Are there any arrogant/obnoxious people that you admire?

[Wait Wut]

I can think of two, right off the bat. Shorty from Pit Boss and Anthony Bourdain.

I've got Shorty's new book on my short list (no pun intended, but...heh). The man has had a tough life. Some of it self-inflicted, but what a turnaround and what a heart.

I have a not-so-secret crush on Anthony Bourdain. His arrogance intrigues me, his humor turns me on and his compassion has left me in tears. I bought one of his books for the husband for Xmas and will be stealing it once he's done with it.

It's Friday, I'm bored. Gimme sumthin' to think about besides Newt's dumb ass.

[NRaleighLiberal]

1. Alas, no. But I certainly know/know of a lot of them!

[Wait Wut]

2. Um...you don't know ME, right?

Just checkin'.

[Taverner]

3. Christopher Hitchens

[Wait Wut]

21. I think we'd have to give him a pass...

...along with any other political activists, politicians, etc. Otherwise, we'd have a really long list that would include Grayson, Pelosi, Weiner, Frank, Franken...yeah. We need them to be loud.

[stuntcat]

126. yay!

(unholy headbang)

[Neoma]

4. Stephen Colbert.

[Wait Wut]

22. Ah, yes...

...how could I have left him out.

[MADem]

65. His arrogance is delicious because it is both over-the-top and faux. No one does it better! nt

[Shankapotomus]

90. Put me down for Colbert, as well.

I like how he makes fun of arrogance and the arrogant by assuming a faux air of it.

[arbusto_baboso]

5. Liam Neeson.

"But he's not arrogant," you say. I met him once. Believe me, he's plenty arrogant.

Still a damn fine actor, though.

[Wait Wut]

26. Hmmmm...

I have such a hard time picturing him as arrogant. He comes across as such a gigantic sweetheart. I always end up thinking of Tim Robbins when I see Liam. Probably the same facial features. Both great actors.

[arbusto_baboso]

28. To be fair, it could also have been the circumstances in which I met him.

And many shy people can come across as arrogant. Still, he was shitty to that poor waitress who was serving him.

[Nevernose]

104. Weird. I met him once, too

Guy was a total sweetheart.

[arbusto_baboso]

106. Musta just been the circumstances, then.

Everyone has a bad day once in awhile, I guess.

[geardaddy]

6. Ricky Gervais

He's plenty obnoxious. That's what I love about him.

[graywarrior]

7. Same here!

Oh, and Gordon Ramsay.

[geardaddy]

8. Goddamn, he was hilarious in Extras.

[graywarrior]

9. I didn't see that.

[geardaddy]

10. You gotta rent it on Netflix or whatever.

High-lar-ee-ous!

[graywarrior]

12. Okee dokee!

[geardaddy]

13. Here...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0445114/

[graywarrior]

15. Oh, is that the one with episodes that is on weekly sometimes?

I saw something like that a few times and pissed myself laughing.

[geardaddy]

16. Yep, that's the one.

He is so fucking funny.

[graywarrior]

17. All he needs to do is grin and I'm done.

[geardaddy]

18. And that cackling laugh!

[graywarrior]

19. This vid cracks me up because it sounds just like Gervais

[geardaddy]

29. Bookmarking for when I get home.

[geardaddy]

73. Totally!

[KamaAina]

112. "The Invention of Lying"

Imagine a world without lies, where everyone always tells the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. 'Yes, those jeans do make you look fat."

[geardaddy]

113. That was a good movie.

It also had another favorite of mine in it: Louis C.K.

[Wait Wut]

23. Love him!

No apologies necessary, Ricky!!!

[stuntcat]

128. yay <3

when he's obnoxious I usually agree with him. Also I think he's super-hot

[ScreamingMeemie]

11. Charles Barkley

Because he is spot on about making athletes into role models.

[hifiguy]

20. He's also the most honest commentator

on anything relating to the NBA. And he's funny as hell.

[BrendaBrick]

14. For me, Ted Turner - hands down

Maybe (on the surface) arrogant & obnoxious for some (most) - but in the long run, I do believe he has (not only a good heart) but also possesses a quite distinct rational pulse hitting squarely and clearly on just where this country is LIKELY headed if we don't get our act together with regard to global warming. And his so-called far-out predictions, (by way about cannibalism in the worst, possible scenario and all which is currently poohed-poohed) may not be altogether far from the truth...all things considered.

