# Leif Garrett Fans? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 3, 2009, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leif-garrett-fans/505104 "2009-08-03T00:07:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2009, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leif-garrett-fans/505104/1 "2009-08-03T00:07:27Z")
I was at the library today and what I do on Sundays is I randomly grab 6 CDS (the limit) and see if I like them. Well today I came across “The Leif Garrett Collection.” When I went to check out the checkout person (who looked in her late 40s) said “Oh my where did you get this? I was SO in love with him in the 70s.” Another lady walked over and said “Well who didn’t love him.” Now I listend to the CD and it wasn’t spectacular though the song “I Was Made For Dancin’” is catchy, but even as a gay man, I still can’t see how any young girl would’ve loved him. Now I understand other pop idols from the 70s like Donny Osmond, Andy Gibb, Shaun Cassidy, and John Travolta, heck I can even see a girl liking Bobby Sherman, but Leif Garrett? Oh well…So my question to young ladies (or gay men) if you were around in the 70s did you have a “crush” on him. Or did you at least like him? I was alive during the 70s and I had heard of him but never heard a lot. Of course I miss a lot of things too. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2009, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leif-garrett-fans/505104/2 "2009-08-03T00:13:02Z")
He was more known for his acting than his singing. ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2009, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leif-garrett-fans/505104/3 "2009-08-03T00:18:24Z")
I think his major contribution was pictorial spreads in _Tiger Beat_. I had no idea he was either an actor or a singer. Well, maybe I knew it back then. I wasn’t hugely into the teen idol scene, but if I had been asked to name a few, it probably would have been him along with Sean Cassidy and Scott Baio. I see from Wikipedia that time has not been kind to the man. ---
**Author:** ![enomaj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/59ef9b/32.png) [@enomaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enomaj)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2009, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leif-garrett-fans/505104/4 "2009-08-03T00:37:50Z")
He had his own Behind the Music episode. ---
**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:** [August 3, 2009, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leif-garrett-fans/505104/5 "2009-08-03T00:48:25Z")
He’s a regular on The Smoking Gun’s World’s Dumbest (Criminals/Partiers/Daredevils/Theme of the Week) where, along with Tonya Harding, Todd Bridges, Danny Bonaduce, and other “B” list celebrities, he provides humorous commentary. The highlight of the show is usually when Danny Bonaduce rmakes fun of his bandana. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2009, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leif-garrett-fans/505104/6 "2009-08-03T01:35:10Z")
My wife had quite a crush on him back in the day (she was in junior high school at the time). ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2009, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leif-garrett-fans/505104/7 "2009-08-03T02:11:32Z")
IIRC from his Behind the Music episode, he _hated_ doing those corny pop songs. He said he would rather have been a bad ass Led Zeppelin style rocker, but he was obligated to do basically whatever the record company told him to do, which turned out to be bubble gum dance tunes. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2009, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leif-garrett-fans/505104/8 "2009-08-03T02:19:49Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > He was more known for his acting than his singing. Which is sad, if you think about it. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2009, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leif-garrett-fans/505104/9 "2009-08-03T12:50:24Z")
My daughter will be 42 soon and Leif Garrett was one of the guys on her wall, along with Shaun Cassidy, Bill Hudson of the Hudson Brothers, and John Travolta. By the time she was 15, those guys were down and up went Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix. Like **Harriett the Spry** said, _Tiger Beat_ had a lot to do with who was famous. Garrett was the Fabian of the 70’s – not particularly talented but cute and well-promoted. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2009, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leif-garrett-fans/505104/10 "2009-08-03T15:49:13Z")
I thought he was more famous for his unfortunate DUI situation: [Leif Garrett - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leif_Garrett) > [@](#): > > Personal troubles > > Garrett after being arrested on possession of heroin chargesIn 1979, three days before his 18th birthday, Garrett crashed his car while drunk and under the influence of Quaaludes. The accident left his passenger and best friend Roland Winkler a paraplegic. A guilt-stricken Garrett publicly promised to look after Winkler, as his friend’s mother later filed a $25 million negligence lawsuit against him. > > Garrett insisted that he did not have the money and the suit was eventually settled out of court for $7.1 million, leaving the friends completely estranged [1]. Garrett and Winkler remained estranged until he was approached by VH1 to film a 1999 episode of the television series Behind The Music. The episode featured Garrett’s reunion with an apology to Winkler; Winkler forgave Garrett and acknowledged that Garrett’s actions following the accident may actually have saved his life.[2] > > Despite claiming on Behind the Music not to have used drugs since a 1996 intervention, Garrett was arrested for possession only months after the episode aired. Garrett was arrested again in March 2005 and pled guilty to possession of cocaine. However, he subsequently violated his probation, prompting a judge to issue a bench warrant for his arrest in December. > > On January 14, 2006, Garrett was arrested on a Metro Red Line subway platform in downtown Los Angeles, California, for allegedly not having a ticket.[3] Heroin was found in his possession and Garrett was held in jail without bail before being sentenced to a live-in drug rehabilitation program. He left the program, believing it to be too strict, and was consequently sentenced to 90 days in jail and three years’ probation on May 11, 2006. He was credited with the time served since March 30, when he was placed in custody for failing a drug test. ---
