From Nirvana to Activism: 5 Musicians Who Became Politicians

Most musicians don’t opt to leave the world of rock and roll stardom behind to become politicians. However, there are a few who have tried their hand at politics; some as a joke, others with complete sincerity. Let’s look at five musicians who became politicians at some point in their careers!

1. Jello Biafra

Fans of punk music know this story all too well. When it comes to musicians who became politicians, the frontman of Dead Kennedys didn’t seem all that serious about it. 

In 1979, Jello Biafra announced that he would be running for mayor of San Fransisco, California. His platform involved a few tongue-in-cheek positions, such as requiring businessmen in the city to wear clown suits. Despite the whole thing seeming like a joke, he actually came in fourth place out of the 10 candidates that ran. Later in 2000, he ran for president with the Green Party against Ralph Nader, who ultimately became their candidate.

2. Peter Garrett

This famous band member of Midnight Oil left the band around 2002. After leaving, he decided to get involved with Australian conservation efforts. His love for the environment led to a career in politics. He was the Labor Party candidate in a Sydney, Australia suburb, and later went on to become their official spokesperson on issues relating to conservation and the environment. 

Garrett was reelected in 2007. However, his stances became increasingly controversial. He was removed as minister of environment. Garrett decided to leave politics and get involved in music once again.

3. Sonny Bono

Sonny Bono is best known as one-half of the famous music duo Sonny & Cher. He gravitated away from music and entered politics in the late 1980s. Specifically, in 1998, he was elected as mayor of Palm Springs. He attempted to run for senator and was defeated. In the 1990s, Bono became a Republican congressman in California. 

Bono died in a skiing accident in 1998. His wife Mary took his spot in Congress where she would be re-elected seven times.

4. Krist Novoselic

This former member of the famous grunge band Nirvana didn’t pursue music all that much after Kurt Cobain’s death and the subsequent disbandment of Nirvana. Where Dave Grohl went on to found Foo Fighters, Novoselic opted for activism and politics.

The famed bassist announced that he was considering a run for lieutenant governor of Washington in 2004. He eventually decided against it. In 2009, he ran for county clerk in Wahkiakum Country under a fictional party as satire.

5. Dave Rowntree

Blur’s famous drummer Dave Rowntree was active in British politics when he was still part of the band. Blur went on a hiatus in 2006, after which Rowntree went to school to become a lawyer, a.k.a. a solicitor in the UK. He then pursued politics for years and was consistently defeated. He’s still involved in politics today.

Photo by Gregg DeGuire

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