Celebrities from your hometown.

[DeafPoet]

I was just listening to some Gordon Lightfoot and I wondered if my unbridled love of (some of) his music had something to do with the fact that he was from my hometown.

Do we naturally love famous people we have something in common with? Again, Lightfoot comes into play.

My dad went to the same highschool he did (I went to the crosstown rival, myself) and he's been a crazy fan as long as I can remember. Literally. My first memory is me on the floor of my dad's home studio looking up at him playing Lightfoot's "Early Morning Rain" on the guitar.

Anyway, everything in Orillia is named after this dude. We basically would name the town after him if we could.

So, do I love Lightfoot because of my dad? Does my dad love him because he was 7 years behind him at the same high school?

Do we give a pass to people from our hometowns? Many of them are legitimately good at what they do, but some aren't. What do you guys think?

 

[RoJoHen]

Hmm...let's see...

The guy who invented the game UNO lives in my hometown.

And one of the girls from the US Olympic Hockey Team graduated a year behind me in high school, so that was pretty cool.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Celebrities from my hometown? Let's see: Ben Franklin, Paul Revere, Sam Adams....

Being from Boston does add an extra dimension, definitely, but it doesn't give a free pass. Boston, for example, would be an awesome band no matter what; by the same token, Aerosmith would be mediocre not matter what.

 

[Lonemagpie]

There's only me and a guy who used to play for Rangers who'd come anywhere near qualifying...

 

[DeafPoet]

Celebrities from my hometown? Let's see: Ben Franklin, Paul Revere, Sam Adams....

Being from Boston does add an extra dimension, definitely, but it doesn't give a free pass. Boston, for example, would be an awesome band no matter what; by the same token, Aerosmith would be mediocre not matter what.

I should add that if you're from Boston, New York or LA it doesn't strictly count

The thread's less about name dropping than it is about how someone's origins make you view their work.

But you know, it's TBBS. It's out of my hands now

 

[Zulu Romeo]

I have several places which I consider my home town. Which one should I use?

 

[DeafPoet]

I have several places which I consider my home town. Which one should I use?

Unless you're from Liverpool and your last name is McCartney I don't give a shit

 

[Zulu Romeo]

I have several places which I consider my home town. Which one should I use?

Unless you're from Liverpool and your last name is McCartney I don't give a shit

I'm from Trujillo and my last name is Cusick. Does that help?

 

[PlainSimpleJoel]

I have several places which I consider my home town. Which one should I use?

I was thinking the same thing, as I've moved around so much.

From Newcastle (where I'm living at the moment) - Jennifer Hawkins
From Sydney - Hugh Jackman (pity he supports Manly) and plenty of others.

 

[the Dagman]

My hometown? Let's see... from my old high school's Wikipedia page my fellow ECHS alumni:

In the field of Athletics:
Dwain Anderson, MLB infielder Oakland Athletics 1971-1972, St. Louis Cardinals 1972-1973, San Diego Padres 1973, Cleveland Indians 1974
Les Cain, MLB pitcher Detroit Tigers 1968, 1970-1972
Drew Gooden, NBA Power forward/center Los Angeles Clippers (and nephew of an old school friend of mine)
Cornell Green, NFL defensive back Dallas Cowboys 1962-1974
Pumpsie Green, MLB infielder Boston Red Sox 1959-1962, New York Mets 1963
Ernie Broglio, MLB pitcher St. Louis Cardinals 1959-1964, Chicago Cubs 1964-66
Jamir Miller, NFL linebacker Arizona Cardinals 1994-98, Cleveland Browns 1999-2002
Chris Roberson, MLB outfielder Philadelphia Phillies 2006-07
Harvey Salem, NFL offensive tackle 1983-1992
Todd Spencer, NFL running back Pittsburgh Steelers 1984-1985, San Diego Chargers 1987[notes 1]
Lamont Thompson, NFL defensive safety 2002-2007
Roddy Lee
Bill Nelson (football), NFL defensive tackle Los Angeles Rams 1971-1975 (I am personal friends with his son who I also went to school with)

In the field of Entertainment:
Maria Remenyi, former Miss USA
Adam Sessler, host of G4's X-Play
Jon Devoto, guitarist of Oakland-based rock band the Matches
Stephen Bradley touring member of the band No Doubt and music producer
Phil Lesh of Grateful Dead
The following members of the band Creedence Clearwater Revival attended El Cerrito from 1959-1963 (the same years my mother attended):
Doug Clifford
Stu Cook
John Fogerty
Tom Fogerty

Plus someone who was not included on the wiki page who I personally know and went to my old school:
Cynthia Gouw, actress and model (the Romulan Ambassador from Star Trek V)

