What British Rock Stars Get Up to in Their Spare Time

Great Britain is one of the spiritual homes of rock and roll music. Since The Beatles spawned a musical revolution back in the 1960s there have been so many influential bands and artists that have come from this relatively small island.

We follow our favorite musicians on tour, and we buy the records and the merchandise, but have you ever wondered what British musicians and rock stars get up to in their spare time? Perhaps you’ve heard some amusing or interesting stories about rockers from the UK and you’re wondering what’s true.

Some musicians have a reputation for being slightly wild, so what do they get up to when they’re not in the studio or playing live?

Gambling

Loads of British musicians and rock stars throughout history have been known to enjoy gambling. Even Ringo Starr was a fan of visiting casinos as early as the 1960s.

Lemmy Kilmister, the frontman of Motörhead up until his sad death in 2015, was known to enjoy a variety of different gambling games and could be seen in casinos both in the UK and elsewhere when the band toured.

It may be harder these days to know which rock stars enjoy casino games, as the industry has largely shifted to online games. For example, it is simple for rockers and generally, for celebrities, to play online blackjack and online poker now, so they don’t always go to physical casinos where they can be seen. It’s easy to imagine that there is a lot of gambling going on on the tour buses of the biggest bands. It’s certainly a stereotypical musician’s hobby.

Sports

If there are two things that the British love, they are sports and music. So it makes sense that some of the very best musicians out there are also big fans of sports. Joe Elliott from Def Leppard is known to be a football fan and lover of Sheffield United, and though they are still making music, he found time to help make a documentary about football in the city of Sheffield.

A lot of British and English musicians are also into cricket, you will see megastars such as Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton regularly attend cricket matches and follow England in their test matches. This is a quintessentially English sport so it makes sense that some English musicians are big fans.

Model Trains

This is a hobby you might not have expected on our list, and the next time you see your favorite British musicians playing at Glastonbury or in front of thousands on tour, you might wonder if they are into an unusual hobby…model trains.

There are multiple examples of musicians who are into this hobby. The Who’s Roger Daltrey has spoken out about his love of model trains and specifically the woodworking involved, and Rod Stewart is such an avid fan that he has a whole model rail city built in his house. There may not be too many modern musicians that are into this hobby but there are enough who list it as a hobby for it to be worthy of inclusion on our list. One of the more interesting hobbies!

Food and Drink

Okay, who doesn’t love food and drink?

Food and drink are not just something that keeps us going with sustenance though, for some people, it is a hobby, and loads of musicians have used their spare time and considerable financing to get involved in the industries.

Famously, Alex James from Blur has a 200-acre farm where he produces loads of different varieties of cheese, and he has even been involved in documentaries about cheese-making. Recently, Jonny Greenwood from Radiohead announced that he would be selling olive oil via their website, which he had produced from his farm in Italy.

Iron Maiden has created a range of different beers, which have even been stocked in supermarkets and pubs around the UK.

While it is no surprise that famous rock stars and musicians enjoy some of the finer things in life, such as great food and drink, some people are surprised when they learn just how involved many rockers are.

Conclusion

These are just some examples of the hobbies of rock stars. Many rockers go on to write a book and get involved with activism in some form, too. When your love of music becomes your career, it leaves plenty of time for other hobbies, and there are plenty of musicians with unexpected hobbies.

Did you know that Alex James makes cheese or that John Bonham used to enjoy gardening in his spare time? When your life is spent out on tour and in the studios, sometimes you need a hobby to allow you to step back from this glamour and excitement and just relax. A day at the cricket or a few hands of blackjack might be for some of these influential music stars.