My boss lives two houses down from Roger Clyne, the former lead singer of The Refreshments, and current founder of Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers.
Apparently they’re on good neighborly terms – i.e., wave to each other when they take out the garbage – but other than that, they really don’t know one another. Unfortunate, since she (and I, for that matter) is a huge Refreshments fan.
Just this past summer, one of the Pittsburgh Penguins sat on the neighboring stool at an area bar. He bummed a couple cigarettes off me. I don’t follow hockey and had no idea who he was. After he left, somebody else in the bar told me his name, which I have since forgotten. If I had known he was a highly paid professional athlete, I’d have told him to buy his own goddamn cigs.
They are not very highly paid right now.
Guess not. He didn’t leave a tip and leeched an additional cigarette “for later” as he was leaving.
If you ignore time, Robert DeNiro and I are neighbours. I lived in an apartment within walking distance of his “country” home. But I lived in the apartment over fifteen years before he bought his home there.
Growing up in a small burb of Milwaukee in the 80’s I lived in the same small town as Robin Yount, Jim Gantner, and Pete Vukovich of the 82’ world series Brewers.
When I lived in Florida on the coast I lived down the street from Lee Trevino, Charles Barkley, and Jerry VanDyke.
Now living in Minneapolis I work at the athletic club where Randy Moss, Dante Culpepper, and Kevin Garnett belong to.
Well, Jason Bernard used to live just down the road from us. Not the biggest celebrity, perhaps, but he was a fine actor when he was still with us.
I’m obliquely connected to a big one, though: Gene Hackman is renting the home of my wife’s co-worker (they own a home on a ranch that they only visit during the summer) while his nearby house is being renovated.
Brian Propp, former Philadelphia Flyer, has lived across the street from me for years. Met him a couple of times at yard sales in the neighborhood. His mailbox has a hockey stick blade hanging from it. The house is for sale if anyone’s interested.
I grew up in North Carolina. The lady who lives in a large purple house down the street is Maya Angelou. Wow, that thing is purple.
My cousin was best friends with Barbara Streisand’s son, Jason Gould, and stayed at her house a number of times.
I’ve appeared as an extra with some famous people.
The closest I’ve come to living almost next door to one was when I lived about five doors down from one of the local news anchors in Boston.
I now live in the town that gave the world both The Carpenters and James Hetfield from Metallica.
Well, actually, come to think of it, if you’re a musical theater fan from New York or London, my sister’ sort of famous.
I’ve never even seen anyone famous in public, much less lived next to them…
however, annoyingly, one of my online friends actually lived with a TV actor for about a month, but I don’t know who s/he is!
Back then (a couple years ago,) there was a TV show I actually went out of my way to watch, and whenever I’d mention it in the chatroom, my friend would mention “visiting actor”. I, respecting anonymity and all that, never asked who it was but it was certainly someone from the show.
When I was growing up, I lived close to Scott Baio. I know one of my friends dragged me up the street to see his house, and there were a group of girls just standing on the curb and staring at the house. Very odd.
Later, I also lived in the same neighborhood (Shadow Hills, CA) as Patrick Swayze and Fantasy Island actor Hervé Villechaize. I never saw them, but others reported sightings. Patrick Swayze, apparently, is quite the dish.
When I lived in California, Quentin Tarantino lived two doors down the street, there were quite a few soap stars who lived in my apartment building, Bette Davis lived three blocks away (and died in that apartment), Vincent Price and Arsenio Hall all lived about 5 blocks away, Estelle Getty lived about 6 blocks away and there are lots more but I have forgotten. Brad Pitt used to live in a building about two blocks away. It was one of the advantages of living in West Hollywood - lots of nice condos and apartment buildings in a nice, centrally located area brought a lot of celebrities. Plus, with all the high-end resraurants in that area, you would see quite a few celebrities going in and out of those places when you walked by.
My parents have lived in Kingston NY for years, and I never heard David Bowie had a house in the area (not that I’m calling you a liar). Does he still live there?
I know singer Don McLean and TV personality Al Roker have houses in the general Kingston area though. And driving into work a few weeks back the fellow in the next car was former Boston Red Sox manager Dan Duquette, who lives near me outside Boston.
When we lived in Princeton, we were around the corner from Roger Sessions, the Pulitzer Prize winning composer. And a friend of ours walked Joyce Carol Oates’ dog. (Better class of celebrities in Princeton.)
I’m not sure if this counts, but I may never have another chance to post it.
Years ago, at a typical high school party (parents out-of-town, wild booze fest), I drank, danced and eventually lay down to rest (okay, I passed out) on the lawn at a classmate’s house. That house? Now belongs to Stephen King.
I have moved away, but my parents still live in that town, and Mr. King is a gracious and generous community member. Supports the local library lavishly, ponied up the bucks to build and update recreational facilities for kids (ball fields, swimming pool), and has added spider web iron gates in front of his house. In return, the community serves as the “fictional” setting for several of his books. Most notably, It and . . . what’s that one with the thread cutters? Insomnia, maybe? He calls it “Derry” but I recognize every street, canal, and Chinese restaurant. It’s my hometown.
A few years ago, I lived across the street from Jean Cochran, the news announcer for NPR. She keeps an “Elvis Room” in her basement. Cool gal!
My parents live two doors down from NBA star Mugsy Bogues (Well, his ex-wife, anyway; I don’t think he’s there any more). And while I’m not sure whether he still lives in Baltimore or not, Mom used to see Yaphet Kotto at the local Giant Foods.
Back in the 60s, I knew a girl whose grandparents lived next door to Graceland. She visited a lot and, being a cute teenager, got invited to Elvis’ pool on some occasions. She had a life-size Elvis poster on her wall. By the time we moved away in 1971, it had been replaced with one of David Cassidy…
Back in the 70’s I lived in the same apartment building, in East Orange, NJ, as tennis great Althea Gibson. We crossed paths a couple of times. Very nice woman. Too bad she’s gone 