# I never knew they were \*that\* good - artists with under reported skills **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [July 27, 2022, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-never-knew-they-were-that-good-artists-with-under-reported-skills/968663 "2022-07-27T18:32:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2022, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-never-knew-they-were-that-good-artists-with-under-reported-skills/968663/61 "2022-08-03T13:58:32Z")
As it hasn’t been mentioned yet: David Bowie was a very serviceable saxophonist. I know it was an instrument that he learned at a young age, but it wasn’t something he showcased that often. Here’s Drive In Saturday: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/0fNGkzfrePM/hqdefault.jpg "David Bowie - Drive-In Saturday") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fNGkzfrePM) And while we’re on the subject - it’s not exactly news, but Mick Ronson was a hell of a piano player: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/QYEC4TZsy-Y/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-AoACoAKKAgwIABABGGIgYihiMA8=&rs=AOn4CLAhDimXphCKlR_y6XyndgqpvCpCJg "Lou Reed - Perfect Day") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYEC4TZsy-Y) j ---
**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:** [August 3, 2022, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-never-knew-they-were-that-good-artists-with-under-reported-skills/968663/62 "2022-08-03T20:46:12Z")
I’m sure this is unncessary but just in case you haven’t heard his performances with Les Paul in the **Jazz At The Philharmonic** (Los Angeles, July 1944) recordings… you should. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2022, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-never-knew-they-were-that-good-artists-with-under-reported-skills/968663/63 "2022-08-03T21:41:40Z")
Is that the 4 CD set? If so, yes i have that. ---
**Author:** ![Tride](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tride/32/13907_2.png) [@Tride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tride)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2022, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-never-knew-they-were-that-good-artists-with-under-reported-skills/968663/64 "2022-08-03T22:49:01Z")
Thanks–I’ve seen a couple of those, but not others, Creep was awesome–I can’t stand Radiohead (the singer, specifically), but it was great. Too bad there’s so little video of him on anything other than guitar and piano. I hadn’t noticed the roadie pushing him back up at the end on WMGGWs–the start of the end. ---
**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:** [August 4, 2022, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-never-knew-they-were-that-good-artists-with-under-reported-skills/968663/65 "2022-08-04T00:48:24Z")
Insert “Thumbs Up” emoticon here. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2022, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-never-knew-they-were-that-good-artists-with-under-reported-skills/968663/66 "2022-08-04T20:03:03Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > IIRC, sometime in the last 1-3 years a Doper posted quite a long and informative story about her life and the injustices she suffered. Was that you? It was a real eye-opener and completely changed how I felt about her as an artist, as well as providing an instructive and tragic tale about how familial, social and economic forces can interact in destructive ways. @CairoCarol, you’re likely thinking of this post: > [@The Carpenters: A (Re) Appreciation](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-carpenters-a-re-appreciation/950281): > > Dedicated to Karen, the first woman to make me cry [[Imgur] ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/68782016@N08/51434433656/) ”Love of beauty is taste. Creation of beauty is art.”, Ralph Waldo Emerson Yesterday Once More IT ALL started… the melancholy music, the sense of failure, the addiction, her body dysmorphia, all of this and more powering the most soothing and tragedy-filled contralto of her generation… it all started, and will end, with her brother Richard. Born in New Haven, CT to Harold Carpenter and Agnes Tatum … ---
**Author:** ![txtumbleweed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/278dde/32.png) [@txtumbleweed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/txtumbleweed)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2022, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-never-knew-they-were-that-good-artists-with-under-reported-skills/968663/67 "2022-08-09T03:24:39Z")
Add Juice Newton to the list. She had a ton of hits and award nominations in the 70’s and 80’s with a country/pop crossover. I think because of that it was easy to overlook the fact she had a magnificent voice and chose songs that worked for her. Also, a sense of humor helps… [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/1tatoOZ2-uw/maxresdefault.jpg "Juice Newton - Love's Been A Little Bit Hard On Me (Official Music Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tatoOZ2-uw) ---
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2022, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-never-knew-they-were-that-good-artists-with-under-reported-skills/968663/68 "2022-08-09T18:02:42Z")