I am by no means an alarmist at all. But I do tend to think that Turner has nothing to lose by stating the bare, naked truth as he sees it and it is probably because of that I tend to agree or at least sway in his direction as a well-meaning cautionary (perhaps prophetic) flag, as such.

After all, time and time again he has proven himself to be way ahead of the curve. I see his current feelings/reflections about the state of this country to be no different.

Well, I dunno what ALL IS UP with adobe and stuff here recently with me, but here is the link (that I CAN NOT ACCESS FOR SOME REASON) that goes into the detail of this:

From C-SPAN: Renewable & Alternative Energy 4-19-2011 (about 1 hour, 2 minutes:

http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/299117-1#

[Wait Wut]

24. I'm not sure I would call Ted arrogant and obnoxious.

At least, not the in-your-face types that I'm thinking of. Definitely a man worth admiring, though. I may not agree with everything, but I do admire his style. He makes rich assholes look like the shallow offal that many of them truly are. His refusal to retreat into his castle and, instead, fight with the guards is a rare trait.

Oh, and my MIL was in love with him, so he has to be amazing.

[BrendaBrick]

33. MIL might have a pretty good handle on his character

Yeah. I live in Atlanta. Turner has a mixed audience, to be sure. I admire the man. Always have. Walks the walk - ya know? Actually, he has been seen to actually pick up local garbage. Folks kind of think that he is like - really *screwed up in that way* Nah. He is like - why WOULDN'T ANYONE PICK IT UP?

Common fricking sense is all! No more, no less. Geesh.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

55. I'll never forgive him for selling CNN.

Other than that I like him.

[mopinko]

119. i always thought he got one of those

offers you can't refuse.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

124. He didn't need the money.

Now he says he's using it for charity. That doesn't change the fact that Time Warner turned American "news" into a clown show.

[mopinko]

130. that, of course, was the point.

it was a real news organization. what bigger threat could there be to corporate america? i just have the feeling that he didn't want to sell, didn't do it for the money, so why?
yeah. cuz he was allergic to severed horses heads.

[OriginalGeek]

25. read the title

came to post Bourdain and Gordon Ramsay

See that's already been done.

I wonder why the first two I thought of were chefs. I don't, however, wonder why they were those two - the fact that I am not alone I think is proof of concept.


I do want to stress that while I find them arrogant and/or obnoxious, I mean it in the good way. I would love to hang out with either of them for an afternoon. I think it would be one of the most fun afternoons ever.

I think there is room in the world for the arrogance of being a complete master of one's chosen profession. When you are really really good at what you do, just doing it can look like arrogance to people who aren't anywhere near that level. In GR's case, the difference between being a dick about it and just being good is that while Ramsay might think you are less skilled than he, I never get the impression that he thinks you are less of person than he. I think he truly believes the people he is trying to help can be as good as he is if they would just listen. But people get mad when told they aren't good at what they think they are good at and that usually turns the learning channels right off. I sometimes wish I had had someone in my life that was that expert and that committed to imparting their expertise to me about any of the things I ever did. Actually, back when I was younger, I probably would have chafed mightily at it so I guess I really wish someone would do that now that I am more open to learning. I just have much less time to do it.

As for Anthony Bourdain, I've never seen him cook a thing so I don't how he cooks - but the way he describes food and talks about the chefs he admires makes me pretty sure he knows what he is talking about and I LOOOOOVE watching him do that. My daughter and I watch reruns of No Reservations over and over and I hope he keeps making shows for as long as I live. (I mean, he can make them after I die too but I just won't care as much then. My daughter might though so I hope does.)

[Wait Wut]

82. Finally, I can respond to this!

Your comment nails my thoughts on arrogance perfectly and I wanted to have a clear head before I replied. I think intelligence and talent may just come off as arrogance without the person's knowledge. I also think everyone should have a bit of arrogance. Just enough to give them confidence in situations that they may otherwise avoid. How can any great author become published without thinking, "People will buy this book because it's good."? How can any politician become elected without thinking, "Enough people will like me to elect me."? It's the hypocrites I can't stand. Those that feign humility to gain our support. Mittens comes to mind.

Yes, there are people in this world that are arrogant without reason. Those that just think by "being" they are better than others without the substance to back it up. But, the intelligent, the artistic, the talented...maybe it's just that confidence that some of us lack makes them seem more arrogant. Bourdain is a good example. He's smart, he's talented, he's attractive...why the hell shouldn't he be confident? He's also incredibly compassionate and driven. Those traits negate the negatives (Is that a double negative? Heh.).

