The Nnamdi Factor

There is this scene in the movie "Jerry Maguire" when a bunch of kids run up to Cuba Gooding, Jr.'s character asking for an autograph.
At first he's happy to be recognized but a few seconds later you see kids scattering and hear Gooding's voice screaming, "I am not Hootie!!"

I can feel his pain. For reasons I cannot truly explain, there is a fairly sizable cohort of people out there who think I am long time DC broadcaster Kojo Nnamdi. I meet them regularly out in public--Its 'Hey, Kojo.' or 'Love your radio show, Kojo.' or the always popular but slightly uncertain 'Aren't you Kojo?'
Read my lips: I. Am. Not. Kojo. NOT KOJO. Look at Kojo. He's got a full head of hair and a beard, for Godsakes!!!
Now before you accuse me of hatin' on Kojo, let me say Kojo Nnamdi is a good friend of mine. In fact, he taught me much of what I know about doing interviews when I worked with him back in the 80s at WHUR. And now he's got my old talk show gig on WAMU. I wouldn't mind being Kojo. But like they said in the film "The Highlander," 'there can only be one.'

Here's an old picture of me with (a little) hair and a beard. Perhaps this is more Kojo-like. I don't know.
I'd like to be able say this is some sort of racial phenomenom...as in all Black people look alike to others. Problem is, its only Black people who seem to think Kojo and I were seperated at birth. Or at least they are the only ones who say so.

So I am left with questions: What is it about me and Kojo that seems so inextricably linked in the minds of so many? Do we really look that much alike to people? and perhaps most importantly --Do people come up to Kojo and say "Hey Derek, when ya coming back to radio?"