# Which performer's physical appearance didn't match your mental image the most? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 18, 2012, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193 "2012-04-18T18:41:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/121 "2015-11-13T14:55:55Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > > [@xizor](#): > > > > I was surprised to find out Iggy Azalea was not a black woman. > > If it’s any consolation, so is she. _:golf clap:_ Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/122 "2015-11-13T15:12:10Z")
Back in the 60s, I was stunned to learn that [Chris Montez](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXJIQNDC-N4) was a guy, and so were many DJs, [apparently](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Montez) (scroll down to ‘1966 Comeback’. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/123 "2015-11-13T15:42:54Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > I wasn’t surprised by any of these peoples looks. > > How could you not know what these people look like? > > Van Morrison, Eric Burdon? They are hermits? Ever read magazines? See “Television” or “TV” as it’s called sometimes? Classy. You’ve never heard songs on the radio but not come across a picture of that person until later? For my example from pre-zombie days in this thread, I heard “Hot Child in the City” all the freakin’ time when I was a kid in the '70’s - it was a big hit for a period. But I had no clue who Nick Gilder was until _decades_ later when someone made a reference to a band he had been in prior to going solo, Sweeney Todd. On this board. If you didn’t grow up in the 60’s and 70’s I can totally imagine hearing, I dunno, Moondance and House of the Rising Sun a bunch of times in your life but never connecting either to a picture. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/124 "2015-11-13T16:28:26Z")
I haven’t seen Leo Sayer mentioned yet. Anybody else growing up in the '70s and listening to “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing” or “When I Need Love” think that the singer was a black woman and not a skinny kind of Richard-Simmonsy white guy? ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/125 "2015-11-13T23:37:39Z")
Joss Stone. I had heard her music on the radio and did not envision a skinny, blonde, 15 year old Brit girl. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2015, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/126 "2015-11-14T00:43:28Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > I was a little surprised to find that Johnny Nash of “I Can See Clearly Now the Rain is Gone” was African American. Is there a non-racist term/phrase for the opposite of “blue-eyed soul”? I didn’t know until this very moment, and I remember when the song came out. Guess I never saw his album cover or anything else with his photo. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2015, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/127 "2015-11-14T01:16:57Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I didn’t know until this very moment, and I remember when the song came out. Guess I never saw his album cover or anything else with his photo. I’m surprised. Did you hang out in record stores and look at the LPs ? He didn’t sound white to me at all. Actually I was surprised at the time that he was a black American and not a Jamaican. The follow up record was Stir it up written by Bob Marley, and he was known for being this “reggae” artist. The weirdest thing is that Johnny Nash was the guy who sang the Hercules theme song on TV like years before that. That sounded racially undifferentiated. ---
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2015, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/128 "2015-11-14T01:53:50Z")
When I was a kid Dr. John had a big hit with “Right Place Wrong Time.” Didn’t know what he looked like at the time but the voice and music led me to imagine something other than the melanin-challenged dude he turned out to be. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2015, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/129 "2015-11-14T02:03:28Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > I’m surprised. Did you hang out in record stores and look at the LPs ? He didn’t sound white to me at all. No. By 1972 I’d been in the military for five years, and my record shop hanging out days were long behind me. I heard the catchy song on the radio and thought “nice tune”. He sounded like a guy with a decent tenor voice, neither black nor white. Sort of like Johnny Mathis. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2015, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/130 "2015-11-14T05:26:28Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > This one’s not a singer. Back in the 80’s people about to meet Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger would expect someone 6’7" and weighing 275 pounds to come though the door. But women say he’s kinda short. He’s about 6’ tall… that’s not short. Ohhh wait… heh. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2015, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/131 "2015-11-14T05:45:46Z")