Maybe I have more understanding of the personality because I'm arrogant. I fought hard to gain the confidence I have and I'm damned proud of it. Look at Shorty Rossi (Pit Boss). He had a really rough life growing up and into his adulthood. He not only turned his life around after spending 10 years in prison, but chose to devote his life defending dogs that had been judged unfairly...like himself. Whether or not you like pit bulls, his actions are admirable. He not only deserves to be the asshole that he is, but needs to be.

[applegrove]

27. There was a character on the soap opera "Santa Barbara" who was arrogant: Mason. I had a

crush on him. But I think it was mostly because he was quick witted and he was mostly making fun of his own dam character. I normally hate arrogance.

[AsahinaKimi]

30. In my sig line I have the phrase:

Goman na hitoga Kirada. This means: I hate arrogance. In answer to your question, the only one who I might admire,
and I am pretty sure History paints him as a bit arrogant was Miyamoto Musashi. In his life, he was the best swordsman Japan ever had. People were always challenging him, and he won every battle. My guess is, one had to be a little arrogant
to hold that title. Perhaps in his situation, it was needed.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

56. I like that painting.

[Enrique]

31. Roseanne Barr

[GoCubsGo]

39. She is awesome!

[UnrepentantLiberal]

57. She's kind of crazy now

but her show was brilliant. The only real family on television.

[yankeepants]

32. Dennis Leary n/t

[Neoma]

34. Jack Black

[Doc Holliday]

35. Michael Weatherly

from NCIS....actually, his character, Tony DiNozzo.

I have no idea what he's like IRL, but he plays a real jerk. The wife love/hates him, and enjoys the interplay between him and Cote de Pablo. (Now there's someone I'd like to meet....)

We need a "drool" smiley.

[Aristus]

36. Harlan Ellison.

With the caveat that he's not always arrogant/obnoxious. I had the honor and pleasure of having dinner with him and some of his literary 'groupies', for lack of a better term. It's common wisdom that one can discern another's true character by the way he treats the staff at a restaurant. As cranky, profane, and curmudgeonly as Ellison is (rightly) viewed, I was worried what might happen when we sat down to dinner in the restaurant of the hotel that was hosting the science fiction literature convention he was headlining.

I was very pleasantly surprised. In addition to being a spellbinding dinner companion, he was witty, polite, charming, and utterly captivating to the young man who was serving us. Did my heart a world of good. Ellison is famously liberal in his politics, and I was glad to see he wasn't letting our side down with boorish, right-wing-style behavior.

Me with the man himself:

[UnrepentantLiberal]

58. It's cool that you had dinner with him.

[alphafemale]

92. ...um. Is he sitting on your lap?

Not that there would be anything wrooonnng with that.

[Aristus]

95. No. I'm kneeling behind his chair as he signs copies of his books.

He was very generous to his fans. People would come in with entire stacks of his books, and he would sign each book that every fan had. In fountain pen, carefully signed and then blotted. Old school...

[kentauros]

37. Hugh Laurie's Dr. Gregory House

You didn't say it couldn't be fictional

"You're a moron!"

[GoCubsGo]

41. As long as we're talking about fictitious TV doctors...

I like Ted Danson's "Becker" even more than I like "House". Maybe it's because I can relate to him a bit more.

[kentauros]

43. How about Dr. Cox on Scrubs?

He's one of the funniest to me. I haven't watched much of Becker to know what he's like.

[GoCubsGo]

44. Becker is a more likeable version of House.

He's cranky, misanthropic, and has no tolerance for stupidity. But, he's not manipulative like House, and he cares about his patients. I never watched Scrubs, so I don't know what Dr. Cox was like, but Dr. Becker was very funny, too.

[kentauros]

46. Okay, here's one of Dr. Cox's sarcastic bits:

[RiffRandell]

38. Me, dammit!

I am so arrogant and obnoxious, and love that about me.

[hyphenate]

42. I don't think so

unless you would count Michael Moore, or Richard Dawkins.

I try to stay away people who make me ill by their presence alone. Not really becoming on a person.

[Xipe Totec]

45. Louie, from Taxi...

[mzteris]

47. I used to love Don Rickles...

(am I showing my age?)

