giggsy 0 Posted June 15, 2006 Share Posted June 15, 2006 I would hope not anyway. Here's another of those don't know where it came from (friend sent it) posts but an interesting read. (If anyone knows please post to give credit ) Excess all areas: Rock's top 50 big spenders Splashing the cash is as much a part of the rock'n'roll lifestyle as picking up a guitar. But it's not just how much you spend - it's what you spend it on. From his'n'her gold teeth to a guest appearance by Marlon Brando, we point the fickle finger of pop at the tasteless, the shameless and the downright ludicrous. 1 Gold Dust Man: Mick Fleetwood Item: Cocaine Cost: $8m (£4.35m) In 1994, Mick Fleetwood estimated how long a line of all the cocaine he'd ever taken would stretch. He guessed five miles, but given his admission that he'd spent a lifetime total of $8m on the drug, five miles sounds like an average weekend. 2 An Offer He Couldn't Refuse: Michael Jackson Item: Marlon Brando Cost: $1m (£545,000) A frequent (and conspicuously overage) guest at Neverland, Brando demanded a cool million for a bizarre appearance at Jackson's 30th anniversary show in September 2001. After introducing himself to the crowd as an "old fat fart", the star of Jackson's "You Rock My World" video ranted about children being hacked to death with machetes ... from a leather recliner. 3 Hedge Fund: Paul McCartney Item: Gigantic fence Cost: £100,000 Herds of wild boar were becoming a problem on McCartney's 1,000-acre English estate, tearing up trees and carrying swine fever. But he didn't want the guilt of the pests being shot on his property, so in 1999 he had a four-mile long fence built to keep them out. "He does whatever he wants because he can afford it," said a disgruntled local farmer. But his second marriage, with a settlement that could run into the hundreds of millions, may well turn out to be the biggest extravagance of them all... 4 Snack Attack: Elvis Presley Item: Peanut butter and bacon sandwiches Cost: $3,387.28 (£1,846) On the night of 1 Feburary 1976, Elvis Presley pulled off a stunt that combined three of his favourite activities - profligate spending, showing off to cops and eating repellent things. While entertaining two Colorado policemen at Graceland, he mentioned a sandwich that he'd once eaten at the Colorado Gold Mine Company restaurant in Denver: a hollowed, buttered loaf, filled with peanut butter, jam and a pound of fried bacon. The sandwich was meant to feed eight, but Presley had finished one unaided. Remarkably, one of the policemen expressed an interest. Even more remarkably, Presley insisted they should head to Denver to try it, a distance of 1,000 miles. His stretch Mercedes took them to the Memphis airport, where his private jet, the Lisa Marie - upholstered in aquamarine plush - awaited. Two hours later, they landed in Denver, where 22 of the $49.95 "Fool's Gold" sandwiches on silver platters, plus a bucket of Perrier water and a case of Champagne, were brought to a private hangar at the airport by the restaurateur, his wife and a waiter. 5 Say a Little Prayer: Kanye West Item: Michelangelo's ceiling Cost: $350,000 (£191,000) "I'm the closest that hip-hop is getting to God," remarked Kanye West recently. "In some situations, I'm like a ghetto pope." Which may explain the decoration he chose for his LA dining-room: a complete recreation of Michelangelo's frescoes from Rome's Sistine Chapel ceiling. 7 I Will Always Love Suey: Whitney Houston Item: Chinese Food Cost: £200 When Whitney Houston wants, Whitney Houston gets... Chinese. Before the Sheffield leg of her UK tour some years back, Houston felt peckish. So, she flagged down a taxi and asked the cabbie to drive a 169-mile round trip to London, to pick up some choice nibbles from her favourite Chinese restaurant. He was paid £200 for his troubles, even though the sweet and sour chicken was a little cold. 8 High Hat: Bono Item: Flying a hat first class Cost: £1,000 Poised to play a charity show for Iraq with Luciano Pavarotti in 2003, Bono realised he'd forgotten his favourite trilby, so he arranged to have it taken by taxi to Heathrow to be flown to Italy - first class. Amid fears it might get squashed, lost or stolen, the hat was upgraded from its spacious seat and got to ride up front with the captain. 9 Own Goals: Rod Stewart Item: Personal football field Cost: $100,000 (£54,500) There's being a football fan, and then there's building a full-size football field on the grounds of your Epping mansion, complete with dressing rooms modelled on Celtic's, and groundsmen to maintain them. Sadly, in 2004, the planners objected to his plans to install floodlighting. 