Musicians who went on to get "proper jobs"

[23 Daves]

...there was an equivalent thread to this for comedians in Comedy Chat, and it got my interest up enough to consider replicating it in this forum.

In short – do any of you know of any reasonably well known musicians who have hung up their guitars (or keyboards) and gone on to get "proper jobs"?  

Here's a few I know of:

Louise Wener out of Sleeper obviously now works as an author and a voice-over artist, and also teaches at creative writing seminars.

Miki out of Lush is a journalist (though if I'm being frank, I don't think I've ever seen an article with her name on it published anywhere – perhaps she works under a pseudonym).

Thomas Dolby is a software developer.  

And... The last I heard, Johnny out of Menswear was working in a call centre.

Any more?  And please feel free to correct me if any of the above are slightly incorrect or out of date.

[A Passing Turk Slipper]

Didn't Lee Mavers from the La's work in a garden center for a while? Paul Simonon from the Clash became an artist but I suppose that's not really a proper proper job.

[The Culture Bunker]

Topper from the Clash ended up as a taxi driver, didn't he? I think the bassist from My Bloody Valentine (Debbie Googe?) did as well.

According to Julian Cope, Gary Dwyer from the Teardrop Explodes is now a fork-lift truck driver. And I read an article from a local paper that showed Les Pattinson from the Bunnymen now enjoying life as a sandblaster, I believe.

[Jemble Fred]

John Lennon is a General Studies teacher in Ilfracombe.

[The Mumbler]

John O'Neill from The Undertones and That Petrol Emotion worked as a temp in the same office as me about six or seven years back.  Very nice bloke.

[Neville Chamberlain]

Late guitar legend John McGeoch qualified as a nurse in 1995.

[TJ]

Miki out of Lush is a journalist (though if I'm being frank, I don't think I've ever seen an article with her name on it published anywhere – perhaps she works under a pseudonym).

She writes for TV listings magazines, I think.

Some others that I know of - Barry Andrews from XTC became a wrought ironmonger; Steve Queralt from Ride is a buyer for a furniture department store; Sam Whiel from Chevette (the mid-1990s Peel-favoured band who covered Pulp's unreleased 'We Can Dance Again') is a graphic designer; Derry Brownson from EMF allegedly owns a bookshop.

[TJ]

Topper from the Clash ended up as a taxi driver, didn't he? I think the bassist from My Bloody Valentine (Debbie Googe?) did as well.

Debbie Googe was indeed a minicab driver for a while, when she was having trouble getting a deal for her new band Snowpony. Some friends of mine were driven to the Camden Falcon by her one night, and too embarrassed to tell her that they recognised her.

According to Julian Cope, Gary Dwyer from the Teardrop Explodes is now a fork-lift truck driver.

Indeed he is.

[Harold Lloyd's Safety Net]

John Lennon is a General Studies teacher in Ilfracombe.

Poor bastard.  Ilfracombe is about 10 miles from where I live and it's a right dump.  As if being dead wasn't bad enough.

[TJ]

Didn't Lee Mavers from the La's work in a garden center for a while?

I'd doubt that very much - as far as I know he just lived off his (considerable) royalties. Although he was spotted busking in Liverpool City Centre a couple of times.

[Derek Trucks]

Leon from Northern Uproar became a hairdresser, I believe.

Mo Tucker from VU was working for Target before the '93 reunion, but resigned when they wouldn't give her the time off to tour.  And I think immediately after their breakup but before his solo albums Lou Reed was working in his dad's accountancy practice.

[Bernard]

When you consider the amount of boy bands that are churned out which don't recoup their costs and are disbanded (ha ha!), an awful lot of them must go on to normal jobs or become gigalos. Yes I know they're not usually musicians but still...

[Jemble Fred]

Does Kim Wilde becoming a 'gardener' count?

[Nuts 'n Gum]

Pete Salisbury (drummer from the Verve) now owns a Drum Shop in Wigan.

[El Unicornio, mang]

VH1 did a series called Bands Reunited which searched out members from bands like Flock of Seagulls and Berlin to see what they were up to, they all had really dull office jobs. Can't remember any specifics, but as a musician, I found it pretty depressing.

I remember Dec from Ant and Dec saying he was in a shoe shop once and the twat who was serving him said "why don't you get a proper job?" to which Dec replied "What, like working in a shoe shop?". Good for him

[23 Daves]

Mo Tucker from VU was working for Target before the '93 reunion, but resigned when they wouldn't give her the time off to tour.

That's the kind of anecdote I was hoping for!  Jesus Christ, you can imagine the discussion with her supervisor, can't you?

