r/rock 2d ago

Question Which Rockstars still live in the town they grew up in?

I don't blame Iggy Pop moving to Florida (though Detroit has somewhat since improved since he was a young man, so much so that Eminem (a musician of a generation after him) still prefers to stay there.)

McCartney has houses everywhere, but has no stable abode in Liverpool. He still respects the City, but his career truly requires him to be outside it.

The Gallagher brothers moved to London and Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols moved to Los Angeles -

Though Cookie of the Sex Pistols still resides in London.

48 Upvotes

128 comments sorted by

25

u/LayneLowe 2d ago

We see Billy Gibbons around Houston some

2

u/GatorOnTheLawn 1d ago

Yeah, he came into restaurant I worked in, in the Galleria area once.

1

u/Substantial-West7554 1d ago

How would you describe his state of dress?

1

u/LayneLowe 1d ago

Pretty average when I saw him at the Continental Club playing pool. He did have on a fuzzy hat.

2

u/Substantial-West7554 1d ago

The answer I have on the card is ‘sharp’….

1

u/LayneLowe 23h ago

Whoosh!

1

u/Substantial-West7554 22h ago

Haha, I can’t help myself dude sorry.

28

u/Malcolmsyoungerbro 2d ago

Alice Cooper has his home base in Phoenix, Arizona, where he grew up during his high school years. Though he seems almost constantly on the road.

20

u/BasicWhiteHoodrat 2d ago

Figured he would have relocated to Milwaukee

11

u/urine-monkey 2d ago

Alice is a regular visitor here. But Milwaukee sure has had its share of visitors. The French missionaries and explorers were coming here as early as the 1600s to trade with the Native Americans.

7

u/Ironborn_62 2d ago

Isn't Milwaukee an Indian name?

6

u/m_leo89 2d ago

Yes Pete, it is. Actually it’s pronounced Milly-walk-ayy, which is Algonquin for “the good land”.

3

u/urine-monkey 1d ago

Y'know one of the more interesting aspects about Milwaukee is that it's the only major American city to have ever elected three socialist mayors.

Also.... if you've read the thread this far. Here's an easter egg from a local. Look up "Milwaukee neighborhood posters." You'll see that they're prominently featured prominently on the walls in that scene. Those posters are in every school, library, and public building in Milwaukee.

Someone knew.

11

u/Smooth-Bandicoot6021 2d ago

He and his wife have a charity center for kids to get involved in performance arts, 2 of my teenaged cousins go there 3 days per week. They see him there pretty regularly and work with his wife a ton, she teaches dance. I regularly get selfies from my little cousin with him and his wife in them, at least monthly. They do showcases of performances from different disciplines, and he checks in with the students and knows many of them by name, my little cousin included. She just calls him Alice like it's normal, which I find absolutely hilarious. He seems like one of the most stand-up dudes in music who genuinely cares and puts his money where his mouth is. I had no idea until she started sending me pics and performance videos.

8

u/Analog_Hobbit 2d ago

Needed the environment to work on his golf game.

3

u/-Economist- 2d ago

I’ve golfed with him on more the one occasion (mutual acquaintances) and I can’t stress enough how cool this MFer is.

23

u/neanderthal85 2d ago

John Mellencamp generally lives in the same area in Indiana (from Seymour, lives in Bloomington)

22

u/bluntmonkey 2d ago

I heard he was from a small town. He’ll probably die in a small town too …

11

u/Autumnwind37 2d ago

Does he live in a pink house? He’ll probably die from choking on one of them chili dogs he’s suckin on.

5

u/dancin-weasel 2d ago

I saw him outside the Taste-ee-Freeze

2

u/IDigRollinRockBeer 2d ago

But was he sucking on a chili dog?

1

u/Wxdood 1d ago

His parents live in that same small town.

18

u/NotDeadYet57 2d ago

Josh Homme has one home in the Palm Desert and one in L.A.

1

u/Swimming-Success797 1d ago

He's from Joshua Tree though... doesn't count...

1

u/Afterlite 1d ago

Was he not born in JT but grew up in PS?

1

u/NotDeadYet57 1d ago

He was actually born in Palm Springs because they probably had a better hospital. He resided in the city of "Palm Desert". The studio he often records in "Rancho de la Luna" is in Joshua Tree.

1

u/Swimming-Success797 1d ago

I read that he lived in J.T. until around 7 years old, apparently lots of towns want to say he grew up there. I really don't care anyway. 