10 Electric Dreams: The Beatles Item: Apple electronics Cost: $510,000 (£278,000) Part of The Beatles' infamously extravagant Apple Corps company, which also included Apple Records and a boutique, was this subdivision led by one "Magic" Alex. In his single year of employment, Alex outlined numerous inventions, including electric paint, a flying saucer and a recording studio with a "sonic force field", not one of which ever worked. He was fired in 1969. 11 Out of Pocket Man: Elton John Item: Flowers Cost: £250,000 The nation's favourite ivory-botherer has never been a man to squander one million where three million will do. But Elton John's love of flowers exceeds even his own vertiginous levels of spending. Pressed by a UK court in 2000, he admitted that between January 1996 and September 1997 he had spent £250,000 on flowers alone. "Yes - I like flowers," said John. No kidding. 12 U Can't Afford This: MC Hammer Item: California mansion Cost: $12m (£6.54m) When Stanley Burrell became a global pop-rap superstar worth $30m in 1990, he did what anyone would do - put 250 people, many of them friends, on his payroll, bought 17 luxury cars - and a mansion. By 1996, he'd found God and filed for bankruptcy, $13.7m in debt. 13 Bar for the Course: Ron Wood Item: A replica British pub Cost: $66,000 (£36,000) When the Rolling Stones guitarist bought Sandymount, an "18th-century gentleman's residence" in County Kildare, he outfitted the garden with a pub where the Stones could relax during rehearsal sessions. These days, though, it tends to go half-stocked thanks to Wood's sporadic bouts with sobriety. 14 Action man: John Mayer Item: Boba Fett figure Cost: $1,719.15 (£945) In 2004 the mint-condition bounty hunter was an impulse buy on eBay - at a time when the singer-songwriter also admitted to having spent $1,500 on phone sex in four months. 15 A View to a Spill: Simon Le Bon Item: Yacht Cost: $1.35m (£736,000) The Duran Duran frontman planned to sail his 78ft racing sloop around the world, but nearly died when it capsized in the Channel in 1985, trapping him for 20 minutes. He later sold the yacht to a Scottish car dealer; supermodels and Champagne, presumably, were not included. 16 Class Act: John Lennon Item: All of first class Cost: $12,980 (£7,075) Lennon famously banked on his "working-class hero" image, but didn't shy away from enjoying the fruits of his Beatles' labour, and once bought out an entire first-class airline cabin - so that his son, Sean, could set up his model train set. Fittingly, Lennon now has an airport named after him in Liverpool. 17 You're Barred: Bryan Adams Item: Peace and quiet Cost: £400,000 After releasing Waking Up the Neighbours, adoptive Londoner Adams then lived it; the pub next to his Chelsea mansion hosted boisterous louts whose noise kept him from sleeping. In 1994, Adams did the only feasible thing: he bought the bar... and shut it down. 18 Burning a Hole in Their Pocket: The KLF Item: Torched cash Cost: £1m Ah, who doesn't love the smell of flaming cash in the morning? British pop duo KLF clearly did - why else would they have set 20,000 £50-notes ablaze, then circulated a videotape of the bonfire? Some say the 1994 stunt was inspired materialist satire. Others called it moronic decadence. Starving children worldwide were unavailable for comment. 19 Million-dollar Baby: Mick Jagger Item: Love child Cost: $15m (£8.2m) Born in 1999, Lucas Maurice Morad Jagger turned his father's affair with Brazilian lingerie model Luciana Morad into one of the most expensive flings in history. Jagger's new son was the final straw for long-suffering wife Jerry Hall, who got a reported $15m divorce settlement from him - while Morad hit him with a claim for $35,000 a month in child support, citing nannies, rent, housekeeping and security. 20 Gest of Honour: Liza Minnelli and David Gest Item: Wedding Cost: $2.7m It seemed like a match made in heaven: the gay icon and a guy who - ahem - is fond of musical theatre. What could go wrong? The extravagant wedding was held in New York City in March 2002, but the marriage lasted barely 18 months. 21 Wonderwallet: Noel Gallagher Item: Decorating Cost: £400,000 The Oasis guitarist was merely showing his love for The Beatles when he decided to cover his kitchen walls with costly paintings of yellow submarines in 1997. The £20,000 he spent on carpet in Man City's colours, on the other hand, is somewhat tougher to explain. 22 Crime Pays: Marilyn Manson Item: Charles manson memorabilia Cost: $500 (£270) Given that Church of Satan founder Anton LaVey made Manson a reverend, it's fitting that Manson should visit Odium, the LA occult shop that was co-owned by LaVey's grandson. While there in 2002, Manson picked up framed photos of the Manson Family murder scene. Perfect for the guest dungeon. 