Random Punk Rockers Who Turned Into Total Dads (14 items)

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  (#12) Gerald Caiafa

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  The Misfits have never been ones to shy away from overly theatrical antics and shenanigans. The band, including singer Jerry Only, have even been taken in by authorities for the likes of grave robbing. The band is still touring with full makeup, but that doesn't mean Only hasn't made time for his kids. 

  In fact, in 2014, he was named "Dad of the Year" at his daughter's school. He threw a pizza party for the then-second-grader's class, and he has moved her around schools in order to help her with her academic success.
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  (#13) John Lydon

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  The Sex Pistols are synonymous with the British and New York punk movements of the late 1970s, but it is often bassist Sid Vicious who gets the majority of attention. John Lydon, AKA Johnny Rotten, also had his fair share of wild adventures. The band's short-lived reign involved loads of fights during shows, substance misuse, and destruction of their record label's office. 

  While he and his wife, Nora, never had biological children, Lydon did have stepchildren whom he cherished. He told The Guardian:

  In 2000 Nora’s teenage twin grandsons came to live with us. Their mother, Ariane, better known as Ari Up from the punk band the Slits, had been bringing them up in Kingston, Jamaica, and let them run free. They couldn’t read, write or form proper sentences. One day Ari said she couldn’t cope with them any more. I suggested they came to us because I wasn’t having them abandoned. They gave us hell, but I loved having kids around.
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  (#3) Tim McIlrath

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  Rise Against didn't form until the tail-end of the punk revival in 1999. Still, McIlrath and his bandmates weren't ones to shy away from the wild antics of the '80s punk scene. Many of their songs are politically charged, and their shows had a tendency to become aggressive. 

  McIlrath had children earlier on in his career than other punk rockers, and some of his songs are even about parenting, like "House on Fire." In the documentary The Other F Word, McIlrath spends time playing Rise Against songs with his daughter (who isn't familiar with all of the lyrics) and supports her musical endeavors. 

  He does admit, however, that parenting while in an active touring band was a difficult choice to make. "There are moments that you miss, that you sacrifice," he said in the documentary. 
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  (#1) Jim Lindberg

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  Singer Jim Lindberg formed the band Pennywise in 1988 at the height of the SoCal punk revival. Pennywise performed at small, grungy punk venues, including Black Flag's famous church, before hitting it big. In the band's heyday, police officers stopped nearly every show, and Lindberg said he wrote shorter songs so he could "get at least a dozen in" before the authorities ultimately broke up the party. 

  Lindberg continued to tour with the band in the '90s, but he briefly left after he got married, claiming the scene was getting too volatile. He has three daughters, and even though he still keeps his punk rock ethos intact, he has softened somewhat. In the documentary The Other F Word, he said, "I think a lot of guys on the scene are feeling the same thing. Before, I think, when we were younger, we were all very nihilistic and didn't care. Live for today, live fast.You know uh, do whatever you want. I don't think any of these guys expected to be around this long."

  "It's tough to be a punk rock hero and still be a good authority figure for your kids. It's almost impossible," Lindberg further laments. Still, he seems to be doing a good job of it. He tours to help support his family, and he takes along special Barbie dolls from his daughters while he's on the road. He also has all three of his daughters' names tattooed on his arms. 
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  (#14) Tony Hajjar

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  Drummer Tony Hajjar of At The Drive In joined the band in 1996, and they were ready to fight anyone and everyone. 

  "We were these 21-year-olds when we started this band with a lot of sh*t going on in our lives," Hajjar told The Guardian. "I definitely had anger issues; people were dealing with a million things and we didn’t know how to talk."

  Hajjar now has three kids, and he says being a father is "so much bigger than rock 'n roll." He and his wife, a speech therapist, run a nonprofit called Smile for children with speech impediments.
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  (#7) Michael John Burkett

  • 52

  Fat Mike of NOFX has always been candid about both his troubled childhood and his promiscuous lifestyle as a teen and adult. He writes songs intoxicated, is open about his interest in BDSM, and has even introduced his daughter, Daria, to the punk lifestyle. And he's always planned it this way.

  "When my wife and I decided to have a kid, we made a sort of pact. Said we're not gonna change our life. We'll have a good time with the kid. We'll bring this child into our life," he said in The Other F Word. And it appears he is doing a decent job of balancing the two. He still tours and writes music after a night out, but he also takes the time to serve his daughter breakfast in bed when she is feeling extra sleepy.

  He does have some hesitation with how to explain pieces of his lifestyle choices to his daughter, though:

  Our [substance] use and our [other preferences]... it's all out there for the public to see. The two dominatrices [tattoos] on my arm? The one tied up with a ball and gag? I don't know. How do you explain that to a 4-year-old?

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