An Athlete, An Actor or a Rockstar.................

Definitely a rock star. Music can be reached by more people, over more cultural boundaries than the other two.
Ex: How many people outside the USA care about the NFL or NBA? How many Americans care about cricket or rugby?
How many people in other countries care about American actors? How many Americans care about foriegn actors?
But how many people across the globe know about the Beatles, Michael Jackson (gag!), or Metallica, even though they don't even speak english? For all they know, they could be singing about killing babies (and sometimes they are!).
Hell, these days, Monster Magnet only tours in Europe, because that seems to be the only place where they are appreciated.
So even if you tank in one market, there is a good chance you will be able to at least make a little money in another one.
Plus, I've never had any musical talent and would like to be able to play an instrument or carry a tune.

 

I think I would have to go with actor.

Being a rock star, you have to tour frequently and as much as I would enjoy banging groupies, partying all night and then having to work the next day would quickly lose its appeal. It also seems like you wouldn't be able to take much of a break from constant practice without losing some of your musical skill. (I'm assuming here, I have very little musical skill)

As an athlete, your body gets beat up as others have mentioned and your schedule is restricted. It seems like the practice issue would also apply.

Maybe I'm making undue assumptions about acting, but it seems like an overall easier job. The hours probably suck while you're actually filming but you don't work for particularly long stretches. If you were an action star you could also learn cool stuff like fancy martial arts and performance driving.

 

I'm pretty sure that was a guy, albeit in the loosest sense of the word.

This one seems pretty easy to me. People have already mentioned the abuse that a professional athlete's body goes through over the course of their career, added to that is that it's a fairly short span of time we're talking about here. What's the shelf life of a top athlete these days if we don't include golf? 10 years? And then it's on to a seniors tour or some bushwhack league as in the case of Beckham. Now you're 30 and you're resting on your laurels. You'll be forever defined by those 10 years. Everything you get or do from now on is going to be related to those 10 years (spokesperson, commentator, invite for anniversaries?). Sounds incredibly depressing to me.

I like the musician choice on account of all the perks it would come with; the pussy being thrown at you left and right, the fact that you get payed for expressing yourself, the fame, etc, etc. Ultimately it falls short because of the same reasons as being an athlete does. It's that first or second record that you'll be remembered for and tottering out on a stage when you're 60 only to be asked to play that number one song from 40 years ago that you probably hate by now, again sounds depressing. Old people don't make relevant music for some reason. You'd still have fans of course but they'd basically be giving you one final, drawn out ovation, before you die. It's been a long time since I cried from watching a movie but I'm not ashamed to admit that I squeezed out a tear or two when watching footage of Daltrey and Townsend playing the Hollywood bowl only days after Entwistle's death. I can just imagine myself looking out over a sea of middle class and remembering the glory days when you changed and redefined the artform.

The obvious choice is to be a successful actor. You'd have the same amount of money, fame and pussy as the two other options but unless you pulled a Pacino or DeNiro you'd be able to reinvent yourself with each new film. Instead of not being able to perform as the athlete at 30, or only perform a greatest hits cavalcade like the musician, a maturing actor would be able to hone and refine their craft in order to portray more complex characters. And admit it ladies, you'd all fuck Sean Connery even with the saggy old man ass if he did his "I must be dreaming." in response to your "I'm Pussy Galore."

 

As much as there are better arguments for the other two, I'd still pick Athlete. It's a product of growing up with that dream and not getting there.

Besides, once you're athletic career is over, then you can use your fame to become an actor. Shit, if you're famous enough, you can act whilst you're still playing...Kazaam anyone?

 

Definitely rock star. Sure, no one actually makes money on their music itself anymore, but hell, sex, drugs and rock 'n roll. What more could an young adult male want?

 

You can also launch your own brands of various products, like wine. Even if you know fuck all about wine.

 

Rockstar. If you want to avoid being mobbed you can adopt a creative on-stage persona a la KISS.

