30 Classic Rock Lookalikes that will make you do a double take

I’ve been into meme culture for a long time and one of my favourite memes back when I was a teenager was “totally looks like” where they post a picture of a famous person and someone or something else that looks like them. Sometimes it’s spot on, but other times it’s a total joke. Another related meme that inspired this post was fake band lineups and I made a few ones of my own (a little bit of foreshadowing) of The Kinks, Monkees, Pink Floyd, Rush, and Talking Heads:

Everyone loves a more visual blog post and I might as well take this lookalikes game to the next level and share 30 different classic rock lookalikes with you. Hope you enjoy them!

1. Brian Eno totally looks like Jonathan Banks as Mike Ehrmantraut

All credit goes to Eoin for coming up with this classic rock lookalike! I can never unsee this. I watched Breaking Bad not that long ago and somehow I did not realise this until Eoin pointed it out. Thoughts?

2. Bono totally looks like Robin Williams

I saw this on a website when doing research for classic rock lookalikes. Not only did Robin Williams kinda look like Bono, he famously imitated him during a standup comedy show where he famously joked about Bono clapping his hands and saying “every time I clap my hands a child in Africa dies” and then a Scottish man in the audience yells back “then stop clapping your hands!”

3. David Bowie totally looks like Tom Cruise as Lestat de Lioncourt

When I was watching Interview With The Vampire, based on Anne Rice’s 1976 novel, one of my thoughts was why does that one vampire look kinda like David Bowie? Maybe that’s what they were going for. Or maybe I was high when I watched it idk.

4. David Byrne totally looks like Cillian Murphy

I saw Stop Making Sense in the cinema back in the autumn and yes, one of my thoughts was holy crap David Byrne has nice cheekbones. Then I logged onto Twitter and saw someone say that David Byrne and Cillian Murphy look alike and honestly, I can see it. You can especially see it when Cillian Murphy played J. Robert Oppenheimer. Cillian Murphy himself doesn’t take offence to the comparison and even acknowledged it on his BBC Radio 6 show Limited Edition. In fact, he takes it as a “very high compliment”.

5. Bob Dylan totally looks like Barry Keoghan

I think Barry looks a bit like a young Bob Dylan, but maybe that’s just me! I think I only saw one other person on Twitter make the comparison. Personally, I think he looks more Dylan than Timothée Chalamet, who is supposed to play him in a biopic.

6. Freddie Mercury totally looks like Sacha Baron Cohen

I’d almost say this is cheating because Sacha Baron Cohen was once in talks to do a Freddie Mercury biopic, but those plans fell through. Still, I think he has a better resemblance to Freddie than Rami Malek.

7. Kate Bush totally looks like Diane Morgan

Have you ever seen Philomena Cunk and Kate Bush in the same room? That’s because they’re the same person! I am never unseeing this comparison. Coincidentally, both are vegetarians!

8. Keith Moon totally looks like Jason Schwartzman

Another “duh” one. Unfortunately I don’t think we’ll ever get a Who biopic, but man I wish they did make one with Jason Schwartzman as Keith Moon.

9. Pete Townshend totally looks like Adam Driver

That was all I could think about when watching Star Wars, man Kylo Ren really looks like Pete Townshend. Adam Driver would be a good choice to play Pete Townshend in a biopic.

10. Neil Peart totally looks like Tom Hanks

This one made me do a double take. Can’t take credit for this one. Found this comparison online!

11. Peter Asher totally looks like Austin Powers

There’s no way that Mike Myers or whoever did the costuming for Austin Powers didn’t take at least some inspiration from Peter Asher. The glasses, the ginger hair, the snaggletooth? The clothes look more Brian Jones or Dave Davies though, in my opinion. The face though? Totally Peter Asher.

12. Roger Waters totally looks like Richard Gere

I found out about this comparison thanks to a tumblr meme and this is pretty spot on.

13. Steve Winwood totally looks like Dominic Sessa

I was watching The Holdovers (great movie) and this up and coming actor Dominic Sessa looks so much like Steve Winwood, I couldn’t believe it! Is time travel real? I’m still thinking about how much these two look alike. My friends couldn’t get over it.

