The Hidden Talents of Your Favorite Rock Stars

The principal talent of your average world-famous rocker is often plainly obvious. That’s how they end up, you know, world famous.

Brian May, for instance, is an incredibly gifted guitarist. David Lee Roth is an out-sized personality, perfect for fronting a band. Alice Cooper set a dark new standard for creep-rock theatrics. Paul Stanley makes party music for the hard-rock set. Bob Dylan is a legendary wordsmith, and Ian Anderson an iconic flautist.

These are known quantities, so entrenched in the public consciousness as to become definitive. Yet, as our look at Rockers With Hidden Talents shows, each of those artists is actually part of a much larger group who also do something else exceptionally well.

Is there more to talk about from the likes of Ron Wood and Jeff “Skunk” Baxter than seminal classic-rock riffage? More than pile-driving punk fury to be found on the resumes of the Stooges‘ James Williamson and the Clash‘s Terry Chimes? More than wall-shaking vocal prowess from Bruce Dickinson and Roger Daltrey? More than blinding hard-rock brilliance from the likes of Dave Mustaine, Jason Newsted and do-anything guitarist Steve Vai?

The answer, surprising though it may be, is actually yes. In fact, a couple of threads move through our look at Rockers With Hidden Talents – one relating to art and another (oddly enough) to model trains. Keep reading to find out more about how these famous musicians spend their days when they’re not rocking your world.

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