--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Being a rock & roll star has become as…" description: "\"Being a rock & roll star has become as legitimate a career option as being an astronaut or a policeman or a fireman.\" — Trent Reznor" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba8/trent-reznor-1853_astronaut_being-a-rock-roll-star-has-become-as-leg_3222836.jpg" --- # Being a rock & roll star has become as legitimate a career… ![“Being a rock & roll star has become as legitimate a career option as being an astronaut or a policeman or a fireman.” quote by Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba8/trent-reznor-1853_astronaut_being-a-rock-roll-star-has-become-as-leg_3222836.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba8/trent-reznor-1853_astronaut_being-a-rock-roll-star-has-become-as-leg_3222836.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba8/trent-reznor-1853_astronaut_being-a-rock-roll-star-has-become-as-leg_3222836.jpg) > “Being a rock & roll star has become as legitimate a career option as being an astronaut or a policeman or a fireman.” [Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Rock stardom is now seen as a mainstream, respectable profession alongside traditional public service jobs. **In simple terms:** Rock music is a legit career now. Key Takeaway Consider music as a viable career path. Themes career legitimacy cultural shift music industry Mood pragmatic optimistic Type observational analytical When to use this quote - career counseling - education - public policy - media analysis Key Concepts sociology economics media perception Questions to Reflect On - How does society decide which careers are respectable? - What risks do artists face despite legitimacy? A Different Perspective Legitimacy can be fragile and dependent on market trends. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Astronaut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronaut/) [Being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being/) [Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) [Fireman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fireman/) [Policemen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/policemen/) [Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rock/) [Rocks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rocks/) [Star](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/star/) [Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars/) ## Related quotes > [There comes a point where it is just undignified to be a rock 'n' roll star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-turner/there-comes-a-point-where-it-is-just-undignified-to-be-a-rock-n-roll/) [Tina Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-turner/) > [Being a rock 'n' roll star ain't a part-time gig.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-van-zandt/being-a-rock-n-roll-star-ain-t-a-part-time-gig/) [Steven Van Zandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-van-zandt/) > [I never thought I'd be a, quote, 'rock & roll star.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-clemons/i-never-thought-i-d-be-a-quote-rock-roll-star/) [Clarence Clemons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-clemons/) > [To me, Hank Williams is the first rock-and-roll star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-crowell/to-me-hank-williams-is-the-first-rock-and-roll-star/) [Rodney Crowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-crowell/) > [I always wanted to be a rock'n'roll star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-eszterhas/i-always-wanted-to-be-a-rock-n-roll-star/) [Joe Eszterhas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-eszterhas/) > [I would have loved to have been a rock n' roll star. But none of us was musical, and none of us had any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-rankin/i-would-have-loved-to-have-been-a-rock-n-roll-star-but-none-of-us-was/) [Ian Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-rankin/) > [“A tall, thin fireman with a grey mustache watched me stride across the street. He was still wearing a helmet and coat in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/a-tall-thin-fireman-with-a-grey-mustache-watched-me-stride-across-the/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [“It is said, in a fire, everyone runs away from it save for the fireman who run towards it. When dealing with students, be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-sequeira-belvel/it-is-said-in-a-fire-everyone-runs-away-from-it-save-for-the-fireman/) Patricia Sequeira Belvel > [The child, in danger of the fire, just clings to the fireman, and trusts to him alone. She raises no question about the strength…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/the-child-in-danger-of-the-fire-just-clings-to-the-fireman-and-trusts/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [It is best if we do not listen to or look at the person whom we consider to be the cause of our anger.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/it-is-best-if-we-do-not-listen-to-or-look-at-the-person-whom-we/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [Wouldn't it be great if we all grew up to be what we wanted to be? The world would be full of nurses, firemen,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/wouldn-t-it-be-great-if-we-all-grew-up-to-be-what-we-wanted-to-be-the/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [I was told when I grew up I could be anything I wanted: a fireman, a policeman, a doctor – even President, it seemed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-was-told-when-i-grew-up-i-could-be-anything-i-wanted-a-fireman-a/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [You know, I'm no different from a fireman. You got to run into a fire no matter how big the blaze is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-kelly/you-know-i-m-no-different-from-a-fireman-you-got-to-run-into-a-fire/) [R. Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-kelly/) > [I'm very proud of being Italian-American, but people don't realize that the mafia is just this aberration. The real community is built on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chazz-palminteri/i-m-very-proud-of-being-italian-american-but-people-don-t-realize/) [Chazz Palminteri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chazz-palminteri/) > [I always wanted to be a fireman, a cop, an Indian chief, a doctor, a lawyer. I always wanted to be all these things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-freeman/i-always-wanted-to-be-a-fireman-a-cop-an-indian-chief-a-doctor-a/) [Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/) ## More by Trent Reznor > [What I was concerned about when I wrote the 'Downward Spiral' record was being a self-centred destructive force. The point was tearing down everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/what-i-was-concerned-about-when-i-wrote-the-downward-spiral-record/) [Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/) > [Perfect little dream, The kind that hurts the most.