Why Don't I Shut UP?

Howdy Bloglodites, thanks for stopping by. Hope you enjoyed the Bubba story. I'm going to make it a point to post more entertaining stories from my colorful past (the bubba chronicles are particularly interesting). I wanted to take a minute and ask you guys a question. The links section on the right side is pretty bleak as you can see. I want to put stuff up there that is interesting, fun, stirring, whatever. So if you have a link you'd like me to add, please let me know and I'll throw it up there. And, in case you're wondering, I'm not going to put band links up there. Yeah, I have drives like fire, but screw you, that's my band...hahaha.

So I'm watching American Idol last night while I was attempting to repair my recording studio computer, which had me so frustrated that I almost launched it out the front door onto the hood of my Beetle. I get that way, some say I need anger management but I feel that I'm one of the best angry guys in the country so why would I need a manager?

Anyway, American Idol: I'm watching this show and I'm amazed at it just sucks me in. This show is part Reality TV and part Gong Show (those of you who don't remember that show, just chime in on the comments section and I'll send you a link). Lets face it, we're all watching this show hoping to be impressed. But in a deeper, blacker pit of our husk of a heart, we're hoping to see someone fall right on their face. Pretty sick. But its true...why do you think the first couple episodes in the season are always so damn popular? Its because we get to see people who have absolutely no right to even sing in the shower when nobody is home and they're up on national TV screeching and cavorting like a Linda Blaire in the Exorcist (minus the pea soup spew).

But then I started thinking...and this is where it gets dangerous, folks. The American Idol show is a bit of an anomaly in the fact that its a slap in the face to the record industry. American Idol is basically saying "hey, you don't have to be a beauty queen or a heart throbby stud pancake to make it." Perfect example: Ruben Studdard, last year's idol. Nine Hundred pounds, sweaty and almost meek. If he had walked into a record company they would've handed him a Jenny Craig coupon and sent him packing. Clay Aitken, a.k.a Creepy Queer Howdy Doodie, has a super voice and a huge following...who'da thunk it? But the American Idol show made us all listen...it made us pay attention to his voice. And THAT is the slap in the face to the record industry.

Like it or not, popular music is in the shitter, ladies and gentlemen. Record companies don't develop artists anymore. They don't nurture musicians and help them grow to put out the best product they can. What they do is find the next sex symbol, throw a couple pop songs at them, toss in a dash of cleavage and leg and whatever racy sex image they can and set them free. If the record tanks, they move on to the next one. Its prostitution. And the stars of today's pop music are going to ridiculous lengths to stay in the spotlight. They're not honing their craft to stay relevant. They're not challenging their listener with new and enchanting music. At best its a tit flash or a lesbo kiss to boost record sales.

So in a way, the American Idol show says "THIS is what its about. THIS is performing. THIS is entertainment. THIS is an artist." And yeah, you may be in a band or you may be a songwriter and feel a little disgruntled about the whole thing. You may expel one of the many indignant catch phrases that you "artists" are know to give rebirth to; That guy is a sell out....anyone could do what she does...not MY american idol. But all that tells me is that either you're jealous, or you need to learn how to write a good song.

posted by Michael Witmer @ Wednesday, February 18, 2004