If you were wondering why Linda Ronstadt doesn’t live in Tucson these days, her interview with the Arizona Republic published over the weekend might shine some light on her decision to head to San Francisco…too much of a car culture (fair) and she didn’t want her children influenced by the “kind of thinking” here:
“And they were coming home with some decidedly exotic attitudes. There was a lot of homophobic stuff that they would hear at school, which I found very, very offensive as we have lots of gay friends. They’ve been around openly homosexual people since they were born, and for them to come home and say ‘That’s so gay,’ I was offended by that.
“And then one day, my son went to have a playdate with a little boy, about 8 years old, and he said, ‘What church do you go to?’ And we said, ‘Well, we don’t go to a church,’ and he said, ‘Well, you’re gonna go to hell, then.’ So I had to stop the car. I wasn’t mean to the little boy, but I had to explain to him that my son was a fine person and that I didn’t think there was anything wrong with him and that we didn’t even believe in hell. And certainly he wasn’t going there, even if we did, and that I didn’t like that kind of talk.
“But it kept happening, so eventually I decided that (they needed to move). Safety is small groups of like-minded people, and the group was so small in Tucson. It was certainly there; I have wonderful friends there and I’m really glad that I went back because I got to pick up those friendships in a certain way that I wouldn’t have if I hadn’t lived there for 10 years. But I just didn’t want my children to be influenced by that kind of thinking.”
Also, Ronstadt’s not a huge fan of the architecture downtown these days:
“I still like Tucson, I still like to come back and I love to see my friends. I love to go to Mexico, which is more like Tucson was when I liked it than Tucson is anymore … I’m sad about the downtown. I’m glad that people are down there, but the buildings look like Stalinist Russia. They’re so generic. They didn’t seem to realize that Tucson in the old days had a distinctive architecture.”
If you’re interested in living in Ronstadt’s amazing former Tucson home, it appears to still be for sale at the quite reasonable price of $1,650,000.
This article appears in Aug 14-20, 2014.
Running from her fears. The explanations make no sense. I’m surprised she hasn’t run from San Fransico. Thee are people there that hate the rich.
“Safety is small groups of like-minded people, and the group was so small in Tucson.” I thought artsy rich ultra liberals were in this game for diversity? I guess diversity only works in safety of like minded groups.
The comment above about people in San Francisco “hating the rich” is one of the most ignorant statements ever uttered by anyone, anywhere. Anyone who has been paying any attention at all knows YOU HAVE TO BE RICH YOURSELF to live in San Francisco. Duh. Average cost of a home in San Francisco…..1 million dollars. I’m sure San Francisco’s masses of poor people will be protesting her arrival. Oh wait. They won’t. Because they don’t exist.
I remember our yearbook at Catalina High School interviewed her for the 1978 edition, I really liked the lady’s perspective then and I like it now. I wish I could remember one of her quotes properly, paraphrasing; “I didn’t drop out honey, they just wouldn’t give me a diploma” Obviously raising her children as best as she can is important to the woman and I certainly don’t see anything wrong with that. Don’t like the scenery? Change it. My perspective about Linda Ronstadt is that she has given the world far more than she’s taken and not everybody can say that.
LOVE YOU LINDA ,be very hard for you to say anything that offended me !
I so support her choice to move back to San Francisco. Tuczon is nice but hot and too conservative still. San Francisco has a much wider and diverse culture.
Typical liberal thinking morality is immoral. And decadence is morality!
Chased away by an 8-year-old…
My favorite female singer of all time. There will never be anyone who was so successful in so many styles of music. I love you, Linda!
I wish she would still hang out in Tucson at least part of the year. The fact that she was there always raised Tucson’c solo factor. The same goes for Sir Paul, come back Maca! I know you mourn for Linda but she brought you there.
Other than that, when are the Dusty Chaps getting back together?
chalk another one up to religon
@ Steve Newport – actually, I would call her a libertarian. Linda isn’t saying she prefers homosexuality, but chooses not to instill her morals on others by allowing others to live as they wish without being judgmental. If you truly believe it’s immoral that’s fine but leave the judging up to god.
Poor Linda, STILL a loony toon.
I have loved Linda Ronstadt’s music for about 40 years. Yikes, that gives away my age but still, she had the voice I did not get tired of hearing. Lucky for her and her kids that she obviously has the $$$ to move to San Francisco. I respect her opinion but “Stalinist Russia”? Perhaps but likely not! Haven’t been to Russia so I can’t really say but I have been to Tucson. Nice place, nice people. I have also been to San Francisco. A haven for the wealthy in my opinion. Good luck to her! Love her music! I will take Tucson any day!
she is right about Downtown Tucson: “the buildings look like Stalinist Russia”.
