Jul 072010
What’s least surprising and most surprising in the Nielsens’ design choices? Does the place jibe with his musical identity? How would being in this house make you feel? And hey, who wants to tour Rick Nielsen’s house and not get to see the music room?
You can’t tell because it’s a wide shot, but that chandelier in the first room shown? Entirely made of guitar picks.
I would probably have expected Nielsen to live in something like how the house looked in the last act of Beetlejuice, so while I could see someone thinking that maybe there’s a lot of stuff everywhere, you have to consider the difficulty of decorating a home for a guy who brings 800 giant, heart-shaped, five-necked guitars with him every night. Given that, I say nice work by Mrs. Nielsen to balance him out.
My question is, had we seen each of these rooms with no context and been asked to guess who it belonged to, would anyone have guessed Nielsen by spotting the black and white checked materials on that one table? I say yes.
The most surprising thing about the house is that you’d have no idea a musician lived here. The least surprising thing is how much stuff is in the house (although the relatively low thrift/kitsch factor is appreciated). Since I’m short, I guess I’d just have to let the Nielsens do everything in the kitchen for me. Normally, I wouldn’t mind helping clean the dishes for a guest, but even that’s not an option here.
Well there certainly are 2 forces at work in that house. Major feminine flowery drapes and fabrics and some whimsical artsy furnishings. The thing I noted is that Rick speaks up knowledgeably on the house; if that were me and my wife, I wouldn’t have much to say on matters of home decor.
You and I both know that no record collection is complete without the following item:
http://cgi.ebay.com/FEARGAL-SHARKEY-more-love-7-inch-7-vinyl-uk-virgin-1-/200485897529?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Records&hash=item2eade40539
Your friend,
E. Pluribus
That Sharkey single features some of the finest tandem syn-drums EVER, E. Pluribus!
As for Nielsen’s house, yes, the checkered plates are the expected items. The expectation that his house would be decorated more like the house in Beetlejuice is a good description of what I would have expected. I find his actual home, as depicted in this video, depressing: too many soft cushioned couches, bulky furniture, an overall musty air. This is more like the home I’d imagine the bassist in Foghat to occupy.
Ever have a hair do like “More Love” era Feargal?
If so, PLEASE POST SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION.
Sincerely,
E. Pluribus
I tried to get that hairdo, but my hair’s always been too curly. You nailed it at one point, didn’t you? I think I’ve got a photo of you with that ‘do. Remember when I tried this Look?
http://imagecache6.allposters.com/LRG/10/1060/KQVL000Z.jpg
Feargal’s chin is sharp enough to cut down trees, is his family responsible for Ireland’s deforestation?
It’s possible.
Hey Mockcarr, ever have a do worse than this godawful looking thing?
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://cache4.asset-cache.net/xc/85853881.jpg%3Fv%3D1%26c%3DIWSAsset%26k%3D2%26d%3D77BFBA49EF8789215ABF3343C02EA548953DAAFB113E6C16B85F124BDE81ED88C01666D5D9CC9FA6&imgrefurl=http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/85853881/Redferns&usg=___XlN-LtaMlsbZvr_0h7_MknvH64=&h=594&w=403&sz=27&hl=en&start=22&sig2=v7PYgQ-ThhYEr-zbSBOeww&itbs=1&tbnid=ycnprx3SZqRaAM:&tbnh=135&tbnw=92&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dlou%2Breed%2Bmullet%26start%3D20%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D20%26tbs%3Disch:1&ei=_8k0TIT1IcWclgfE1anTBw
They don’t cut ’em like that anymore!
E. Pluribus
I would tour a lot too if I had to come back to that. That orange couch probably smells like every bad meal that’s ever been eaten in the house.
Nah, I had more of a mane than a mullet in the mid 90s when I was out of work. You can bet it really helped out on those job interviews I didn’t have. I did get tired of the ma’am…sirs I would be addressed with, and gave in and paid a barber.
Still, if I looked like Lou Reed, I’d probably try almost anything once.
Good points.
Have you read that new Beatle book by Peter Dogget yet? “You Never Give Me Your Money”?
Apparently, Harrison developed a fondness for Coke and Ringo’s wife after the Beatles split.
Not good.
By the way, if you’re fucking off at work and searching You Tube for Beatles rarities, let me know if you find a clip of Lennon and McCartney sitting around with acoustic guitars, working out harmonies for “Two of Us”. I didn’t bother to bookmark it when I originally found it. Dumb move. It actually gave me goosebumps the first time I watched it.
Free VG- Starship “Red Octopus” LP for anyone out there who finds the clip. I do recall it being in black and white.
Hope all is well with you and your hair,
E. Pluribus
Haven’t read that Dogget book, I’m about to subject myself a recent McCartney biography. Author’s last name is Carlin, so I’m hoping it’s funny.
Haven’t read that one, but I did read the tome by Barry Miles who more or less set out to prove that McCartney was thee avant garde Beatle.
E. Pluribus
Oscar Wilde’s last words: “Either that wallpaper goes, or I do.”
That’s the way I feel about pretty much everything in that house, but especially those floral drapes.
I’m with mockcarr, it looks exactly like he spends six weeks a year there. Also, she doesn’t have the rock-wife Look I was hoping for. Not that I was expecting anything in particular, but I sure wasn’t expecting the twin sister of the show’s host/narrator. So I guess I’ll call her the most surprising thing about his homelife. All in all, that place is worse than anything I ever saw on MTV Cribs. “We’re tall, so we had the ceilings lowered.” WTF?
I agree with Oats: “The most surprising thing about the house is that you’d have no idea a musician lived here.”
True – There are more than two pieces of furniture, and no-one is living on the sofa for $20 a week (backrent owed for two months).
However, the most expensive thing in the house is the guitar & amp collection, so one out of three ain’t bad.