Everyone has to start working somewhere, even the big name rockers. Here are 19 rockstars who, according to Kerrang! magazine, worked regular jobs before the music bug bit them.
Jonathan Davis, Korn
-Embalmer's/coroner's assistant
-He told Kerrang! in an interview that he initially got into the job because he was into horror movies and dark s---. "Little did I know that that s--- would f--- me up for a long time. I saw some really f---ed up s---...I had post traumatic stress from seeing dead babies."
Tony Iommi, Black Sabbath
-Sheet metal worker
-This could only be described as "ironic". The city in which Tony hails from is extensively steeped in metal, no pun intended. So it's fair to say there are a lot of steelworks and steel foundries. Tony found work in one of them. It's been said that him losing the tip of his two middle fingers in an industrial accident when he was 16 and having to use prosthetic thimbles helped shape the dark sound Sabbath is known for. He said he only used light gauge strings because it made it easier and less painful for him to play
Kevin Wasserman aka "Noodles", The Offspring
-School janitor
-When The Offspring's 1994 album Smash debuted, the band's lead guitarist was working as a janitor at the Earl Warren school in Anaheim. "I took a three year leave of absence. I was still working there when we blowing up 'cause I'd promised my boss I wouldn't quit until the end of the school year." he said in an interview with Kerrang!
Kurt Cobain, Nirvana
-School janitor
-In the video for "Smells Like Teen Spirit", there is a dancing janitor. This refers to the fact that, like The Offspring's lead guitarist, Kurt Cobain worked as a school janitor
Dani Winter-Bates, Bury Tomorrow
-NHS operations manager
-Despite the fact that Bury Tomorrow is self-sufficient, Dani still works his job of operations manager for the NHS (National Health System) in the UK. He even does it remotely on tour because he's passionate about it. "The rest of the band have Bury Tomorrow as their main career, but I do it because I love working for the NHS and I'm massively interested in public healthcare." he said in an interview with this magazine.
Bon Scott, AC/DC
-Postman
-It's hard to imagine, but the former AC/DC front man did work as a postman. He also worked other jobs, including bartender and truck packer. He mainly delivered mail in his home town of Fremantle, Western Australia
Lemmy Kilmister, Motorhead
-Roadie
-It's hard to imagine this iconic metal legend working as a roadie. But, it's not as hard to imagine as you would think. He got his inspiration for "We Are the Road Crew" from his time and experience lugging gear around for 60s rocker Jimi Hendrix
Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath
-Slaughterhouse employee
-A lot of people like to give Ozzy flak for this, saying that in his book I Am Ozzy, he must have enjoyed the work too much or something to that effect. He, most likely, regarded this as just a job that brought money in. A lot of people definitely didn't know that a slaughterhouse in Digbeth employed Ozzy for a time after he was let go from a factory in Birmingham making car horns.
Chris Cornell, Soundgarden
-Fish handler
-Prior to establishing that "Seattle sound" band Soundgarden, frontman Chris Cornell worked as a fish handler for a seafood company. In an interview with this magazine, he revealed "My job was to wipe up the slime and throw away the fish guts."
Zakk Wylde, Black Label Society
-Gas pump attendant
-Something you don't see too much of anymore. While playing in local bands, hoping against hope for a big break, Zakk worked as a gas pump attendant. During this job, he heard Ozzy had been searching for guitarists. He sent in a demo tape of his playing to Ozzy and the rest is history. This is almost cliched fairy tale of rags to riches. Only in Zakk's case, it went from gas-scented coveralls to riches
Tom Araya, Slayer
-Respiratory therapist
-Prior to forming the legendary thrash band, in the 1980s Araya worked as a respiratory therapist. He sunk his paychecks into the funding for the band's debut album Show No Mercy.
Peter Steele, Type O Negative
-Parks and recreation
-He once said that his days of working his way up from park maintenance to park supervisor were among the happiest days of his life. Who could blame him? Plenty of fresh air, sunshine? What could be better than that?
Steve Harris, Iron Maiden
-Architectural draughtman/street sweeper
-Like all the guys in Iron Maiden, who all had day jobs to help keep the band behind "Up the Irons" bring in money, bassist/founding member/primary lyricist Steve Harris worked as a street sweeper. He went from working as a architectural draughtsman, where he created the iconic Iron Maiden logo during working hours, to working as a street sweeper, anything to keep money floating in to keep the band afloat until Maiden could hit it big
Maynard James Keenan, Tool
-US Army
-Prior to forming the band known as Tool, he served four years in the US Army. In an interview, he revealed "It's a strange phenomenon for me when people think there is a complete division between that warrior spirit and actual artist spirit."
Mark Morton, Lamb of God
-Restoration roofer
-Lamb of God guitarist Mark Morton worked as a slate and copper restoration roofer in Richmond, Virginia before hitting it big with Lamb of God. "I took a lot of pride in my work and it's what paid my bills as I was coming up through the ranks with the band" he told Kerrang! in an interview
Devin Townsend
-Guitar instructor
-This guitarist, often described as a "mad scientist", had worked as a guitar instructor prior to playing guitar professionally. He's held down plenty of jobs, including dish washer and working with sheet metal fabrication. He says that having to dissect music to teach guitar in a formulaic fashion is the absolute worst
Rob Zombie
-Bike messenger
-Who would have thought that someone like Rob Zombie, whose very own concert goers come donned in zombie makeup and gas masks, would have worked as a bike messenger? He says that his least favorite job was working as a bike messenger. Of all places, it was in New York City, a city jam packed with so many other bike messengers, cars, trucks, vans, semis, buses and more. "It's the worst job anyone could have, I got hit by cars so many times" he said in an interview with Louder Noise
Serj Tankian, System of a Down
-Software company owner
-Prior to forming the band System of a Down, Serj Tankian was the owner of a company called Propriety Vertical Industry Modular Accounting Software, which provided machine coding
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