Image or talent, how many times have we heard that? The music industry thrived on both and over many genres, artists who made great music just had that look. From Bowie to The Rolling Stones, from Elvis to Tina Turner. They looked worthy of a stage, they almost needed one. It was their place for them to perform and our duty to rush to see them. So how come things got a little different?
We keep hearing about the X Factor and although the show here in the US has yet to begin Simon the C keeps telling us that is what they are looking for. Pray tell where might we see this? Where in the world is there a fraction of X in the entire line up of contestants either thrown off or left in the last six of this series of American Idol? Where did they ever even dream up the word idol? Same place has brought us the two definitions of famous, famous now as in train wreck and famous then as in Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley. What ever happened to our stars, damn it!
So we have Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson? They are arguably as good as Idol has given us and I agree they can sing, but X Factor,? I think not. Nice girls, average songs, nice voice, nothing special with regard to image. That’s it when all is said and done, there is no image. There are a thousand women walking the streets that could be them.
And then came Lady Ga Ga, the greatest pop star since Michael Jackson in his ‘Thriller’ prime. Image, voice, performance, video and all round X Factor. She oozes it, she’s X , Y and Z, she has it all. She is the most important thing to happen to pop for eons. When Michael Jackson died I wrote he was the last pop star but today we celebrate a new birth, a true pop star in every sense of the word. But will she be a one off, I sincerely hope not.
Lady Ga Ga is 24, she will last as long as she wants to. She can surpass Madonna as she is more of a chameleon, Madonna had some great images but some equally crap ones. Lady GG hasn’tput a foot, an eye liner or any lingerie wrong and I doubt she will. She’s totally sussed and the best performance artist for a very very long time. I only hope she can inspire those wanting to make a career in music in understanding that you can throw the American Idol right out of the window and have a career that elapses that of all the Idol winners put together. She will do more in a year than the others do ina lifetime. She is a complete master at constantlyreinventing herself. She is the reincarnation of Ziggy.
May 8, 2011 - Posted in News By: admin Tags: American Idol, Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Lady Ga Ga, Michael Jackson, Simon Cowell, X Factor