TIL people assumed Roy Orbison was blind.
I have never even had the passing thought that he was blind.
In the old days, before the internet, stupid people would say he was blind and stupid young people like me would believe it. I never cared enough to fact check it in the new days.
Is it assumed he was blind? Hadn’t heard that before personally
Yep, plenty of folks believed he was blind.
You believed he was blind 🤣
A simple Google search will tell you that it’s a common misconception.
Is there any other evidence other than sunglasses? Were there prior internet discussions about his vision abilities, or lack thereof?
Yes, there have been plenty of things across the years. I’m not linking Reddit, but a quick search online will show that it’s a pretty common misconception.
It’s in his wiki bio under public image:
The sunglasses led some people to assume he was blind.[93]
If he were blind though, Pretty Woman would have a different feel
I always thought that.
He was from the mirror universe, got it!
Orbison sang so Bono could warble.
Funny story, Bono fell asleep listening to the Blue Velvet soundtrack and dreamed he heard a Roy Orbison song. Turns out it didn’t exist. So he tries to recreate it, and comes up with “She’s A Mystery to Me,” which he happened to be carrying around on a cassette when he bumps into Orbison by accident at a function. Bono nervously plays it for Orbison like a high schooler fumbling through a presentation due to star shock, and Orbison agrees to record it. Tl;dr that’s why it sounds like a U2 song fronted by Orbison.
Not blind. Just cool af
Might not have even been light sensetivity so much as point sources of light would wash everything else out.
Source: My defective eyeballs.