"Excuse me, erm, but the Velvet Underground are reforming for some gigs, could I take a few weeks off?"
"Well, you've already used up half of your holiday time, so I'm afraid you can't, no".
"But this is a very important opportunity for me".
"I'm afraid you have to put your career here at Target first".
"But this is the Velvet Underground!  The seminal sixties band!  Reforming!"
"I have to say, Mo, I'm very disappointed that you're not thinking of our needs first, especially during what is likely to be a very busy time for us".
"Oh, fuck off, then".

What would Andy Warhol have made of it all?

[El Unicornio, mang]

It's stories like that that make me understand why artists sell their music to commercials, if you can avoid having to go back to "normal" work, do so at all costs.

Mind, Velvet Underground had one of their songs used in a car commercial years ago

[RFT]

Yay, I can use the same post twice!

Tom Lehrer quit to back to mathematics.

[The Mumbler]

Jim Irvin, lead singer of the wonderful Furniture, went on to be a journalist for Melody Maker, and currently resides at Mojo in charge of reviews.

[Jemble Fred]

Bob Geldof became a superhero. Or something like that, anyway.

[The Mumbler]

Think I'm right in saying that Wendy Smith of Prefab Sprout went into teaching.

[Peking O]

Mo Tucker from VU was working for Target before the '93 reunion, but resigned when they wouldn't give her the time off to tour.

I thought it was Wal-Mart that Mo worked for? She was a regional manager there I believe. Perhaps she worked at Target and Wal-Mart? Jeez. Mark Ibold from Pavement works as a bartender in New York City.

[The Mumbler]

This isn't quite appropriate, as she got an (arguably) grander job, but Culture Club backing singer Helen Terry became a music researcher on the kids show Motormouth at the end of the 80s, and went on to work for Initial as a producer.  I believe she still produces The Classical Brit Awards.

[SurferGhost]

Mo Tucker was still making albums while she was doing all that though, I thought it was more of a day-job situation.

Peter Quaife, original bass player with The Kinks, was last heard of working as a graphic artist in Canada.

Eddie Phillips, guitarist with sixties freakbeat sensations The Creation,  ended up as a bus conductor before they (briefly) reformed, didn't he?
The now-forgotten Eddie Phillips taught Jimmy Page and Pete Townshend a thing or six about certain aspects of their respective guitar techniques.
I think that covers me, legally.

[Frinky]

What did he teach Townshend?

[SurferGhost]

Quiet you, I was being controversial.

Townshend asked him to join The Who though, and like a fool he refused.


EDIT: Whatever happened to Wendy James then?
And the girls from Fuzzbox who aren't in the Witness Protection Progamme.

Especially Vickie

[23 Daves]

Quiet you, I was being controversial.

Townshend asked him to join The Who though, and like a fool he refused.


EDIT: Whatever happened to Wendy James then?
And the girls from Fuzzbox who aren't in the Witness Protection Progamme.

Especially Vickie

I understand your fascination.  She's here:

http://www.vix.uk.com/

and still after a record contract it would seem.  Whether she has a day job or not, though, I've no idea.

Wendy James still makes a living from music - she was on the Jonathan Ross show not too long ago waffling on about her new project, The Racine World.  He played her single "Grease Monkey" (released only a couple of months ago) and to be honest, it really wasn't very good.  I also haven't seen a single good review of the album anywhere - it's been critically mauled, in fact.  But anyway, she's signed to One Little Indian and lives in New York, and seems to be doing OK for herself.  So you'll get no points for mentioning her.

[Derek Trucks]

Sorry, I've had a check and now know it was Wal-Mart Mo Tucker was working for.  And it wasn't for the '93 reunion but to record her album Life In Exile After Abdication in '89.  Still, Lou Reed and Sonic Youth were on it AND it was financed by Penn from Penn & Teller.

EDIT:  Bloody hell, that lead singer from VIx looks just like a rock-chick version of Lois from Family Guy.

[SurferGhost]

Blimey, Miss Perks looks almost exactly the same as she did in 1990. She must be in her thirties by now, shirley, she can't stay twenty four forever. And I don't care what she thinks, I want a gold lame Fuzzbox reunion NOW!

Heh, Wendy James was always Not Very Good by the way, I just wondered what had happened to her Daves. Ta for the info (as ever).

EDIT: Did I imagine this or did Mo Tucker make a sort-of C&W album around 1984? I'm sure I read about it somewhere but have never found any other details about it, most people seem to think Life in Exile was her first solo album (as it might well turn out to be).

EDIT 2: Hoy, watch it Trucks, don't diss The Perks.
Although I know what it is that makes me watch Family Guy now

[Jon_Norton]

Steve Queralt from Ride is a buyer for a furniture department store

So he progressed from shoegazing to carpet-gazing?