I’ve been seeing ads on late-night TV for this guy and his training program for years, and he has always struck me as extremely dour and joyless. I guess he’s something of a celebrity trainer, but he never smiles and I think if he was my trainer, after a session I’d be so depressed just by looking at him I’d want to end it all. In this link, the first picture (in which he’s holding the dumbbell) is how I’m used to seeing him, even though in that shot it looks as if they superimposed his head on somebody else’s body. But I was in the mall today and there were posters of him all over- I guess he’s coming for a book signing or something- and he’s been airbrushed to look like a 17-year old boy (in the same link a few pictures down, looking thoughtfully to the left while leaning on his right leg).
What’s the deal with this guy- can anyone take him seriously? Is his fitness program legit?
I almost didn’t recognize the name in the title. You should use his full name: John Basedow, Fitness Celebrity.
John Basedow, Fitness Celebrity is more than legit – he’s a fitness celebrity. Billy Blanks? Amateur! Richard Simmons? Obsolete! Neither of them are true fitness celebrities. You can tell because it’s not in their names. Richard Simmons, Fitness Celebrity? No, it is to laugh.
John Basedow, Fitness Celebrity, is the only person Chuck Norris is scared of.
I get the creeps watching his commercials. He seems more like a cult leader than a workout instructor. He was rumored to have died in the big Tsunami a few years back, and took his sweet time correcting the erroneous rumor.
Chuck Norris could destroy this freak with a simple twist of his calf muscle.
I was once one half a beer pong team called the Fitness Celebrities. I was John Basedow and my buddy was Tony Little. You may remember him for his ads hawking the Gazelle, some low-impact elliptical dealy.
John Basedow, Fitness Celebrity, is either a cult leader or a cyborg.
ETA: Now I wish my username was John Basedow, Fitness Celebrity.
Hey, I was at the Burlington Mall a few weeks back and saw posters of him as well. I mean, he’s scary anyway, but seeing him up on the rafters was even more chilling.
I think you have it right: Dour look + cheesy 80s hair + strangely well-sculpted abdominals = creepiness. He could get a modern haircut, smile a little, and lose the Geddy Lee resemblance and not be such a joke. Tony Little is a goofy looking guy but at least he smiles and looks friendly. Basedow, on the other hand, might be the Terminator.
I think the look on his face in all the media is mostly a result of the effort he’s constantly exerting to flex his muscles. He’s basically bracing for a high-G maneuver at all times.
He’s John Basedow. He gonna show you how -
To reach your potential and turn your whole life around.
ITS FITNESS MADE SIM PULL! IT’S MADE FOR REAL PEE POLE!
And that’s from memory.
Yes, his head does not seem to quite fit his body. I’m pretty sure he’s an alien. He’s some alien planet’s interpretation of what a human looks like. Ya gotta admit, that got it pretty close. He almost passes for human - but not quite.
Actually it’s “Fitness Celebrity John Basedow”, the title comes first. He’s on the radio around here for Work it out Wednesdays. The advice he gives to callers is usually common sense “diet and exercise”, and then there are a bunch of other callers that already have his videos and want to kiss his ass. I’m guessing it’s much like any other exercise video, but hyped up a lot more. He seems like a genuine guy that really tries to help people.
He also advertises at the movie theater here, and his head is definitely way too big for his body. I can’t help but point and say “Look! It’s Fitness Celebrity John Basedow!” every time it comes on the screen.
My mom and I think he looks like an accountant from the neck up. So we have this story about him being this boring but secretly psychotic accountant who does his best to bulk up so he can SHOW THOSE BASTARDS AT WORK ONCE AND FOR ALL.
Plus, his commercials are about 20 minutes long and they’re on constantly. There was a break for a while, right about the time everyone thought he died in the tsunami, but they’re back and as annoying as ever.