I don’t mind country music and certainly wouldn’t call myself a fan but Zac Brown can flat pick pretty darn well. Starts at about 4:00. Keith Urban is no slouch either. I’d much rather hear instrumentals than pop lyrics but that doesn’t pay as well. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/4L5fvzaLs4w/maxresdefault.jpg "The Zac Brown Band, "Chicken Fried", 2022 New Orleans JazzFest, 5/8/22.") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4L5fvzaLs4w) ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2023, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-never-knew-they-were-that-good-artists-with-under-reported-skills/968663/69 "2023-11-26T19:48:29Z")
Adrian Edmondson, the British comedic actor best known for his many collaborations with Rik Mayall (_The Young Ones_, _Bottom_, etc.), is an accomplished jazz and folk musician. One of his bands has put out three albums, played music festivals, and even won an award or two. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/P0Ykz7N6L9A/maxresdefault.jpg "The Bad Shepherds - 'I Fought The Law' & 'No More Heroes' [HD] Inside Sleeve, ABC RN") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0Ykz7N6L9A&t=264) On top of this, he’s directed numerous music videos, one of which won Best Video at the MTV Awards. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2023, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-never-knew-they-were-that-good-artists-with-under-reported-skills/968663/70 "2023-11-26T19:51:07Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Steve Martin is an excellent banjo player. Not only that, but he’s written several plays, screenplays, and books for children and adults. ---
**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:** [November 26, 2023, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-never-knew-they-were-that-good-artists-with-under-reported-skills/968663/71 "2023-11-26T20:09:00Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > Not only that, but he’s written several plays, screenplays, and books for children and adults. “Being a writer,” is kind of the thing he’s primarily famous for, though. That, and being an actor, but his acting career was built around the idea that he was writing his own scripts - a “Steve Martin” movie wasn’t just a movie that had Steve Martin in it, but was one that was created to his particular comedic and dramatic sensibilities. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2023, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-never-knew-they-were-that-good-artists-with-under-reported-skills/968663/72 "2023-11-26T20:18:05Z")
Maybe, but it never ceases to amaze me how many people don’t read movie credits—not even the ones at the beginning of the film. I’m sure there’s a huge segment of the population who know who Steve Martin is, or may even be fans, but aren’t aware that he wrote a lot of the movies he starred in. (For a long time, I was one such person, but only because I saw his films as a child or teenager, before I started paying attention to the credits.) ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2023, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-never-knew-they-were-that-good-artists-with-under-reported-skills/968663/73 "2023-11-26T21:07:39Z")
Carrie Fisher was a top Hollywood script doctor who worked on scripts like “Hook”, “Sister Act”, “The Wedding Singer”,“The River Wild” and others. She also did script doctoring on all three Star Wars trilogies, making her the only credited screenwriter to have worked all three. Some of her and Harrison Ford’s dialog was rewritten by her in the first Star Wars film, becuae Lucas was a hack who wrote terrible dialog. She was also a good novelist (“Postcard# From the Edge”.) ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2023, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-never-knew-they-were-that-good-artists-with-under-reported-skills/968663/74 "2023-11-27T00:40:35Z")
Up until recently, to the best of my knowledge the only reason I knew of Tim Minchin was…well, I thought he was a contestant on Big Fat Quiz, but I can’t find that. Regardless, I knew very little of him and, while I don’t think it was the hair, I grouped him in with Russell Brand. In any case, it took me by surprise when I saw this. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/PcTXUyxMKo0/maxresdefault.jpg "when you have a personality disorder but the show must go on") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcTXUyxMKo0) ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2023, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-never-knew-they-were-that-good-artists-with-under-reported-skills/968663/75 "2023-11-27T00:46:02Z")
Another one. For those that haven’t watched Taskmaster, Mark Watson and Nish Kumar were not exactly excelling at their tasks. No one expected them to write and play a song, but they still managed to come up with this out of nowhere. I’ll post the entire task so you get the premise (but it’s fun to watch anyway). [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/9reizEBVzYI/hqdefault.jpg "Song for a stranger - Taskmaster") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9reizEBVzYI) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2023, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-never-knew-they-were-that-good-artists-with-under-reported-skills/968663/76 "2023-11-27T00:58:22Z")
Jimmy Buffett wasn’t just an average musician. He was also one of the few authors to ever have been #1 on both New York Times Fiction **and** Non-Fiction lists. He was a master story-teller no matter the medium. ---