23 Not Quite Art: Paul Simon Item: The Capeman Musical Cost: $3m (£1.66m) In 1998, Paul Simon opened a play about a Puerto Rican teen who stabbed two white kids in 1959. Enraged picketers ("Murder is not entertainment") outnumbered ticketholders. Backers backed out, Simon dug seven figures deep into his own pockets and the Capeman closed 10 weeks later - deeply in the hole. 24 Furtastic: Nelly Item: Mink-lined Rolls-Royce Cost: $385,000 (£212,000) Despite a trip to the customiser for new wheel rims, Nelly felt his 2004 Rolls-Royce Phantom still lacked a certain discreet charm, so he had the interior totally re-worked... in mink fur. 25 Wheel money: Jay Kay Item: Lamborghini Diablo SE30 Cost: £180,000 Bought for his "Cosmic Girl" video, a handler took this rare jewel for a joyride and smashed it up beyond repair. 26 Investment Pond: Freddie Mercury Item: Fish Cost: £1m A passionate koi carp enthusiast, Mercury amassed a collection whose value rose to more than £1m. Tragically, after his death, all but five of the 89 fish - worth up to £10,000 apiece - were killed in a bizarre gardening accident when landscapers at his London home turned off the power for their storage tank. 27 Pup Psychology: Will Smith Item: Dog shrink Cost: $2,500/month (£1,360) When the pressure of life on the A-list has Smith's four Rottweilers feeling down, he calls on the Sigmund Freud of the canine world - renowned Hollywood hound analyst Cesar Millan, aka "The Dog Whisperer". Apparently, it takes a special talent to help a pooch get over the trauma of watching Bad Boys II. 28 Smash Hits: The Who Item: Musical instruments Cost: £700 Rock bands have always had a love-hate relationship with the tools of their craft. But The Who's attitude to their instruments takes some beating. In 1965, the band went on a guitar-breaking spree, and smashed up about £700 worth of equipment on stage every night. Their biggest fee was £500. "We'd come out ahead", said John Entwhistle, "just by not showing up." 29 The Joy of Wrecks: Billy Idol Item: Hotel vandalism Cost: $20,400 (£11,120) Possibly bored of "dancing with himself" to watch pay-per-view porn, Idol wrecked three luxury hotel suites to pass the time while vacationing in Thailand in 1989. A friend of the peroxide rebel assured one hotel manager that the damage would be paid for once Billy had his fill of mayhem. A check was duly cut. 30 Rubber soul: 50 Cent Item: Condoms Cost: £40 One of the stranger items to appear on 50 Cent's rider is that 50 condoms must be supplied for his use. Even if Fiddy's a double-bagger, it still constitutes an ambitious nightly workload for the young man. 31 Big Night: Lenny Kravitz Item: Night out with Lionel Richie Cost: £12,000 In late 2004, Kravitz and Richie took over London's Kabaret's Prophecy club for three hours of £700 magnums of Cristal. 32 Hello Sailor: P Diddy Item: Yacht rental Cost: $800,000 (£436,075) Even in the world of high-end yachts, Diddy's choice of transport for his summer 2003 holiday in the Mediterranean seemed sightly de trop: a 181ft luxury yacht, rented at a cost of $40,000 per day, with its own gym, gold-plated taps in the Jacuzzis and, most vitally, a helicopter pad. 33 Real Fir: Sting Item: Christmas tree Cost: $11,900 (£6,485) A man who has done so much for the plight of the rainforests could hardly hack down one of his wooden friends just for holiday decoration. So in 2002, Sting had a special living Christmas tree brought into his 41-room English mansion, hiring a top-flight florist at additional expense to give the festive centrepiece a lavish makeover. 34 Scissor Sister: Britney Spears Item: Shears Cost: $3,000 (£1,635) When Mrs Federline gets her locks trimmed, not just any scissors will do. The soon-to-be-mother-of-two opts for a set of custom-ordered clippers, handmade and imported from Japan. 35 Heil! Heil! Rock & Roll!: Lemmy Kilmister Item: Luftwaffe sword Cost: $6,000 Born in 1945, Motörhead frontman Lemmy is fascinated with the Second World War. This rare sword is the prized piece in his extensive collection of memorabilia and has doubled in value since he acquired it. "It's a very good investment," reasons Lemmy, who says that he has no admiration for any Nazis except Hermann Goering. 36 His Ride Pimped: Jay-Z Item: Mercedes Maybach Cost: $360,000 (£196,000) Not so much a car as a spirited attempt to see how many optional extras you can cram on four wheels, Jay-Z's top-of-the-line Maybach features an electro-transparent panoramic glass roof, reclining seats with massage function, a DVD player, a 21-speaker hi-fi, an "interphone" and, most vital of all, two cup holders. 37 Footing the Bill: Usher Item: Trainers Cost: $26,000 (£14,175) R&Bs answer to Imelda Marcos may have had a good reason for spending the equivalent of a new pair of shoes every day for a year on trainers; after all, simulated onstage sex can really scuff up a pair of kicks. Maybe next time he should also think about investing in a wardrobe of T-shirts that don't rip quite so easily... 