Ever since Steven Tyler’s joined American Idol, everyone in the rock music business feels the need to comment on the show. News flash, folks, the show’s been around for a while. I understand that this may be, in part, the interviewer’s fault for asking the question, but it’s just a bit pathetic how everyone is coming out of the woodwork to weigh in on the show’s format. Where were you 10 years ago?
I’m not the biggest Aerosmith fan but give Tyler a break. He was offered a chance to join the biggest TV show in history, he’s like 105 years old, what’s he gonna do, pass on it? AC/DC may be huge enough to say no to these things but other musicians would sell their organs for a similar break.
Anyway, apparently Brian thinks ‘making it’ via this show is not right:
“There’s only one way to do it. You get on the stage, you learn your trade and you get out and play in front of people. You serve your apprenticeship just like anybody else.“
I do kinda understand where he’s coming from, but I’ll play the devil’s asshole advocate for a while. Why is winning this show such a sin? It’s true that in half a year they go from being nobody to being a potential recording artist, but aren’t they working hard for it too? Can you imagine the pressure of singing live, as an amateur, and every mistake of yours to be dissected on the spot by four people? (out of which one is Jennifer Lopez, Jesus.)
I’d understand the point if this show was about musicians winning record deals in a lottery, but they work for it too. Is it as hard as playing live decades and decades (like Anvil) and not making it big until you’re 50? No, but we all make our own luck. It’s like saying Edward Norton shouldn’t have been nominated for an Oscar for his role in Primal Fear cause it was his first role and he didn’t put as much work into acting as others.
Bullshit. Talent is talent, a lucky break is a lucky break. You can’t expect everyone to follow the same path to success in the exact same way.
“The shortcut way leads to tears at the end of the day. It’s all hype. And it’s not fair on the kids to make them famous one week and then nobodies the next. It’s just not right.“
Read full article here.
Why isn’t it right? No one forced those kids to be there. They chose to be involved. Everyone on that show must know that only one or two may get a career and the rest will fade away. All they’re looking for is to be noticed. They get it. It’s up to them to turn it into success, like others have. Right?
Besides, how many bands work as hard as the big bands but never get picked up by a major record label and resort to touring Walmart parking lots? Life isn’t fair and the music business certainly isn’t fair. At least with American Idol, the public has some sort of control, as opposed to the way major labels used to shove ‘artists’ down our throats via MTV. And they kept bribing paying and paying and paying for airtime until they sold enough records. Why don’t we comment on that before commenting on the show?
I’m just saying…
Of course, I’m not defending American Idol, I’m just against the way people talk about it like it’s ‘what’s wrong with music’ when in fact, this is what’s been wrong with music since the music industry’s inception. American Idol is just another big company using musicians as pawns. Nothing new whatsoever.
