10 Metal Artists With The Weirdest Hobbies Ever
Music artists have completely different lives than the rest of us mortals. They encounter outlandish situations almost every day. Among other things, metal artists have the money to try out various interesting hobbies.
Some of them fly planes, and others take care of bees and horses. So, no wonder most of us are fascinated and star-struck by these performers.
1. James Hetfield (Beekeeper)
It’s hard to make any metal list without mentioning Metallica and its founding members. In this particular instance, we want to talk about the group’s vocal and rhythm guitarist, James Hetfield. While guesting on Joe Rogan’s podcast in 2016, he shared with the fans that he’s enamored with bees.
Hetfield has a large range in California where he keeps these adorable insects, a hobby he picked up from his father. According to him, this sometimes relaxes him and isolates him from all the outside noise. It gives him time to reflect and prepare new albums.
2. Anders Friden (DVD Collection)
Anders Friden, a long-lasting lead vocal of In Flames, is known as a major DVD collector. Having one of the biggest collections of movies and series in Sweden, he’s the guy to visit if you’re looking for new digital content. To make things even funnier, Anders said on several occasions, “The one with most DVDs when he dies is the winner.”
But Friden’s passion doesn’t stop there. Like many metalheads, he is completely crazy about alcohol and, specifically, whiskey. Although he has a massive collection of premium blands, he consumes the liquid in moderation.
3. Kerry King (Reptile Breeder)
With a bald head and braided beard, Kerry King is someone who you can’t miss in a crowd. The Slayer’s lead guitarist and songwriter is synonymous with thrash metal and everything dark and gloomy. So, it doesn’t come as a big surprise that he’s a major snake lover.
As a professional breeder, he specializes in carpet pythons. Kerry runs a herpetology nursery and reptile house called Psychotic Exotics, where you can find all sorts of frogs and snakes. So, if you’re looking for a heavy metal pet, you might as well give Mr. King a call.
4. Floor Jansen (Horse Riding)
Since she was a little girl, Floor had a major crush on horses. She was lucky enough to practice riding from early age and became quite proficient over the years. On several occasions, her uncle even promised to buy her a horse when she grows up a bit.
Unfortunately, when Jansen reached adulthood, her parents and uncle backed up on their promise. Luckily, this didn’t budge her and she would continue with lessons as if nothing has happened. When she finally had her Nightwish breakthrough, Floor had enough money to buy herself a haflinger mare.
5. Bruce Dickinson (Airplane Pilot)
Bruce Dickinson is a man of many talents. At one point, he was considered one of the best fencers in the world, winning two silver medals at World Championships in 1998 and 1999. He even had the opportunity to compete in the Olympics in Sidney (2000), finishing 5th.
However, the thing that struck us the most was the fact he is fully capable of flying big commercial airplanes. Since 1990s, Dickinson holds a commercial license and would drive around fans and band members on several occasions. Bruce usually flies Boeings 747s and 757s.
6. Steve Harris (Football)
Interestingly enough, metal wasn’t Steve Harris’ first love. Instead, he was completely captivated by football and was dreaming of playing for local West Ham United. Steve even attended tryouts for his favorite club but couldn’t make the cut. At 17 years of age, he turned to music, and the rest is history.
Nowadays, Harris still visits the pitch. He plays in a local rec league and has a lot of fun doing so. While not as accomplished an athlete as his fellow band member Bruce, he can still break ankles.
7. Henkka Seppala (Languages)
Henkka was a former bass player for Children of Bodom, now a member of Moon Shot. As a well-versed, eloquent person, he handles most of the PR activities for Moon Shot. The fact he speaks Finish, English, Swedish, Russian, French, and Spanish definitely helps with this task.
However, his interests and hobbies don’t stop there. Seppala is also into sports, being a recreational swimmer and football player. It’s also worth mentioning that he studied political sciences at Helsinki University, where he received his Master’s Degree in 2012.
8. Brann Dailor (Clown Collection)
Heavy metal teeters on the edge of morbidity. Whether we’re talking about nudity or gore, there is always something for general public to criticize. One of these themes were clowns who are often associated with horror movies.
Brann Dailor from Mastodon doesn’t have this type of issue. In fact, he embraces the clown stuff, having one of the largest collections in the US. Dailor’s entire home pays homage to these circus professionals, and, as you can presume, he also loves dressing up as a clown in his spare time.
9. Shavarsh Odadjian (Art)
Bassist for System of a Down, Shavarsh “Shavo” Odadjian is a man who loves art, music, and acting. Besides being a part of the heavy metal group, he also DJs under stage names DJ Tactic and DJ DecompozeR. You might’ve even seen Shavo in a few movies and series, including the documentary “Screamers.”
The cool thing about this hobby is that Odadjian found a way to implement his artistic skills into System of a Down content. He’s the one creating backgrounds for concerts and videos, using abstract motifs instead of the usual violent mental imagery.
10. Dave Mustaine (Horse Breeder)
Similar to Floor Jansen, Dave Mustaine is big on horses. Not only does he ride them, he also breeds them. If you’re keeping track of his social media, you might’ve seen a few beautiful colts Mustaine grew on his ranch. In fact, Dave even rescued a few horses over the years, providing them with a safe home and excellent living conditions.
