An 8,000-square-foot home burned to the ground last week in my hometown. Of course, the photo of the fire is pretty intense. But the history is what’s interesting.
The house was built by one of the famous Vanderbilt heirs. Clark Gable, Audrey Hepburn, President Harry Truman and John Wayne were among the famous guests, and it was apparently quite the place in its day. When it went up for sale in 2000, the estate got a mention in the Wall Street Journal. The next year, it went back on the market and got some more publicity, including from the San Francisco Chronicle.
And that’s where the story takes another turn. The home was bought by this guy:
Yep, YouTube sensation “Double Dream Hands” guy bought a big house in my hometown. I’m not a big YouTube watcher, but I’d actually heard of and seen this unique piece of musical dance amusement. I’d even visited the guy’s website a while back, just to see if he was serious.
John Jacobson, the Double Dream Hands guy, was actually serious. He’s a musician who has been involved in a number of projects, including Disney productions. He apparently makes enough money to plunk down several million dollars on another home in the middle of nowhere.
People often don’t realize that there are a number of well-to-do quasi-celebrities who have a “main” residence (in this case, Los Angeles), but actually live elsewhere most of the time. Believe it or not, Northern California is a popular spot for such people. Among the hicks and the hippies, wealthy people live on forested mountains, finding a “normal” life away from the chaotic world. They don’t really stand out, because the area is so spread out. They don’t attract media attention, and the national paparazzi can’t be bothered to fly and then drive several hours to a remote location — especially since much of the area still doesn’t have high-speed Internet. It’s a nice place to get away and just live a normal life.
Well, until your house burns to the ground and a blogger decides to link to both the fire and your YouTube video. And to the one where you appeared on The Ellen Degeneres Show: