the ease of popping idol November 11, 2009
Posted by rickhill in Thoughts.Tags: britain's got talent, duke special, lucie jones, pop idol, simon cowell, x factor
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it was duke special who wrote these lyrics:
“i don’t get those popping idol shows
everybody knows that the good things take a little longer”
now its not that i haven’t got ridiculously drawn into this years x factor. or that i didn’t enjoy last year’s britain’s got talent. it is fantastic tv in my opinion and in an incredibly successful package.
i guess i’ve come to realise the truth of these lyrics. and also become increasingly frustrated with the concept of the shows. things like the rewarding of the quick success at the expense of those who have been learning their craft for years. the ease of performing to a huge studio audience who sing your name compared to the difficulty of early and intimidating gigs in pubs and concert halls. the show that makes you a red carpet celebrity in 4 short weeks and sends you home as a loser the very next.
the world of a musician, or stand up comic, or even a preacher, is shaped through years of hard work. surely its in these first venues where a style is formed. these early days when craft is shaped. and the tough nights providing lessons learned.
but also, those days are a lot of fun too!! and for me, the pop stars being produced miss out on all that. and as we celebrate or mourn the latest voting drama on the weekend soap, we too miss some of the beauty that is being produced in our midst simply because it isn’t as well packaged, or worse, been given the right platform for their voice to be heard.
as i ponder these things, i begin to wonder if have we lost the love of small things in our society? have we become too scared of the hard nights?
because as duke special’s lyrics continue…”12 years on the cracks begin to show…”
_
PS – don’t read this as a reaction against lucie going out…as devastated as i was about this!!
wait.. Is Pop idol a new show like American idol? I am confused..
who is to say that the contestants haven’t put in years of hard work previous to the show? a lot of the contestants over the years on those shows have had their fair share of hard nights and have spent YEARS learning and perfecting their craft, performing in pubs and infront of hard audiences trying to make a career in music. we just don’t see that on the show therefore it seems sudden but in actual fact shows like the x factor are simply another stepping stone in the musicians journey and a great opportunity for musicians to showcase their years of hard work, particularly in performance practise and vocal ability (in most cases haha). For example if I auditioned and was successful I wouldn’t consider it sudden – I feel I’ve spent a lot of time practising singing, practising performing, gaining experience, doing the harder stuff and trying to work from the ground up. Know what I mean?
ps. it seems ridiculous talking about the x factor with such seriousness!!?
yeah thats a fair point stewart. perhaps its more the instancy of it all which i’m reacting against. i’m not slagging off the contestants, or even the judges. more, the route to being successful musically.
while what you say its true for some in this years x factor though, there’s no way that the teenagers have truly learnt their craft. now if being a celebrity is the goal, then they don’t need to. but if contributing significantly to the world of music is, then they need so much.
its almost folks like yourself who i have in mind when i write that post to be honest though. and even more like those who have chosen to go the hard, less travelled routes, and who have ended up well rounded and shaped through experience in the industry.
i guess for me, this shouldn’t be the natural starting point for kids wanting to make it in music.
yeh i know what you mean and I suppose it’s different for each contestant although I’m not sure if there is a defining moment when you ever ‘truly’ have finished learning your craft, in my opinion it’s much more of an evolution but maybe the X Factor isn’t the best start for that journey! I’m pretty sure John and Edward have a lot to offer the music industry though…haha!
I couldn’t agree more lets face it the x-facor and other shows like these have never been about music its always been about making money. As somone who is in a band and plays gigs in pubs etc i find the shows frustrating. I have learnt so far from watching these shows and just observing todays culture that if you want to suceed quickly i need to do a few things:
1. Forget how to play the guitar
2. Don’t write your own songs creativity is greatly discouraged
3. Lose all originality in your voice if its different they dont like it
4. Be what they want you to be……
If you dont want to do this like the Duke says its hard..