Then why bother trying after dozens of real life examples already in the thread?
Private reply sent.
As it turned out, Nova likely made far more money writing songs and producing albums for Celine Dion (in the '90s and early '00s) than he ever made as a rock guitarist.
[Moderating]
Count Blucher, coming into a thread just to say that you don’t have anything to say in the thread (i.e., what you just did in post 80) is threadshitting, and hajario was entirely correct to chide you (very gently) for it. The response you PMed to him, however, is neither correct nor gentle. You are hereby instructed to knock off the abuse of other posters, not just in threads, but in private messages as well.
And just a reminder to everyone else: Private messages are subject to all of the same rules as all of the rest of the board. If you receive an abusive private message, you can report it, the same as you would any post on the board.
A long time ago VH-1 did this series where they reunited broken-up bands for a one-off performance. Usually the bands had only one or two hits. Anyway, they played up the drama by sending the host to far-flung locations where the performers’ lives had taken them. Many were still in the music industry. Others were not.
For example, one of the guys from A Flock of Seagulls (“I Ran”) worked in a factory in North Carolina; the camera showed him asking his boss for time off for practice. One of the women from The Weather Girls (“It’s Raining Men”) worked in an office building in Cleveland or someplace (the host caught up to her on her smoke break).
Truthfully, I could not survive being a one-hit wonder. To have a taste of success and then, a year later, being back on the factory floor; I’d kill myself.
My uncle started trying to seriously play in his early to mid-20s. He put out several Country & Western albums, solo and with at least two different bands. Nothing he did was ever a huge hit, though he and the bands he was with were well-known locally.
After he got married and had kids, he had to take on a regular job, but still played gigs nights and weekends. He never stopped playing, though it wasn’t his main income. He “retired” from his equipment-supplier office job about 3 years ago to play full time. He does weekend and night gigs with a tribute band, which is doing really well lately, selling out decent-sized venues in his area in California.
His day job is playing retirement communities / old folks homes, weddings, parties, fairs, etc. He’s booked 6–9 months in advance now and makes at least as much take-home as he did when he was employed, even after self-employment taxes, etc. are set aside.
He is a good solid player who can perform in a few different folk styles and play several stringed instruments, but he was never going to be a super-star, unfortunately. Not the right look, not a huge voice, only better than average composition, solid but uninspired playing. He’s a the musical equivalent of a craftsman; you’re going to get a good solid piece you can count on every time.
However, a working musician can make a decent living just by playing a lot, especially with a good niche genre and lack of snootiness about what kinds of audiences they’ll play for. He used 30 years of connections and playing in the area over that time to build his initial client list when he went full-time again. He’s in his late 50s, he never had his “glory days” but he makes a living doing what he loves.
A lot of them tour in countries where their status as a washout is not well-known. Korea was, until pretty recently, a place where once-cool bands came to die. Now they regularly get the likes of Beyoncé and Taylor Swift. Korea’s coming up in the world.
The DC rea has two nightclubs dedicated to performers who used to be hella famous: State Theater (Falls Church) and Jaxx (a.k.a. Empire, now closed, apparently, Springfield). Foghat was the house band of a place in Wheaton for a good while in the 90s.
I just want to say thank-you for turning me on to this.
It’s almost like the band saw Spinal Tap and said, “Hey, that looks like fun!”
Is it coincidence that the drummer’s name is Robb Reiner?
For those who would like to see it click here
Sadly the guy I mentioned above who had a few hits died on Friday
Tommy Page, Singer and Former Billboard Publisher, Dies 46 | Billboard – Billboard
Depends on if they got into music for the sex and drugs or the rock and roll. If the former then as I understand it 27 is the traditional age they die at.