World's smartest rock star . . .

is Brian May, who has a doctorate in astrophysics and was appointed chancellor of a British university.

 

He is a champion, my friend.

I couldn't resist.

 

The students at the university would be well served to be on their best behavior.

Wouldn't want the Hammer To Fall from the new chancellor.

 

I think I just saw Bono sulking in the corner, mumbling something about a recount.

 

Ladies and gentleman, I give you Dr. Greg Graffin, vocalist for Bad Religion:

Gregory Walter Graffin, Ph.D. (born Nov. 6, 1964, in Racine, Wis.) is the vocalist and co-founder of the punk rock band Bad Religion, as well as a life sciences professor at UCLA.

Graffin attended El Camino Real High School, then double-majored in anthropology and geology as an undergraduate at the University of California, Los Angeles. He went on to earn a master's degree in geology from UCLA and received his Ph.D. from Cornell University. The Ph.D. thesis was officially a Zoology Ph.D. thesis, supervised by William B. Provine at Cornell University. The thesis was entitled "Monism, Atheism and the Naturalist Worldview: Perspectives from Evolutionary Biology". It is described as being essentially an evolutionary biology Ph.D. but having also relevance to history and philosophy of science.

Greg Graffin resides in Los Angeles, California, and teaches Life Science 1 at UCLA.

 

Actually, here's a cool Web site that has two of the other guys I was writing about on it, Milo Aukerman, Descendants, and Rivers Cuomo, Weezer: http://www.nwherald.com/blogs/linernotes/blog.php?id=993.

First period
Subject: English
Teacher: Rivers Cuomo, front man of Weezer
Credentials: The Harvard graduated and member of the Phi Beta Kappa honors society in English is certain to further the stereotype of argyle sweaters and black-rimmed glasses within the department. Although his moodiness would make him tough to predict, he surely would interject some life into the otherwise stale curriculum with his "Dungeon Master's Guide," 12-sided die and appreciation for X-Men Kitty Pryde and Nightcrawler - as mentioned in the tune "In the Garage."

Second period
Subject: Chemistry
Teacher: Milo Aukerman, front man for pop-punk legends The Descendents
Credentials: With a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, one of rock's original braniacs could teach students how to balance art and science by playing his band's classic "Milo Goes To College" while memorizing the periodic table of elements.

Fifth period
Subject: Earth Science
Teacher: Greg Graffin, front man for Bad Religion
Credentials: His Ph.D in zoology, as well as his current full-time job as a professor of life sciences at UCLA makes the politi-punk a prime candidate to break down everything from photosynthesis to monkey DNA. Although, it might be weird to get schooled on evolution by a man whose band hasn't changed chord or chorus for more than 25 years.

 

It always comes back to Wisconsin.

 

This isn't about Kid Rock?

 

Bruce Springsteen attended a class at Princeton

http://www.princeton.edu/~paw/columns/inky/inky_8.html

 

Skunk Baxter, guitarist for early Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers, is a celebrated expert in aerodynamics. He specializes in missiles and missile-defense.

 

Dexter Holland, the lead singer of the Offspring, has a PhD from Southern Cal in nuclear physics or something like that...

 

I can't believe I forgot about him. ...

"Holland was the class valedictorian at Pacifica High School in Garden Grove, California and was a Ph.D. candidate in Molecular Biology from the University of Southern California, however he declined to get his Ph.D. in favor of focusing on The Offspring. He has a Bachelor's degree in Biology and a Master's degree in Molecular Biology, both from the University of Southern California."

I read about these guys in Playboy a couple years ago. It was in one of those fact boxes in an article on Rivers Cuomo. I found it funny because I've listened to all four of those bands I mentioned -- Bad Religion, Descendants, Weezer and Offspring -- for years.