Was reading about The Offspring due to this post here: https://lemmy.ml/post/2628198
As I read their Wikipedia page I noticed that Dexter Holland (lead singer) has a PhD in Molecular Biology. Then I remembered that Greg Gaffin (lead singer) of Bad Religion has a PhD in Zoology.
Is this a trend in Punk Rock or am I noticing a freak coincidence? If not punk rock, is there any genre that stands out in its number of highly educated artists?
Most professional classical performers have a Doctorate or at least a Masters
Yeah, this is probably the highest educated genre by necessity.
Not Punk, but Bryan May of Queen has a PhD in Astrophysics
Sir Brian May.
Also, Freddie Mercury had a diploma in arts and graphics design, John Deacon was BSc in electronics, and Roger Taylor was BSc in biology.
Doctor Sir Brian May
Oh right. I forgot about the rest of that. My B.
Dexter Holland has a PhD in Microbiology
Yes.
He has another PhD?
Might be talking out of my ass here but prog metal artists tend to have high education, usually in music. In fact I saw a bachelor’s degree programme for progressive metal in the university of Gothenburg!
I have no clue for music, but this reminds me of how people who work in animation tend to have masters and doctorates. The reason for that is because these people worked on creating animation software, something that needs computer scientists and mathematicians, and then transitioned into being animators.
Maybe people who spend a lot of time studying social and political science end up picking up a guitar?
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Damn, two from The Offspring? I knew about Dexter, but not the drummer.
Drummers always get a raw deal
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This is great! Thanks! I was literally reading Wikipedia and didn’t even think to check Wikipedia itself for the answer to my question XD
Interesting question
Hard to tell, I dont believe there is data about this. I was aware of the 2 you mentionned being a punk-rock fan. Original punk-rock values political activism and education so that would make sens. The only other PHD I can think of on top of m6 head, in popular music, is electronic musician Floating Point. Math PHD I believe. I also know some musicians like Flee from RHCP went back to university in their 50s, to study music theory. Now, if you look into contempory music, as well as jazz, it is far more common to get higher music education, in electroacoustic for example. I could name half a dozen composer with a doctorate in composition, only in my city, Montreal.
I think there is just way too little data on the subject.
Like, for example, I used to organize some local PsyTrance gigs with DJs mostly (also artists, but the DJ sets were cheaper 🤷) and I know for a fact that at least 1 of the people that DJed on the gigs has a PhD in genetics. The other one, I’m not sure (he said he did have a PhD, but he was just way too plastered at the time to take him seriously).
I think most of them are genuinly afraid to actually say they’re highly educated in this or that field, because of how society might look at them if they do - you’re a decadent human being, you don’t deserve your PhD. Not to mention that for some of these people, this is like an alter ego for them. Some of them have normal 9 to 5 jobs, just like to do drugs and music on the weekends… I don’t have anything against this, of course, but society views these things differently 🤷.
I know Milo famously went to college
Metal band Insomnium is highly educated, for example their singer Ville Friman is a doctor in evilutionary biology
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“My favorite genre, obviously!”
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