The List: 10 things Kevin O’Leary, the professional Dragon and author of Cold Hard Truth, can’t live without
1| Fine wine
I have a cellar of wine from Burgundy and Bordeaux. Château Latour ’90 is my current favourite. I bought a couple of cases when they weren’t expensive, but now the Chinese have discovered French first growths, and they’ve gone way up in price. It’s hard to drink them because I know they’re impossible to replace.
2| My vintage camera
I got hooked on photography when I was a TV editor and would take stills during filming. I have lots of cameras—both film and digital—but my most prized is a Leica M3 that has never left its box. I have the sales receipt from 1963. It’s worth thousands. If you know Leica, and you see this, it’s better than sex!
3| My digital music
I have more than 129,000 songs in my collection, all of which I ripped from old CDs and vinyl. It was a labour of love that took me three years. Vinyl just sounds different—listen to an album like Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue, and you’ll notice the bass you can’t get with digital recording.
4| My designer suitsI wear a suit every single day: Tom Ford or Prada. I have roughly 50 at a time, and they all fit perfectly.
5| My axe
I have a guitar collection that includes a signed Gibson Les Paul. A friend who was playing in his band invited me to the Iridium Club in New York to meet him. We ended up talking for an hour, and then I was jamming with him. It was pretty cool.
6| My squash game
I hit the court at 6:10 a.m. three or four times a week at the Toronto Lawn Tennis Club. I play with a lot of bond traders because they’re up that early. I get a kick out of the fact that an old guy like me can still beat a younger guy.
7| My Carrera
It’s a five-year-old C4. When I turned 50, I bought it on a whim. On a fall day with the top down, it’s a beautiful thing. I’m not a car guy, but I love this car.
8| My pen fetish
There are about 35 rare pens in my collection. Someone recently gave me a glass pen with a well in it for perfume. I write with all of them. I think handwriting is a lost art.
9| My keepsake meteorite
My dad was in the International Labour Organization, and we moved every two years. In 1963, when we were living in Cambodia, he found this meteorite and gave it to me. One side is perfectly smooth and the other is full of bubbles. It reminds me of all the places I’ve lived.
10| My go-to restaurants
People in the television industry like to talk about projects over a glass of wine and good food. I live near Yorkville, so I pretty much eat at three restaurants: Sotto Sotto, One and Opus. I know the proprietors, and they know what I like.
(Images: Nikki Ormerod)
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So it’s not just an act — Kevin really is a bit of a dick-head.
Sad to read the premium he places on having things instead of doing things. Imagine: a most prized is a camera that’s NEVER BEEN TAKEN OUT OF ITS BOX.
Come on Kevin, grab life by the balls! Drink your wine! Take photographs with your camera! Get those perfect fitting suits mussed up a bit.
ew
I’m with Moles, I always thought he was a pretentious prick for TV. Although this article may just be part of that act, he still comes off as rather fake. Hopefully one day he will realize that money and boxed possessions can only bring one so much happiness.
This definitely does not make me want to read his book as I believe was this articles intention. Just getting through Robert Herjavec’s book, he seems like a much better role model for the business youth out there.
What an asshole.
why does everyone always have to hate people with money. Jealousy is far worse than a cocky attitude, he has every right to be cocky, he made is own billions his way.
I have a high level of respect for Kevin, he makes zero apologies…he can never be called a hypocrite. Yes the money never lies gig, is a bit reminiscent of Gordon Gekko of Wallstreet (the original) but that mantra has proved to be massively successful for him. While to the average person his accumulation of goods seems excessive. When in fact it’s really just an order of magnitude. The guy making 75K per year probably won’t collect fine wine, but probably has his fridge fully stocked with beer, but the guy making a million is likely going to buy his imported wine by the case. O’leary was recently quoted as saying something to the effect of, “Wealth ultimately gives you freedom to do what you want” Occupy Toronto should take some of this advice advice and work towards their own success instead of living in a park rent-free that is paid for with Taxes by guys like O’leary
One thing this dickhead cant live without – abusing people and really putting the little down and stop self promoting himself…. yikes indeed……
REGARDING THE BALD & BAWDY BAY STREET BULLY
People with singular bottom lines are a bore and retro 80’s. Kevin may have mastered greed and has even gotten himself to believe that greed is good. The root issue in people like Kevin is what they are rooted into (themselves and their own press releases & are full of themselves and something far more diabolical)
I find it laughable that he can’t even enjoy how to spend well. People that focus merely on accumulation rather than consumption are not better than everyone else. They’ve come to the abysmal realization that possessions are toys and people are commodities (just like their investments). They rarely invest in people and don’t even love material wealth.
