# Dark eyes on 1940's style jazz musicians?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-eyes-on-1940s-style-jazz-musicians/309503>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [June 23, 2005, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-eyes-on-1940s-style-jazz-musicians/309503 "2005-06-23T06:14:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_t_believe_that_s_butter)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2005, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-eyes-on-1940s-style-jazz-musicians/309503/1 "2005-06-23T06:14:32Z")

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I’m watching VH1 Classic, and David Lee Roth’s video for “Just A Gigolo (I Ain’t Got Nobody)” just came on. Toward the middle of the video, there’s a shot of a period brass section in red suits, and these fellows had darkened eyes, like a healing “black eye” for each eye.

Might anyone know the significance of this?

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**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2005, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-eyes-on-1940s-style-jazz-musicians/309503/2 "2005-06-23T10:51:09Z")

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Music related questions go in Cafe Society. I’ll move this for you.

**samclem** GQ moderator

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**Author:** ![andrewdt85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/71e660/32.png) [@andrewdt85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewdt85)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2005, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-eyes-on-1940s-style-jazz-musicians/309503/3 "2005-06-23T17:35:14Z")

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Ah, so they’re 1940’s style jazz musicians.

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**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2005, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-eyes-on-1940s-style-jazz-musicians/309503/4 "2005-06-23T17:46:50Z")

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Can they fire rays?  
You know, people named Ray.

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**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2005, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-eyes-on-1940s-style-jazz-musicians/309503/5 "2005-06-23T20:50:31Z")

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This is just my take on it. YMMV etc.

One of my college professors was an old-time jazz man who loved to talk. He said one of the hardest things to get used to (after becoming a member of society) was daylight. When you played clubs, you played late night, all night, and rarely saw the sun. Combine this lack of daylight with hours playing in dense, smoke-filled rooms. Then toss in bad nutrition due to years of eating bar food, when you ate at all. And sprinkle on a smattering of addictions and you’ve got a portrait of the stereotypical jazz man. Old before his years, skinny, dark eye circles, not exactly healthy.

Just a thought…