Imitations
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Have you ever watched Frank Caliendo? He is, among other things, an impersonator, and a pretty good one. His impressions of Charles Barkley and John Madden always make me snigger.
I find it amazing that someone can make a living pretending to be someone else. Copying their every move, mannerism and voice. It can only work if you do it perfectly though. It has to be so good you might even mistake the fraud for the real thing.
What impresses about good imitations is how much you learn about the real thing when you see the impression. They do tilt their head to the right like that. They do hold their breath mid-sentence. They do say “particular” a lot.
If someone does an impression of you, you may realize how easy it is to pick you apart, to steal your identity and to emphasize your ticks and flaws.
It’s disconcerting.
If you’re going to imitate someone (or something, like a business model), you’d better get it perfect. Bad imitations are awkward and embarrassing.
And while it’s entertaining to see imitations, you’d always rather experience the real thing. If you’re okay living in that space, fine. If not, then do your own thing.
[photo by Thomas Milne]
