# Hasselhoff’s Big in Germany: What’s the American Version? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 6, 2008, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasselhoff-s-big-in-germany-what-s-the-american-version/462287 "2008-09-06T03:39:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Small\_Hen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@Small\_Hen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Hen)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2008, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasselhoff-s-big-in-germany-what-s-the-american-version/462287/1 "2008-09-06T03:39:17Z")
Here in America, David Hasselhoff never attained fame much beyond running in slow motion and singing mockable songs, but apparently the Germans just love the guy. So what’s the American version? What import is seen as total crap in it’s land of origin, but is revered in the states? Anything? ---
**Author:** ![BrassyPhrase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea666f/32.png) [@BrassyPhrase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrassyPhrase)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2008, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasselhoff-s-big-in-germany-what-s-the-american-version/462287/2 "2008-09-06T03:44:20Z")
> [@Small\_Hen](#): > > Here in America, David Hasselhoff never attained fame much beyond running in slow motion and singing mockable songs, but apparently the Germans just love the guy. So what’s the American version? What import is seen as total crap in it’s land of origin, but is revered in the states? Anything? I believe the band Oasis is considered pretty crap in the UK, but is/was very popular here. I don’t know if Oasis is still around, but I do occasionally hear bits and pieces about the Gallagher brothers. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2008, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasselhoff-s-big-in-germany-what-s-the-american-version/462287/3 "2008-09-06T03:49:15Z")
IIRC several Anime series that were not popular in Japan got extra episodes or seasons because they became popular in the USA, like Big O: [http://www.japanhero.com/super%20robot%20reviews/big\_O\_II.htm](http://www.japanhero.com/super%20robot%20reviews/big_O_II.htm) > [@](#): > > The original “Big O,” though it didn’t seem to blow away the Japanese viewers in its original run, gained a much stronger fanbase when it aired here in the US a couple years back. With its surprising success on Cartoon Network’s popular Toonami block, the decision was at last made to finish the series with an additional 13 episodes, and fan excitement started to grow from the word “go.” Big O fans were finally going to have their questions answered and that irresistable thirst quenched. It came in the form of Big O II. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2008, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasselhoff-s-big-in-germany-what-s-the-american-version/462287/4 "2008-09-06T03:50:50Z")
Neo-Nazism is more popular and more openly practiced in the U.S. than Germany, I reckon, but my fashion- and design-conscious German-speaking girlfriend has pointed out to me that there are certain styles of furniture that are popular in North America as “Old European”, though actual Europeans are dismissive. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Buttons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@Mr\_Buttons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Buttons)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2008, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasselhoff-s-big-in-germany-what-s-the-american-version/462287/5 "2008-09-06T04:03:37Z")
In high school I was a big fan of Rammstein and KMFDM (Both German bands). I don’t really know if they were popular in Germany or not, but I loved it during my whole “Anarchy! Woo! Yeah! Down w/ the man!” phase of my teenage angst years. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2008, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasselhoff-s-big-in-germany-what-s-the-american-version/462287/6 "2008-09-06T04:10:07Z")
According to his Wikipedia Page, Robin Leach is virtually unknown in the UK. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2008, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasselhoff-s-big-in-germany-what-s-the-american-version/462287/7 "2008-09-06T04:10:45Z")
Well, I heard a saying once in England: “You Yanks send us your celebrities, and we turn them into jokes. We send you our jokes, and you turn them into celebrities.” Meaning that Americans tend to assume ANY British actor or actress is talented, classy, intelligent and cultured. Brits make no such assumptions, and are often amused at how seriously we take their exports. ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2008, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasselhoff-s-big-in-germany-what-s-the-american-version/462287/8 "2008-09-06T04:23:06Z")
> [@Small\_Hen](#): > > So what’s the American version? What import is seen as total crap in it’s land of origin, but is revered in the states? Anything? _The Sound of Music_. I don’t know if they think it’s total crap, but we were told in Salzburg (as the fourth “Sound of Music” tour bus rolled by, tootling “The Hills Are Alive”) that most Austrians do not give a rat’s butt about _TSoM_ – have never even heard of it in fact – and that in the greater Salzburg area they consider it glurgey dreck only of value because of the American/Canadian tourist dollars it brings in. As one shop keeper told us “We gave the world Mozart, but all you Americans ask about is Julie Andrews.” ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2008, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasselhoff-s-big-in-germany-what-s-the-american-version/462287/9 "2008-09-06T04:26:21Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Well, I heard a saying once in England: “You Yanks send us your celebrities, and we turn them into jokes. We send you our jokes, and you turn them into celebrities.” > > Meaning that Americans tend to assume ANY British actor or actress is talented, classy, intelligent and cultured. Brits make no such assumptions, and are often amused at how seriously we take their exports. You reminded me that the British ended virtually disowning Benny Hill while in the USA he became so big in the 80s-90s that even a local TV channel advertised the movie “Those magnificent men in their flying machines” and mentioned that Benny Hill starred on it, even though it was just a cameo. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2008, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasselhoff-s-big-in-germany-what-s-the-american-version/462287/10 "2008-09-06T04:26:37Z")
