I very often like to know about the people themselves. I like to get a feel for where they're coming from in their music. Physical image isn't much to me at all, but I like to know a person's personal struggles and triumphs and see it play out in their music.
If i dont like the sound of a band the image is totally not interesting.
That's a really good point. I look back at all the 80s hair bands and some of their music I like, so I can deal with the image... but the ones I don't enjoy look like total tools.