# Americans who are more popular or respected in Europe **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 23, 2015, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-are-more-popular-or-respected-in-europe/723272 "2015-06-23T19:52:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-are-more-popular-or-respected-in-europe/723272/1 "2015-06-23T19:52:15Z")
Two classic examples would be **Jerry Lewis** is more respected in France **David Hasselhoff** is more popular in Germany Some others that come to mind: The late comedian **Bill Hicks** was apparently more highly esteemed in the UK The writer **Paul Auster** is more popular via translation and better-reviewed in Continental Europe, though I don’t know where he’s _most_ popular - maybe France or Spain Ex-film actress **Mimsy Farmer** is more popular in Italy where she made a lot of movies Singer **Madeline Bell** is semi-obscure in the US but well-known in the UK, Spain, and France Singer **Scott Walker** is more popular in the UK where he once had his own TV show Musician/songwriter **Tony Joe White** (“Polk Salad Annie”) scored his first hit in France and probably remains more popular there and elsewhere in Europe although he did finally appear on David Letterman’s show last year **Orson Welles** often had problems trying to make movies in America but was always enthusiastically embraced in places like Spain, France, and Italy. He could also speak their languages, so that helped It seems to me some of the more **avant-garde jazz musicians** are more popular in Scandinavia (or at least more people come to their shows) though I can’t be sure which ones I presume that writer **James Baldwin** has a higher profile in France where he wrote for so many years Others? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-are-more-popular-or-respected-in-europe/723272/2 "2015-06-23T19:59:40Z")
Jimi Hendrix got his big break in the UK and was considerably more popular there than in America. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-are-more-popular-or-respected-in-europe/723272/3 "2015-06-23T20:12:54Z")
> [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](#): > > Singer **Scott Walker** is more popular in the UK where he once had his own TV show I don’t know if Scott is exactly popular in the UK these days, but he has been a UK citizen since 1970. A lot of his non-Walker Brothers output has been pretty avant-garde, and there’s been a small but influential band of supporters over the years, including the likes of David Bowie and Nick Cave. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-are-more-popular-or-respected-in-europe/723272/4 "2015-06-23T20:13:11Z")
Comedians Reginald D Hunter and Rich Hall have had significant success in the UK. Hall has hosted lots of shows and both appear on panel shows all over the place. They also have had lots of tours. ---
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-are-more-popular-or-respected-in-europe/723272/5 "2015-06-23T20:48:18Z")
> [@yojimbo](#): > > Comedians Reginald D Hunter and Rich Hall have had significant success in the UK. Hall has hosted lots of shows and both appear on panel shows all over the place. They also have had lots of tours. Rich Hall’s a good one. I’d guess that most Americans know him as a guy who was briefly on Saturday Night Live in the '80s and wrote a few books on “sniglets.” I had to look up who Reginald D. Hunter is. ---
**Author:** ![Cartoonacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-are-more-popular-or-respected-in-europe/723272/6 "2015-06-23T20:59:08Z")
[Sydne Rome](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydne_Rome) is an Ohio girl who’s known as a singer and actress in Italy, but her main claim to fame in the US is probably as the female lead in that MST3K classic, _[The Pumaman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=672kLAGig7s)_. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-are-more-popular-or-respected-in-europe/723272/7 "2015-06-23T21:05:30Z")
I can’t remember the name but wasn’t there an American rock singer who hit it big in France, while being unknown in the US? And another one who was really popular in the USSR? ---
**Author:** ![chiquitita](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@chiquitita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiquitita)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-are-more-popular-or-respected-in-europe/723272/8 "2015-06-23T21:22:33Z")
To the OP, about France: Jerry Lewis _used_ to be respected by French film critics in the sixties and the seventies. I very much doubt that the young generation knows who he is. Ditto James Baldwin. I’ve read him while studying American literature, but I wouldn’t call him high profile. I’ve heard about Tony Joe White, but nowadays he’s not popular by any stretch of the imagination. I had to look up Madeline Bell. Never heard about her. > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I can’t remember the name but wasn’t there an American rock singer who hit it big in France, while being unknown in the US? Sorry, I’m drawing a blank right now… Not a very helpful answer, I’m afraid. I can’t come up with any examples offhand. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-are-more-popular-or-respected-in-europe/723272/9 "2015-06-23T21:37:09Z")
