A Case of Lost Artistry
When Scott MacIntyre sang Michael Jackson’s “Keep the Faith” during the top 13 round of American Idol, he earned negative remarks from Simon who said he should have chosen a more popular, mainstream tune off of MJ’s catalog. Scott tried to defend his stance, saying that he wanted to be more “artistic” to which Simon blurted out a not-so-subtle condemnation of artistry on the show.
“It’s fine to be artistic,” Simon said, “Just not on this show.” This single, smug statement, however valid, perfectly defines why music in the past 5 years or so has been racing downhill. Kudos to Scott, although his performance is hardly something that would qualify for a more in-depth categorization of the word “artistic,” he managed to elicit a response from Simon that would explain the show’s premise since its inception.
Of course, it is not a hidden truth that American Idol is mainly conceived to serve as a platform for pop stars who would become the driving force of contemporary music and serve as cash cows for the world’s top record companies. But does Simon really have to say such words out loud in public? For all it’s worth, Simon’s words say something more about his lack of artistic taste and greed for moolah. After all, this is from the same guy who said that he sells more records than Bruce Springsteen and who finds Bob Dylan boring.
There is a reason why American Idol has continuously been snubbed by critics of popular music. It is the same age-old case Commerce versus Art argument, only that it has taken a different form and stage. In American Idol, if you dig down and get really deep into your music, showing weird facial expressions and vocal nuances, Simon will call you out of it by saying you’re being “self-indulgent.”
He first used this term when Chris Daughtry covered “Broken”, a serious, sweeping song by Seether and Amy Lee. In Simon’s world, there is no way you can sell records, let alone earn a respectable audience if you sing sublime poetry.
Perhaps Simon is being pragmatic here and what better way to create a win-win situation than to cater to the music of teeny-boppers and soccer moms who comprise a huge chunk of Middle America. After all, it is Middle America who spends money and keeps the music business in top shape.
But somewhere along the way, a lot of that gets lost in the shuffle of exploring the deepest corners of music. Music is a highly volatile medium of human expression that needs to be constantly discovered and should never be confined to the walls of mediocrity and shallow tastes.
From the get-go, American Idol has always been a mere TV show bent on delivering commercial music to the buying public. However, it is the biggest stage there is, it should step up to the plate and consider taking the responsibility of subtly introducing the likes of Brandi Carlisle and Brett Drennen to its core audience. Their music makes our world go round and creates a prism that allows us to see ourselves in a way that we’ve never done before.
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