# Once in a lifetime talents **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 9, 2022, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-in-a-lifetime-talents/971289 "2022-09-09T19:57:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CastletonSnob1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@CastletonSnob1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CastletonSnob1)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-in-a-lifetime-talents/971289/1 "2022-09-09T19:57:39Z")
What athletes, musicians or entertainers do you consider once in a lifetime talents, that we’ll never see again? Michael Jackson for me. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-in-a-lifetime-talents/971289/2 "2022-09-09T20:10:28Z")
I’ve heard there will never be a violinist who can match the skills of **Niccolò Paganini**. For, me, though, I don’t think we will ever see another **Frank Zappa** when it comes to music. His talent wasn’t with a specific instrument, though. It was everything _else_… composition, arrangements, engineering/production, and a laser-focus attention to detail. His dedication was without equal. And he excelled at many different styles, including rock, jazz, fusion, blues, classical, and doowop. He peaked in the early 1970s with his jazz-fusion bands, and I doubt anyone else will ever come close to achieving what they achieved. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-in-a-lifetime-talents/971289/3 "2022-09-09T20:14:06Z")
Musician: Weird Al. Nobody has done parody anywhere near as well nor for as long. And he’s not finished. Athlete: Babe Ruth changed the game of baseball while outhitting entire teams. Edwin Moses won 122 400m hurdle races in a row. Nolan Ryan threw harder than any before or since and threw complete games rather than just an inning or two. Plus 7 no-hitters. ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-in-a-lifetime-talents/971289/4 "2022-09-09T20:23:20Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > For, me, though, I don’t think we will ever see another **Frank Zappa**. His talent wasn’t with a specific instrument, though. It was everything _else_… composition, arrangements, and a laser-focus attention to detail. Yes, absolutely, although (and I don’t know whether you meant to) I wouldn’t downplay his guitar skills as one part of a bigger picture. His playing was distinctive and, I think, very expressive of who he was and what he was all about musically. Let’s also mention his friend Don Van Vliet, a.k.a. **Captain Beefheart**. That someone could even _conceive_ of the music he made, let alone communicate to band members what he wanted and get them to do it, is amazing. Obviously, that alone isn’t enough to qualify for “once in a lifetime talent” status, and admittedly he would be an “acquired taste” even for people who might be open to what he did. But he was, rather stubbornly, off in his own little world, and he made it work. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-in-a-lifetime-talents/971289/5 "2022-09-09T20:27:53Z")
I think “Prince” is the high watermark for me. Not just a just a once in a lifetime musician, but also producer, instrumentalist, lyricist and performer. I’m sure I won’t see the like of him again before I peg it. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-in-a-lifetime-talents/971289/6 "2022-09-09T20:34:09Z")
Basketball: Michael Jordan. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-in-a-lifetime-talents/971289/7 "2022-09-09T20:35:32Z")
Entertainer: Robin Williams. I don’t think I’ll see the likes of him in my lifetime. ---
**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:** [September 9, 2022, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-in-a-lifetime-talents/971289/8 "2022-09-09T20:47:39Z")
**Athletes** : Wayne Gretzy is my top pick. Tiger Woods in his prime would be the other. Gretzky in particular stood so far above his peers that we may never see anyone else outclass the field in a major sport like that again in my lifetime. **Scientists** : Richard Feynman. Not just for his contributions to quantum theory and his teaching ability but because of his attitude, refusing to care about titles and reputation or believe people without evidence. “Science is the belief in the ignorance of experts,” he said. In other words, authority and reputation are no substitute for the facts. There were few Nobel winners who cared so little about the institutions of science and their gatekeepers, but cared so much about scientific integrity and the dogged pursuit of the facts. **Entrepreneurs** : Elon Musk. Others have built large companies and earned fortunes, but few have done it the way he did, bucking conventional wisdom and taking huge but very rewarding risks which have benefited a lot of people and moved space exploration forward in a big step change over the status quo. Bezos couldn’t do it. Musk did. **Musicians** : Stevie Ray Vaughan and Neil Peart. Both were virtuosos that were a step anove their contemporaries. **Actors** : This is a tough one, Lots of actors were ‘great’ in their heyday. But I’m going to go with Clint Eastwood. The man turned an impressive A-list acting career in an even more impressive directing career that is still going on in his 90s. He’s been a Hollywood celebrity for 60+ years, and has never been a has-been. If anyone else does better than him for longer, it will be long after I’m gone. **TV Personalities** : Johnny Carson. No one dominated late night or the watercooler at work like Johnny did, and with the fragmentation of media no one else ever will. His audiences back in ghe day were ten times the size of his closest contemporary competitors, **Politicians** : Ronald Reagan. He knew when to apply pressure to the Soviet Union, but more importantly knew when to back off and embrace them as potential friends when it began to come apart, preventing a violent spasm ending. He never lost his optimism and managed to work across the aisle in Washington successfully for 8 years, even developing close friendships with opposition leaders. ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-in-a-lifetime-talents/971289/9 "2022-09-09T21:21:43Z")
As a basketball player, Wilt Chamberlain dominated like no else before or since, in any sport, ever. Yma Sumac was in a class by herself in terms of renown in the West: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ZwtiyJfq1_M/maxresdefault.jpg "Yma Sumac In Her Duet With A Flute - Insane Harmonization") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwtiyJfq1_M) The astounding expansiveness of Dizzy Gillespie’s cheeks were just one facet of his talent that made him a unique performer: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/k2tBufHUIEg/hqdefault.jpg "Dizzy Gillespie cheeks") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2tBufHUIEg) I sincerely doubt we will ever see another Prince Randian: > **[Prince Randian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Randian)** > > Prince Randian (sometimes misspelled Rardion or Randion; October 12, 1871 – December 19, 1934), also nicknamed Pillow Man, The Snake Man, The Human Torso, The Human Caterpillar and a variety of other names, was a Guyanese-born American performer with tetra-amelia syndrome and a famous limbless sideshow performer of the early 1900s, best known for his ability to roll cigarettes with his lips. > He was brought to the United States by P.T. Barnum in 1889, at the age of 18, and was a popular Coney Isl... ---