> [@BrassyPhrase](#): > > I believe the band Oasis is considered pretty crap in the UK, but is/was very popular here. > > I don’t know if Oasis is still around, but I do occasionally hear bits and pieces about the Gallagher brothers. 😕 Oasis are much, much bigger in the UK than in the US. Their latest album, released in 2005, went triple platinum in the UK, but hardly made a dent in the US. They are about to release another album in a month or so. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2008, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasselhoff-s-big-in-germany-what-s-the-american-version/462287/11 "2008-09-06T04:31:08Z")
> [@Jodi](#): > > _The Sound of Music_. I don’t know if they think it’s total crap, but we were told in Salzburg (as the fourth “Sound of Music” tour bus rolled by, tootling “The Hills Are Alive”) that most Austrians do not give a rat’s butt about _TSoM_ – have never even heard of it in fact – and that in the greater Salzburg area they consider it glurgey dreck only of value because of the American/Canadian tourist dollars it brings in. As one shop keeper told us “We gave the world Mozart, but all you Americans ask about is Julie Andrews.” I think that is the biggest fault of the movie _Amadeus_, for all the eye candy, filming it in Czech Republic was a big mistake when one remembers the great scenery Austria has. ---
**Author:** ![BrassyPhrase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea666f/32.png) [@BrassyPhrase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrassyPhrase)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2008, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasselhoff-s-big-in-germany-what-s-the-american-version/462287/12 "2008-09-06T04:51:53Z")
> [@Terminus\_Est](#): > > 😕 Oasis are much, much bigger in the UK than in the US. Their latest album, released in 2005, went triple platinum in the UK, but hardly made a dent in the US. They are about to release another album in a month or so. And as always, I learn at The Dope! Thanks 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![stucco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e56c9b/32.png) [@stucco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stucco)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2008, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasselhoff-s-big-in-germany-what-s-the-american-version/462287/13 "2008-09-06T05:04:28Z")
Belle & Sebastian are fairly popular in the US, especially among college kids and indie music fans (and people who liked _Juno_). However, people in Scotland either don’t know them or don’t like them. ---
**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:** [September 6, 2008, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasselhoff-s-big-in-germany-what-s-the-american-version/462287/14 "2008-09-06T05:25:13Z")
> [@Sublight](#): > > According to his Wikipedia Page, Robin Leach is virtually unknown in the UK. Isn’t he Australian? For some reason, the song “I Melt With You” by Modern English found a huge audience in America, but when I was growing up in the UK I had never heard of them. I want to say that Def Leppard and Bush were much bigger in America than they were in the UK, but I’m basing this entirely on gut. ---
**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:** [September 6, 2008, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasselhoff-s-big-in-germany-what-s-the-american-version/462287/15 "2008-09-06T07:10:10Z")
Simon Cowell. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2008, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasselhoff-s-big-in-germany-what-s-the-american-version/462287/16 "2008-09-06T07:38:50Z")
> [@Hippy\_Hollow](#): > > > [@Sublight](#): > > > > According to his Wikipedia Page, Robin Leach is virtually unknown in the UK. > > Isn’t he Australian? No, he’s English. He was born in London and lived there until he moved to the U.S. at age 22. [Robin Leach](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Leach) ---
**Author:** ![Tenebras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@Tenebras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenebras)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2008, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasselhoff-s-big-in-germany-what-s-the-american-version/462287/17 "2008-09-06T07:40:18Z")
I know several Germans who think that it’s an American myth that David Hasselhoff is big in Germany. They were shocked that we said he was popular there. Of course, they also pretended that they didn’t all just speak English when the Americans weren’t around. Bunch of posers. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2008, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasselhoff-s-big-in-germany-what-s-the-american-version/462287/18 "2008-09-06T07:58:50Z")
> [@Sublight](#): > > According to his Wikipedia Page, Robin Leach is virtually unknown in the UK. I had to look him up on Wikipedia to find out who he is, so … yeah. I’ve heard of _Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous_ from references to it in American sources, but it’s never been shown here, that I know of (even on the more out-of-the-way satellite/cable channels). And I have seen Robin Leach once – I think it was a documentary about Britons who are famous abroad, but unknown here. > [@Hippy\_Hollow](#): > > Isn’t he Australian? Seemingly not. He does sound sort of Australian, though – I think he worked there for a time. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2008, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasselhoff-s-big-in-germany-what-s-the-american-version/462287/19 "2008-09-06T10:07:06Z")
> [@Hippy\_Hollow](#): > > Isn’t he Australian? > > For some reason, the song “I Melt With You” by Modern English found a huge audience in America, but when I was growing up in the UK I had never heard of them. > > I want to say that Def Leppard and Bush were much bigger in America than they were in the UK, but I’m basing this entirely on gut. Modern English wasn’t all that big in the UK - they were one-hit wonders in both countries I believe. I think you are right about DL and Bush - although I think DL had gotten more popular in the UK over time…and Oasis is still big there… ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2008, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasselhoff-s-big-in-germany-what-s-the-american-version/462287/20 "2008-09-06T10:10:00Z")
We had a thread about this a few years ago, and Bush were my nominee. In fact they were almost famous for not being big here, paradoxically. Simon Cowell, btw, is a celeb here too, I’m afraid. Modern English, I’ve never heard of. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasselhoff-s-big-in-germany-what-s-the-american-version/462287.md?page=2)