Artists Who Wanted To Be Recognized For Something Else

So many times I've heard "All musicians want to be stand-up comedians, and all stand-up comedians want to be musicians." Of course, its not always the case, but there are examples. Or those who were poets but couldn't make it that way, so they combined music to make it more accessible. I remember Mort Sahl saying he always wanted to be a writer, but that it was hard to become established and said how anyone could get on an open-mic type of situation, and that he would reveal what was on his mind, using humor.

There's two types. Those who actually had the talent to be what they intended to be, and those who didn't, or in the least, would use the money they made with the artistic medium they settled for to further a different career; sometimes with success, many times without success. Some achieved that success after death, sometimes only because of the fanatics who buy-in and think because their hero was great at one thing, that they could do no wrong. Also after someone dies, you know they can't create anymore, so you look for anything other than what you knew them for. Jim Morrison comes to mind. He never sang before, and wanted to be a successful poet and filmmaker.

You might be right about the musician/comedian cross-over desire. In my experience plenty of actors want to be musicians, but perhaps didn't have the ability. One who DID have the ability was Steve Martin, who had a fantastic comedy career, and a popular movie career; but what he really wanted was to be a banjo performer. Turns out he's very talented at it, and does many concerts each year with some of the finest blue grass & country artists.

At least as many actors aspire to be painters. Anthony Quinn comes immediately to mind, but there have been many others.

BTW, for my money Jim Morrison should have stuck with poetry and film...

~Doc

Interesting. Most prefer the music, including myself.. I wonder if that was part of his inner turmoil.

Very interesting about his association with Frank Lloyd Wright.

( I realize the title says actors who want to be something else , but hope you don't mind if I include some musicians too -and some have even been in movies )

Tony Bennett - one of my favorite singers - started in art and still makes lovely art work. It may not be Monet or ( insert your favorite artist's name here) but I would be more than happy to have one of his pictures on my wall.
Very nice portraits of his notable friends, and jewel like scenics.

Didn't the Beatles meet in art school? But I can't recall offhand if they ever showed their art. Dylan decorated some of his albums, but it was - and is - in music where his great gifts reside.



I agree with @GulfportDoc about Steve Martin- he's got the licks and has won numerous awards. I actually like him better as a banjo player than an actor or comic,
btw. And Doc's old friend Don Van Vliet, aka musician Captain Beefheart, became a talented and (deservedly so imho) well respected abstract painter.

I do part ways with Doc about ol Jim- better off as a singer than a poet. I know Doc feels Jim was a lesser talent, but I enjoyed the Doors - of course with Jim, there was, as I recall, the EOTE* factor.


One actor who bores me to tears as a musician is Kevin Bacon - he's even appeared on the folk circuit from what I hear.
Go 'way.


FUN THREAD , may be back with more later.


*Easy On The Eyes .

Please, by all means. I actually used the word "Artist" so the subject line wasn't a paragraph long