In the field of Business:
Martin Eberhard, Founder of Tesla Motors

In the field of Academia:
Amy Chua, law professor at Yale Law School

And from the "Notable Residents Past & Present" section of the wiki page for the city (minus some duplications):

Founders of the rock and roll band Creedence Clearwater Revival, John Fogerty and Tom Fogerty, grew up in El Cerrito. The band reunited to play their last concert at an El Cerrito High School reunion at Golden Gate Fields in Albany. The Bay Area tenure of Metallica started out in El Cerrito. (who I also knew. I used to work on Lars Ulrich's old Camaro back in the 80s) Drew Gooden, who plays forward for the Dallas Mavericks, also went to El Cerrito High School. During his tenure, the basketball team went to and lost the state basketball final.
Thomas Pridgen, former drummer for the band The Mars Volta.
Catherine Asaro, science-fiction author, grew up in El Cerrito.
Les Blank, documentary filmmaker (born 1935)
Chris Strachwitz, founder of Arhoolie records.
Larissa Kelly, all-time female Jeopardy! champion
Matt Young, former American Major League baseball player
Dr. Wil Burns, Editor in Chief, Journal of International Wildlife Law & Policy
John C. Dvorak, technology journalist
David Schwartz, founder, BioRad Laboratory
Husam Z.

Is that list long enough?

 

[captcalhoun]

Dick Whittington famous enough for you?

he was from Gloucester where i was born.

from Stroud the town where i work, you've got a buncha famous folks from here and live nearby including Eddie 'the Eagle' Edwards the famous flop ski-jumper and the inventor of the lawnmower and the adjustable spanner in days of yore.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stroud,_Gloucestershire#Famous_inhabitants

Damien Hirst of pickled-animals-as-art fame lives in Chalford the village i live in.

 

[opali]

I think it does make you feel a little 'connected' to them. I did not live that far from Roseanne Barr when I was little, so I would listen to her routine to see if she talked about the neighborhood.

I'm not all that crazy about anime and manga, but my cousin is a voice actor and is the voice of a main character from Bleach, a character from Bobobobo-bo (or whatever it's called), and Naruto . I watch them occasionally to hear him talk.

There are probably more, but those are the two who spring to mind.

 

[Count Zero]

Unless their origins play a role in their work, I don't feel more connected to any artist who happens to be from my home town. Most of the music I love is made by people who aren't even from my country.

 

[Capn Flukie]

Folks you may know from my hometown;

Mickey Rourke
Ann B. Davis (Alice from The Brady Bunch)
John Sayles
Coach Pat Riley
Charles Steinmetz

and, um...

Doctor Octopus

Yeah.

 

[farmkid]

I don't really have a home town because I grew up out in the country--no town at all. The nearest town was about 600 people and the next one (about 6 miles away, and where I went to high school) was about 2500. That's where Philo Farnsworth was from, and where he began his work that ended with him inventing TV. My grandfather knew him. He's the only one I know of from that town who the average person might have heard of.

 

[tomalak301]

There are many celebrities in the Bay Area (Robin Williams, Clint Eastwood, Metallica, Green Day), but just found out Dana Carvey went to my High School and College. That's awesome.

 

[doubleohfive]

Sandra Bullock, Warren Beatty, Shirley Maclaine, Katie Couric, Tom Dolan, Gena Rowlands, the mom from "Too Close for Comfort," and the guy who played Colonel Moon at the beginning of "Die Another Day" are all from my hometown.

Really the only one whose work it generally affects would be Bullock; I'm far more likely to see a film she's in because of it, but that probably has something to do with the fact that she went to my high school as well. *shrugs*

 

[Zulu Romeo]

These famous people I like anyway, regardless of where they come from. That they come from a place I consider my home town(s) is a bonus. They include:

Jimmy White (The People's Champion™)
Annie Lennox (her from Eurythmics)
Paul Lawrie (the The Open-winning golfer)
Richie Ramsay (another golfer, and one I believe I went to school with)
Brian Cox (the legendary actor, not the particle physicist)
Ricky Ross (lead singer of Deacon Blue)
Michael Palin (former lumberjack - I used to live next door to his old primary school)
Sean Bean (professional Northern person)
Helen Sharman (the First Briton IN! SPAAAAACE!™)

 

[TrekkieMonster]

The only ones I can recall offhand are David Odgen Stiers (Charles Emerson Winchester III on M*A*S*H) and Danny Ainge (former pro basketball player and current basketball exec.)

Lame, I know.

 

[Kirby]

Tim Allen
Don Cheadle (he went to high school here)
Roy Halliday (pitcher for the Phillies)
Jan Michael Vincent
Douglas Fairbanks
Frank Welker (Famous cartoon voice actor)
Kip Winger

Ones we're not very proud of:
Karl Rove
Dog the Bounty Hunter