Obama? ---
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-are-more-popular-or-respected-in-europe/723272/10 "2015-06-23T22:13:48Z")
> [@chiquitita](#): > > I had to look up Madeline Bell. Never heard about her. Maybe she’s not as popular in France as I thought. However, her website says she’s become especially popular in “Holland, Spain, and Germany.” She does tours in Europe and lives there. She never does tours in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-are-more-popular-or-respected-in-europe/723272/11 "2015-06-23T22:15:31Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I can’t remember the name but wasn’t there an American rock singer who hit it big in France, while being unknown in the US? And another one who was really popular in the USSR? I don’t know. There was a _British_ rock singer named Vince Taylor who that happened to. ---
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-are-more-popular-or-respected-in-europe/723272/12 "2015-06-23T22:19:04Z")
> [@chiquitita](#): > > I’ve heard about Tony Joe White, but nowadays he’s not popular by any stretch of the imagination. Just the fact you’ve heard of him is telling, though. I’m fairly certain most Americans have not, even music fans. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-are-more-popular-or-respected-in-europe/723272/13 "2015-06-23T22:24:37Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I can’t remember the name but wasn’t there an American rock singer who hit it big in France, while being unknown in the US? And another one who was really popular in the USSR? Joe Dassin? He was very popular in the USSR as well. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-are-more-popular-or-respected-in-europe/723272/14 "2015-06-23T22:32:56Z")
There is a US movie [“Sandpit Generals”](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067705/) that was (and still is) an enormous hit in the USSR/Russia while making absolutely no splash in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-are-more-popular-or-respected-in-europe/723272/15 "2015-06-23T22:36:25Z")
[Slim Whitman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slim_Whitman). His whole direct sales pitch on TV ads in the 80s was: Slim Whitman was really big in England. Maybe you should listen to him, too? ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-are-more-popular-or-respected-in-europe/723272/16 "2015-06-23T22:38:48Z")
[Johnnie Ray](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnnie_Ray) had a similar career path. Only a modicum of interest in the US. Huge in Britain. . ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-are-more-popular-or-respected-in-europe/723272/17 "2015-06-23T23:11:13Z")
I believe Richard Wright, author of Native Son, was lauded in France and Europe, living there for a period. Many, many jazz musicians spent quality time in Europe. Sidney Bechet got kicked out of France, I believe, but loved it there. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-are-more-popular-or-respected-in-europe/723272/18 "2015-06-23T23:15:11Z")
Never heard of Evanston-born [Ruby Wax](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby_Wax) in the US, but she was huge in the UK. ---
**Author:** ![chiquitita](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@chiquitita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiquitita)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-are-more-popular-or-respected-in-europe/723272/19 "2015-06-23T23:19:57Z")
> [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](#): > > Just the fact you’ve heard of him is telling, though. I’m fairly certain most Americans have not, even music fans. He was touring summer festivals across Europe some twenty years ago, but not as a headliner. > [@](#): > > I don’t know. There was a British rock singer named Vince Taylor who that happened to. That’s probably who **Dewey Finn** was thinking of. Another English (sorry, not American) singer who hit it big in France while being ignored in the rest of the world: Murray Head. > [@Terr](#): > > Joe Dassin? He was very popular in the USSR as well. That’s funny, because I think of Joe Dassin as a French person, not as an American, and as a singer of _variétés_ (light pop), not as a rock star. Vince Taylor was in the sixties, Joe Dassin in the seventies, Murray Head in the eighties. I wish I could come up with better examples, but no, still drawing a blank. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-are-more-popular-or-respected-in-europe/723272/20 "2015-06-23T23:25:05Z")
I remember one time watching a Top Gear rerun and their Star in a Reasonably Priced Car was a country singer from the US called “Seasick Steve” - I had never heard of him. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-are-more-popular-or-respected-in-europe/723272.md?page=2)