Ran across a blog that states the following rock stars have PhD's. This seems unlikely to me. Can anyone verify this; is someone just shoveling it on? * Brian May of Queen (PhD in astrophysics) * Greg Graffin of Bad Religion (PhD in zoology) * Milo Aukerman of Descendents (PhD in Biochemistry) * Franklin Bruno (PhD in philosophy) * Daniel Snaith, aka Caribou (PhD in mathematics) ___________________________________
The Astrophysics Group at Imperial College London has a page about Dr. Brian May: But he re-registered in the PhD program in 2006, and submitted a revised thesis in 2007, which was accepted. This was 37 years after he started the program.
Wow, I wonder if his star status had anything to do with them letting him finish after 37 years. I can't imagine that they would do that for just anyone.
Why does it seem unlikely that a rock star would hold a PhD? Admittedly, I can see how the statement would perhaps be true of some rock stars (e.g., Ozzy Osbourne, Sid Barrett, etc), but a blanket statement covering them all or in general doesn't seem valid.
True that. The monicker "Rock Star" brings to mind a drugged out person like Ozzy. I suppose that concept would not fit them all. Still, it is surprising to know that a rock star has a PhD. You would think they would have other interests, such as creating more music, even if they had the intact brain cells to accomplish the task. Being a musician myself, most of the musician friends I know would not be able to earn a PhD. A few of them are living in their cars. None are highly educated or motivated to improve themselves. Music is their drug of choice. ___________________________________
I can. At the doctoral level, much can be done with tactful negotiation. I finished my PhD 17 years after I began it. I wasn't a rock star, either, just a guy serving his country....
Here are three reasons. I'm sure there are plenty more: Rock is rebellion. Doctoral studies are not. Rock requires a lifetime of dedication. So does becoming a doctor in one's field. Interests change over time; many people abandon their studies, never to return.
:smoker: Probably the perfect mindset for writing a dissertation on metaphysics, if you think about it. Most of the teachers I know would not be able to earn a Ph.D, despite having completed Masters degrees and being educators themselves. Actually, I might expect that a few successful mainstream musicians would be in a better position to complete one since the very upper tier of the musician payscale is astronomical, which would give them a lot of flexibility to work on other projects when their music career slows down.
Dexter Holland, lead singer/guitarist of The Offspring may soon join this list. Holland is a doctoral student at the USC Keck School of Medicine. He is studying molecular biology and already has a B.S. in Biology and an M.S. in Molecular Biology. Apparently, he has working on his PhD when the band took off in the early 90's and only resumed his studies a couple of years ago. His area of research is microRNA in HIV genomes. He just co-authored a paper on the topic last year in PLoS One. Apparently, this guy is a regular renaissance man. In addition to working on his PhD, he owns a business selling his own line of hot sauces AND he is an Airline Transport Pilot and Certified Flight Instructor. I've never liked his band, but I must admit that reading his bio makes me both depressed about my lack of achievements and motivated to do something with my life while I still have the time.
Jeff Baxter, played guitar for Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers during the 70's, while not a PhD he does work for the DoD on Missle Defense. Interesting dude.
That Aukerman and Graffin hold doctorates is pretty well-known. Aukerman actually works in academia; Descendents is a side project for him.
Could it be that a few are achievement junkies, and once they have conquered the music world, they need another mountain to climb?