17

u/ThinkZone4366 2d ago

Often see Bono doing normal things in Dublin

14

u/dancin-weasel 2d ago

He saves his abnormal things for Galway.

3

u/Mr_SunnyBones 2d ago

As is tradition

2

u/soundengineerguy 1d ago

That's what Galway is for

1

u/ShutUpYaBert 2d ago

Joycian things?

1

u/Agreeable_Taint2845 2d ago

fisting

1

u/ShutUpYaBert 1d ago

Ah. Behan things.

1

u/Markitron1684 2d ago

Killiney and Finglas may aswell be in different countries.

1

u/WeDoingThisAgainRWe 2d ago

This is the thing with this question. They can live in the “same town” while living in nothing like the area they grew up in.

1

u/Future_Illustrator14 2d ago

I think all four of them live in Dublin

1

u/WillieForge 20h ago

Not paying his taxes there though.

1

u/ThinkZone4366 19h ago

He definitely does pay his taxes in Ireland. 

Assume you’re referring to “U2 inc.”?

 Yes they moved theirs overseas. Can you name any businesses who will willingly cop a larger tax bill when there are legal avenues to avoid doing so? I’m not saying it’s right, but they certainly aren’t alone in doing so for their commercial IP. 

Big yawn at this tired old objection that continually gets wheeled out to cut down Ireland largest cultural export by far. 

1

u/Breezlife 5h ago

Well I can't name any such businesses. Then again, they don't try to compete with Bono in the halo-polishing space. Preachers should be (morally) tax-compliant.

36

u/guardianoverseas 2d ago

Rush

21

u/The_Observatory_ 2d ago

Yes, Alex and Geddy do. I know Neil Peart was living in LA the last part of his life.

16

u/One_Bus_9677 2d ago

Stevie Nicks still lives in Paradise Valley, AZ.

3

u/ChapterNo3428 2d ago

Stevie nicks is from the Bay Area.

3

u/vikingwanderer 2d ago

She was born in Phoenix and lived in a bunch of places because her dad worked for Grayhound. She spent some high school years in Arcadia, CA, but her senior year was in Atherton, which is where she met Lindsey.

Stevie Nicks - Wikipedia https://share.google/4oroNxtxhAtxIwY0r

14

u/DiaperDonaldT 2d ago

Most of Slipknot still lives in the Des Moines area.

0

u/crowkiller06 2d ago

Root, had/has a place in Florida. I used to work with an IT guy, covered in tattoos. He would tell you about knowing & being buddies with Root every chance he got.

He would send me photos from 4th of July parties where they would go to Root’s place and light off thousands & thousands of dollars of fireworks.

Apparently, when Root was fixing up his house, one of the contractors brought his son along, and Root gave the son a few guitar lessons for the dad who was working on his house.

13

u/OneLawWorld 2d ago

I believe the members of Dinosaur Jr. still live around western Massachusetts. Unless I'm horribly mistaken.

1

u/wrongcopy 2h ago

I don't know that Lou does, unless he's moved? He used to live in LA, right?

-1

u/Pure_Carpenter_30 2d ago

OP said rockstars...

2

u/SwingIllustrious8164 7h ago

That is just mean. Dinosaur Jr. is a great band.

13

u/GueroBorracho3 2d ago

Chevelle still live in Grayslake, IL.

11

u/lduff100 2d ago

Dropkick Murphys still live in Boston

8

u/Melodic-Classic391 2d ago

I think Rick Nielsen still lives in Rockford, Illinois

2

u/TheeEssFo 2d ago

He's a part owner of the Icehogs hockey team, if I'm not mistaken.

8

u/OnceUponASlime 2d ago

Wayne Coyne still lives in OKC in the house he grew up in if I’m not mistaken.

6

u/thebananahotdog 2d ago

The Tragically Hip all still live in/around Kingston. Only Gord lived in Toronto.

7

u/Top-Raspberry-7837 2d ago

Springsteen?

8

u/Any_Listen_7306 2d ago

Yeah, believe he lives 10 miles from where he grew up.

7

u/marplatense 2d ago

Prince lived and died more or less in the same place, right?

4

u/problyurdad_ 2d ago

He grew up in the hood and moved to the high end burbs once he got some high end burbs money but yes, still only a handful of miles away. Same metro area.

