American Idle 2011

Oh American Idol, why do I watch thee?
Such a silly show. Now in its 10th season, we see that winning this show doesn’t guarantee you’ll be a lifelong star, and that’s actually the way it should be, because the show has a serious flaw: it searches only for solitary singing sensations. It is not geared towards bands, but solo artists, which limits its potential for finding something lasting.
This show is junk food for the mind, where it fills you up in the immediate moment, yet in the end you feel like you could have had something more substantial. Our modern cultures fall for this fast-food type of entertainment, and this show is a senior poster child for it. It didn’t exactly usher in cheap, reality-based, pointless video entertainment, but it’s certainly a model for how to produce a cheap show which satisfies the junk food junkie consumers. It took me a while to figure out what its appeal truly was. Since I’m a musician, I thought maybe it appealed to my music interest. But once you catch on to the patterns of what kind of people they seek and prefer (28 and under and fitting into “current trends” [as the judges have actually stated]) and you see what level of success awaits the winners years down the line, you see that it’s a limited avenue. Also, the judges, and the audience, are always wowed when the singers have extra talent with instruments, and this is because you’re catching a glimpse of what the show is missing: heavy-duty singer-songwriters who know music structure, as the other part of a serious talent would have. You sense, maybe without putting a name to it, that you’re getting a lite version of a star; a Brittney Spears who’s going to become more known for their personal life, or a Clay Aiken who will not likely be releasing a masterpiece work or body of work.  And, shame on them for limiting the age to a maximum of 28! That detail in itself screams out that they don’t have time for anyone who exists outside today’s trend…
All of this is fine, once you see it for what it is.  Even so, I wish there was a show which focused on all ages, all styles, or especially, full bands. In fact, I swear there was an American TV show maybe 5 years ago that did just that; auditioned bands to find America’s best unheard ensembles. Perhaps the production costs were too much, or perhaps the show just got sucked under by its contrast to American Idol, or perhaps executives deemed that Americans didn’t have the patience for such things. Personally, I do have the patience for such entertainment, and I do enjoy the complexity that a band tests your attentions with.
American TV is in such a cheap state; the roosts are ruled, overcrowded with cheap (cheap in so many ways) ‘reality-based’ shows, and cop-drama SVU shows with no end in sight. The executives must think that if they can supply you with more of what you liked last year, that will excuse them for lack of substance. Whatever; TV really isn’t my cupcake anyways.
The worst aspect is when the show devolves into a popularity contest once the TV viewers start doing the cutting. Popularity contests are subjective to which demographic happens to be watching and which demographic has the patience (crazed demeanor) to dial in their votes the most times, which I suppose is EXACTLY what the producers want to extract from the populace: lock-tight mania from prospective consumers which is a no-brainer for record executives.
Yet the popularity contest model is no guarantee or indicator of pure talent, and this is what bugs me, and bothers me about my even watching the show. I should know better than to expect significant talent to emerge from this show. And even if pure talent comes around, it doesn’t always survive the public-phone-in voting. I guess modern celebrity has peaked with the “Justin Beiber” phenomenon; someone who is just-talented-enough, but is (more importantly??) easy on the eyes. Is that all we really want from stars? Perhaps in this generation, this society of 4G attention spans.
And I’m not even going to go into whether or not this machine offers artists the support they will need to develop their career. God knows the record companies themselves have abandoned these services as well, so I guess contemporary talent is on their own no matter which avenue they arrive on, but Idol still reeks of a shady compromise.
Oh, I suppose I should not expect so much! It’s just a TV show… yet there are still real people who are the contestants, who maybe expect too much. Then again, they are willing to be put through this, and they do (more or less) know what they’re getting into, and if they have exceptional talent, then their prospects may be limitless. It’s because of this kernel of possibility that I watch each season. It has a wee bit more respectability above “The Biggest Loser”, I’d like to think.
So, until the concept of the ‘band-version’ enters the culture’s consciousness, I guess I’ll watch this goofy show.  Actually, what it’s really about is my fascination at how American culture’s tastes and my own are diverging, which is like being fascinated with car wrecks. It’s hard to turn away. Also, the train-wrecks in the first 6 shows or so are so hilarious, I wouldn’t miss it for the world! ..And I watch it because we have a judging contest going on at work, so it’s my most basic connection to the gambling bug.
As I watch the show, I try to stay out of the popularity contests and ignore the personal flair; I try to focus on one big question: “Would I buy a CD from this turkey?”  Randy Jackson came up with a golden nugget of wisdom critiquing Thia Megia: “The mark of a great singer is the quality of their tone, not the power of their voice.” Gosh I wish that was a banner they’d hang above every auditioning room before the wailing starts!!!  It’s just so true. Some people have power, or tone, and the true gems are the ones who possess both, or can learn both, and some will never get there, and that’s just the reality of singing.
Same with guitar playing, too: some know how to be tasteful, and some NEVER will; they’d rather bludgeon you with volume or 50 notes per second. But that’s another discussion.  So for singers, for me, if I wouldn’t buy a CD or a single from them, they really should count their blessings, continue to sing as a hobby, and find their true livelihood. That’s not mean; it’s just a warning that your career might be all-too short when the fickle consumers lose interest in your initial ‘gimmick’ or basic selling point or looks.  I only buy CDs from people whose tone would make me buy them reading/singing their shopping lists. The truth is, the buying public is so fickle and tastes change so quick, singing is one of the most tenuous careers out there. Heck, people don’t even want to PAY for the music they get, half the time, much less support an artist for years and years; most music trends switch around every five years, lest your buddies think you have lost connection to what the ‘hottest new sound’ is. Even when singers DO stick around for decades, only the cream of the crop retain any respect from the buying public or culture at large. Yes, singers really need to have thick skin, and a backup career or two.
In the end, I guess American Idol is at least one more avenue for a few more talents to be recognized, regardless of its shortcomings. Gosh I see how much more interesting the crew from 2010 was! So let’s just get to my picks for 2011!
So I post here two lists. The first, on the left, is the way that I predict the American 4G generation will pick them. After the names, I’d like to record the order in which the contestants are actually eliminated.
Then on the right are my choices, based on my tastes, and who I’d buy a CD from.  I’ll be amused to see the widest differences between my picks and the actual placement. Also the disconnect between my tastes and the typical A.I. demographic! Good clean fun, ininit?
Here’s my personal commentary:
Notice the biggest jumps are 5 spaces with Lauren Alaina and Stefano Langone: I think Lauren will appeal to many because of her stage ease and generic character, yet I don’t think she’s anything special. Stefano has a great voice yet I don’t think the general public hears it, since he snuck in as a wildcard. Naima has tons of character, but she doesn’t have the vocal polish (control) which will attract the votes. Karen Rodriguez is simply average. Scott McCreery is a one-trick pony, and will never escape his country bunker.. that super-twangy country tone really gets under my skin. I can only handle country as maybe one song a day, and I sure wouldn’t buy his CD. Again, this years’ crew does not impress me like much of the 2010 contestants. Good thing I didn’t put much money on these turkeys!

How Voters will probably pick Actual finish place Dean’s choice
3	Casey Abrams		3
12	Naima Adedapo		10
2	Lauren Alaina		7
7	James Durbin		6
13	Ashthon Jones		12
10	Stefano Langone		5
11	Jacob Lusk		9
6	Scott McCreery		11
9	Paul McDonald		8
4	Thia Megia		2
5	Haley Reinhart		4
8	Karen Rodriguez		13
1	Pia Toscano		1

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