10 Metal Musicians Who Shockingly Left the Spotlight
The spotlight can be overwhelming. You know the old tale of the broken star falling from the sky into oblivion. The endless pressure, the attention, and the stress can put anyone to the test.
These are musicians who prefer to step away from the bright light to find happiness or pursue other passions.
1. Zack De La Rocha
The most venomous voice of the anti-establishment movement in the 1990s vanished like a whisper in the air at the beginning of the 2000s. The remaining members of Rage Against the Machine went on to work with the late and great Chris Cornell in Audioslave.
Meanwhile, Zack collaborated with numerous artists, like Trent Reznor, and released a single EP. He also participated in the RATM reunions whenever the metal legends hit the road.
That said, he remained a devoted political activist outside the music scene. He contributes to several causes including the EZLN, vegetarianism, and Middle-East conflicts among others.
2. Neil Peart
Rush is one of the most proficient three-piece bands in prog metal history. They are the owners of one of the most proficient and impressive catalogs in the genre’s history.
Although he later returned to playing music, the band’s drummer stopped playing his instrument to embark on a motorcycle journey across the USA. He also published steampunk novels about his adventures and journeys.
3. Jim Martin
Behind sunglasses with thick red frames, the author of the epic solo to the song “Epic” by Faith No More played with Mike Patton and the rest until 1993.
Much controversy followed his exit from the band at the peak of its fame. The guitarist contributed to other projects and also released a solo album in 1997, Milk and Blood.
Although his Flying-V days were over, Jim’s reputation as a farmer capable of growing champion pumpkins brought him back to the spotlight. The farmer’s spotlight.
4. D’arcy Wretzky
D’arcy handled the low rumble of the Smashing Pumpkins until 1999. Billy Corgan told the media that her exit was due to her desire to pursue an acting career. Over two decades later, that career has still not materialized.
The only public appearance D’Arcy did was to give one of the most bizarre interviews in history with a Chicago radio station in 2009. She was, and still is, living on a horse farm in Michigan. During that interview, many fans were worried about her because she didn’t sound too well health-wise.
The last thing that transpired about her life was her drunken driving arrest a few years ago.
5. Izzy Stradlin
When Guns N’ Roses were hitting it big during their Use Your Illusion Tour in 1991, Izzy Stradlin, who had been involved with writing some of those hits, left the band. He left the spotlight that has been shining over one of hard rock’s biggest acts of all time since the late eighties.
Although he kept on putting out solo records in an iTunes-only format and has played a few shows with Guns N’ Roses, he didn’t show up for the band’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.
Izzy Stradlin prefers anonymity and keeps a low profile far from the music business mainstream.
6. John Deacon
John Deacon is Queen’s unsung hero. But he’s an unsung hero because he chose so. He has always been in charge of Queen’s finances and wrote hits the size of “Another One Bites the Dust”.
John Deacon couldn’t get over the death of bandmate and friend Freddie Mercury and lost his interest in performing music with the band. Moreover, he didn’t make it to Queen’s induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.
Although he still oversees Queen’s finances, he’s no longer close to the performing band.
7. James Williamson
James Williamson was the owner of an incendiary sound that helped The Stooges rise to fame. With them, Iggy Pop was born and it was the start of his meteoric career to fame that still keeps him playing to this day.
James Williamson didn’t follow the same path Iggy did, on the contrary, after playing with The Stooges, he went back to college and moved to Silicon Valley to work on cutting-edge electronics. He even became Sony’s Vice president of technical standards.
After accepting an early retirement buyout from Sony in 2009, Williamson returned to tour with The Stooges, after almost 30 years of being devoted to designing microchips.
8. Jason Mark Everman
Jason Everman might not ring a bell but he was Nirvana’s guitarist and Soundgarden’s bass player in the late ‘80s. Yes, he can be seen in the picture cover of Nirvana’s Bleach and also plays bass in Soundgarden’s “Louder Than Live” home video.
He left it all behind to join the US Army and participated in raids in Afghanistan and Iraq. He even had the chance to serve in the Special Forces.
But that’s not all, because Jason also went to college after an honorable discharge from the army in 2006 to get a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy.
9. Roger Hodgson
This Supertramp member left the band at the peak of its fame because he wanted out of the music scene. When he stepped away from the spotlight in 1983, the bright white light of music’s mainstream was focusing on the band he was a co-founder of. Furthermore, he was also one of the main composers and lyricists.
He did it to watch his kids grow at home and stated to the press he hasn’t regretted his decision.
10. Bob Rusay
Bob Rusay was one of the guitarists and co-founder of Cannibal Corpse, one of metal’s most extreme acts. He was dismissed by the band in the mid-90s and hasn’t risen up to the metal mainstream since.
What he did instead of chugging the night away was dedicate his time to hitting small balls long distances. Yes, nowadays, he’s a golf instructor.
The Bottom End
The story of these musicians is a story of hope and life giving second chances to people. It is also the B-side of the spotlight, a solitary place of fame and exposure not everyone wants to be at.
Good for the names on this list who went on to follow their heart for the second time and found a new lifestyle.