**Author:** ![CastletonSnob1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@CastletonSnob1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CastletonSnob1)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-in-a-lifetime-talents/971289/10 "2022-09-09T21:27:08Z")
In boxing: Roy Jones Jr. The things he could do in his prime were unbelievable. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pkMAf0ZHO_k/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-BIAC6AKKAgwIABABGHIgSyg9MA8=&rs=AOn4CLCoVX3_Cb0-W2diMi-oNhklFCwdlQ "Roy Jones Jr. "Perfect Fighter" Highlights by Kimura") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkMAf0ZHO_k) ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-in-a-lifetime-talents/971289/11 "2022-09-09T21:36:01Z")
Not just because castrati are gone but even for his time Farinelli was untouchable as a singer. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-in-a-lifetime-talents/971289/12 "2022-09-09T21:41:46Z")
Bob Dylan. His run of absolute genius is still untouched. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-in-a-lifetime-talents/971289/13 "2022-09-09T21:45:20Z")
Absolutely Bob Dylan. He is my only answer, in fact. mmm ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-in-a-lifetime-talents/971289/14 "2022-09-09T21:55:03Z")
I don’t watch cricket, but Don Bradman has got to be the one for sports in general. He was leagues ahead of any cricketer in history, with a 99.94 test batting average. Look at this chart: [![](https://www.significancemagazine.com/images/significance/2015/graphs/bradman-cricket-batting-average.png) ](https://www.significancemagazine.com/images/significance/2015/graphs/bradman-cricket-batting-average.png) That’s how much of an outlier he was. I doubt we’ll ever see someone like that again. ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-in-a-lifetime-talents/971289/15 "2022-09-09T22:24:59Z")
I misread this as baseball. ---
**Author:** ![Bootb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19b73/32.png) [@Bootb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootb)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-in-a-lifetime-talents/971289/16 "2022-09-09T23:44:45Z")
Myron Floren was the best accordion player of all time. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2022, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-in-a-lifetime-talents/971289/17 "2022-09-10T00:13:38Z")
> [@Bootb](#): > > Myron Floren was the best accordion player of all time. - How can you tell if someone’s bad? :flees: ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2022, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-in-a-lifetime-talents/971289/18 "2022-09-10T00:46:30Z")
If an animal can be considered an athlete (and why not?), I’ll go with Secretariat. Another horse may one day beat his '73 Belmont Stakes time, but if he ran against Secretariat (alive of course), I believe he’d finish second. That horse just loved to crush his opponents. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/vfCMtaNiMDM/maxresdefault.jpg "Secretariat Belmont Stakes 1973 & extended coverage (HD Version - NEW!)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfCMtaNiMDM) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2022, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-in-a-lifetime-talents/971289/19 "2022-09-10T01:05:02Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > **Actors** : This is a tough one, Lots of actors were ‘great’ in their heyday. But I’m going to go with Clint Eastwood. The man turned an impressive A-list acting career in an even more impressive directing career that is still going on in his 90s. He’s been a Hollywood celebrity for 60+ years, and has never been a has-been. If anyone else does better than him for longer, it will be long after I’m gone. While Eastwood is a legend, let me note that his latest top-billed role in the 2020s was for a movie that didn’t actually break even at the box office — just like how, in the ‘10s, _Trouble With The Curve_ didn’t actually break even; and, in the ‘00s, _Blood Work_ didn’t actually break even; and, in the ‘90s, _True Crime_ didn’t actually break even; and, in the ‘80s, _Pink Cadillac_ didn’t actually break even; and, in the ‘70s, _The Beguiled_ didn’t actually break even; and so on, and so on. By contrast, Tom Cruise is, what, thirty-plus years into a winning streak where each of the thirty-plus flicks he’s been top-billed in has more than doubled its budget? As far as I can tell, he’s — arguably the most bankable leading man in Hollywood history, from back when he was starring in _Top Gun_ to, y’know, what he’s up to now? ---
**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:** [September 10, 2022, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-in-a-lifetime-talents/971289/20 "2022-09-10T01:16:25Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Bob Dylan. His run of absolute genius is still untouched. > [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Absolutely Bob Dylan. He is my only answer, in fact. > > mmm Should be my natural answer, as the self-proclaimed greatest Dylan fan of the board 😉, Yes, it’s a good answer, especially for songwriting. Zappa also was a genius. But from the POV of a rock fan like me, Jimi Hendrix is the answer. Nobody else played the electric guitar and mastered it like him, not before him or after. As for sports: I’ve never seen anyone in my life time who practiced their sport as exceptional as Ronnie O’Sullivan plays snooker. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-in-a-lifetime-talents/971289.md?page=2)