No. The optimal (from a highly individual viewpoint) is being well-off, with friends but without fame.

From a societal viewpoint, the best is everyone being “upper middle class” - well off enough to live, but not so wealthy that one can simply mooch off others and give nothing back.

I’d love to have the money, but the notoriety? Hell no. The amount of money I’d have to waste on my personal security would be infuriating. I could use that money to actually do something useful, like making the kind of donation that lets a hospital charity make sensible medium-term plans.

I want to be tony hawk famous. Like famous enough that at relevant events people are stoked to see me, but out in public people are just like “has anyone ever told you that you kind of look like Art3mis” and if i said i am they are just like “haha suurrre”

Nope, I wouldn’t want to be famous at all. I like being able to mind my own business without being harassed or recognized on the street.

The rule is to always be richer than you are famous – for any value.

Thus, if I was Michael Jackson famous, I would need to be several-private-islands rich.

Of course, I wouldn’t have an island. But the bunker at the resort I own would be insane.

I’m a white guy who went to a wedding in rural India. That attention alone got to be a bit much after a few days.

Also, I would have to be stupidly careful about pretty much everything. Hackers would actually think to target me AND could have an incentive to do so knowing I’ve got money (gained by fraud or blackmail if I’m not careful). In my current life I go to clothing-optional places pretty regularly (not a sex club or anything) and that would pretty much have to stop.

Just let me be rich in a way that nobody knows it, preferably not even my own friends.

Fame seems like a burden. Given a choice, I’ll take the money.

As MJ?

No. There are too many aspects of that level of fame that are not only undesirable, but dangerous, and we saw that with how his life went.

I wouldn’t mind being a one-hit wonder though. A couple of years of making millions and just stashing them away. I’d pull a Kerri Green and peace out at the height, take the money, and live off investment interest for the rest of my life. She only made like three movies, took the money, and told Hollywood to eff off.

It’s a shame MJ didn’t do that. Even after having to pay all the court settlements for broken contracts, he’d still have been alive and wealthy.

Sure… as a writer. Think like Stephen King. Probably the most famous living writer. Maybe James Patterson or Brandon Sanderson. They do cool shit and people recognize them for it. Doesn’t seem too bad. Has a famous author ever really had it too bad as far as fame goes? Look at Brandon Sanderson, he teaches other people about writing. Goes around talking about what he loves.

No. I don’t want any level of fame of any kind. If I became famous I’d do it by hiding my face so I can live a bother free lifestyle. Nothing appealing about famous people lives.

No, that would be a nightmare.

Not being able to live a normal life because people will be interrupting you all the time entitled to something just because they recognise you.
Even if you lived in rich people areas, they are even more entitled because their family did something generations ago that means nothing to me but expect something.

Bro got taken out because he started exposing pedophiles. He spent his last few years being dragged in the press by parents that decided money was more important than their kids dignity or future reputation.

That level of fame essentially means you cannot possibly do actual good in the world or fight any powerful group. It’s not a level of fame where you could build a revolution, but its far too much fame to ever do anything positive in life.

I mean if the money is there, why not.

I would buy an entire country or an island and that would be it, no one would ever see me again.

No. Or at least, I’d have it done the way Daft Punk/Yoko Taro do. You’re only known as the character in costume, and not elsewise.

Otherwise, every single aspect of your life gets pried into, and you can’t trust anything to be what it seems to be. Anything you say, or opinion you hold would be a headline, and anyone who claims to want to be your friend could easily be angling for your wealth/connections more than anything else.