7

u/wendyoschainsaw 2d ago

Slash lives in LA.

4

u/Keisvorve 2d ago

He’s from Stoke on Trent….

1

u/Prole1979 2d ago

I heard he has charming little canal barge with potted flowers on the roof which he sometimes stops at if he’s in the area

1

u/wendyoschainsaw 2d ago

Birthplace and where someone grows up are very different.

Slash and Steve Adler went to Fairfax High in West Hollywood together, not 8,000 miles apart.

1

u/Keisvorve 2d ago

Well, yeah he was born in London so that’s true either way. Raised in Stoke for his early years and interestingly didn’t become an American citizen until 1996.

1

u/Swimming-Success797 1d ago

Slash is from England, not LA

4

u/sklatch 2d ago

Most of the members of XTC still live in Swindon.

5

u/Braiseitall 2d ago

Wish they’d actually talk and hang out. Maybe make some more music

1

u/ChombieNation 15h ago

The old Swindon lot

5

u/Klutzy-Spend-6947 2d ago

21 Pilots still live in Columbus

Phil Anselmo still lives in Louisiana

4

u/TILostmypassword 2d ago

Neil Young grew up in Omeemee Ontario and recently moved back to the nearby Kawartha Lakes area.m, after living in California for most of his career.

3

u/sonoftom 2d ago

Billy and Jimmy from The Smashing Pumpkins

4

u/BartStarrPaperboy 2d ago

I think Cheap Trick still lives in Rockford

2

u/ballotechnic 2d ago

The members of U2 still live around Dublin.

2

u/LordMogroth 2d ago

The Prodigy all remained living in Essex.

2

u/YchYFi 2d ago

Biffy Clyro still live in Ayrshire and that area.

2

u/sergeantpinback 2d ago

Mike Joyce of The Smiths still lives in south Manchester, often see him at a Nepalese restaurant in Northenden. I’m pretty sure neither Morrissey or Marr live in the city.

2

u/chadwickipedia 2d ago

Brad Delp lived around Boston before he died, as well as some of the other members of Boston

2

u/rasher98 2d ago

Bruce Springsteen still lives at NJ shore.

2

u/ShutUpYaBert 2d ago

John O'Neill of The Undertones still lives in Derry. 

2

u/honeybabysweetiedoll 2d ago

David Lee Roth lives in the house in which he grew up in Pasadena CA.

1

u/[deleted] 2d ago

[deleted]

2

u/LAFunTimesOK 2d ago

Dave’s dad was an uber rich eye surgeon/medical device inventor. He was featured on lifestyles of the rich and famous. It’s not like Dave lives in a normal childhood home.

2

u/AgreeableAlbatross80 2d ago

George Porter Jr. of The Meters still lives in New Orleans and keeps a residence at The Maple Leaf.

1

u/UtahUtopia 2d ago

James Taylor…. sort of.

1

u/tickynicky 2d ago

Don Henley

1

u/EManSantaFe 2d ago

Springsteen’s ranch isn’t far from his hometown.

1

u/snarlindog 2d ago

The Live Oaks are actually from Oakland

1

u/p_sffrt 2d ago

Paulo Jr., from Sepultura, still have a house in the same neighbourhood he grew up in and where the band formed, in Belo Horizonte/Brazil.

He’s often seen around the bars there, even paying beer to fans sometimes.

1

u/whynothis1 2d ago

Mick jagger still lives in London.

Just for reference for people, London is 4 hours down the road from Manchester and Liverpool which are very close to each other. So, it's very different to American stars moving around and choosing where to set up.

1

u/Lazy_Leadership_3260 2d ago

I think Jagger grew up in Dartford, Kent but now lives in Richmond/Ham in South West London

1

u/tibsbulls2021 2d ago

Brian Setzer, still lives in Minneapolis

2

u/Iloilocity1 1d ago

He sat next to me on a flight to MSP last year. I thought “dude looks like Brian Setzer”

About 3 days later I was listening to the local radio and they mentioned he lived here, I think his wife is from MN? Anyway, I had no idea he lived in MN until I heard that.

1

u/tibsbulls2021 17h ago

That's pretty cool.  I also wonder if it's better to come off saying you know who they are, or if it's better to pretend you don't know them, but still make conversation with them like a regular person.  I feel like that would give a more personal experience.  