[MADem]

88. He could be pretty cruel--he managed to make me cringe more than once. nt

[6000eliot]

48. I met Bourdain and he's nothing like his public persona.

Very kind and gracious. I was going to give him shit about the way he talks about vegetarians, but I changed my mind because he was too nice.

[Suich]

49. If you don't mind me (my?) asking,

how did you meet him? He's one of my favorites. I read a book he wrote about his "early years" and he's lucky he's still around!

[6000eliot]

53. After a performance at a book signing.

He's not at all like he is on stage on-to-one.

[Wait Wut]

77. I get that impression from him.

I think intelligence sometimes comes across as arrogance. But, he's a compassionate man that has a low tolerance for stupidity.

[deutsey]

108. The episode I saw him in about food in Haiti showed me a very humble side of him

He was honest and very self-effacing in it.

[yellowcanine]

50. Oh yes, Hands down, it is Barney Frank. He is one arrogant obnoxious person. And when the

shitstorm hits I want him right by my side.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

59. He's awesome.

Sorry to see him retire.

[MADem]

66. He's only arrogant when suffering fools. Otherwise, he's a really nice guy. Very compassionate. nt

[yellowcanine]

86. Arrogance is a virtue when dealing with aggressive ignorance.

[MADem]

87. Yep. I will always love his "Pardon me for speaking while you were interrupting me" smackdown! nt

[CottonBear]

116. OK. I have to ask: to whom did Mr. Frank say that?

I think Mr. Frank should be a role model for other Democrats. He gets right to the point, doesn't he?

[MADem]

117. He says it all the time--it's a reflex with him; he got good at it when the GOP was employing their

"run out the clock" strategy on the TV talk shows. And as you know, Barney may have a goofy little accent, but he can BOOM when he wants to--he has no trouble being heard.

[MiddleFingerMom]

51. Muhammad Ali. It ain't braggin' if it's true.

[Tom Ripley]

64. +1 (for the truth)

[Wait Wut]

78. He's a sweetheart.

Met him when I was a little girl. He picked me up and put me on his lap. Great man and, yes, it's not braggin' if it's true.

[MiddleFingerMom]

83. Agreed. I think his PERSONA was arrogant, not him.

[MGKrebs]

52. I suspect Gene Hackman is an asshole.

But I sure do like his work.

[Deep13]

54. I admire Gingrich's mastery of dickishness.

I think John Stewart called it "dick foo." Anyway, Gingrich is the master of dick foo. Makes Scalia look like a ham-fisted amateur by comparison.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

60. Huh?

You might as well throw in Ann Coulter.

[Deep13]

68. No, she's just an idiot.

Don't misunderstand, I am no fan of Gingrich. But he really has mastered dickishness. During that debate, when the moderator asked him about his horrible treatment of women he supposedly loved, Gingrich was about to make it seem like he was the victim of an ambush and be outraged. This was despite the fact that the allegations are true and that he pontificates about family values to the extent that he led the impeachment charge against Bill Clinton. It's quite entertaining.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

74. He's a man devoid of scruples.

[Deep13]

76. Oh yeah, total sociopath. nt

[Wait Wut]

81. "Gimme sumthin' to think about besides Newt's dumb ass."

Alerted for not following directions. J/K, but go to your room and don't come out until after the election.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

61. Kathy Griffin.

She's hilarious.

[Mopar151]

62. John Force, Shirley Muldowney

Force is a 300mph self-promoter, and a real-life Horatio Alger story.

Shirley Muldowney - A real pioneer and a superb driver - outspoken always, and a very intense competiror.

[Tom Ripley]

63. Miles Davis, Lou Reed, Wm Faulkner, Truman Capote, Patricia Highsmith, Jerry Lee Lewis

[UnrepentantLiberal]

69. I know you like her writing but you like Patricia Highsmith's

personality as well?

[Tom Ripley]

97. Tough call. Highsmith's behavior wasn't the typical combination of arrogance and indifference found

in many creative types. She went far beyond that, and by all accounts, she was downright mean.
A very hateful woman.
She carried a lot of rage due to her relationship with her mother.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

98. I was reading about her in Wikipedia.

A great writer but very messed up emotionally.

[nolabear]

110. I like the way you think.

[MADem]

67. Stewie Griffin?

[Wait Wut]

79. +1 topped with Cool Hwip!!!

[MADem]

85. Ha ha ha...you're eating HAIR!

[UnrepentantLiberal]

70. John Lennon.

[HopeHoops]

71. John Cleese.

[Wait Wut]

80. I wonder how much of that is real.

I can't imagine anyone being that funny and that much of an asshole. I think he may just be insane.

