11 Smartest Rock Star

Brian May - Queen

One of the "100 greatest guitarists of all time," Brian May went back to school after

33 years to complete his course work, even unearthing his old handwritten notes. He

is now the proud recipient of a PhD in astrophysics from Imperial College. He is

currently the Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University.

Milo Aukerman - Descendents

Milo Aukerman the singer from second wave punk progenitors the Descendents

earned his PHD in biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin. The Descendants

are an American punk rock band from Hermosa Beach California that was formed in

1978.  As of 2010, they have released six studio albums.  Milo has spent his years

as not only a singer and songwriter; but also as a research biochemist.

Dexter Holland - Offspring

Offspring's Dexter Holland was valedictorian at Pacifica High School in Garden

Grove California, and went on to get a bachelor's degree in biology, and was a Ph.D.

candidate in molecular Biology from the University of Southern California, but put his

research on hold to form Offspring. Later he returned to the University of Southern

California, and earned his Master's Degree in molecular biology.

James Lilja - Offspring

Offspring's drummer James Lilja put his nose to the grindstone and got his medical

degree. Dr Lilja practices gynecological oncology, obstetrics, and gynecology in

Northern California.

Sterling Morrison - The Velvet Underground

Sterling Morrison, one of the founding members of the Velvet Underground, got his

Ph.D in Medieval Literature from the University of Texas at Austin in the early '80s,

but oddly left academia to be a tugboat captain, something that friends say led to his

demise, due to the fumes from the boat. Sterling Morrison passed away in 1995, a

year before the Band was inducted in to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Lou Reed – The Velvet Underground

Lewis Allan popularly known as Lou Reed of the Velvet Underground earned his

degree in English from Syracuse University.   The rock musician is a songwriter, and

photographer besides being a doctorate degree holder.

Jim Morrison (vocalist, The Doors)

Anyone wondering where Jim Morrison got his penchant for poetic lyrics and

expressive stage performances may want to start looking at the Theater Arts

department at UCLA, from which he graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1965.

Morrison was apparently a pretty good student; UCLA reported a B+ average for the

rock-star-in-training. It wouldn't be long before the Doors broke on through to fame

with the 1967 release of 'Light My Fire,' but one gets the feeling that Morrison never

forgot the lessons of his alma mater.

Rivers Cuomo (lead singer/guitarist, Weezer)

A much-publicized creative slump for alternative kings Weezer led to another event

that generated a lot of buzz: frontman and lyricist Rivers Cuomo enrolled in Harvard

to earn a bachelor's degree in English. Though it took 11 years, Cuomo finally

graduated in 2006. Spin magazine even reported that Cuomo secured a spot in the

prestigious honors society Phi Beta Kappa.

Tom Morello (guitarist, Rage Against the Machine/Audioslave)

It probably comes as no surprise to Rage Against the Machine fans that Tom Morello

has a pretty significant interest in politics. What perhaps does register as surprising:

much like Mr. Cuomo, Morello too attended Harvard University, and completed their

undergraduate political science curriculum with honors. Though keeping himself

busy on the music scene - besides Rage and Audioslave, Morello has been a part of

the Nightwatchmen and Street Sweeper Social Club - he's remained active in politics

as well, even starting an activist organization called Axis of Justice with System of a

Down's Serj Tankian.

Greg Graffin (vocalist, Bad Religion)

Parents and other authority figures outraged by Southern California punk band Bad

Religion's semi-anarchic messages may be surprised to learn the pedigree of its lead

vocalist and songwriter. Graffin has received a master's degree in geology from

UCLA and earned a Ph.D. in zoology from Cornell University. He's earned awards

from the Society of Vertebrate Paleontologists and Harvard's Cultural Humanism

committee, and authored several texts on evolution and humanism. He currently

teaches at UCLA, and in 2010 celebrated Bad Religion's 30th anniversary as well.

Tom Scholz

Before he founded and played guitar for Boston, Tom Scholz already had Bachelor's

and Master's degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of

Technology firmly tucked under his belt. He has also worked as a senior product

design engineer for Polaroid.