# 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:** 9
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2019, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/161 "2019-07-19T14:21:47Z")
I always associated Counting Crows with Sheryl Crow, thinking it was a female group. Until I googled to see who the guys were that covered Big Yellow Taxi. And my jaw just dropped. ---
**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:** [August 9, 2020, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/162 "2020-08-09T16:38:52Z")
I’m reanimating this zombie to add Bobby Caldwell. I’d always assumed that he was black. [What You Won’t Do For Love.](https://youtu.be/C8Y0SZrPdX0) ---
**Author:** ![TCMF-2L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tcmf-2l/32/16553_2.png) [@TCMF-2L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TCMF-2L)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2020, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/163 "2020-08-09T17:08:40Z")
Since this has been reanimated I’ll nominate **Harvey Danger.** I only knew their song **Flagpole Sitta** from it being used as the theme to UK Sitcom **Peep Show**. One day I looked up the video on YouTube. The rest of the band look exactly like I imagined. The lead singer looks nothing like I imagined. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wYsMjEeEg4g/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AHOBYAC4AOKAgwIABABGH8gQyglMA8=&rs=AOn4CLBTFhUWKvTScpcVNc3PAaUQ_-zyqg "Harvey Danger - Flagpole Sitta (Official Music Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYsMjEeEg4g) TCMF-2L ---
**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:** [August 9, 2020, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/164 "2020-08-09T19:37:16Z")
I first became aware of him on comedy channels on Sirius radio, so I always expected Jim Jefferies to look more like Paul Hogan than like Seth McFarlane. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2020, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/165 "2020-08-09T20:57:58Z")
Amy Winehouse should look like Aretha Franklin instead of a lot lizard from Des Moines. ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2020, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/166 "2020-08-09T21:22:15Z")
Bob Segar. First time I heard him ( and heard OF him ) was in the mid-70s when the song ‘Night Moves’ was all over radio. From his singing I pictured a muscular black guy with a shaved head. Was surprised to see a man who would look right at home as a member of ‘Black Sabbath’. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2020, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/167 "2020-08-09T21:46:04Z")
There is a discussion above about how tall Arnold Schwartzenegger really is. Look at [The Ongoing Mystery of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Actual Height | Mental Floss](https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/66782/ongoing-mystery-arnold-schwarzeneggers-actual-height) for more about this. Note that F.U.Shakespeare is quoted from an SDMB post. The link given there doesn’t work. It’s actually at [Arnold Schwarzenegger is only 5''10? - #4 by F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arnold-schwarzenegger-is-only-510/315124/4) ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2020, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/168 "2020-08-09T22:13:28Z")
I found out how tall (short?) Ah-Nold was when he guest-hosted SNL during the “Hans & Franz” era. He’s in between Kevin Nealon and Dana Carvey, height-wise. Has anyone mentioned Milli Vanilli - the public duo vs. the people who actually sang? ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/169 "2020-08-10T02:11:08Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > Which brings to mind Marc Broussard, singer of [“Home”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuWPseegaKw) My surprise watching that was threefold: “Oh, I’ve heard that a lot and really liked it. Hey, wait, it’s in my iTunes _‘Real Deal’_ playlist! Why did I never look into who did it?” then “He sure be white.” but mostly “Hey! He’s too young to be singing with all that soul. Yo, Markie Marc, go get a few decades of heartbreak and suffering, then you can sing and play like that.” ---
**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:** [August 10, 2020, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/170 "2020-08-10T02:41:28Z")
None of the guys of Greta Van Fleet look like they’re old enough to sound as much like Led Zeppelin as they do. [Highway Tune](https://youtu.be/aJg4OJxp-co) ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/171 "2020-08-10T10:50:25Z")
Cool! Thanks for the notice Wendell! ---
**Author:** ![icon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c6cbf5/32.png) [@icon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/icon)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/172 "2020-08-10T12:23:22Z")
A regular listener to the [bugle podcast](http://thebuglepodcast.com/) I was surprised when I watched Alice Frasers standup routine online. I did not at all have that mental picture of her in my head. `//i\\` ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/173 "2020-08-10T12:30:44Z")
He’s still way taller than Chuck Norris. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum\_45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum_45/32/3385_2.png) [@eburacum\_45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum_45)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/174 "2020-08-10T12:52:02Z")
Yes, Boy George looked almost exactly the opposite of how I pictured him, back when I first heard ‘Do You Really Want To Hurt Me.’ In the post-punk era, it was difficult to be surprised by anything; but that was an exception. ---
**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:** [August 10, 2020, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/175 "2020-08-10T12:56:50Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > He’s still way taller than Chuck Norris. Like an iceberg, most of Chuck Norris resides in another dimension. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/176 "2020-08-10T14:25:55Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > You have to admit, Rick Astley doesn’t look like Rick Astley. I can’t believe you didn’t post any video links! ---
**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 10, 2020, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/177 "2020-08-10T15:48:35Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > I’m reanimating this zombie to add Bobby Caldwell. I’d always assumed that he was black. “What You Won’t Do For Love” is one of my favorite songs, and yeah, for decades, I thought that Caldwell was black. I finally saw that video a couple of years ago, and my mind was momentarily blown. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/178 "2020-08-10T16:12:46Z")
Mike Geier, aka Puddles Pity Party is the poster boy for this thread. ---
**Author:** ![bobkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/179 "2020-08-10T16:59:31Z")
Toni Watson, AKA “Tones and I”. Hubby and I had fallen in love with “Dance Monkey” and were going to look up any other stuff she’d done. Cue “NO. WAY.” ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193/180 "2020-08-10T17:27:41Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > > [@RickJay](#): > > > > You have to admit, Rick Astley doesn’t look like Rick Astley. > > I can’t believe you didn’t post any video links! I tried posting one, and it somehow started playing a 1950s educational hygiene video. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-performers-physical-appearance-didnt-match-your-mental-image-the-most/619193.md?page=10)