Jimmy Buffett and Mikhail Gorbachev: Separated at Birth?

The USA Weekend magazine included in the June 29 Denver Post and oodles of other newspapers across These United States contained an unfortunate surprise -- and I'm not talking about the feature story on Jimmy Buffett (although, frankly, that makes sense in this context, too). No, the scary part was...

By Michael Roberts

June 30, 2008

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The USA Weekend magazine included in the June 29 Denver Post and oodles of other newspapers across These United States contained an unfortunate surprise -- and I'm not talking about the feature story on Jimmy Buffett (although, frankly, that makes sense in this context, too). No, the scary part was the uncanny resemblance between the illustration of Buffett on the mag's cover and Mikhail Gorbachev. Other than the missing red-wine birthmark on the forehead, they could be the same person -- which should strike fear into the hearts of many a man of a certain age. Is this what we've got to look forward to? We live our lives as best we can, exercise, eat right, drink in moderation (even when in Margaritaville), and we still end up looking like a former leader of the Soviet Union? Make mine a double, barkeep. -- Michael Roberts

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

Contact: Michael Roberts

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