Jeffrey Baxter
Once upon a time: Steely Dan and Doobie Brothers
Now: Counterterrorism expert (he still plays music)
Most know him as one of the founding members of Steely Dan and also as a member of Doobie Brothers but then he decided to make a transition to become one of the national-security world’s well-known counterterrorism experts. His defence work began in the 1980s, when he realised that a lot of the hardware and software being developed for military use could also be used for recording music. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Doobie Brothers in 2020.
Alice Nutter
Once upon a time: Chumbawamba
Now: Playwright and screenwriter
Two decades is a long time in the music industry and Alice Nutter was a part of the best days of the anarchist music group Chumbawamba, which is inseparable from the hit number Tubthumping. But she traded in her ‘I get knocked down, but I get up again’ life for that of a screenwriter and a writer of plays. Her writing credits include theatre work like Foxes (2006) and Where’s Vietnam? (2008) , besides several TV shows, especially on BBC One.
Glenn Medeiros
Once upon a time: Balladeer
Now: School teacher
George Benson did a fine job with the song Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love for You in 1985 but two years later came Glenn Medeiros’ version, which won teenage hearts all over the world and even had a cute video. He followed it up with several hits, including She Ain’t Worth It, but then something changed. He left the music business in the mid-90s to become a teacher and is now president of Saint Louis School in his native Hawaii.
DJ Terminator X
Once upon a time: A member of Public Enemy
Now: Musician and ostrich farm owner
A motorcycle accident in 1994 left him in hospital for a month, after which he made a comeback but then decided to leave the group in 1998. He’s probably the only Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee who is also an ostrich farmer in North Carolina.
Bill Berry
Once upon a time: Drummer of R.E.M.
Now: Hay farmer (he still plays music)
In March 1995, during a concert in Switzerland, Bill Berry collapsed on stage from a ruptured brain aneurysm. After recovering, he continued to play with the band till 1997 after which he wanted to travel and to do something different. He traded in his drumsticks (somewhat; he now plays the drum whenever he wants) for a pitchfork and became the man at the helm of a hay farm in Farmington.
Dan A. Spitz
Once upon a time: Lead guitarist of Anthrax
Now: A watchmaker
Dan A. Spitz left the pioneering thrash metal band Anthrax in 1995 (he returned to the band for a reunion; 2005 to 2008) to become a watchmaker, something he always enjoyed at his grandfather’s watch and jewellery store in New York. His carpal tunnel syndrome inhibits him from playing for long periods of time, according to The New York Times. As a student at the Watchmakers of Switzerland Training and Educational Program in Neuchatel, Switzerland, in the late 1990s, he visited the Audemars Piguet factory in nearby Le Brassus.
Richard Coles
Once upon a time: One half of the duo The Communards
Now: Parish priest
Remember the song Don’t Leave Me This Way by the Communards? The duo of Jimmy Somerville and Richard Coles had quite a bit of chart success in the UK but then disbanded after three years of all those good vibrations in 1988. Richard Coles is now a parish priest. “I grew up with the church. I was a chorister. And when I found it again — St Mary’s Cathedral, Edinburgh, 1990; Stanford’s Evensong in B flat — there was a moment of … recognition. It came screaming at me, out of my childhood. It’s my natural habitat,” he has told The Guardian.
Erykah Badu
Once upon a time: Only music
Now: Doula (more of a sideline)
In 2011, the voice behind On & On, Appletree Otherside of the Game and many more hits, became qualified as a doula and on Twitter she goes by the name ErykahBadoula. “I do it free of charge. I don’t charge anything for any of my healing techniques. I connect with people. Some are relatives. Some are people who I’ve met in the industry,” she has told NPR during a podcast.
Jim Martin
Once upon a time: Member of Faith No More
Now: Growing pumpkins and playing the guitar
Contrary to popular belief, his life after Faith No More (he left in 1993) didn’t involve becoming a full-time pumpkin farmer. It was more of an endeavour to become a champion giant pumpkin grower. So, he still plays the guitar and with the same gusto.
Al Green
Once upon a time: Music, Grammy, music, Grammy and repeat
Now: Pastor and musician
His list of soul hits include Take Me to the River, Tired of Being Alone, I’m Still in Love with You, Love and Happiness, and, of course, Let’s Stay Together. In 1974, his girlfriend killed herself, which left him shattered and he turned towards secular music (which he still records). He became a pastor at the Full Gospel Tabernacle Church in Memphis since 1976.
Coolio
Once upon a time: Full-time rapper
Now: Chef, singer, actor and producer
In case you come across the book Cookin’ With Coolio, don’t be surprised. It contains healthy recipes from the rap star, written in a language all Coolio fans would enjoy. In the Long, Strong Spinach Salad, the Gangsta’s Paradise musician writes: “Popeye ain’t got nothing on me. That’s one of the reasons I took Olive Oyl and put her right in this recipe.”
James Williamson
Once upon a time: Member of The Stooges
Now: Electronics engineer (and musician)
He spent a part of the 1970s (and 2009-16) as lead guitarist of the popular American rock band The Stooges, which had its share of name changes. He has spent a considerable number of years working in Silicon Valley, designing products around its chips. In 1997, he was hired as Sony’s vice-president (now retired) of technical standards. But the man hasn’t given up his musical roots.
Terry Chimes
Once upon a time: Drummer of The Clash
Now: Chiropractor
Terry Chimes was the original drummer of the punk rock group The Clash. After 15 years (after the initial months, he joined the group now and then) he left the music business to pursue a career in alternative medicine and became a doctor of chiropractic and also an acupuncturist. He currently runs one of Europe’s largest consulting business in alternative medicine.
Russell Senior
Once upon a time: Member of Pulp
Now: Antiques dealer
The Sheffield-born guitarist and violinist left Pulp at the height of their success in 1997 (later, joined back briefly). According to the BBC, he’s made a living selling antique glassware, besides writing a memoir about the band’s adventures called Freak Out the Squares which was published in 2015.