rock stars who went back work.

James Endeacott of Loop has been an A&R guy for Rough Trade for awhile now. Think he's responsible for signing The Libertines.

Nigel Twist of The Alarm works in the SF public defender's office.

Julie Ritter of Mary's Danish is a real estate agent.

Wonder what Nash Kato does all day.

what the hell is evan dando doing

Dando still tours as The Lemonheads--he was just in town opening for The Psychedelic Furs.

It looks like Amelia Fletcher (lead singer of Talula Gosh / Heavenly / Marine Research) has left her job as Chief Economist at the Office of Fair Trading to be Professor of Competition Policy at the University of East Anglia - http://www.uea.ac.uk/mac/comm/media/press/2013/January/amelia-fletcher-competition-policy-oft

Excellent!

http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/music-theatre/2016/06/when-im-not-cleaning-windows-joy-being-part-time-band

Fred Neil, writer of "Everybody's Talkin'", sang "I've been searching for the dolphins in the sea", then set up the Dolphin Research Project and more or less retired from music.

One thing I always wonder -- how do those mid-level indie bands survive? They're big enough that they tour frequently, hence they probably don't have a full-time job. But they also can't be making much from music.
― Hurting (Hurting), Tuesday, February 1, 2005 11:56 AM (thirteen years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Friend who's a frequently touring indie/noise dude mostly works in call centres. Sometimes stuff like being a reader for audiobooks. Occasionally gets a grant. I think the temp/gig economy is fairly conducive to this lifestyle, actually.

not exactly a "rock star" but the recent shirley collins doc has a bit about her day job drudgery after she lost her voice in the late 1970s. lame!
also was surprised to learn in a recent podcast that sleater kinney's corin tucker does web development on the side ...

I know people who were in Soul Asylum & the Jayhawks who eventually had to return to bar tending for cash flow during lean post-fame yrs

Neither of these people were the front men btw

yeah, i can only imagine being the bass player in a somewhat successful band is a losing game in the end.

They were both bass players!

RIP Karl Mueller, the sweetest man in rock.

yeah even in a good year, if you aren't writing songs, you probably only make like a decent middle class wage (but receive all the adulation that a bass player gets)

OTM

i had a conversation with an aging musician recently and he was like "so i hear you can make pretty good money with ... computers?"

The guy from Creeper Lagoon started a rental company renting vans to...touring musicians.

He was recently in the local press because of an escapade recovering a stolen van:

https://m.sfgate.com/news/article/Twitter-tale-of-SF-van-theft-gets-elected-12620936.php?t=91b84c280c

Perhacs returned to dentistry for many years before making another record

Vito Bratta of White Lion, though it's not entirely clear what he does other than having obtained a real estate brokerage license at some point

depressing thread

how do those mid-level indie bands survive? They're big enough that they tour frequently, hence they probably don't have a full-time job. But they also can't be making much from music.

mostly the service industry. much like how actors have jobs waiting tables (steady/reliable cash, flexible schedule, easy to find another job if you lose it) there are a lot of musicians waiting tables or working as bartenders or running sound at clubs.

Was gonna say the thing about Joe Easley what was already posted. Wonder how he's doing now.

J0hn Dug@n from Chisel was a co-worker of mine in a graphics department for a while.

I don't think it's depressing, I'd love to read a thread about how musicians are getting by without day jobs/side gigs.

Almost all of the professional musicians I know either have a lot of music-related side hustles (teaching, etc) or special circumstances, like a spouse with a good job.

Heard on a podcast the other day that Corin Tucker still has a job doing web development/media.

Probably not as many duplicate character as it's felt like, but you could argue that the 1990s Chapel Hill indie rock scene morphed into the 00's farm-to-table Carolina restaurant scene.