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/perfect-little-dream-the-kind-that-hurts-the-most/) [Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/) > [Sometimes the worst thing that can happen is, 'Oh, I'm on stage playing a song,' because you're daydreaming about something else, you're on autopilot.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/sometimes-the-worst-thing-that-can-happen-is-oh-i-m-on-stage-playing/) [Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/) > [To switch right into creativity usually takes a bit of time, and this came up right at that juncture where I thought, okay, here's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/to-switch-right-into-creativity-usually-takes-a-bit-of-time-and-this/) [Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/) > [After coming from a major label, I realized the entire business has been decimated, and you can't look to labels to try to figure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/after-coming-from-a-major-label-i-realized-the-entire-business-has/) [Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/) > [I had to come to terms about becoming an addict, which, for a long time, I lied to myself about the status of until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/i-had-to-come-to-terms-about-becoming-an-addict-which-for-a-long-time/) [Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/) > [Left to my own devices, in the face of the climate change deniers, the madness and the greed-based decision-making, and propaganda that's been floating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/left-to-my-own-devices-in-the-face-of-the-climate-change-deniers-the/) [Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/) > [It probably wasn't until Nine Inch Nails played the first Lollapalooza that I actually went to a festival.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/it-probably-wasn-t-until-nine-inch-nails-played-the-first/) [Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/) > [The band Grizzly Bear, I think they're excellent. There's a beauty and a musicality there that I wish would have been in vogue in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/the-band-grizzly-bear-i-think-they-re-excellent-there-s-a-beauty-and/) [Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/) > [I'll be honest, watching the music industry collapse has been demoralizing and disheartening at times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/i-ll-be-honest-watching-the-music-industry-collapse-has-been/) [Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/) > [Schoolwork came easy to me. I learned to play piano effortlessly. I was coasting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/schoolwork-came-easy-to-me-i-learned-to-play-piano-effortlessly-i-was/) [Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/) > [Lots of people can have girlfriends. But I can throw around guitars onstage! That'll be my epitaph: 'He never had a girlfriend, but you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/lots-of-people-can-have-girlfriends-but-i-can-throw-around-guitars/) [Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/) > [My experience with record labels throughout my career has generally fallen into wishing I could do things that they're not built to do, whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/my-experience-with-record-labels-throughout-my-career-has-generally/) [Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/) > [If you have something to say, then say it. Express yourself and break the rules.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/if-you-have-something-to-say-then-say-it-express-yourself-and-break/) [Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/) > [The first set of lyrics for the first songs I ever wrote, which are the ones on 'Pretty Hate Machine,' came from private journal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/the-first-set-of-lyrics-for-the-first-songs-i-ever-wrote-which-are/) [Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/) [Explore all 203 Trent Reznor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/) ## More Astronaut quotes > [I went to school at night in L.A. to brush up on my engineering while I applied to the astronaut program. 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And just like New York taxis, they're all going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-fallon/nasa-is-developing-space-taxis-to-shuttle-astronauts-to-the/) [Jimmy Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-fallon/) > [I stayed in the astronaut program until 1993. People ask me why I left. 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A kid cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/whilst-my-mother-couldn-t-give-me-access-to-the-world-she-at-least/) [Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/) [Browse all 463 Astronaut quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronaut/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Being a rock & roll star has become as legitimate a career option as being an astronaut or a policeman or a fireman.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Trent Reznor" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/being-a-rock-roll-star-has-become-as-legitimate-a-career-option-as/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Astronaut" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/being-a-rock-roll-star-has-become-as-legitimate-a-career-option-as/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba8/trent-reznor-1853_astronaut_being-a-rock-roll-star-has-become-as-leg_3222836.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba8/trent-reznor-1853_astronaut_being-a-rock-roll-star-has-become-as-leg_3222836.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba8/trent-reznor-1853_astronaut_being-a-rock-roll-star-has-become-as-leg_3222836.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Being a rock & roll star has become as legitimate a career option as being an astronaut or a policeman or a…” — Trent Reznor", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Trent Reznor", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Being a rock & roll star...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/being-a-rock-roll-star-has-become-as-legitimate-a-career-option-as/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/being-a-rock-roll-star-has-become-as-legitimate-a-career-option-as/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```