It’s the feeling of power they get that covers their deep seeded insecurity that all they have is their bottom line and in the end you can’t take it more than 6 feet under.
The love of money is like drinking sea water to quench your dying thirst…
it’ll only make you thirstier and it’ll kill you in the end my shallow friend!
Change your brew and get some lessons in humanity and stop speaking out of your ass… the 1% always think their experts in everything
Kevin had an early childhood experience that has driven him to believe that power and control is everything. Little does he realize how he relinquished that decades ago… (visit the ice cream parlor where he had his first job)
Well, he does live without a soul…
what a douche
Somebody knows what he’s doing
I know a number of people that collect things that never come out of their packages…a retro camera is something Kevin O’Leary prizes. How is that any different?
His love of music and the appreciation of the art of writing with his collection of pens (my father had the same type of collection), his restaurant preferences…how is Kevin O’Leary any different than anyone else? Stop judging, people.
To those “Haters” out there:
Are you aware of your anger & judgmental tendencies? Your tone comes off as envy. Instead of resorting to personal attacks, why not just comment on what you know? If Kevin says something particularly rude, sure, call him on it. But to resort to a whole character assassination, it just calls attention to your own low self-esteem & lack of confidence.
Watched his show “Redemption Inc”. Kevin promotes not only his show but does much to deal head-on with people’s propensity to judge. This venture just so happens to highlight one of society’s most forgotten groups — ex-cons. They are still people. We have all erred. But imagine having “done time”, yet still living with stigma once getting out. I am glad this subject is getting the attention it deserves.
Perhaps Canadians aren’t accustomed to his level of candidness. The world is made up of many different types of people, thick skinned & thin… I’m glad we’re not all the same! Kevin O’Leary has A LOT to be proud of. He is direct, generous, creative, doesn’t resort to insincere pandering, posturing, isn’t catty or gossipy & seems to treat everybody with the same respect — and that is a lot to admire.
God he is Gorgeous! I love cocky men.
He can be a bit like the character “HOUSE” on TV,narcisisstic to the point of turning the channel.
He is very much into himself,like the TV character “HOUSE”
I remember that episode from the DEN when this guy had the Dragons try his vodka made from Birch Sap..Kevin sips it and goes “OH ! OH! I CAN’T SEE,I CAN’T SEE ” !IT’S SO BADDDD! lolololol Then he tells the guy I forbid you to stop what you’re doing because now I have to protect the trees ….lolololo ,that cracked me up ..
He takes tons of photos, has for years. He’s protecting a rare camera because he respects it and its importance to the history of film photography.
what a dick.
I agree with Karl. It doesn’t make sense to recommend someone go have a catch with a Babe Ruth home run ball in an attempt to grab life by the balls…
I can live without that arrogant ass!!! He should be sacked from CBC. It’s fantastic that 85 people have as much wealth as 50%of all humanity-no it’s wonderful that we can all buy a clip big enough to take care of all these financial criminals.
Don’t cry about money. It doesn’t cry for you.
How many people would list their top-10 without including a single human being?
They can bury it with him.
Have you seen his photos? He should take up another hobby, a blind man can shoot better! Maybe give it to a true photographer/ artist. He needs to take just a FEW more classes in basic composition, burning and dodging. Holy Cow!
http://photos.kevinoleary.com/
I here the Jonny Ives design RF red model went for 1.8 million. That camera is one of one. That is worth stashing and flipping in a few years unlike a common unopened M3.
http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2013/null-n09014/lot.14.html
O’Leary should have put his money where his mouth is and bought half of Leica when he could. Half of Leica was sold in 2011 for 179 million! That is super DIRT cheap since they have three huge divisions!
http://techcrunch.com/2011/10/20/nearly-half-of-leica-sold-off-to-blackstone-group-for-rumored-179-million/
http://www.leica.com/