38 Beatle Mania: George Harrison Item: The natural law party Cost: Several million Seduced by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Harrison dumped unspecified amounts into a political party based on his philosophy (that all conflict can be solved through meditation) and organised a benefit concert at the Albert Hall. The party pulled a handsome 0.4 per cent of the vote in the 1992 election. 39 Spend it: Justin Timberlake Item: Harrods shopping spree Cost: £1m Wanting to beat the Christmas crowds, in 2003 Timberlake had Harrods opened for him and 80 friends. His purchases, including jewellery for Cameron Diaz, were transported away in two buses. 40 Key purchase: Mariah Carey Item: Marilyn Monroe's piano Cost: $662,500 (£397,000) When Christie's sold Monroe's possessions in 1999, the third-priciest item turned out to be her white baby grand, bought by an anonymous buyer - who turned out to be fellow vixen Mariah Carey. 41 Caffeine kick: Tommy Lee Item: Starbucks franchise Cost: $4,000 (£2,440) The Mötley Crüe drummer's 1999 purchase was built in his house as a gift for then-wife Pamela Anderson. 42 Smacked Down: Kurt Cobain Item: Drug treatment Cost: $40,000 (£21,800) Cobain might have started using to help relieve his lifelong stomach troubles, but his troubles with heroin led to two prematurely ended rehab stints in 1992 - one at Los Angeles' pricey Exodus Recovery - and some of his mopiest facial expressions. 43 Hitting the Bottle: J Lo Item: Crème de la Mer Cost: £1,000 Jenny from the block is said to be such a huge fan of Crème de la Mer's new Essence face cream, that she uses it all over her body. Just to moisturise Lopez's bottom would be, at a conservative estimate, a one pot job, so the mind boggles at how much J Lo drops on the £1000-a-go, invitation only Miracle Broth. 44 Bargain: Keith Moon Item: Customised milk truck Cost: £300 In 1971, Who drummer Keith Moon bought an electric-powered milk float and had it converted into a "mobile Victorian parlour" - with armchair, wallpaper, cocktail cabinet and gramophone. To fit it in his garage, Moon also removed his Corvette - and drove it into a nearby hedge. 45 Tres Cher: Cher Item: Wigs Cost: £200,000 A mole on a recent Cher tour revealed that the warbling diva required two wardrobes just for her wigs. So, when one of her equine head-props went missing recently, reported stolen, and was valued at £5,000 to £6,000, tongues started to wag. At a conservative estimate, a small wardrobe could house at least 20 wigs. So how much has Cher spent tressing herself up? You do the math. 46 In this Bed: Jessica Simpson Item: Bedsheets Cost: £1,000 "I don't sleep good," was how Simpson chose to defend shelling out a grand for a set of Egyptian-cotton bed linens. When they were almost ruined in the wash, husband Nick Lachey had an explanation of his own: "Even the washing machine thinks $1,400 sheets are ridiculous," he said. 47 Home Movies: Russell Simmons Item: Cinema Cost: $2m (£1.09m) The Def Jam/Phat Farm mogul is such a film lover, he had a cinema installed in the basement of his New Jersey house. And not just a couple of comfy seats and a video projector: Simmons' home cinema has a marquee, a popcorn machine and a ticket booth. 48 Material Girl: Madonna Item: Accommodation Cost: £500,000 The Queen of Pop has a penchant for castles. Not only did she rent out every room at Dornoch's Skibo Castle for her wedding to Guy Ritchie in 2000 at a reputed cost of £150,000, but more recently, she spent £350,000 housing her whole touring entourage at Luttrellstown Castle near Dublin. Two nights. Half a million quid. You'd expect nothing less from Her Madgesty. 49 Quadruple Platinum: Chris Kirkpatrick Item: Wheel spinners Cost: $40,000 (£21,800) While Lance Bass spent his time and money trying to become the first member of a boy band in space, fellow 'N Syncer Kirkpatrick decided to invest his money more practically: on a set of platinum-plated wheel spinners for his Cadillac Escalade. 50 Rap Sheet: DMX Item: Freedom Cost: $1,000 (£545) It may seem steep, but a $1,000 fine was a bargain compared to the jail sentence the rapper faced after being charged with smashing his SUV through a security gate at New York's JFK Airport. While high on Valium. And impersonating a federal agent. If only he hadn't been arrested just a week later for doing 104 in a 65mph zone... Link to post Share on other sites
BagOfCrisps 24 Posted June 15, 2006 Share Posted June 15, 2006 Mick Jagger Item: Love child Cost: $15m (£8.2m) I wonder if he regrets that very short bit of fun there. It seems that for most people if you become rich and famous, you also become a complete idiot and disconnected from reality. Link to post Share on other sites
Curt 1 Posted June 15, 2006 Share Posted June 15, 2006 So thats what happened to MC Hammer. Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts