# Great Artists No One Tried To Emulate? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 13, 2019, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-artists-no-one-tried-to-emulate/844819 "2019-12-13T17:55:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-artists-no-one-tried-to-emulate/844819/1 "2019-12-13T17:55:32Z")
Many artists living/dead have been influential, and some that came after had/have no problem admitting they were heavily influenced by singing and/or lyrical style, dance moves, etc… But I’m sure there are some artists no one would dare to emulate, because it would come off silly. I’m guessing most candidates will be lead singers. I think most would laugh at someone trying to pretend to be Jim Morrison, for example. ---
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-artists-no-one-tried-to-emulate/844819/2 "2019-12-13T18:04:46Z")
If we include “extreme” artists, there are going to be a lot. Tiny Tim, for example. Tom Waits might be a good example. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-artists-no-one-tried-to-emulate/844819/3 "2019-12-13T18:11:33Z")
> [@jerez](#): > > If we include “extreme” artists, there are going to be a lot. Tiny Tim, for example. > > **Tom Waits might be a good example.** As an artist, yes - people would definitely know who’s style you were ripping off. On the other hand, didn’t Waits successfully sue some company who used a Tom Waits sound-alike in an ad campaign? So, someone tried to emulate him, unsuccessfully. My first thought was Robin Williams. Any comic now who tried to act like that would probably get booed off the stage. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-artists-no-one-tried-to-emulate/844819/4 "2019-12-13T18:15:07Z")
Surely the greatest artist ever in his chosen field, I don’t know of any effort to emulate [Le Petomane](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_P%C3%A9tomane), the world’s greatest fartist. ---
**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:** [December 13, 2019, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-artists-no-one-tried-to-emulate/844819/5 "2019-12-13T18:15:17Z")
Captain Beefheart is the obvious musical choice. ---
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-artists-no-one-tried-to-emulate/844819/6 "2019-12-13T18:42:14Z")
Frank Zappa ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-artists-no-one-tried-to-emulate/844819/7 "2019-12-13T18:54:32Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Surely the greatest artist ever in his chosen field, I don’t know of any effort to emulate [Le Petomane](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_P%C3%A9tomane), the world’s greatest fartist. You haven’t heard of [Mr. Methane](https://www.youtube.com/user/MrMethane1)? My thinking is that I can’t think of anyone who’s tried to emulate Willie Nelson, at least not well enough for me to think “This guy’s trying to sound like Willie”. ---
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-artists-no-one-tried-to-emulate/844819/8 "2019-12-13T19:24:53Z")
OP includes the word “great” so the best answers are probably not going to be well-known artists (greats within their genre). It’s an interesting question. On the guitar, maybe Albert Collins, Stanley Jordan and Jeff Healey. Unusual for different reasons, not sure if others have copied those unusal qualities. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-artists-no-one-tried-to-emulate/844819/9 "2019-12-13T19:38:39Z")
> [@jerez](#): > > On the guitar, maybe Albert Collins, Stanley Jordan and Jeff Healey. Unusual for different reasons, not sure if others have copied those unusal qualities. Nobody sounds like Mark Knopfler either. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-artists-no-one-tried-to-emulate/844819/10 "2019-12-13T20:55:59Z")
Andy Kaufman? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-artists-no-one-tried-to-emulate/844819/11 "2019-12-13T21:25:07Z")
I’d almost vote for David Gilmour. I only remember three times I’ve heard something even close to his guitar: _Silent Lucidity_, which they claim is not Floyd-influenced and is the weakest case of the three anyway; the guitar soloes on _So Red the Rose_ by Arcadia, which I thought sounded like Gilmour and turns out to actually _be_ Gilmour, and the lead guitar on _The Final Cut_ by Coheed and Cambria, which technically invalidates Gilmour since the title of the song makes it obvious they’re trying to _emulate_ him, but I don’t think Coheed would say they’re particularly _influenced_ by Gilmour. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-artists-no-one-tried-to-emulate/844819/12 "2019-12-13T21:44:56Z")