That and music is hands-down the funnest form of performance art, even when you suck at it, as I do. Maybe you can get into deeper meaning with acting and maybe athletics take more dedication but to quote someone or other "only rockstars will ever be rockstars."

And you have more license to be and abrasive bullshiter than any other profession:

 

Rock star - No question.

Now I wouldn't want to be a singer. Fuck Bono. I wouldn't even want to be a really distinctive looking guy like say Brian May. But how many people know who this guy is?



One of the most famous and influential guitarists in history. He can whip out the Mandolin and demonstrate just how incredibly awesome he is to pretty much anyone he meets. He has a golden pass to the panties, backstage parties and celebrity meetings of fairly close to the entire planet. But he can be a recluse, or wander around the streets, or jam with Dave Grohl and Josh Homme at a party and form a super group on a whim. I'd also suspect that his share of the Royalties for Stairway to Heaven will probably pay his every bill for the rest of forever and all the rest of his royalties income and any other work he does is just gravy.

Fuck being an actor. Hell, fuck being a leading face. Talent, Money, Fame, Recognition, Groupies, and the ability to drink at your local without being trampled to death in a mob? I'll take that.

 

Like folks have mentioned, Rockstar because I already love playing music. Guitar, drums, piano, love it all. I'm not great at any of them, just good enough to have that little dream in me that maybe someday I could be. I don't really believe that though and hardly see that ever happening, but if I could choose for it to happen, holy shit I'd be so happy.

As to what kind of musician, that's another story. Bono? I'd rather be a garbage man than Bono. I'm thinking more along the lines of Mark Knopfler. Incredibly talented guitarist, generally laid back dude, and hardly anyone would even recognize the name, let alone the face.

Or I'd say fuck it and go Zappa, though without the prostate cancer. That guy was awesome.

 

True. Keith Whitley drank himself to death and Hank Jr. wears sunglasses so you can't see the horrific scars on his face from a booze-related accident.

FOCUS:
Rock star hands down. My user name should give that away (green dot to those who get it). I love music more than sports and movies combined. I've been into rock and roll since I was a kid.

Anyway, it's been mentioned before, but you're an artist who makes a fortune performing your art. You can do what the fuck you want, when the fuck you want, bang hot-as-fuck chicks no matter what you happen to look like, and party your ass off all the time. What's not to like about that?

If you get tired of doing it, you can always quit and become a producer.

 

Its simple for me, athlete. Give me any professional sport that gets shown on TV regularly and I'd love to do that for a living. I played college soccer for four years and semi-pro for three, and the amount of stuff I was given was unbelievable, for the simple fact that I could kick a ball well. Free VIP to certain clubs in big cities? Check. Getting a party of 100 underage kids a free pass because the cop thought I had a good game earlier that day? Check. Free meals and booze? Check. Phone numbers and sexual encounters from women I met at games? Check.

The reason didn't say musician is simply for the fact that I don't have the drive or passion for music, so I know that'd never happen.

As for actor? Those people are 90% of the time drama dorks (no offense to anyone here who is in drama). That's not who I am.

 

I choose Athlete. Being a professional football player would be the best job in the world. Yes, you can still get money, fame and pussy as a rockstar or actor with less risk of suddenly having a career ending injury. Plus, you can't pick your work when you're a pro athlete. You can't take a couple years off like an entertainer. AND if you fuck up with the law you could be fired. For good. With actors and musicians, their image might be damaged but that doesn't necessarily mean they still won't be able to recover some of their earning potential.

The athlete option has the most drawbacks. BUT playing football for a living would just be awesome. I love the game and the comradery of being on a team is a huge plus. And having 70,000 screaming fans cheering for you right in front of your eyes would be so cool. Then again, rockstars get that too.

 

It's kind of a spin on rock star - rapper

It's pretty much a free pass. You can get DUIs, abuse women (if it's your thing), make up silly words, get drunk in public, and generally do all types of stupid shit that may get other famous people ostracized or on the CNN daily rotation without even making a blip on the radar. Paparazzi? What paparazzi? You mean the little white dudes with cameras I had my oversized body guards throw around, those guys?