14. Tina Weymouth totally looks like Kim Pine

When I was making that fake Talking Heads lineup meme thing I was thinking about how Kim Pine from Scott Pilgrim kinda looks like Tina Weymouth. Only thing is Kim Pine’s the drummer, not the bassist!

15. Ray Davies totally looks like The Joker

Joaquin Phoenix as The Joker especially looks like 1980s Ray Davies. I’ve watched The Joker a bunch of times and every time I’m pointing at the screen going he looks just like Ray Davies. Every time I look at The Kinks’ Sleepwalker cover where Ray is wearing clown makeup, I’m like holy shit he predicted Joaquin Phoenix Joker.

16. Dave Davies totally looks like Oscar Wilde

Hold my divan! We know where Dave Davies got his dandy look from! These photos were taken over 80 years apart. Even Google was fooled and thought they were the same.

And it’s not just my autistic eyes! Dave Davies himself has cited Wilde as a style influence and tweeted this:

I used to call my hairdo the Oscar Wilde and I thought it was the coolest haircut in town. Steve and I were friends. https://t.co/y1xBmOj8MZ

— Dave Davies (@davedavieskinks) August 8, 2024

17. Ringo Starr totally looks like Aubrey Beardsley

Another very ahead of his time looking man, Aubrey Beardsley. Hard to believe he didn’t make it to the 20th century. Seventy years before the 60s this man was looking like Ringo and making art that people in the 60s would adore.

18. Brian May totally looks like Isaac Newton

This last historic one still makes me laugh.

19. Tommy Lee totally looks like Criss Angel

I used to love watching Mindfreak growing up and I didn’t realise this until recently when I saw this comparison online.

20. Pete Shelley totally looks like Pete Buttigieg

I can’t take credit for this one, that goes to my friend Willy Bragg. He pointed this out and I can’t unsee it. Imagine if Pete Shelley gave up punk rock and became a politician!

21. Alex Lifeson totally looks like Robin Zander

Or maybe I just see a blonde guy with a guitar and be like twins!

22. Roger Daltrey totally looks like Peter Frampton

I remember seeing a picture of Peter Frampton from behind jumping and a lot of people thought that was Jimmy Page. This comparison isn’t too crazy in comparison, I suppose!

23. Robert Plant totally looks like Ian Hunter

See, I wasn’t going to do the obvious Roger Daltrey and Robert Plant are totally twins! I think this one’s a bit closer.

24. Brian Jones totally looks like Michael Clarke

You could tell me these are both pictures of Brian Jones and I’d believe you. Roger McGuinn and Gene Clark hired him to play in The Byrds because he looked like Brian Jones. That’s a damn good lookalike!

25. Buddy Holly totally looks like Hank Marvin

No, Buddy Holly was not a secret member of The Shadows. Hank Marvin was inspired by Buddy Holly and got glasses just like his in the late 50s. Finally, it’s cool to be a rocker with glasses!

26. David Gilmour totally looks like Scott Gorham

I don’t think they look that much alike but that picture of Scott Gorham is frequently mistaken for David Gilmour. Listen to Thin Lizzy!

27. Geddy Lee totally looks like Burke Shelley

They look the same and they were both bassists/frontmen in a power trio? I love both Rush and Budgie. Both great bands in their own right. Budgie are easily one of the most underrated bands in rock and roll.

28. Lou Reed totally looks like Aviv Geffen

I found out about Aviv Geffen through being a fan of Steven Wilson, who worked with Aviv Geffen and the two were in a band called Blackfield. When I first saw a photo of Aviv Geffen I thought he looked just like Lou Reed. Maybe it’s more the way he styled himself, idk.

29. Paul McCartney totally looks like John Dalton

Dave Davies once referred to John Dalton as looking like a chubby Paul McCartney. At first I didn’t see much resemblance, but as he got older I saw it more. Here, he looks like Paul McCartney if he were an Irish farmer.

30. Syd Barrett totally looks like Ian Curtis

Someone on Instagram pointed it out and yeah, I think that’s a pretty good comparison. I love both musicians.

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