Mary Weiss of the Shangri-Las went into the field of architecture and "commercial interiors" before coming back with a solo album and shows in 2007

Laetitia Sadier teaches singing on the side

Jason Everman, briefly in Nirvana & Soundgarden, joined the army and has had a pretty interesting life

Pavement:

"Gary Young currently markets recording studio products"
"Currently Mark Ibold is a bartender at "Great Jones Cafe" in New York City."
Bob Nastanovich: "After Pavement's split, he served as jockey agent for Greta Kuntzweiler and Joe Johnson"

Linda Scott pursued teaching instead of doo wop

Linda Scott pursued teaching instead of doo wop

I was going to mention Bob Nastanovich, he actually does horse racing analysis for a local racetrack here. Occasionally does a little dj gig here and there.

"Currently Mark Ibold is a bartender at "Great Jones Cafe" in New York City."

Not sure when that was the case or whether still true. They shut down for a few weeks over the summer, seemingly permanently, but then reopened.

How Shed Seven's Alan Leach built a business controlling pub quizzes across the globe

"Laetitia Sadier teaches singing on the side"

I read somewhere the she was working as a shiatsu practitioner

that is mentioned upthread

Joey Shithead from DOA is a city councillor for the Greens now.

That pub quiz thingy looks pretty spiffy in demonstration videos. Nice one, Shed Seven's Alan Leach!

Terry Callier was a computer programmer for years, I think.

Sammy Hagar made a packet developing and selling off his Cabo Wabo tequila brand.

DJ Crystl (of “Warpdrive” fame) is now a personal trainer.

Sammy Hagar also owns a few classy bistros in the San Francisco area.

Mat Osman: ‘I went from being a rock star to driving a van'

https://www.huckmag.com/art-and-culture/books-art-and-culture/mat-osman-i-went-from-being-a-rock-star-to-driving-a-van/?fbclid=IwAR0zM5osbkPf965nsSwDW8uo4iYXHKYaIsiCTXKJ1_4DfrjApk5H1E4zVdE

Fred Neil, writer of "Everybody's Talkin'", sang "I've been searching for the dolphins in the sea", then set up the Dolphin Research Project and more or less retired from music.

― lana del boy (ledge)

I thought this was a joke, googled his wikipedia page to find out what he’s been up to and lo and behold, it’s true.

What he’s been up to? He died of cancer years ago.

Sorry for my bad english, I meant “what he had been up to after retiring from music”

Mick Pointer of Marillion returned to his career as a kitchen designer after being fired from the band he formed.

I wish this article wasn't paywalled because the lede is a masterpiece:

Life on the road as the leader of an indie-rock band wasn’t such a far cry from clocking in as a corporate lawyer for Darren Richard. He was welcomed into Dinsmore & Shohl LLP’s Columbus office as an associate in September 2009 following a career in which he owned a record label, mainly supporting his band, Chicago-based Pinetop Seven, where he was songwriter, instrumentalist and singer.

https://web.archive.org/web/20110415193240/https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2010/10/11/focus3.html

Richard was surprised at the similarities between professions. Both involve problem solving, whether it’s working through the logistics associated with shipping six band mates overseas for a European tour or helping a client negotiate a commercial lease agreement.

“Playing music professionally is a collaborative endeavor,” Richard said.

A musician works with band mates on song arrangements, recording sessions and shows, as well as with label representatives and promoters to generate album sales and to fill seats at venues.

“Similarly, transactional legal work is collaborative,” Richard said.

An attorney advocates his client’s position, he said, but ultimately all sides want to close the deal, whether it’s an asset purchase or a recording contract.

The similarities end with the lifestyle. Richard said a typical day on the road started early and ended with dinner at 9 p.m. “Now, I’m in the office generally from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m,” he said.

Meeting with clients and opposing counsel with a speciality in entertainment law has replaced driving between venues and loading equipment. Writing and reviewing documents takes precedent over penning lyrics and arranging songs.

Imagine, two different professions that involve “problem solving”... what are the chances

Btw, here’s another lawyer who runs a record label.

tbf environmental law is pretty noize