My first duty would be to make bath robes appropriate club wear. Solid gold bath robes. Show me an actor or athlete that can make that happen.

 

Rockstar.

I mean hell, it's gonna be a hard road to get there for me now, so hey if some naked genie just wants to hand it to me, yippee!

 

Actor.

I have little to no athletic ability, but if I did have that level of skill in some sport, there's still reasons to go elsewhere. The short career and physical wear and tear have been mentioned, but how about this: there's no real offseason anymore. There are camps, workouts, film, training, etc year fucking round. Sure, you take a two week vacation to Borneo after you're eliminated from the playoffs, but other than that, to maintain the level of performance in the parameters, you never really stop working. Then, when you retire, you run a car dealership, or a restaurant. No thanks.

I do play guitar and sing, and do both fairly well, for an amateur. But do you know where rockstars make most of their money? Not album sales. Touring. And by touring I mean playing the same fucking songs, 3 hours a night, night after night for 200-250 days a year. The only way to cope with that would be to act like the Riot House crew of the late 60s/early 70s. And that destroys your body.

An Oscar winning actor, on the other hand, may work the occasional 16 hour day. But that's on a project that they choose to work on, and for a significantly higher amount of money per day than the other two careers. They can take a break whenever they want, they work when they want. The problem of paparazzi doesn't seem like that big of a challenge to me, either. Just be one of the guys that either goes along with their shit and is nice to them, accepting that you're a public figure, or one of the guys that clearly doesn't give a fuck what people think of him. Take the attitude of John Mayer, or Colin Farrel. I'd go with Colin Farrel. You want to see where I'm drinking and who I'm fucking? Whatever. I don't give a shit.

 

Rock star a la Amanda Palmer, although I will shave my pits. Fuck yes. Otherwise, I'd be dead at 27 like Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison, because I'm a fucking lemming.

 

The NBA could use more 6'2" white guys right? Yeah, I'll take athlete. The way I see it, as a role (read: bench) player, I get good money, my body doesn't take quite the beating, and I can turn around without having to sign an autograph. How many people do you think recognize Goran Dragic when he's at the Olive Garden?
Despite the long season being on the road, the fact that I'll be in the same cities multiple times a year suggests that I'll be able to foster solid friendships and female relations in each. I'm fairly certain most NBA players have 3-4 booty call options in each city. Sign me up.

 

Don't need to be an Athlete to move over to wine making, or be in a movie about your wine making.

Focus: Rockstar all the way. I love music, and am learning how to play multiple instruments. However, if I were awesome at even just one, and could make my living by inspiring and connecting with other people, it wouldn't take a second thought. Plus music goes well with everything. I don't think there is a single thing in the world that is not made better with music. Just like you can take any food and add Cheese, Bacon, or Deep Fry it, and make it better.

 

My two major loves in life are mixed-martial arts and music. This is way harder than the bacon/steak question...

Answer: Athlete

Like, don't get me wrong. I spent the majority of my teen years behind a Drum Set or fiddling around on a guitar dreaming I was in Iron Maiden, but I'd enjoy being a full-time MMA athlete more than a full-time rockstar. The reason simply being that I've tasted both life styles, and MMA won hands down.

The first time I ever went on tour (when I say tour, I mean like two cities, nothing amazing) it started off as us 'living the dream', by the end of the two weeks it was me stuck in a overloaded 4WD trying not to stab the singer in the face with a broken drumstick.

Right now, I'm the middle of my training camp, and even though I wake up everyday feeling sore, shitty and bruised, I still can't wait to get back to training. Not even getting kicked full-force in the bollocks yesterday deterred me. After sobbing gently in the bathroom for five minutes, I was back out with a smile on my face, and a brand spanking new third testicle*.

If I was 'forced' to choose the rockstar option, I'd probably opt to play guitar for a band like Opeth or something. Off the radar of the ridiculous paparazzi, but still globally popular and kick-arse musicians.

*I keed, I keed...