[nolabear]

111. He is married to a shrink, you know.

[Nikia]

72. A few people from my personal life that I have mixed feelings about

I think that it is possible to admire someone's accomplishments but not be thrilled about their personality.
I think that it is hard to know if someone is truly arrogant or obnoxious if you don't know them personally. There are a couple of "celebrities" that I have seen once in person that have come off as arrogant to me. I have never seen them described as arrogant. Perhaps they just seemed that way because they were overscheduled or did not really want to be there for whatever reason.

[Joe Shlabotnik]

75. Sarah Silverman comes to mind.

but is it admiration or a bit of a crush??? or both, I dunno.

[MiddleFingerMom]

84. Here? A bit of a crush.

[eppur_se_muova]

89. LBJ, Hunter S. Thompson

Imagine a USA where neither of these men had lived ...

[UnrepentantLiberal]

93. I can imagine an America without a Vietnam War.

[Tom Ripley]

96. That is a really profound pairing there

hard to argue with it
nice work

[alphafemale]

91. Al Pacino as Roy Cohn in Angels in America.

That was delicious. I'd have probably hated the real guy though.

[annabanana]

94. Chef Ramsey can be a hoot. . n/t

[RebelOne]

102. He is so foul-mouthed, but I love him. n/y

[HappyMe]

99. Bourdain, Gervais, Leary!

All sexy, funny, little arrogant. Yum!

[Burma Jones]

100. Myself, you moran.....

Now rub my feet.

[Brother Buzz]

101. Jack is at the top of my list

[UnrepentantLiberal]

127. I wish I hadn't seen that.

[Brother Buzz]

129. Jack Nicholson is smiling

[mvd]

103. I guess Olbermann is a bit arrogant, but..

he has the broadcasting talent to have earned the right to be.

[undeterred]

105. Alec Baldwin

Arrogant and obnoxious, but also funny as hell, liberal, talented, attractive, and one of us.

[LynneSin]

107. That's like asking if there is any crap that smells good

[deutsey]

109. Frank Zappa

He was more arrogant than obnoxious, but he could back up his arrogance with intelligence, talent, and humor.

I've been a huge fan of his for some time. I met him once backstage when he was doing a lecture tour and he graciously allowed me and two other guys sit and talk with him four about a half hour to 40 minutes before he went onstage.

One of my fondest memories.

[Doc Holliday]

120. Agree....

..."more arrogant than obnoxious"...I guess when you have that much talent, wit and intelligence, a little bit of arrogance goes along with it.

I had the extreme good fortune to actually sit down with Mr. Z in Wuerzburg, Germany when he played there on his '88 tour. A co-worker of mine* and his German wife owned a little bistro in town where Frank and some of his entourage had a late dinner after the show. He apparently threw a lot of money at them in order to keep the place open late and have it all to themselves. I found him charming and gracious...the witty, intelligent and articulate part just goes without saying.



* - The co-worker and I were managers at the Officers' Club at Leighton Barracks in Wuerzburg. I was bar manager, he was catering manager. I had gone to the concert that evening with friends, and we went by the O Club after the show to check on things. Greg called me there (this was pre-cell-phone era), saying "Get your ass down to the restaurant RIGHT NOW if you want to meet Frank Zappa!" Shit, man....how could I resist?? My friends, who happened to also be my upstairs neighbors, were also thrilled...one of them said, "We need to go out with you more often. You know the coolest people!"

[Blue_Tires]

114. Howard Cosell

[pipi_k]

115. Was going to say

no famous people I could think of, but when I thought of a particular sister-in-law, I realized she reminds me a bit of Roseanne Barr.

"C" is loud, opinionated, obnoxious, and abrasive, but there's something about her I find...well...sort of amusing. I like her. Maybe it's her love for animals that overshadows all the rest of it.

Anyway, I suppose that would translate to an admiration of sorts for Roseanne...

[Tikki]

118. Henry Rollins is considered INTENSE..not necessarily arrogant..

I like Henry...

Tikki

[mopinko]

121. rahm

go ahead. hate me.

[Wait Wut]

122. Nope.

I agree with you.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

125. I don't hate you but I couldn't disagree with you more.

[helderheid]

123. I never thought of Anthony Bourdain as arrogant in the least. 2 I can think of are Bill Maher and

Randi Rhodes.