My Theories, Part One: Age
People who look older than they are when they are young look younger for longer.
Exhibit A
Actually, I only have one exhibit, so just:
Exhibit
Huey Lewis
Born Hugh Anthony Cregg, III, on July 5, 1950 in San Francisco, Huey Lewis looked older than his years when he embarked on a musical career with a pocket full of harmonicas and a fist full of dreams. Hounded perhaps by the rigours of constant touring and California sunshine, the singer/harmonica had what you would politely call “looks beyond his years”.
Here’s a picture of Lewis (right) in 1977, proudly posing with Bay Area band Clover with the world at his feet at the age of twenty seven. I would say he could pass for early forties.
Six years and a brief stint in Thin Lizzy later, here’s Huey again in News-era 1983:
Fourty four, maybe, right? I’m saying thirty three to you.
After the News, the weather. But not of the face of Huey, whose looks, yep, mid forties despite clocking up half a century in this still from 2000 sleeper hit Duets.
He looks like 1977 Huey after a few late nights and a haircut.
Consider there is twenty three years between these pictures, and something doesn’t add up.
I could wheel out Little Richard, Prince, Elvis Costello and loads of others, but the fact is:
People who look older than they are when they are young look younger for longer.
Everyone! - “If This Is This…”
Tomorrow: My Theories, Part Two: Accents
May 10th, 2007 at 8:51 am
See also Mel Smith. Fat and bald in your 20s? Don’t worry - it can’t get any worse now.
May 10th, 2007 at 11:30 am
Mel Smith. Case in point.
May 10th, 2007 at 11:47 am
Perhaps Huey and Mel have very young-looking portraits of themselves in their attics?
May 10th, 2007 at 2:21 pm
It’s all in the hair! Huey still has a mighty fine head of hair and it’s far better styled than in the original pic.
Mind you, Cliff, perhaps your Photoshop skills have come in handy for once!?
May 10th, 2007 at 3:16 pm
See also: Bruce Springsteen. He’s always been 42. Even when he was 21 he was 42. Now he’s, what, 57? 58? He looks 42.
May 10th, 2007 at 3:35 pm
I think we could nail this down. “People who look like early forties in their twenties stay early forties for thirty five years.” Mel and the Boss are two classic cases.
May 10th, 2007 at 3:38 pm
well then there’s hope for me yet as I have been looking mid-thirties since I was 18 … and I’m now 35 so it’s about bloody time !
May 10th, 2007 at 3:53 pm
What about people who always look younger than they actually are? This has always been my problem…being in your mid-twenties and getting mistaken for a 14 year old is Not Good.
May 10th, 2007 at 5:36 pm
I am the exception that proves your rule, Cliff.
At 12, I looked 16. At 16, I looked 21. At 21, I looked 30. At 30, 40. At 40, 45. Now at 45, I look 50.
At least.
May 10th, 2007 at 6:06 pm
Mark Blake once said to me ‘You’ve got an old face. You’ll always look old’ in a vicious way when I was a teenager. The moment stayed with me. Today I’m glad! Maybe I’ll ‘grow into it’ after all lolol!
Cliff - consider yourself tagged, dear boy! Seven http://vilest.wordpress.com/2007/05/10/lucky-seven/ please
May 10th, 2007 at 7:39 pm
Steve Martin… Chuck Berry… Bobby Charlton… Martin Sheen… Diane Keaton… Ertha Kitt…
May 10th, 2007 at 10:16 pm
Oooooo, I just went to thisisthis.com, and it really isn’t anything like thisisthis at all. It is more, you know, thisisthat.
May 11th, 2007 at 7:18 am
Katy - was it though? Was it really?
Thanks all the same. I’m cool about you reading other These Are Those. To be honest, I have quite a few Katy Newtons among my readers.
Yeah?
May 11th, 2007 at 3:31 pm
Name ONE.
May 11th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
Katy Newton.
May 11th, 2007 at 10:38 pm
Oh, right, her.
May 11th, 2007 at 10:49 pm
;)
May 12th, 2007 at 9:42 am
I had the strangest, strangest dream…
*staggers to coffee machine*
May 13th, 2007 at 3:53 am
Stop making me laugh out loud dammit.