Podcast Summary: Ongoing History of New Music — "Hobbies of Musicians"

Host: Alan Cross
Episode Date: August 20, 2025
Podcast: Ongoing History of New Music (Curiouscast)

Overview

In this engaging episode, Alan Cross explores the personal lives of famous musicians—not through scandals or gossip, but by spotlighting their surprising and sometimes quirky hobbies. From crafting and collecting to science, sports, wine, and even professional wrestling, Alan uncovers how music stars recharge or find new inspiration outside the studio. The episode’s lighthearted tone invites listeners to see musical icons as relatable, multidimensional people who, just like everyone else, need downtime and personal passions.

Key Discussion Points

Why Hobbies Matter for Musicians

• Musicians aren’t consumed by music 24/7; they need breaks to recharge creatively and mentally.
• “Everybody needs a break from whatever it is that they do. You gotta rest the brain, recharge and go on a search for new inspiration. Put down the instruments and see what else is out there. Become a more rounded person.” — Alan Cross (04:47)
• Success allows musicians to indulge or invest in hobbies they’ve dreamed about.

Crafty and Artistic Pursuits

• Knitting & Embroidery:
  • Kelly Deal (Breeders): Sells handmade scarves online.
  • Lily Allen: Deeply into embroidery; work shared on Pinterest.
  • Jazz Domino Holly: Daughter of Joe Strummer, authored a crafts and gardening book.
  • Rivers Cuomo (Weezer): Used to knit, stemming from meditation practice.
• Sculpting & Welding:
  • Bob Dylan: Passionate about metal sculpture and welding.

Martial Arts & Sports

• Jiu Jitsu:
  • Dave Mustaine (Megadeth): Earned a purple belt at 58; actively training toward a black belt.
• Professional Wrestling:
  • Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins): Bought and currently presides over the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).
• Other Sports:
  • Wynn Butler (Arcade Fire): Renowned for basketball skills.
  • Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam): Passionate surfer.
  • Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie): Competitive long-distance runner.

Aviation and Science

• Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden): Certified airline pilot; runs Cardiff Aviation.
• Gary Numan: Qualified as a stunt and test pilot for vintage planes.
• Dexter Holland (The Offspring): Earned a PhD in microbiology; circumnavigated the world in a private jet.
• Brian May (Queen): PhD in astrophysics; wrote a 256-page thesis on cosmic dust.

Collecting and Creating:

• Pinball & Arcade Games:
  • Slash (Guns N' Roses): Vintage pinball collection.
  • Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails): Vintage arcade games.
• Model Trains:
  • Neil Young, Rod Stewart, Frank Sinatra: Serious model train enthusiasts.
• Cheese Making:
  • Alex James (Blur): Runs a cheese farm, produces award-winning cheeses, authors books about cheese.
• Space Exploration:
  • Blur: Composed music for the Beagle 2 Mars probe; David Rountree (Blur) is an avid stargazer.

Unique Interests

• Geddy Lee (Rush): Baseball memorabilia collector.
• Taylor Swift: Crafts handmade snow globes.
• Courtney Love: Doll collector (specializing in Mattel's “Little Kiddies”).
• Kurt Cobain: Gathered old medical appliances.
• Erykah Badu: Works as a midwife.
• Brian Eno: Admitted collector of vintage erotica.
• Ping Pong:
  • Prince: A formidable player, could beat nearly anyone.
  • Damon Albarn (Blur): Also highly competitive.

Board and Mind Games

• David Bowie, Bono, Madonna, Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers): All avid chess players.
• “Another guy deep into playing chess is Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and he is good.” — Alan Cross (13:54)

Musicians and Comic Books

• Lights: Created “Skin and Earth,” an album and a comic book crossover.
• Claudio Sanchez (Coheed and Cambria): Pens “The Amory Wars” graphic novels.
• Gerard Way (My Chemical Romance): Creator of “Umbrella Academy.”
  • “By 2001, he was interning as a sketch artist at the Cartoon Network... 911 happened and he was right there for it. The experience of living through that saw him decide to ditch the animation job and try music.” — Alan Cross (18:51)
• Gerard Way: Created Spider-Man character Penny Parker for Marvel.

