# Celebrities whose genius doesn't transcend the medium **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 6, 2016, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367 "2016-04-06T17:44:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![amaguri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@amaguri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amaguri)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/1 "2016-04-06T17:44:46Z")
I struggled with an appropriately descriptive title here. I’ve been listening to a bunch of podcasts lately, and while I generally find Dan Savage’s advice column to be an enjoyable read, he is a pretty lame and obnoxious podcaster. Like, his personality was so off-putting that I couldn’t even finish an entire episode. I totally get it-- just because you’re good at one thing doesn’t mean you’ll be good at something else. I just found it strange how poorly a written column translated to another format. All my opinion, of course… ---
**Author:** ![journeyman\_southpaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5e9695/32.png) [@journeyman\_southpaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/journeyman_southpaw)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/2 "2016-04-06T19:19:50Z")
Andy Warhol as a filmmaker? ---
**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:** [April 6, 2016, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/3 "2016-04-06T19:24:48Z")
Silent-movie star at the dawn of the talkies? ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/4 "2016-04-06T19:39:48Z")
> [@journeyman\_southpaw](#): > > Andy Warhol as a filmmaker? What about Andy Warhol as author? I remember my local library having an Andy Warhol novel. I didn’t fancy reading it. Assuming it’s his only novel does anyone know if it is highly or poorly regarded? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/5 "2016-04-06T20:36:31Z")
Michael Jordan as a baseball player. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/6 "2016-04-06T20:43:31Z")
Andy Warhol’s real art form was the media. The art that he created didn’t exist for itself, it existed to be talked about. He was a professional social media troll and reality show star before we knew what those things were. So none of his various art projects were particularly brilliant, and he didn’t have any particular talent at any art form. Except trolling the media. ---
**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:** [April 6, 2016, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/7 "2016-04-06T20:43:41Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](#): > > What about Andy Warhol as author? I remember my local library having an Andy Warhol novel. I didn’t fancy reading it. Assuming it’s his only novel does anyone know if it is highly or poorly regarded? That novel, called _a_, was actually a transcription of recorded conversations, with typos left in for effect. It’s more a curiosity than anything highly regarded. A better sense of his writing ability comes from his memoir of the 1960s, _Popism_, and _The Andy Warhol Diaries_, which although both written with the help of Pat Hackett, clearly show his wit and intelligence. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/8 "2016-04-06T20:56:03Z")
William Conrad. His voice was magnificent. He did old-time-radio for decades. He was Marshall Dillon on “Gunsmoke.” Then we got one look at him… ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/9 "2016-04-06T21:17:23Z")
> [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](#): > > That novel, called _a_, was actually a transcription of recorded conversations, with typos left in for effect. It’s more a curiosity than anything highly regarded. > > A better sense of his writing ability comes from his memoir of the 1960s, _Popism_, and _The Andy Warhol Diaries_, which although both written with the help of Pat Hackett, clearly show his wit and intelligence. Thanks. Yes, that all rings a bell with me. I picked it up briefly and browsed through. Im not sure what I expected but I had visions of James Joyce style troublesome prose. The typos probably led to my expectations. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/10 "2016-04-06T22:01:40Z")
Speaking of authors, I tried reading a novel written by Leonard Cohen once and couldn’t make it past the second chapter. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/11 "2016-04-06T22:17:31Z")
A lot of silent film stars fell in that category. Excellent at expression silently, their voices sometimes killed their careers in the talkies. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/12 "2016-04-06T22:25:04Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > William Conrad. His voice was magnificent. He did old-time-radio for decades. He was Marshall Dillon on “Gunsmoke.” > > Then we got one look at him… He was fine once they figured out how to use him: two successful TV series, plus his work with Rocky and Bullwinkle. Only a handful of silent stars failed to transition to talkies; after all, most had appeared on stage before getting into films. John Gilbert is often cited, but it seems the problem was that his “romantic” dialog, while fine on a title card, didn’t work no matter who was saying it. Further, he had alcoholism problems, which hurt his career. The only one who had to quit immediately was Raymond Griffith, who was a major silent star, but who had blown out his voice as a stage actor and couldn’t speak above a hoarse whisper. