After the Gen X opportunity had fallen through, Nova worked as a session musician, going on tour with Iggy Pop, on whose Soldier L.P. (1980) she played, during the recording of which Nova assaulted David Bowie who was acting as a quasi-producer of the record at the time. She also worked with Chrissie Hynde, Johnny Thunders, Patti Palladin, Kim Fowley, and Pearl Harbour.
