Monday, March 23, 2009
Barry / Crazy Crap John Rich, Urban Pioneer and Salsa Gardener
Posted by Bruce Barry on Mon, Mar 23, 2009 at 8:10 AM
Q: There was lots of controversy when you started building your mansion near Love Circle in downtown Nashville. Where does that stand now?Yeah, who cares what neighbors think as long as the mayor likes it. No word yet on how hizzoner would feel about having a 73-foot high edifice next to his own Green Hills crib. Rich, meanwhile, fancies himself as quite the environmentalist:
A: It's not lots of controversy now, but it was. I thought neighbors would think it was cool. But I built it, and a lot of people got upset. They were like, "Good Lord, what is that guy doing?" But Mayor Dean has thanked me multiple times for building my house in Nashville, not out in the country somewhere where no one could see it, because he feels like it's a good thing for the town.
They are getting ready to top out the roof and put the swimming pool up there. There's a swimming pool and salsa garden on my roof. It's an extremely efficient house on energy. Instead of putting in regular heat, for instance, because the ceilings are really tall and it would be inefficient to have heat blowing in...we have radiant heat coming through the floor. The roof is green, so it's 12 inches of soil holding the temperature down in the house. It's very well thought out, and for its size, it's extremely efficient.If an 11,000 square foot monstrosity nestled in a city neighborhood of houses a quarter its size qualifies as "well thought out," we'd hate to see what Rich's idea of "not so well thought out" looks like.
(n.b. The Tennessean pushes hard for this week's irony award, with editor Mark Silverman boasting in Sunday's Issues section that his paper is "producing important journalism that no one in Middle Tennessee is better positioned to produce" while his writer Cindy Watts, who did the John Rich story, seems blissfully unaware that Love Circle is not in "downtown Nashville.")
Comments (15)
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Bruce, well done on both points.I had the same thoughts reading that article. But give Cindy Watts credit for at least asking him about the house. In a puff piece like this, she might easily have ignored the issue. At it was, she gave him the opportunity to hang himself.
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Ha, I like that the mayor told him it's awesome that he's building his house where everyone can see it. Look at me! Look at me! I have a dirt roof! BFD!
In my head, a salsa garden is just a tree that grows jars of the stuff.
I know of no one in the neighborhood who has ever approved of or supported this monstrosity. John Rich is delusional if he thinks otherwise.
Between "Raisin' McCain" and this house (not to mention his music in general), John Rich is cementing his place as Nashville's prime laughingstock. A very wealthy laughingstock, but a laughingstock, nonetheless.
Come to think of it, laughingstock is kind of an odd word, now that I look at it, no? He could make a real killing in the laughingstock market.
Ouch. I'll stop now.
You don't know the half of it. I remember listening to an inappropriate voicemail he once left for a former co-worker. Let's ignore the reality that she gave him her number and celebrate the fact she put that hilarity on speakerphone for all to hear. It wasn't even particularly salacious or delicious, just weird drunken ramblings about how totally hot this stranger was and all of the things he would like to do to her while she was wearing the dress (sub Forever 21) he saw her in. He was, for that morning at least, a literal laughingstock among myself and my coworkers. Coworkers he tried to fuck.
Or maybe it was Big. Funny either way.
His wife is now the one who people will be laughing at for marrying him. Or maybe they just feel sorry for her. She'd better get used to him trying to sleep with every girl he meets.
Hopefully after he's dead, they'll tear this monstrosity down. Nobody will ever want to buy it. Even from the top of the reservoir on Love Circle (highest point in Nashville) you can't see the dirt roof.
As I write this he's on Good Morning America....
What a great asshole! Maybe he will sing his shit songs from his rooftop eeyrie. Maybe he will fall off!
Wow, everyone is pretty harsh on a dude they don't even know, granted either do I but seriously guys?
I live on Love Circle and no one I know is that pissed about it - it doesn't block any of the neighbors view of downtown and doesn't block any view from the top of the hill.
Does anyone really know that he cheats on his wife? Or is it just people who don't like him saying that about him?
I live on Love Circle and truley admire the architecture in the neighborhood and JR's house is the cherry on top !! We wish all the best to the Rich Family and hoping they have a house warming and invite some of the neighbors.
I live on Love Circle and truley admire the architecture in the neighborhood and JR's house is the cherry on top !! We wish all the best to the Rich Family and hoping they have a house warming and invite some of the neighbors.
