Sunday, 16 May 2010
Does the X Factor Make You Cross?
Last week, I read an interview with Annie Lennox in the London "Metro". Among other things, she said that the only real winners in TV shows such as the X Factor and American Idol were the shows themselves, not the contestants. She also said that she would never have done well, had she ever gone on the show herself. I have to admit, originality does NOT work on shows like this. I often wonder what Simon Cowell would have made of the young Bob Dylan. Besides which, so many so-called "winners" of these shows soon lapse back into obscurity (Whatever happened to Shane wotsisname?), while the people who run these shows are doing very nicely, thankyou. So what do we think? Are these shows valuable outlets for undiscovered talent, such as Susan Boyle, Leona Lewis and Cheryl Cole? Or are they simply glorified karaoke sessions out of which a handful of cynical individuals make a great deal of money?
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Ah, Geoff ~ that's naughty! Leona Lewis does have some talent in a predictable R&B (in the modern sense) sort of way, as does Susan Boyle, but Cheryl Cole in the same sentence? I heard her solo single 'Parachute' on the radio a month or so and found her thin, weedy voice extremely irritating. If it sounds that bad despite all the studio wizardry that's now available (they can even correct out-of-tune singing), then it must be dire indeed. And as for the utterly vacuous lyrics ~ she didn't write them but apparently loves them.
ReplyDeleteX Factor is an entertainment in its own right, so it doesn't matter to Simon Cowell that all these wannabes who think they've got their big break simply return to karaoke down at the pub. The couple of successes that do happen simply ensure the abundant supply of willing new heads on the block.
It's all about controlling the music scene, keeping it safe and controllable, which is why I welcomed the successful consumer revolt last Christmas with the campaign to ensure Cowell didn't get the "coveted" number 1 spot yet again. Cheryl Cole, convicted of ABH on a black toilet attendant, whinged that it would be a shame for poor Joe (Cowell's protégé) not to fulfil his “dream” of getting a number one hit single ~ did she think this is a god-given right for an X-factor winner? This comment alone shows the vacuous, self-regarding arrogance of shows like X Factor.
X Factor is a popular TV show that succeeds very well on its own terms (i.e as entertainment), but as a means of discovering talent, despite the occasional commercial success, it fails absolutely because it cultivates the safe and mediocre and stifles other routes through which other, more original, more genuine talent may have arisen.
Steve Brookstein won the first X Factor, the problem was he was already a recording artist in the Four Vandals, I had his record produced by Ian Levine (Ian also produced Take That, Boyzone, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas and about a hundred more) I met Ian Levine just after I hung up my Fender Precision Bass up in the 60t's in The Twisted Wheel in Manchester. So how come Steve Brookstein never aged after his record was reissued in 1996 by Ian Levine on Goldmine Sevens GS055 stating that it was a sixties record, the reason that he never aged is that it was faked (rarity value) and was never a sixties record. Look on Ian Levines website where he states that one of his friends is called Simon Cowell. So Steve Brookstein didn't just walk in off the street did he ?
ReplyDeleteYou can view Steves' record by putting "The Wrong Side Of Town" The Four Vandals into Google, he is the only white guy in the band.
Apart from that I enjoy the early stages of X Factor where people make fools of themselves trying to be famous. Is it so important for the young ones today to be so famous, why don't any of them want to be train drivers like we did when we were kids ?
Ian Levine was also a Doctor Who obsessive, who described himself as a consultant to the show, although the show never described him thus. Interesting to see he was a blagger in the music business too.
ReplyDeleteOne kid who told me he wanted to be famous was thrown when I asked: "For doing what?" X Factor perpetuates the myth of fame, that it's there if only you believe in yourself enough, never lose your dream, etc, etc, (continue in psychobabble mode ad nauseam).