Canadian Idol canceled for 2009

[Level 2 Diagnostic]

I'm certainly not under the impression that every no talent hack and his brother has achieved fame and success from it, I'm under the impression that even the ones with talent got no success from it. What's Clay Aitken doing now? Singing at birthday parties?

Clay Aiken's chart history from Billboard. One album that went to #1, another that went to #2, and two that went to #4. I'd never buy any of his music in a million years, but I don't think it's fair to call him a total failure.

 

[Dusty Ayres]

I'm certainly not under the impression that every no talent hack and his brother has achieved fame and success from it, I'm under the impression that even the ones with talent got no success from it. What's Clay Aiken doing now? Singing at birthday parties?

Clay Aiken's chart history from Billboard. One album that went to #1, another that went to #2, and two that went to #4. I'd never buy any of his music in a million years, but I don't think it's fair to call him a total failure.

Sorry, but as you know, being in the top ten doesn't always mean you are great or even good. Clay Aiken and everybody that was on Idol are still mediocre karaoke singers, with a short-lived career that means dick in terms of real longevity. It's writing a song and playing that makes you great, not glorified karaoke singing.

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

^^^
This has been true for decades now.

What's the difference with this new generation of trendy pop "stars" than the last and the one before that?

Absolutely nothing. This will also continue to be the case long after we're gone.

They still seem to fill some sort of niche that others enjoy. And is that so bad? It's music. It's subjective. It's about what makes people happy, not about some perfect mathematical formula that shows intelligence.

 

[FordSVT]

^^^
This has been true for decades now.

What's the difference with this new generation of trendy pop "stars" than the last and the one before that?

They sell fewer records?

 

[Level 2 Diagnostic]

Sorry, but as you know, being in the top ten doesn't always mean you are great or even good.

Yeah, but it does mean you have something that not everyone has. Otherwise, we would all have #1 albums.

They sell fewer records?

I'm sure there are a few acts you think are great that are selling a lot less albums than ten years ago. It's an industry-wide slump, irrelevant of quality.

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

They sell fewer records?

All artists do.

In fact, the artists most individuals consider their favourite almost certainly do.

 

[Dusty Ayres]

^^^
This has been true for decades now.

What's the difference with this new generation of trendy pop "stars" than the last and the one before that?

Absolutely nothing. This will also continue to be the case long after we're gone.

They still seem to fill some sort of niche that others enjoy. And is that so bad? It's music. It's subjective. It's about what makes people happy, not about some perfect mathematical formula that shows intelligence.

Here's one of the best arguments against the kind of crappy pop music being made today due to Pop Idol:

It’s a beautiful day outside, but you wouldn’t know because you’re inside being protected by a central air unit. You just bought the latest 66,000 gHz computer capable of recording up to 128 simultaneous tracks of audio. Your plan (after going to the annual family picnic, that is) is to write and record that great monumental album, the one that will universally communicate and enlighten the oppressed masses. This is where I come in to tell you that it will never happen. Note the lack of the word "sorry." It’s just a fact. The reason? Every artist, no matter the medium, must have a dark side in order to be justified as an artist. Nice, friendly square folk never make good music — the kind that lasts, that evokes a universal primal urge to question everything.


Darkness (which includes an overwhelming sensation of emptiness, and disparity) is the driving force behind all art. Being a victim of divorced parents; a secret obsession with pornography; excessive masturbation; addiction to sex; a panache for ingesting harmful substances (especially the illicit kind); preoccupation with the "system" or better yet, a mental illness identified by an authority. Something must be broken in order to know what works. Without pain, there is no happiness.


Whether it is Van Gogh slicing off his ear for a prostitute, Roky Erickson watching seven televisions to ward off demons, Jim Morrison alienating himself from his family by telling everyone his parents are dead, or Keith Richards or Miles Davis "chasing the dragon," pain and longing become the common denominator (or is it denominator?) that translates into true art. It is the only thing that keeps them alive, and in some cases, their struggle eventually kills them. (Rutger Hauer’s contribution of dialogue to Blade Runner rings very true: "the light that burns twice as bright lives half as long.")

Can Soul Come from the Suburbs?