NEED TO KNOW
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Terry Chimes, who’s a founding member of The Clash, opened up about his decision to leave music to become a chiropractor
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Chimes said he was always interested medical school — it just didn’t seem like the “right” fit when he interviewed for one
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Chimes said the music industry is full of “crazy people”
Terry Chimes, who’s best known as a drummer for The Clash, is opening up about his reason for leaving the music industry behind.
During a recent appearance on The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X, Chimes, 68, opened up about his decision to open a chiropractic clinic in Essex in 1994.
“When I was a kid, I loved health and disease. I wanted to be a vet, actually, and three things put me off,” he said. “One, that the patients bite you. Two, you spend all day killing animals. And three, they’ve got one of the highest suicide rates. So, I thought, ‘Well, I’ll stay away from that.”
He continued, “‘I thought about medicine, went for an interview at medical schools, but it just didn’t seem right for me. And then I looked at The Rolling Stones, and thought, ‘You know, those guys must be having the most fun it’s possible to have.”
At that point, Chimes thought, “I’ll just do that then” and joined a band that became The Clash shortly after. Chimes went on to play for the band for three stints: From July to November in 1976, then January to April in 1977 and again from May 1982 to February 1983.
Ebet Roberts/Redferns
Terry Chimes
“But after 15 years of that, I kind of had enough of being on the road and traveling and all the craziness,” he said.
Adding, “It’s full of crazy people, the music business — I was the only normal person there!”
When he debated his next move, Chimes was already a “non-drug taking, non-smoking, non-drinking, vegetarian, health nut” — and he felt that “chiropractic made much more sense.”
The Clash, which formed in London in 1976, released six studio albums before they split in 1986. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.
After The Clash, Chimes drummed for bands like Generation X, Hanoi Rocks and Black Sabbath.
In 2010, Chimes opened up to The Guardian about the moment that a chiropractor made an impression on him.
Bonnie Schiffman/Getty
The Clash in 1982
“Once I was in Sun City with Black Sabbath and we went ten-pin bowling. After three hours, my shoulder locked up. They said they would find a chiropractor. This guy came in, cracked all my joints and I could move my arm again. It made a big impression,” he said at the time.
He continued, “I’d always known I wanted to heal people, so I enrolled on a chiropractic course in Bournemouth and didn’t tell anyone who I was. But shortly afterwards they rereleased ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go.’ It was No. 1 for three weeks, and of course, I’m in the video, so the secret was out.”
The former drummer added that his bandmates, Mick Jones and Paul Simonon have referred musicians to him since he started his career — and he’s treated many Clash fans.
Read the original article on People
