Who is this hirsute fellow? One of SoCal's more imposing homeless chaps?

Well, if having three homes in L.A. makes you homeful, then this must be Rick Rubin, one of the most successful and eclectic producers in the recording industry.

Rick Rubin has produced wildly successful music for the following staggering array of artists: AC/DC, Aerosmith, The Bangles, Beastie Boys, Johnny Cash, Danzig, Neil Diamond, Dixie Chicks, Mick Jagger, L.L. Cool J, Nine Inch Nails, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, Public Enemy, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Run D.M.C., U2, Jay-Z, System of a Down, and Justin Timberlake.

And that was just yesterday - heh. At this moment, he is up for a Grammy in the following categories :

Record of the Year - Dixie Chicks - "Not Ready To Make Nice"
Album of the Year - Dixie Chicks - Taking The Long Way, Red Hot Chili Peppers- Stadium Arcadium, Justin Timberlake - Future Sex Sounds
Best Producer Of The Year - American V: A Hundred Highways - Johnny Cash, God's Gonna Cut You Down - Johnny Cash, Stadium Arcadium - Red Hot Chili Peppers, Taking The Long Way - Dixie Chicks), 12 Songs -Neil Diamond.

If you ask me, the guy's kind of a show-off. I mean who gets nominated for producing albums for someone like Neil Diamond and then turns around and produces the Red Hot Chili Peppers? Geez dude, give some of other knob-twirlers a chance.

In any case, despite looking like a crazed woodsman who has animal skins hanging from his cabin deep, deep in the forest, he's a really well-loved guy. Just ask Emily Robison of the Dixie Chicks. Here's what she had to say about working with Rubin on Taking The Long Road:

"He's the exact opposite of what you would think he would be. With the hard rock and
rap background, this guy with the long hair and big beard, everyone was a little intimidated by him at first. But when you realize what he's like, he's just a big teddy bear."

Rubin's impressive music industry pedigree (and amassed fortune) began while he was still a student at NYU. With partner Russell Simmons he formed the mythic Def Jam Records. Def Jam is the home of hip-hop industry giants like Jay-Z, Ludacris, Nas, Method Man, Kayne West, Lady Sovereign, and just a billion other money-makers.

And Rick Rubin helped build this legendary label through his vision of blending hard rock with rap, which was perfectly illustrated on Run D.M.C's version of Aerosmith's classic rock hit, "Walk This Way." With this, rock-rap was born, and Rubin, more than anyone, helped define the mid-'80s sound that launched the Beastie Boys to fame and paved the way for similar artists like Kid Rock.