I went for a swim this morning, and had the pool all to myself so early. I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to be rich and famous? THen I could have my own pool.’
While doing laps I reflected upon the sad life of Michael Jackson, rich, famous and lonely. How about Billy Joel? Rich, famous, drunk and lonely?
I admit that the worst thing to be is poor and famous. Being lonely is sad, being mobbed by The Public is worse.
So all in all, would you like to live the lifestyle of the Rich and Famous?
No. I don’t need that much money and I certainly don’t want to be famous.
People laugh at me when I say why I would never want to be rich.
I would become so obsessed with keeping my money that I’d end up bonkers. More bonkers.
And fame? Bleargh. I can’t think of a single good thing about it.
I’m fairly well off, I’d love to be fabulously rich.
No, I would never want to be famous.
Yeah, I think that is it. Rich is OK, but famous sucks. I wonder why some people seek fame?
Rich is good. Famous gets you the choice pussy.
Problems?
Rich I wouldn’t mind because I could do all those philanthropic projects I’ve always dreamed of, open the bookstore I’ve fantasized about, and various other goodies. I don’t think my lifestyle would change dramatically-- I don’t want boats or sportscars or fur coats.
I wouldn’t be famous for anything, though. I’m the girl who always steps out of range when I see a camera, and stringently avoids any kind of public mention. I have a horror of people knowing my private business. The idea that strangers might know about my love life, where I shop, my dog’s name, my weight, where I hang out… it sends chills down my spine.
I’d like to be rich. That way I wouldn’t have to worry so much about money. It would give me a lot wider range of choices in many situations.
I would not want to be ‘Hollywood famous’. This type of famous would seem to entail having your whole life documented and photographed for other people’s voyeuristic pleasure. Doesn’t seem like much fun to me. I would, however, not mind being famous within a field of study or line of business or something. If I became a famous philosopher that would be great. People would read and discuss my books and ideas. Being a CEO of a company would also maybe fall under the famous category that I would be fine with. Basically, I think that it would be fine to be famous, as long as people are not obsessed with my private life.
Rich, I could definitely handle. I wouldn’t mind being well-regarded. But famous? I used to think it’d be what I wanted, after all I put 30+ years into learning to play music well enough to do it for a living. But seeing what has happened throughout history to regular guys who hit the jackpot with their guitar in hand, no thank you!!!. I don’t know how I could handle having to hide from the world just to have some semblance of privacy. And there’s always the possibility that if it had happened 25 years ago, when that man came around with the suitcase full of dope (he always does), I may not have said no. And I wouldn’t be here now to tell you about it.
Rich - Sure I’d be rich! I’d still live in a small house since I couldn’t find anything when I lived in big ones. I’d still refuse to spend more than $50 on an article of basic clothing and buy ‘designer’ pets. I think I’d spend the rest of my life traveling and in college. You know, pick up as many PhDs as I can.
Famous - Absolutely not! I have friends that have become famous and seeing what they go through has turned me off fame completely. The shit they have to deal with on a regular basis would drive me crazy. Famous people aren’t considered real people by the general population. They demand autographs and when my friends are busy and when they turn the person down, suddenly my friend is this huge bitch, not only to that person, but to that person’s friends. One of my friends managed to piss off this girl so much that the girl made an entire website devoted to making fun of my friend. I don’t care what other people say about me, but if you are famous and want to stay famous, you have to watch your public image and try to keep the public hate to a minimum unless you have the role of a bad guy in whatever you do.
I would not turn down an unlimited supply of money. I don’t hink my lifestyle would change all that much. I would not want to be famous.
If I had stacks of cash it’d cause all sorts of family problems - I’d feel obliged to share it out among my in-laws and then would feel cross when they pissed it all away and asked for more :rolleyes:
Plus you’d never know if your mates liked you for who you are, or for how much you’re worth.
Anyway, compared to most people in the world I’m rich beyond measure (trite but true) so I’m happy to count my blessings.
Yeah… I’m sure George Michael would agree with me that passing on the felines is preferable.
I’ve never really wanted celebrity style fame, but I’ve always aspired to be well known professionally. So far, I’m wallowing in obscurity.
I’d love to be crazy rich, but would hate being crazy famous. It would be nice to be moderately famous, though. Like the type of famous who gets recognized at the mall by 1 or 2 people, but not quite famous enough to have people following them with cameras and autograph pads.
As far as rich, one thing I’ve come to believe is that many (if not most) people would self-destruct if given sudden, easy wealth at an early age. (For evidence of this, read about lottery winners’ lives). Like fishbicycle, I once aspired to wealth and fame as a musician. It didn’t happen, and while I was bummed out at the time, things may have turned out for the better.
After not making it as a musician, I went into another line of work. While I’m never going to be crazy rich, I have simple tastes and I can pretty much buy anything I want. By some definitions, this is being rich. And I suspect becoming crazy rich wouldn’t really make me any happier. I do think, however, that 20+ years’ experience at earning and managing my own money would prevent me from self-destruction if I were to hit the lottery (which ain’t likely, since I don’t play), at least more so than when I was 20.
As an aside, I still play music. My tastes run to roots music (early blues and country). The musicians who play these genres – even the professionals – aren’t really famous. They’re not hounded by paparazzi or stalkers. Hell, some of them have day jobs for decades. And they’re amazingly happy and grounded compared to rich, famous rock stars.
Shh, don’t tell anyone, but I’m already rich & famous.
I’m happy with my Toyota. Porsches are the sexiest things on Earth but it’s not like Spanish roads let you test-drive one 
As for famous, I’ve had my fifteen minutes of fame more than once. I don’t know what was weirder, having people stop me in the street to ask whether I happened to be me, or getting people who copied my work (not imitated, straight off copied) and thought I should be flattered. It didn’t make me particularly happy.
So my answer is “nope and no way”
Rich can get you some choice snatch, too. You just have to pay for it.
Recently, I was thinking. . .ya know. . .I don’t want a BIGGER house than this (1400 Sq. ft with a basement). It’s got all I want, a place for my bike, my TV, a front porch, a functional kitchen, and a back deck big enough to hold my grill.
Then, I got to thinking, “that’s probably why I’ll never be rich”. I just don’t want to get the things that rich gets you so why do the work?
I get paid well for a low-stress job, have a house and a car, some investments, and I’m able to travel occasionally and eat nice food, but not so much that I don’t still appreciate what it means to not be able to afford these things.
Sometime in the next couple years, I’m going to get a 34" HD TV. That’s really the only thing on my “want list”. I’ll get one when I can write a check for it and not even notice the money gone from my account.
Sign me up for both.
Humble? I can be humble.
…what?