1

u/wendyoschainsaw 2d ago

Which is nowhere near Long Island, NY, where he was born and formed the Stray Cats. Plus he spent decades living in LA.

1

u/tibsbulls2021 1d ago

Props for him choosing to live in a real American town instead of fake, overpriced NY and Cali. 

1

u/wendyoschainsaw 1d ago

I think some of it has to do with his medical treatment for autoimmune diseases.

1

u/[deleted] 2d ago

[deleted]

2

u/TheeEssFo 2d ago

Freddie Gibbs only visits Gary, too.

1

u/chapatibrown 2d ago

Robert plant still has a house around the West Midlands in the UK. He also goes to a lot of Wolverhampton wanderers football games.

1

u/bunrakoo 2d ago

Bruce still lives 9 miles from Asbury Park where he grew up and folks in the neighborhood see him and Patti often

1

u/quarky_uk 2d ago

Rick Savage still lives near Sheffield I think.

1

u/MixGroundbreaking622 2d ago

All Black Sabbath lived in Birmingham. Ozzy moved back to Birmingham before he died. Geezer lives there. Tony and Bill both live about an hour away.

1

u/wendyoschainsaw 1d ago

Geezer has lived the last few years in Las Vegas.

1

u/Imaginary-Push-3615 2d ago

Mick Jagger lives in London.

1

u/-JTO 2d ago

GWAR is still based out of RVA.

1

u/wasgoinonnn 2d ago

Iggy was actually from outside of Detroit, and many of the richest people in the world have homes in Michigan.

1

u/Charming_Sale2064 1d ago

Trailer park in Ypsi. https://99wfmk.com/iggy-pop/

1

u/wasgoinonnn 1d ago

Yep. That was my point. Ypsi/ann Arbor after being born in Muskegon. One of my favorite rock stories is Iggy talking about seeing the doors actually playing a U of M homecoming dance… And it changed his whole perspective of what a front man performance could be. He saw Jim Morrison antagonizing the crowd rather than just trying to entertain them.

1

u/EatShootBall 2d ago

Jimmy Eat World are in Phoenix which is kinda Mesa where they grew up. If same metro area counts.

1

u/unga_bunga_kid1927 2d ago

Jon Bonjovi still lives in NJ. He did say his license will always say NJ.

1

u/whydoihave2dothis 1d ago

He lives in Rumson NJ, my brother lived a few blocks from him. He lived a few blocks away from us when we were kids in Sayreville, went to the same high school and my other brother used to jam with him and Dave Sabo, who also lived a few blocks from us and still lives in NJ. Dave Sabo is a great guy, much loved in Sayreville.

2

u/unga_bunga_kid1927 1d ago

I know I'm a NJ girl.

1

u/whydoihave2dothis 1d ago

I thought you might be. There are a lot of musicians and actors from NJ as I'm sure you know. My husband went to school with one of the Smithereens guys (not sure of his name). Always glad to run into another Jersey Girl 😎

1

u/unga_bunga_kid1927 1d ago

Do you know the history of slippery when wet album cover ?

1

u/darranj85 1d ago

As far as I know. Not only does Cookie still live in London. He lives in the street he grew up

1

u/Grrerrb 1d ago

Izzy Stradlin of Guns N’ Roses lives in his hometown of Lafayette Indiana.

1

u/wendyoschainsaw 1d ago

He has ranch properties in Colorado and Ventura County, CA. He's in California more than anyplace.

1

u/beccasue62 16h ago

I wouldn't call either of those as ranch properties...

1

u/beccasue62 16h ago

No he doesn't.

1

u/Glittering_Season141 1d ago

Bruce for the most part. Same county for sure.

1

u/2cimage 1d ago

All the members of U2 still primarily live in Dublin where they grew up.

1

u/Rockky67 1d ago

PJ Harvey flits between Dorset and London. I think the Massive Attack people still live in Bristol.

1

u/Dry_Big3880 1d ago

U2. Bruce Springsteen says that for all his Born to Run schtick he lives 10 miles from where he grew up.

1

u/VividArtichoke7147 1d ago

U2 all live in Dublin

1

u/deliprint 23h ago

Prince, Minneapolis

1

u/47percentburnt 21h ago

Ian Mackaye is still in DC

1

u/memberflex 20h ago

Engelbert Humperdinck

1

u/SCPutz 15h ago

Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick) still lives in Rockford, IL and is highly involved in the community.