# Duos where only one goes on to superstardom and... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 14, 2010, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031 "2010-04-14T04:31:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/81 "2010-04-16T03:14:40Z")
> [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](#): > > I doubt Ridgeley is complaining. He’s married to the hot chick from Bananarama, has millions and spends his days surfing and playing golf. He’s a partner in some surf gear manufacturing company and occasionally writes songs for other artists (which gives him serious coinage without having to do any performance-related stuff). Plus Hugh Grant played him in _Music and Lyrics_. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/82 "2010-04-16T03:18:57Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > it feels so good to be appreciated. Sorry. Your pie is in the mail. ---
**Author:** ![enomaj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/59ef9b/32.png) [@enomaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enomaj)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/83 "2010-04-16T03:32:34Z")
How could I forget Beyonce’ and Justin Timberlake? Though both Destiny’s Child and N’Sync were enormously successful, Only those two, respectively, went on to stellar solo careers. And speaking of Justins, Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini had diverging career paths after American Idol. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/84 "2010-04-16T03:40:35Z")
Batman and Robin? ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/85 "2010-04-16T04:56:26Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > I’d say that Fry is still bigger than Laurie in the UK (And no, I don’t just mean physically, although the man \*is \*gargantuan). I’d call them the rare example of a duo in which both members went on to greater glory. Agreed. Fry isn’t exactly unknown in the USA. . ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/86 "2010-04-16T04:59:57Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > George Lucas wanted to cast complete unknowns in every role… So he discovered Peter Cushing and Alec Guinness? ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/87 "2010-04-16T05:01:54Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > I dunno about that. Cher’s performing career was better, but Sonny got himself elected to Congress, and had [this major copyright bill](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Bono_Copyright_Term_Extension_Act) named in his honor, posthumously. Agreed. Although I never cared a bit for or about either of them. . ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/88 "2010-04-16T05:02:35Z")
Announcer: And now, Avis Rent-A-Car is proud to present the second best band in America. Will you welcome Garfunkel, Messina, Oates, and Lisa singing their number two hit, “Born to Runner-up”. [Audience boos] Lisa: Why would they come to our concert just to boo us? ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/89 "2010-04-16T05:12:05Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > I’m not sure I’d count them. _Moonlighting_ was not Shepherd’s big break; she was already quite famous before the series. It was more that he came from behind and overtook her. Well…she was known for “Last Picture Show” and got some publicity for “Taxi Driver” although DeNiro got more. But in the mid80s Joan Rivers had a joke on how her career was in such shambles because of movies like “All My Loving” that she went home to Memphis and married an auto parts dealer. Then “Moonlighting” came along. There is also the shared monarchy of Bleda and his brother Attila the Hun which lasted for 11 years until Bleda died, circumstances unknown. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/90 "2010-04-16T06:16:55Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > The original cast of SCTV shows this: John Candy became a superstar almost at once, while the rest of the cast (Eugene Levy, Harold Ramis, Dave Thomas, Catherine O’Hara, Andrea Martin, and Joe Flaherty), while successful enough, never reached his level (though Levy came close). Hmmm… I’d rather have Harold Ramis’s career than John Candy’s. Also, you’re setting your parameters to exclude Martin Short and Betty Thomas, both of whom matched or exceeded Candy’s career in many respects. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/91 "2010-04-16T10:06:00Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Melanie Lynskey & Kate Winslet from **Heavenly Creatures**. Isn’t 2 & A Half Men the most highly rated current sitcom? ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/92 "2010-04-16T10:06:47Z")
Mork and Mindy. Robin Williams and “her-never-to-be-seen-again”. He certainly rocketed up the fame ladder. Her, not so much. ---
**Author:** ![GoodOmens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@GoodOmens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodOmens)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/93 "2010-04-16T10:25:42Z")
If I can sully the conversation with pro wrestling, The Rockers (Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannety) instantly come to mind. They were marginally successful in the 80’s. Then the infamous interview where they broke up. Shawn then went on to capture every title in the company, brought the ladder match and ironman match into the American market, created one of the most popular factions in wrestling history (Degeneration X), and is widely regarded as among the very best performers in wrestling history Marty got kicked through a window. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/94 "2010-04-16T13:28:45Z")
> [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](#): > > IMHO, the composer/performer in composer/lyricist partnerships is the one who gets the bulk of the glory. You could ask any sixth grader if they’ve heard he name Mozart, and they probably have, but it’s not likely that they would know the name Lorenzo da Ponte. Interesting theory and one I hadn’t thought of before. However, ALW has definitely written more hit shows than Tim Rice and with different lyrcists too (Trevor Nunn, Don Black, Charles Hart & T.S. Eliot). ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/95 "2010-04-16T15:25:09Z")
> [@GoodOmens](#): > > Marty got kicked through a window. Marty had a bunch of problems outside of the ring, including some (according to rumor) that would have reflected poorly on the WWF and that they wanted to avoid. If you think about wrestlers and their habits, and then think that they wanted to disassociate themselves of one of them for conduct reasons back at that time, you get an idea of how bad the rumors were (he did also have issues with being clear minded for TV, too). ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/96 "2010-04-16T15:40:44Z")
Has anybody mentioned “the other **Square Pegs** girl” yet? The one that so-starred with Sarah Jessica Parker? In fact, I recall someone started a CS thread a while back asking whatever happened to her, and somebody quipped that she most likely spends her days shredding pictures of SJP and shrieking “It should have been me! IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME!” (Why I remember that, I don’t know.) ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/97 "2010-04-16T15:43:27Z")
> [@calm\_kiwi](#): > > Mork and Mindy. > > Robin Williams and “her-never-to-be-seen-again”. He certainly rocketed up the fame ladder. Her, not so much. And Stephanie Zimbalist isn’t exactly at the level of fame of Pierce Brosnan either. ---
**Author:** ![GoodOmens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@GoodOmens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodOmens)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/98 "2010-04-16T15:51:36Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > Marty had a bunch of problems outside of the ring, including some (according to rumor) that would have reflected poorly on the WWF and that they wanted to avoid. If you think about wrestlers and their habits, and then think that they wanted to disassociate themselves of one of them for conduct reasons back at that time, you get an idea of how bad the rumors were (he did also have issues with being clear minded for TV, too). Sure, there were reasons for Marty to be dropped, and in addition to his personal life there was a significant talent differential. And I was happy to see Marty get a little bit of a return with the New Rockers, tagging with Al Snow, a number of years later. I never heard much of details about the rumors around Marty, but compared to some of the stories about Macho Man and Superfly Snuka, I wonder if he’s in their ballpark. ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/99 "2010-04-16T20:10:12Z")
How about the surviving members of Nirvana? Before Cobain biffed it, I’d have said Krist Novoselic was the second most recognizable member of the band. You might even argue that post-Nirvana, Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters are more famous (certainly commercially, by dint of being around longer). No idea what Novoselic is doing. I thought he was in a band with a 12 year old for a while. ---
**Author:** ![Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harvey_The_Heavy)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/100 "2010-04-17T06:38:24Z")
And then there’s the people who left bands before they hit big: Rod Evans and Nick Simper of Deep Purple, Paul D’Anno and Dennis Stratton of Iron Maiden, the original singer in Journey, etc. Of course, they may not have hit big if they hadn’t changed personnel. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031.md?page=6)