Maybe too soon, but when I first heard Carpenters songs, I pictured Karen as a beautiful blonde. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2015, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/132 "2015-11-14T05:59:51Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Back in the 60s, I was stunned to learn that [Chris Montez](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXJIQNDC-N4) was a guy, and so were many DJs, [apparently](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Montez) (scroll down to ‘1966 Comeback’. Heh. Those of a certain age will remember a recurring bit on SNL, where people tried to figure out the gender of a character named Pat. Those of a less certain age might remember a pretty good song from 1969 called “More Today Than Yesterday,” by the Spiral Starecase. Click on the link, listen to the song, read the lyrics (shown in the video). Without googling it, I defy you to tell me whether the lead singer is male or female. I'll give you a hint: the singer's name is Pat Upton. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2015, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/133 "2015-11-14T06:12:04Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > Click on the link, listen to the song, read the lyrics (shown in the video). Without googling it, I defy you to tell me whether the lead singer is male or female. I’ll give you a hint: the singer’s name is Pat Upton. Huh. I guess I’ll guess a guy since I always thought that was a Stevie Wonder song. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2015, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/134 "2015-11-14T07:14:03Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > Click on the link, listen to the song, read the lyrics (shown in the video). Without googling it, I defy you to tell me whether the lead singer is male or female. I’ll give you a hint: the singer’s name is Pat Upton. I’m guessing a guy. (I looked it up before the edit window) but I never would have guessed he was white ---
**Author:** ![Leiko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Leiko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leiko)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2015, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/135 "2015-11-14T08:34:30Z")
I’m glad this resurrected, because when I started listening to the Thrilling Adventure Hour, my mental image of Sparks Nevada Marshall on Mars looked nothing at all like actual Marc Evan Jackson. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2015, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/136 "2015-11-14T11:10:54Z")
When I was a kid, I never expected either [Black Flag](http://www.mtvhive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/blackflag_640.jpg) or the [Dead Kennedys](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0f/Dead_kennedys.jpg) to look like a bunch of average guys. It was heartening when I found out they did. And not a musician, but [H. Jon Benjamin](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/H._Jon_Benjamin_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg)’s voice does not make me picture that man. But, that’s probably the best measure of a good voice actor. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2015, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/137 "2015-11-14T14:19:51Z")
When Mariah Carey had her first hit I was shocked when I saw her. I was expecting someone built more like Aretha Franklin than the 20 (21?) year old slender beauty I soon saw. Holy shit was that not my mental image of her. I think this was her first video: Vision Of Love: [Mariah Carey - Vision Of Love - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tov22NtCMC4) ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2015, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/138 "2015-11-14T18:02:39Z")
> [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > George Ezra is the most recent one who comes to mind for me. I love the reactions from people when they first see him. I’ve heard _Budapest_ on the radio a thousand times already but never knew what George Ezra looked like until I saw this post and googled him. Holy smokes, not what I expected at all! And on edit, yes, I realized what I did there… ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/139 "2015-11-16T00:07:16Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > Heh. Those of a certain age will remember a recurring bit on SNL, where people tried to figure out the gender of a character named Pat. > > Those of a less certain age might remember a pretty good song from 1969 called “More Today Than Yesterday,” by the Spiral Starecase. > > Click on the link, listen to the song, read the lyrics (shown in the video). Without googling it, I defy you to tell me whether the lead singer is male or female. I'll give you a hint: the singer's name is Pat Upton. Speaking of 1969 songs I was shocked that these gentlemen were NOT black!! It could vaguely pass as a Stevie Wonder song. Steam’s #1 song “Na Nay Hey Hey Kiss Him Good Bye” [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jsaTElBljOE/hqdefault.jpg "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsaTElBljOE) ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/140 "2015-11-16T06:25:52Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > And not a musician, but [H. Jon Benjamin](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/H._Jon_Benjamin_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg)’s voice does not make me picture that man. But, that’s probably the best measure of a good voice actor. This one, right here. Just finished watching _Master of None_ on Netflix, and he could be just anybody’s middle-aged uncle. It’s weird, hearing that terrific voice coming out of such an ordinary-looking guy. Patrick Warburton is another actor whose voice I wish I had (admittedly, he looks more like Sterling Archer). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193.md?page=8)