Idol: VFTW
Figured I may as well comment on this, as it seems to be pissing some people off.
Idol has always been a large, corporate machine. It's entire goal has always been to make as much money as is possible. That is the goal of the series, always has been, always will be.
That being said, there has been recent controversy regarding a certain contender on American Idol who is being supported by the website "Vote For The Worst" and the sexist pig of a man known as Howard Stern. I would like to throw my support in their direction at this time. VFTW makes a profound statement on the Idol series, the American culture of fame and the music industry in general.
Aside from my comments above regarding Idol, the series has NEVER been about propelling the talented toward fame or success. Instead, the winner each season has found themselves in that position as a result of demographic popularity and their ability to conform to the cookie-cutter form that is the American pop star. This points toward my next comment regarding the American culture and it's reliance on glitz over substance.
We live in an interesting time in history. We have several large opposing forces clashing all over the world, militarily, philosophically and culturally. I could comment at length on any of these three however, my concern is with culture. The American culture has been spreading itself over the world for the last 50 years or so. It's presence has never been as strong as it is now. For much of this time we have built a culture largely based on the influence of two entities: Multinational Corporations and the Famous. We are a consumer society and in order to maintain our status in society we must have money. Who within the society has the most money? The famous stars of sport, television, film, music and those who are famous purely as a result of their wealth. These are the idols we aspire to be and, with the advent of websites such as this one or (the larger entities) Youtube and Myspace, we now have a generation obsessed with becoming famous. "Reality television" is a natural extension of this obsession.
Now comes one of the largest soulless entities the world has ever seen, the Music industry. As with all corporations, it's primary goal is not the betterment of mankind but instead the accumulation of money on behalf of it's shareholders. As a result, these corporations will pump out the worst kind of sugar-coated bullshit if it makes them money which, sadly, it does. These bastards are so greedy that they will pick up that which will make them money, regardless of how it reached that point. Enter Idol. The perfect platform to launch an album from, plenty of exposure, plenty of room to exploit the vocalists through all forms of media AND(!) the feel-good sense of well-being that the public gets to push one of their own up onto that plateau of stardom. Perfect to find malleable "talent" you can throw a set of manufactured riffs and lyrics at and make a profit.
They made one mistake with the Idol formula though. They left the voting to the public in a pseudo-democratic manner. One person can reportedly register over 200 votes each show. This leaves the door open for exactly the kind of parody and practical joke that VFTW has constructed. Where the public, or a small section of the public, can band together and make a winner of the least marketable (or least talented) contestant. The thing is, unbeknownst (likely) to many of the participants in the VFTW cause, this shows the series as the joke of a popularity contest that it really is. This also nicely points out that just because you want fame, doesn't mean you deserve it. And finally, satirizes the music industry by making them 'sign' the least talented, most glitzy, fluffy contestant we can.
Therefore, I salute votefortheworst.com and Howard Stern for showing the true face of America, land of the almighty dollar.
-Mummery
Idol has always been a large, corporate machine. It's entire goal has always been to make as much money as is possible. That is the goal of the series, always has been, always will be.
That being said, there has been recent controversy regarding a certain contender on American Idol who is being supported by the website "Vote For The Worst" and the sexist pig of a man known as Howard Stern. I would like to throw my support in their direction at this time. VFTW makes a profound statement on the Idol series, the American culture of fame and the music industry in general.
Aside from my comments above regarding Idol, the series has NEVER been about propelling the talented toward fame or success. Instead, the winner each season has found themselves in that position as a result of demographic popularity and their ability to conform to the cookie-cutter form that is the American pop star. This points toward my next comment regarding the American culture and it's reliance on glitz over substance.
We live in an interesting time in history. We have several large opposing forces clashing all over the world, militarily, philosophically and culturally. I could comment at length on any of these three however, my concern is with culture. The American culture has been spreading itself over the world for the last 50 years or so. It's presence has never been as strong as it is now. For much of this time we have built a culture largely based on the influence of two entities: Multinational Corporations and the Famous. We are a consumer society and in order to maintain our status in society we must have money. Who within the society has the most money? The famous stars of sport, television, film, music and those who are famous purely as a result of their wealth. These are the idols we aspire to be and, with the advent of websites such as this one or (the larger entities) Youtube and Myspace, we now have a generation obsessed with becoming famous. "Reality television" is a natural extension of this obsession.
Now comes one of the largest soulless entities the world has ever seen, the Music industry. As with all corporations, it's primary goal is not the betterment of mankind but instead the accumulation of money on behalf of it's shareholders. As a result, these corporations will pump out the worst kind of sugar-coated bullshit if it makes them money which, sadly, it does. These bastards are so greedy that they will pick up that which will make them money, regardless of how it reached that point. Enter Idol. The perfect platform to launch an album from, plenty of exposure, plenty of room to exploit the vocalists through all forms of media AND(!) the feel-good sense of well-being that the public gets to push one of their own up onto that plateau of stardom. Perfect to find malleable "talent" you can throw a set of manufactured riffs and lyrics at and make a profit.
They made one mistake with the Idol formula though. They left the voting to the public in a pseudo-democratic manner. One person can reportedly register over 200 votes each show. This leaves the door open for exactly the kind of parody and practical joke that VFTW has constructed. Where the public, or a small section of the public, can band together and make a winner of the least marketable (or least talented) contestant. The thing is, unbeknownst (likely) to many of the participants in the VFTW cause, this shows the series as the joke of a popularity contest that it really is. This also nicely points out that just because you want fame, doesn't mean you deserve it. And finally, satirizes the music industry by making them 'sign' the least talented, most glitzy, fluffy contestant we can.
Therefore, I salute votefortheworst.com and Howard Stern for showing the true face of America, land of the almighty dollar.
-Mummery