So I'm watching a rerun of Pop-Up Video on VH1 Classic. They're showing the Prince video for "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World," which I like well enough, in part because Vanessa Marcil is in it. She used to be Brenda on "General Hospital" and when I was in high school, all I wanted was to be dark and brooding like Brenda with expertly applied eyeliner and nights filled with foggy encounters at the docks. Instead tonight I made baked pasta with Ragu alfredo sauce and filed old gas bills.
But I digress.
Pop-up video said that the diminutive artist formerly known as Symbol was a mere 16" taller than "Fantasy Island"'s Tattoo, Herve Villachaize. I knew that Prince was wee, but this struck me as an overstatement so, armed with the world's slowest MacBook, I went to the Interweb to find out.
According to Wikipedia, Villachaize was a dwarf due a thyroid dysfunction. The bummer is that Villachaize, who was born in Paris, had a dad who was a surgeon. Although his dad tried a variety of cures, Villachaize only reached a height of 3'11" (sidenote: he was over a foot taller than Verne Troyer who stands 2'8" tall, or, just shy of three Barbies).
So, according to Wikipedia, that would make Prince, what, 5'3"?
As it happens, the subject of Prince's height is the subject of somewhat animated debate. Many female ans claim that, in heels, they're 5'3" (!) and can look him in the eye. Others suggest he might be as little as 5'1". The myriad of answers is complicated by the fact that all of the Prince sites I've attempted to access are down!
Is he trying to thwart my pursuit of the truth? Does he have some sort of deal worked out with VH1 Classic? Back behind the grassy knoll for me.