this implies about 1 in 500 becomes mega famous, with another 1 in 100 becoming mainstream.
I’m not sure what the stats are, because in a city like Los Angeles I’m sure there are endless thousands of bands and only a small % make it big. The point is, most do not make a living out of it. A lot of them just end up pursuing regular careers after a while.
You might be interested in watching “Anvil! The Story of Anvil,” an excellent, engaging documentary about a Canadian heavy metal band that never quite reached the heights that everyone thought they would.
They becomes am regulars jackoff.
They sell their souls to Musak Inc …
They make the rounds of the native American donation centers.
Let’s consider the “New Bob Dylan Club”:
Loudon Wainwright III. He coined the term, and had a minor hit with “Dead Skunk.” He’s continued to release albums and perform. He also has had an acting career as a regular on MASH* (though he only lasted a couple of episodes) and Undeclared. He son, Rufus, is far better known these days, but Loudon still performs solo and with his extended musical family.
John Prine. Critically acclaimed and with a success with his song “Sam Stone.” Prine continued to record and play after that. He was more a country artist than folk, but he had a long career.
Eliot Murphy. His album “Aquashow” got critical raves, but his career petered out after that. He did continue to perform in Europe, though.
Bruce Springsteen. Seems to have done OK.
I did personally know someone who was a member of the Left Banke (“Walk Away Renee”). At least everyone in town thought he was. Turned out he was pretending to be.
Performers (rock groups, professional wrestlers, etc) seem to get so used to the traveling lifestyle that they lose the ability to settle down and live a normal life. They literally don’t know any other life and aren’t able to let go.
Gets kinda sad to see these old guys playing state fairs and small venues and thinking “Dude, its over. Let it go. GO HOME!”, but they don’t have a home and don’t know how to make one anymore.
As I’ve observed before… Cheap Trick will probably never play big arenas again, but if Robin Zander can still make six figures playing the corny dog circuit and he still has fun doing it, why SHOULD he quit?
Hell, if I had a hobby that paid 200 grand a year, I’d keep doing it as long as I could.
Here’s a few I remember from the St. Louis area.
One hit wonder (Top 10 single) – stayed in the business locally, became a producer. There’s still a band that performs under the original name, although I doubt he actually leads it anymore.
One hit wonder (Top 10 single) – solo career didn’t go anywhere. Had a bout of bad health, came back home, quit performing entirely.
R&B top 10 – had a fight with her label, recorded for a few years with minor labels. Still performs occasionally, says she doesn’t miss being in the big time.
Country singer, never quite hit it big – opened a couple of bar/clubs that were quite successful for years.
I checked to see what happened to a band that was very big here in the 1970s. The band still exists, and one of the original members is still with them, still performing, still traveling for something like 45 years.
“Pathetic, Washed-Up Rock Star On Fifth Decade Of Doing Exactly What He Always Wanted”
To add another St. Louis example to kunilou’s list, Robynn Ragland had a decent regional hit with “People You Know” in the early 2000s, then apparently got some notice in LA, had some songs in movies, and opened for some big acts. For whatever reason, i guess she never became a household name. Now she’s a lawyer in St. Louis and still performs once in a while. I really liked “People You Know”.
May is an interesting case. He was legitimately studying to be an Astrophysicist when he hit it big in his hobby; music, and dropped out of his PHD programme.
Many years later he was asked to headline some BBC Space show as the celebrity host; one report I read says the producer did not even know of his background- and was a big success. This led to him appearing on more scientific shows and eventually returning and finishing his PHD; he says he was lucky as his topic was one on which there had been little work in the intervening years but which had suddenly become popular due to some new Hubble images.
All four members of Queen had been pursuing other academic / professional interests, which they set aside when the band became successful. In addition to May, drummer Roger Taylor studied to become a dentist (eventually changing majors, and getting a degree in biology), bassist John Deacon got a degree in electronics (and built the Deacy Amp out of spare parts), and singer Freddie Mercury had a degree in graphic design (and designed the band’s logo).
Or you complete your PhD in physics, present a few TV shows and co-author over 950 papers like this guy..
Seriously, it’s like he escaped from a Neal Stephenson novel or something.
Nah, they’re sent to a farm owned by very nice people, where they can run around all day playing with each other and eating big scrumptious meals at bedtime.
“I used to say ‘sex, drugs, and rock and roll’. As long as there’s sex and drugs, I can do without rock and roll.”
Normally happens so young you can still do whatever you want with your life - as long as you don’t keep trying to live the past.
I wouldn’t call it failed either.
If you put them on a platform and revere them, it’s sad. But many less successful musicians would. . .well, not many would be jealous of the ribfest circuit (everyone DREAMS of the big-time), but many, many never do even that well. These guys started out making music and wanting to be heard and make a living at it, and they made it. Years or decades later, they still tour and get crowds, if not exactly throngs or hoards, to show up. Good on them.
And as a fan, I appreciate them still touring and giving folks a chance to hear them and have a good time. I don’t get out to concerts like I used to, for health reasons, but I greatly miss it. I’d gladly see old coots play their music, and smile at the memory of it. I’ve done it many times at ‘oldies’ concerts, all-day affairs, etc. Great fun and great memories. I highly recommend it. If you’re in the right state of mind (not feeling sorry for them, or scoffing at the ‘has-beens’), seeing skilled, talented performers that have plied their trade for decades, in small settings, can be more rewarding than any stadium concert you might see.
I admit though, I have made snide remarks about Ribfests and performances featuring, “at least one original member of Foghat!” Jokes are fun, but music is more so.