San Franscisco has no poor people?? There may be million dollar homes but there seemed like a million homeless when I was there.
I believe she is back in Tucson again and the incident she describes must have been many years ago as her children are grown now. Her daughter is in her twenties,
It’s America, folks…You can voice opinions, move where ever, raise your children as you see fit, freedom is a gift, honor it in your individual way. Be grateful that you can. Linda has payed her taxes & voted, enough!
c k logan, st. louis, mo.
So why do we care about the complaining of a rich person? She can live wherever she wants–she has the money. Some of us are stuck here.
And yes we complain about our city. Its not the same any more.
I don’t know what you’re saying, Rat T; running from her fears? I fear narrow-minded, idiotic, rascist, homophobia people, too. I would run, too, to some loving, open-minded people-generous of spirit, free of hate.
I just miss Linda touring and rockin the house down!!!I Dont give a damn where she lives
Linda, Linda, Linda! Such a beautiful woman that has become so twisted by the left.
You should be thankful that your son has been exposed to people that have views other than yours. These are the things that you can use as teaching moments. As far as your not going to church I hope that you explain that it is your choice not to go to church, but as they grow older they’ll be given to explore religions and perhaps they might find one that fulfills their needs or like you, they can choose whatever path of personal spiritual fulfillment they find.
And you’ve chosen San Francisco to live in and have your children exposed to a wide variety of view points, as long as they’re all pointed to a liberal point of view! Again Linda you’re not doing you or your family any favor by raising them in an area where they’ll never hear any opposing points of view.
Linda, I still love hearing your music and always include you in my thoughts and prayers that you and your family live a long life in good health!
smarterthanyouare if you think that statement was ignorant, wait until you read my next one. At some point you have got to figure out that it’s you.
…the poverty rate in tech-rich San Francisco at 23 percent, almost double the official rate? Maybe you should check the “facts.”
http://www.sfgate.com/business/bottomline/article/State-Bay-Area-poverty-from-sobering-perspective-4858389.php
Since Linda Ronstadt stopped being able to continue her career as a singer the landscape of female vocalists has changed from a beautiful varied garden to a desert with only a scattering of oases. I support her as a true fan should.
Are you a true fan? You know Linda Rondstadt never had to pop out of an egg or wear a python around her neck to entertain with that wonderful voice.
Just remember, Linda returned top Tucson bought a home in Midtown, then claimed she was close to DM, ranted about the people in Tucson, and what Tucson had become. I guess she forgot Tucson was turned the shithole it is because the far left liberal Democrats have squandered millions and want more. Linda is useless and does not represent Tucson nor does her whining nonsense.
San Francisco is a wasteland of shallow and narcissistic people.
Her architectural criticism is right on about almost all of the “new Urbanism” in downtowns all over the seven Western States
Linda does not know her city very well. The majority of people are registered Democrat,more than 10 percent than Republicans. And to say that Tucson was like Mexico when she lived there is ludicrous. What drugs does she use? Also when Stalin was in power, his country was called the Soviet Union not Russia. I can see why she has faded into obscurity.
Linda is close minded and intolerant of different opinions
Always loved her music. We’re the same age but I swear, what a political moron & embarrassing. Very diverse isn’t she. More confused really.
If she did attend church with her children who are now grown anyway they would have learned tolerance. She’s a fallen away Catholic. Linda, the church will always welcome you back with open arms. The doors are always open. You should open your mind more.
Linda, if you’re so afraid of your children being exposed to opposing opinions, you will have to home school them (I wouldn’t be surprised if you already do). Then, when classes are done for the day you can just lock them up in a closet. That way, they will never be exposed to horror stories such as the possibility that there just might be a God.
Don’t you realize that you are subjecting your kids to censorship just like many other beautiful countries in the world such as China and North Korea ? What a dolt !
The only thing I agree on is yes, the city of Tucson (aka town clowncial) has given open season to developers with many historic buildings in Tucson city limits, the UofA is not much better. Tearing down historic buildings to build parking garages and as for the gay part she can stay in sanfransico.
It seems funny that with Ms Ronstadt’s disdain for religion, she failed to mention this:
Islamic State message to America: ‘We will drown all of you in blood’…
or this:
islamic society of san francisco
I can’t figure her out.
With all due respect, were we better off when downtown was a bunch of empty buildings, homeless folks and the Wig-O-Rama? Maybe downtown was good in the first half of the 1900s, but NOT in the latter half until all of the new development started happening. Lovin’ downtown!