**Author:** ![kath94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/67e7ee/32.png) [@kath94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kath94)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2009, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leif-garrett-fans/505104/11 "2009-08-03T16:36:41Z")
> [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](#): > > I think his major contribution was pictorial spreads in _Tiger Beat_. I had no idea he was either an actor or a singer. Well, maybe I knew it back then. I wasn’t hugely into the teen idol scene, but if I had been asked to name a few, it probably would have been him along with Sean Cassidy and Scott Baio. I see from Wikipedia that time has not been kind to the man. I’ll second (or third) this. I’m 45 & remember as a teenager his face plastered all over \*Tiger Beat \*and _Teen Beat_, but I couldn’t tell you why. I couldn’t even name a single song or TV show/movie that he was in back then. Good PR, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2009, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leif-garrett-fans/505104/12 "2009-08-03T17:46:59Z")
> [@Kalhoun](#): > > I thought he was more famous for his unfortunate DUI situation: [Leif Garrett - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leif_Garrett) Huh? If he wasn’t famous in the first place, we never would have heard about his crimes and misfortunes afterward. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2009, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leif-garrett-fans/505104/13 "2009-08-03T18:24:18Z")
I’m 41 and had a HUGE crush on him. I think it was the hair and although I’d seen some of his acting and loved the one song mentioned in the OP, he seemed more famous for his locks than for any professional abilities. Sadly, as stated, he hasn’t aged well. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2009, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leif-garrett-fans/505104/14 "2009-08-03T23:19:24Z")
I’m 39 and I remember my best friend had a crush on him before I was even old enough to crush on anyone. I thought he was dirty looking. But when I did crush, it was Andy Gibb. ---
**Author:** ![sweepkick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/87869e/32.png) [@sweepkick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweepkick)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2009, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leif-garrett-fans/505104/15 "2009-08-04T01:45:37Z")
He did a cover of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” that kicked off The Melvins’ “The Crybaby” album back in 2000. Initially I thought it to be irony, but IMHO he nailed it. Great start to a great album. …and yes I’m 39 as well and I remember my babysitter had a big thing for the guy, much to my pre-pubescent chagrin. lol Youtube link: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/dz1mu8MQDYA/hqdefault.jpg "Smells Like Teen Spirit By Leif Garrett") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz1mu8MQDYA) ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2009, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leif-garrett-fans/505104/16 "2009-08-04T02:26:58Z")
I know he played Felix Unger’s son on the TV version of “The Odd Couple” ---
**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:** [August 4, 2009, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leif-garrett-fans/505104/17 "2009-08-04T04:24:07Z")
His sister is an actress, also. Her name is [Dawn Lyn](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawn_Lyn), and she appeared on “My Three Sons” from 1969-72 as Dodie, Steve Douglas’ stepdaughter. She also acted alongside Leif in episodes of “Wonder Woman,” “Cannon,” and in the original “Walking Tall” movie and its sequels. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2009, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leif-garrett-fans/505104/18 "2009-08-07T20:15:27Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Huh? If he wasn’t famous in the first place, we never would have heard about his crimes and misfortunes afterward. I didn’t say he wasn’t famous in his own right. Just MORE famous for his trainwreck. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2009, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leif-garrett-fans/505104/19 "2009-08-07T20:33:33Z")
I’m a hair too young (40) to have crushed on him, but didn’t grow up with TV (and didn’t read Tiger Beat) so I just remember him vaguely as someone with beautiful strawberry blond hair. ---
**Author:** ![caligulathegod](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caligulathegod/32/9685_2.png) [@caligulathegod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caligulathegod)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2009, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leif-garrett-fans/505104/20 "2009-08-07T21:23:13Z")
I’m a 40 year old straight male and I used to buy Tiger Beat, 16, Creem, and the others because (like many other 8 year olds of the time) I was a Kiss fan (there was always a Kiss article) and remember being totally perplexed as to who the hell he was at the time along with the rest of them. I especially remember them hyping the hell out of the Bay City Rollers. Obviously, reading the magazine for the one article I’d become familiar with these people, but I remember never hearing their music on the radio and this was before the days of Walkman. No one I knew had LPs or 45s of them, which was how you listened to music in those days. Finally, the movie “Skateboard” came out and I got to see what he did. Meh. Now, 30+ years later, whenever I think of buying those magazines, I think I associate Leif Garrett with them more than Kiss since he was so plastered in every one of them. For what it’s worth, I dropped Kiss when I discovered Debbie Harry was much prettier and then the rest of music opened up to me. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leif-garrett-fans/505104.md?page=2)