> [@MortSahlFan](#): > > Many artists living/dead have been influential, and some that came after had/have no problem admitting they were heavily influenced by singing and/or lyrical style, dance moves, etc… But I’m sure there are some artists no one would dare to emulate, because it would come off silly. I’m guessing most candidates will be lead singers. I think most would laugh at someone trying to pretend to be Jim Morrison, for example. I think that both Ian Astbury from the Cult and Glenn Danzig sound a lot like Jim Morrison. ETA: heck, I forgot, Astbury even once sang with the Doors as an ersatz Jim Morrison. It was an obvious choice. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-artists-no-one-tried-to-emulate/844819/13 "2019-12-13T21:54:51Z")
> [@Paintcharge](#): > > Nobody sounds like Mark Knopfler either. Knopfler, like Zappa and Gilmour, has such a unique guitar tone that he’s hard to emulate. Same with Carlos Santana. ETA: and was there ever a drummer who sounded even approximately like Keith Moon? ---
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-artists-no-one-tried-to-emulate/844819/14 "2019-12-13T22:06:25Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > I think that both Ian Astbury from the Cult and Glenn Danzig sound a lot like Jim Morrison. > > ETA: heck, I forgot, Astbury even once sang with the Doors as an ersatz Jim Morrison. It was an obvious choice. I saw the “20th Century Doors” thing about 2002ish… I didn’t like his voice, but I didn’t think he was copying, but then again, I’ve never listened to the Cult much. I don’t know if you ever heard The Butts band, but Densmore and Krieger formed it after those two post-Morrison albums. They did one album with one singer, and then got another singer. Two different voices, but kinda soul-inspired. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-artists-no-one-tried-to-emulate/844819/15 "2019-12-13T22:26:49Z")
Bobby McFerrin? ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-artists-no-one-tried-to-emulate/844819/16 "2019-12-13T22:30:28Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > Bobby McFerrin? In a similar vein, Al Jarreau. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-artists-no-one-tried-to-emulate/844819/17 "2019-12-13T22:37:07Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > ETA: and was there ever a drummer who sounded even approximately like Keith Moon? All three instrumentalists in The Who probably qualify, though, for completely legit reasons (he plays with The Who now), Zack Starkey (Ringo Jr.) comes real close to emulating Moony’s style. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-artists-no-one-tried-to-emulate/844819/18 "2019-12-13T22:39:33Z")
Sam Kinison (oh-oh-ohhhhh!). I suspect some of the other shock comics, like Andrew Dice Clay, may also qualify - they developed quite a niche that is too recognizable for someone to mimic. ---
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-artists-no-one-tried-to-emulate/844819/19 "2019-12-13T23:29:04Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > All three instrumentalists in The Who probably qualify, though, for completely legit reasons (he plays with The Who now), Zack Starkey (Ringo Jr.) comes real close to emulating Moony’s style. I’ll have to respectfully totally disagree about him even being in the ballpark of Keith’s drumming. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-artists-no-one-tried-to-emulate/844819/20 "2019-12-13T23:45:58Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Surely the greatest artist ever in his chosen field, I don’t know of any effort to emulate [Le Petomane](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_P%C3%A9tomane), the world’s greatest fartist. [http://www.ljhelms.com/pet/\_pujol/thestory/retro.htm](http://www.ljhelms.com/pet/_pujol/thestory/retro.htm) \*His former boss at the Moulin Rouge, hardly content with the size of his settlement versus the loss of his greatest moneymaker, immediately debuted a new star: La Femme-Pétomane! Her act, of course, was a blatant rip-off of the pioneering Pujol. Adding insult to injury, it quickly became apparent that (on top of everything else), this woman had no natural talent. It was revealed to a furious Le Pétomane (who could hardly contain himself) that his female rival kept a bellows hidden beneath her petticoats! Sacre bleu! \* [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-artists-no-one-tried-to-emulate/844819.md?page=2)