December 27, 2011, - 2:16 pm
Weird: Mannheim Steamroller’s Creepy Leader
Sometimes the most creative people are also among the very creepy. And that seems to be the case with Mannheim Steamroller founder Chip Davis. As you probably know, Mannheim Steamroller is the band that plays synthesizer/techno versions of Christmas music favored by Rush Limbaugh and has sold over 28 million Christmas albums, bringing Davis much wealth, and all its accoutrements, including his own private plane and several luxe homes. Nothing wrong with that, but read on.
Mannheim Steamroller’s Chip Davis: Everyone’s in the Pic, Except the Two Concubines
As I’ve told you before, I enjoy reading the Wall Street Journal’s “Home Front” page, which is in the Friday section, each week. It’s usually almost an entire page and typically describes an unusual–and usually expensive–home and what inspired the owners to build it and/or decorate it that way. It delves into the particular home’s unique architecture and design. This past Friday, presumably in honor of Christmas, the Home Front article focused on Davis and his Omaha, Nebraska mansion on a spread of 150 acres. The description of the home was interesting, but then he volunteered this information to the Journal reporter:
Married and divorced four times, Mr. Davis currently has two long-distance female companions who visit separately, he said.
Weird. And not sure how this info has anything to do with the structure or design of the house. Yes, he’s single, but it’s an odd thing to offer up when a female Wall Street Journal reporter is there to write about your house. Perhaps, this guy is such a geek he feels the need to brag about what a stud he thinks he is to two gold-digger concubines. Maybe he’s upset that he’s not regarded as a “rock star” and wants to impress upon the world that he lives the “rock star life” even in his middle age.
Regardless of the reason for volunteering this info, it’s creepy. And not a great example, since the 64-year-old Davis has three kids, aged 12-20, who live with him. It’s not exactly the kind of bragging you expect to hear from someone who makes his living off of Christmas music.
It’s yet more information I didn’t need to know in our TMI world–TMI, now no longer restricted to teens and 20-somethings on Facebook, but creepy middle aged men with money who should know better and probably should keep their personal lives to themselves.
Davis has a number of products, including barbecue sauce and hot cocoa with the Mannheim Steamroller name on them. He told NBC it’s all about “branding.” So, when do the Mannheim Steamrolled Condoms arrive at a store near you?
Tags: Chip Davis, Christmas, concubines, Home Front, Mannheim Steamroller, two female companions, two long-distance female companions who visit separately, Wall Street Journal Home Front, weird
Rush most likely favors that music because of his hearing impairment. I suspect you’re correct about him feeling the need to be boastful about his groupies …
Mike Fisher on December 27, 2011 at 3:30 pm