ethanhickerson, Flickr
When it comes to rock stars, we don’t generally think of them in any way except for the hard rocking persona they exhibit on stage. But the reality is that many musician’s talents extend beyond just the confines of music. Here are some notable rockers that have side jobs you may not have expected.
Photo credit: ethanhickerson, Flickr
8 Greg Graffin (Bad Religion)
Vocalist Greg Graffin from legendary punk rock band Bad Religion doesn’t only sing with thesaurus-worthy adjectives and visionary ideologies, he’s also a professor at UCLA, a solo artist and an author in his spare time.
Photo credit: Alterna2, Wikimedia Commons
7 Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden)
ceedub13, Flickr
Bruce Dickinson has been into aviation since the 90s and currently holds an airline transport pilot’s license. He regularly flies his band along with their gear and crew to tour stops all around the world on their private jet, “Ed Force One.” Bruce worked for Astraeus Airlines, completing many high profile flights until the business was shuttered in 2011, then used his success and enthusiasm to launch an aircraft maintenance business in South Wales in 2012, creating hundreds of jobs.
Photo credit: ceedub13, Flickr
6 Roger Daltry (The Who)
Annie Mole, Flickr
Roger Daltry may be best known for belting out anthemic lyrics like “Reign o’er me” and “We’re all wasted,” but he’s managed to lead a notable part-time acting career on the side. He played a murderer on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (a show that licenses a Who song for its intro), has guest-starred on That 70s Show and had a 7 episode character arc in Highlander among other bit parts and guest appearances over the years.
Photo credit: Annie Mole, Flickr
5 Niilo Sevanen (Insomnium)
When fans think of Insomnium, it’s typically their melodic death metal and glistening Nordic locks of swirling blond hair that come to mind. Believe it or not, the band’s lead singer and bassist, Niilo Sevanen, is an event planner at a cultural center in his home country of Finland during his time off from melting faces on tour and creating epic, windswept ballads of metal in the studio.
Photo credit: YouTube/Metal Trails
4 Dexter Holland (The Offspring)
opethpainter, Wikimedia Commons
Lead singer, songwriter and guitarist of The Offspring, Dexter Holland, could easily sit on the 30 million+ album sales the band has enjoyed and live his days out in the California sun, but the man has ambition. He has a PhD in Microbiology, owns an indie record label (that spawned popular acts like AFI) and runs a small, but successful hot sauce company called Gringo Bandito.
Photo credit: opethpainter, Wikimedia Commons
3 Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
Leon Wilson, Wikimedia Commons
Flea, the talented bass-playing showman from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, doesn’t only slap, pluck and jump, he also had a fairly steady acting and voice acting career from ’83-’04. He had bit parts in films like The Big Lebowski and Back to the Future II and III, while lending his voice to characters on Rugrats Go Wild and The Wild Thornberrys.
Photo credit: Leon Wilson, Wikimedia Commons
2 Maynard Keenan (Tool)
The frontman of legendary progressive metal band Tool isn’t just a songwriter and performer, he’s also a wine-maker. He has ownership and partial ownership of a few of vineyards around Arizona where he grows grapes and creates wine that are often named after people or things that are interesting or special to him.
Photo credit: YouTube/Fuse
1 Joe Perry (Aerosmith)
edans, Flickr
Joe Perry isn’t just an Aerosmith lick-smith, he’s also something of a chef. He has a line of hot sauces entitled Joe Perry’s Rock Your World Hot Sauces, one of which is used in a quesadilla that’s served at the Hard Rock Cafe.
Photo credit: edans, Flickr