Rock Stars and Wine

• Dave Matthews, Les Claypool (Primus), Sting, Gerard Casale (Devo), Maynard James Keenan (Tool), Madonna, Dan Aykroyd, Mick Fleetwood, Jonathan Cain (Journey), Blue Rodeo, and others: Have their own wine labels or vineyards.
• Maynard James Keenan: Award-winning Caduceus Cellars in Arizona.
  • “He will go on and on and on and on about this stuff. He really, really, really likes it.” — Alan Cross (20:12)

Photography, Tech, and Other Passions

• Bryan Adams: Renowned portrait photographer.
• David Usher (Moist): Working on AI projects.
• Stephen Morris (Joy Division/New Order): Collects surplus military vehicles, including a self-propelled gun.
• Nick Mason (Pink Floyd), Guy Berryman (Coldplay), Brian Johnson (AC/DC), Charlie Watts (Rolling Stones): Passionate car collectors.
  • Brian Johnson (AC/DC) on his Morgan three-wheeler:
    “It's a lot of fun. I just have a bit of fun driving it with that.” (23:05)

The Truly Bizarre

• David Lovering (Pixies): Is a working magician, performing as the “Scientific Phenomenalist.”
• Sully Erna (Godsmack), Scott Ian (Anthrax): High-stakes, near-pro poker players.
• Cherie Currie (Runaways): Chainsaw wood carver.
• Kerry King (Slayer): Collects snakes.
• Bill Berry (ex-REM): Left to run a hay farm.
• Jim Martin (ex-Faith No More): Grows championship pumpkins.
• Lemmy (Motorhead): Collected Axis memorabilia from WWII.
• Kirk Hammett (Metallica): World-class horror movie memorabilia collector.
  • “It was something that...I was attracted to...because it was just so different and had a different sort of feel and atmosphere to a lot of the culture I was getting at the time.” — Kirk Hammett (29:31)
• Jack White: Former apprentice upholsterer and now into taxidermy.
• Tom DeLonge (ex-Blink-182): UFO investigator; left band to pursue this.
• Robbie Williams: UFO aficionado.

Animal-Related Hobbies

• Steve Vai: Keeps bees, an avid beekeeper.
• Matt Bellamy (Muse): Runs a sheep farm with 200 sheep.
• Terminator X (Public Enemy): Has an ostrich farm.
• Johnny Greenwood (Radiohead): Breeds chickens.
• Freddie Mercury: Deeply loved his cats, would call home to talk to them.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On hobbies’ importance:
  “It's important to have a hobby. You need something outside of work and all your other obligations, something that's just for you, something that stimulates or soothes you in a different way.” — Alan Cross (32:50)

• On rock star indulgence:
  “It’s just that when you’re a rock star, you might have a little more money to indulge in those pursuits. And, hey, why not? You work for it, right?” — Alan Cross (33:20)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [04:47] — Alan Cross frames the need for hobbies; the philosophy behind creative downtime.
• [06:14] — Knitting and craft hobbies of Kelly Deal, Lily Allen, Jazz Domino Holly, and Rivers Cuomo.
• [07:30] — Martial arts and wrestling: Dave Mustaine and Billy Corgan.
• [09:14] — Bob Dylan’s sculpting; Bruce Dickinson, Gary Numan, and Dexter Holland’s aviation and science pursuits.
• [10:23] — Slash, Trent Reznor, Neil Young, Rod Stewart, and Frank Sinatra’s collecting hobbies; Blur’s cheese and space passions.
• [13:09] — Geddy Lee, Taylor Swift, and others: Baseball memorabilia, snow globes, and unique collections.
• [13:54] — Chess-playing musicians.
• [18:18] — Musicians as comic book creators: Lights, Claudio Sanchez, Gerard Way.
• [19:53] — Rock stars and wine: From Dave Matthews to Maynard James Keenan.
• [22:56] — Brian Johnson and other drummers on their car collections.
• [27:17] — The truly strange: Magic, high stakes poker, snakes, championship pumpkins, horror memorabilia.
• [29:23] — Kirk Hammett discusses origin of his horror collection.
• [30:36] — Kirk reveals first horror movie: “Day of the Triffids.”
• [32:50] — Alan Cross closes on the value of hobbies for well-being and creativity.

Tone and Style

Alan Cross blends encyclopedic knowledge with dry wit and deep respect for musicians’ personal boundaries. The tone is conversational, nonjudgmental, and consistently engaging—often punctuated with playful asides and sly jokes.

Bottom Line

This episode opens a humanizing window into the fascinating, freeing, and sometimes eccentric ways musicians occupy their downtime. Alan Cross reminds us that creative minds need play, passion, and outlets—whether that means piloting jets, farming pumpkins, or raising ostriches. Whether you’re a superfan or a casual listener, you’ll find something that surprises you—and maybe a new hobby inspiration of your own.