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/13 "2016-04-06T23:02:04Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > Andy Warhol’s real art form was the media. [snip] and he didn’t have any particular talent at any art form. Except trolling the media. Not entirely true; he was a pretty decent graphic artist. Before he became famous he did a few stylish album covers for the Blue Note label; I’ve always particularly liked [this one](http://www.voicesofeastanglia.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Kenny-Burrell.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/14 "2016-04-06T23:07:32Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Only a handful of silent stars failed to transition to talkies; after all, most had appeared on stage before getting into films. John Gilbert is often cited, but it seems the problem was that his “romantic” dialog, while fine on a title card, didn’t work no matter who was saying it. Further, he had alcoholism problems, which hurt his career. I think my post was inaccurate. A number of silent stars didn’t have great success in talkies for other reasons than their voices or acting, like Gilbert’s alcohol problems, or they just got old. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/15 "2016-04-06T23:48:21Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Speaking of authors, I tried reading a novel written by Leonard Cohen once and couldn’t make it past the second chapter. He was actually a poet and a novelist before he was a musician. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/16 "2016-04-07T01:42:25Z")
> [@amaguri](#): > > I struggled with an appropriately descriptive title here. I’ve been listening to a bunch of podcasts lately, and while I generally find Dan Savage’s advice column to be an enjoyable read, he is a pretty lame and obnoxious podcaster. Like, his personality was so off-putting that I couldn’t even finish an entire episode. > > I totally get it-- just because you’re good at one thing doesn’t mean you’ll be good at something else. I just found it strange how poorly a written column translated to another format. It’s worth noting, I think, that the Savage Podcast is critically lauded, has been adapted for television, and is consistently rated by listeners in the Top 20 Podcasts on iTunes. I’m not saying your wrong for disliking it - taste is subjective, and if it doesn’t work for you, it doesn’t work for you. But by any objective measurement, Dan Savage’s jump to podcasting has been wildly successful - arguably more successful than he ever was with just the newspaper column. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/17 "2016-04-07T01:48:44Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > He was fine once they figured out how to use him: two successful TV series, plus his work with Rocky and Bullwinkle. . . . I can only think of Cannon; what was the other? Also, in animation, he was back to doing voice-only work, which was where he excelled. (Did he ever do Nero Wolfe? He could have been good in that role.) ---
**Author:** ![EBird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@EBird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EBird)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/18 "2016-04-07T02:16:05Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > I can only think of Cannon; what was the other? Jake and the Fatman. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/19 "2016-04-07T03:55:54Z")
Many fine politicians didn’t survive the introduction of the radio; their voices were off-putting to say the least, no matter how smart/clever they were at politicking and/or running a country. Not quite what the OP had in mind, but my own IRL experience nonetheless: during my time in the U.S. Army, I had no less than two 0-6 “bird colonel” Brigade Commanders who were atrocious public speakers; one was incoherent, with rambling digressions and [bizarre non sequiturs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pM-igYjn6E4) (in fairness, he was _much_ better one-on-one), the other sounded just fine, if you were doing voice-casting for Snuffy Smith. There are two local radio talk-show hosts who I admire greatly for their humor, wisdom, intelligence, and insight; too bad I can’t stand the sound of their voices. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/20 "2016-04-07T04:29:55Z")
> [@amaguri](#): > > I struggled with an appropriately descriptive title here. I’ve been listening to a bunch of podcasts lately, and while I generally find Dan Savage’s advice column to be an enjoyable read, he is a pretty lame and obnoxious podcaster. Like, his personality was so off-putting that I couldn’t even finish an entire episode. > > I totally get it-- just because you’re good at one thing doesn’t mean you’ll be good at something else. I just found it strange how poorly a written column translated to another format. > > All my opinion, of course… > [@Miller](#): > > It’s worth noting, I think, that the Savage Podcast is critically lauded, has been adapted for television, and is consistently rated by listeners in the Top 20 Podcasts on iTunes. I’m not saying your wrong for disliking it - taste is subjective, and if it doesn’t work for you, it doesn’t work for you. But by any objective measurement, Dan Savage’s jump to podcasting has been wildly successful - arguably more successful than he ever was with just the newspaper column. Savage also co-founded the Greek Active theater company in Seattle, which performed re-contextualizations of classic plays. I saw a few of their performances and they were excellent. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367.md?page=2)