**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:** [November 27, 2023, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-never-knew-they-were-that-good-artists-with-under-reported-skills/968663/77 "2023-11-27T01:03:07Z")
Tim Curry was a songwriter and rock singer, writing all the songs on his album _Fearless_, including “[I Do the Rock](https://youtu.be/kXPCsaO_55o?si=UeUeWpnZ0ROgQ2xN).” ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2023, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-never-knew-they-were-that-good-artists-with-under-reported-skills/968663/78 "2023-11-27T02:26:26Z")
As much as I adore Tim Curry, I would nominate “I Do the Rock” for worst piece of noise pretending to be pop music ever. The videos of him performing it are just painful. As immensely talented as he was / is, he looked very out of place fronting a band. I think he was much more in his element in musical theater. Incidentally, if you can find it, Curry did really well hosting SNL in the early 80s. At one point he did a really great music hall number called “The Zucchini Song”. It was quirky stuff like that where Curry was at his best, IMHO. Very sad that he’s been unwell since having a stroke some years ago. I hope he’s comfortable and still able to enjoy life. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2023, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-never-knew-they-were-that-good-artists-with-under-reported-skills/968663/79 "2023-11-27T08:39:47Z")
We’ve had plenty of threads in the past about artists and entertainers with doctorates and other advanced degrees. (You can’t get these without excellent research skills!) Rather than repeat the long lists of celebrities mentioned in those threads, I’ll just link to some of them here: > [@Celebrities with REAL (Not Honorary) Doctorates](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-real-not-honorary-doctorates/392613/): > > How many celebrities can you think of who have earned actual Ph. D’s from actual universities? Academics who’ve become famous writers (Isaac Asimov, Richard Dawkins, et al.) aren’t really what I’m looking for. Rather, are there any famous musicians, actors, novelists and such who happen to have gone to graduate school and earned doctorates? I know Bill Cosby got a Ph. D. in education, and Queen guitarist Brian May was in a doctoral program for astronomy (not sure whether he ever actually recei… > [@Any famous people you were astonished to learn had a Ph. D ?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-famous-people-you-were-astonished-to-learn-had-a-ph-d/117161): > > Are there any well known folks you’re aware of who hold a Ph. D.? Preferably folks not known for being brainy. Someone most people would be VERY surprised to learn had done advanced graduate studies. > [@Seemingly "Ignorant" Celebrities With Advanced Degrees](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seemingly-ignorant-celebrities-with-advanced-degrees/288751): > > A friend recently announced that he had “heard” that Dolph Lundgren, who is usually perceived as a slab of barely literate beef, to whom language seems foreign, actually has an advanced degree in Physics. Is this true? The friend further stated that that kid from “Dude, Where’s My Car?” (Goddamn my sieve-like memory for current “actors”) is a lettered Chemistry BIGSHOT, or somesuch title. Hmm, is Keanu Reeves actually second only to Crick and Watson after all? Does David Lee Roth hold a degr… ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2023, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-never-knew-they-were-that-good-artists-with-under-reported-skills/968663/80 "2023-11-27T14:45:21Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Up until recently, to the best of my knowledge the only reason I knew of Tim Minchin was…well, I thought he was a contestant on Big Fat Quiz, but I can’t find that. Regardless, I knew very little of him and, while I don’t think it was the hair, I grouped him in with Russell Brand. > In any case, it took me by surprise when I saw this. > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcTXUyxMKo0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcTXUyxMKo0) Oh, Tim Minchin is far more than just a comic. He sang Judas in a 2010 production of [Jesus Christ Superstar](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5lTwmK__TDo&pp=ygUidGltIG1pbmNoaW4gamVzdXMgY2hyaXN0IHN1cGVyc3Rhcg%3D%3D), and absolutely crushed it. He also gave a [commencement speech](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yoEezZD71sc&t=235s&pp=ygUddGltIG1pbmNoaW4gZ3JhZHVhdGlvbiBzcGVlY2g%3D) at his alma mater, the University of Western Australia, that has gone viral for its humor and its wisdom. > [@Joey\_P](#): > > Another one. For those that haven’t watched Taskmaster, Mark Watson and Nish Kumar were not exactly excelling at their tasks. No one expected them to write and play a song, but they still managed to come up with this out of nowhere. > I’ll post the entire task so you get the premise (but it’s fun to watch anyway). Agreed. The Diverse Stripes only had that one hit, but it was a banger. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-never-knew-they-were-that-good-artists-with-under-reported-skills/968663.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-never-knew-they-were-that-good-artists-with-under-reported-skills/968663.md?page=5)