Longtime no talk, Laguna Lunchers!
At the end of today’s show, I played “In The Mood” from Robert Plant’s 1983 album The Principle Of Moments.
As I was “back selling” the song, I mentioned Plant, although a lifelong music fan with incredible talent, did not set out to be a singer.
The man who would front Led Zeppelin and is the “central casting” version of a frontman for a mighty rock n roll powerhouse was originally going to be…an accountant.
Plant dropped out after two weeks at Birmingham Teacher’s College, citing a need for math understanding and his growing desire to pursue music as a career.
Pretty safe to say it worked out for him.
I then began thinking about other musicians’ jobs before becoming famous and how close we were to losing some of the most iconic music and artists to other fields.
It’s fascinating and, as I like to say, “the kind of quirky thing that keeps me up at night.”
Gene Simmons taught elementary school in the early days of KISS. Yes, you let the demon watch over your children as he led them thru ABCs, blood-spitting, and merchandising deals.
Joe Cocker worked for a natural gas company in the Midlands of England. If there was a gas leak in your neighborhood, he was the guy who came and fixed it.
Freddie Mercury was a baggage handler at Heathrow Airport (a fact shown in the film Bohemian Rhapsody.) Along with Queen drummer Roger Taylor, he also ran a stall in London’s Kensington Market specializing in garments. Freddie kept the store running until the recording of Queen’s second album, just in case the band didn’t make it.
Tom Scholz, guitarist and founder of the band Boston is an MIT graduate and worked for Polaroid. (Some tales say he was on the design team of the famous instant camera.) The Boston song “Peace Of Mind” was written by Scholz while he was working the third shift for Polaroid and dealing with his growing dissatisfaction over the job.
Rod Stewart was a gravedigger. The specifics of this vary, and Stewart often embellishes the story. What is known is that around the time of the incident which inspired “Maggie May,” he worked at a cemetery in the London borough of North Finchley. The singer now says he marked off plots and cut grass, not necessarily dug holes.
Debbie Harry was a Playboy Bunny. The Blondie singer worked as a cocktail waitress in the New York Playboy Club. A “Bunny” is not the same as a “Playmate,” I’ll let you google that one and figure it out.
In many of these instances, it shows the work ethic and determination it took our musical heroes to reach the pinnacle of success.
So keep these stories in mind the next time you call a plumber to relieve your stimied septic situation, and he sings a haunting rendition of Kenny Rogers’ “Lady” while firing up the roto-rooter.
“A dream doesn’t become a reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work.”-Colin Powell.
Photo Courtesy Atlantic Records.
Comments