I guess this happens when you hang out with former Jesuit seminary student and Gov. Moonbeam! CA, land of nuts, fruits and flakes, and especially SF. Poor St. Francis, he must spin in his grave.
FYI, Linda lives in Marin County. Saying she “moved to San Francisco” is like saying someone who lives in Nogales as someone who “moved to Tucson”.
As for the homophobic, stereotypical and ignorant remarks about S.F., California and Linda of so many of the people who posted here — WOW — Step away from the faux-noise machine…
Stereotype much?
I love the commits here, I wonder if Linda bothers to read them?
I love her commits about loving going to Mexico. I’m sure that she’ll really love it when Narco-terrorists kidnaps her or her children.
Linda, we all love you! But what the hell happened to you to cause your head to be screwed on backwards?
why all the hate? A true American family. wish I could say the same.
She should move to Biosphere II. It has futuristic architecture, is owned by her old school U.A. that she attended and she could live in a bubble.
While she was in Cuba which she seems to admire so much she should have moved there instead and joined the breadlines for her ration. Also her income would all go to the Communist government. She is very ungrateful to be an American citizen by those remarks.
Linda is wrong about the “Stalinist Architecture”. Stalin-era architecture in Russia is actually quite distinctive. It is the Khruschev and Brezhniev-era buildings which are really awful, and which remind one of the government and bank buildings downtown.
As a U of A grad I appreciated Ms Ronstadt’s comments. Once I left the university enclave, I realized there really wasn’t much to the Old Pueblo and reluctantly left to go further west.
Miss my friends and the Tucson “that was” back in the late 60’s, early 70’s.
A great era. Sad to read that Tucson remains trapped in a theocratic time-bubble. Allow me to quote A.E. van Vogt, an old sci-fi favorite, “The greater the danger, the more mindlessly people sink themselves into their religion…Religion, you see, is not in its roots adoration of a god or goddess. Religion is fear. Religion is the spark that issues forth when the thought of death or danger strikes the individual. It’s personal. It grows out of darkness and uncertainty.” That says it all for me.
By the way, I, too, miss the Dusty Chaps, the Green Dolphin and the original Gentle Bens…
Be well.
A Godless Atheist, self-centered, typical celebrity egomaniac with a God given talent consisting of the voice of an angel with the looks to match. No wonder she is a lib-progressive-dem who hasn’t got a clue or a foot in reality. I love you Linda. Bless you and God and I forgive ya. (Joe)
The key to her kind of liberality is first having become wealthy enough to afford,usually by way of windfall or earning it through means that didn’t require putting at risk substantial amounts of time of capital. Had she never made it big, she simply would have enjoyed a subsistence living as most singers do without ever knowing better.
She recently complained about how something “must be done” about student debt (presumably by giving away large sums of other people’s money) and how a starter home in SFO now costs $5M. Whose prosperity would she diminish to create justice in her mind there? The fact that starter homes in San Francisco cost so much is what keeps twenty million people from piling into such a relatively small area. She most of all is lucky that not all of her wishes may come true.
But Good God, I was utterly and completely in love with those eyes and legs and that voice – probably because I never had to endure it nagging at me.
I live in San Francisco. I’m not rich, but the real estate is outta this world. There are 4 kinds of ppl. In SF. 1. Those who are rich and can afford to buy a house or condo. 2. Those that come to experience The City,pay enormous rent, then leave in about 3-5 years. 3. Those who inheirit a place because parents g-parents, g-g-grand parents etc.. were smart back in the day. So we live rent free, pay minimal taxes, and are Natives to SF. A RARITY for sure. True SF’rz. And #4 The multitude of homeless, many when good ol’ Gov.Reagan let out of the Mental Hospital’s back in 60-70’s when they closed Agnews SH in San Jose etc. Others are drug addicts, transients, etc. However , there are those who have list places due to prices in SF. Many, many.. but most have other issues.
If any of you who are critical of Linda’s comments have the courage to spill your guts for a living on stage, on a regular basis, then you might have the right to complain about her with some authority. Linda Ronstadt has created her own life out of her head and her heart, with her own resources– something only a few people can do. She has forged ahead through thick and thin and shown courage and conviction to face economic and personal uncertainty, and to face it over and over again and reinvent herself, when necessary. No one gave her anything– she earned it. You are lucky Linda credits Tucson as her home town and actually comes back to visit you! Many big stars don’t do that. And to the righteous who are so indignant about those who constantly monitor their own “political correctness”– when someone does speak out as Linda does, you can’t handle it. Linda Ronstadt is a pretty special human being. She is, after all, an entertainer and lives life differently than you do, so give her a break.