American Idol--the dumbing down of music

The T wrote: 1. You always work with evidence Ivan. Where's the evidence of the long list of Idol contestants who got their lives ruined? It's just an assumption. One I can't agree with because it would be known by now. Here in this country the stupid gossip magazines and shows would be on the case just for ratings. Also, many probably love music as their biggest passion and really don't want to become, say, lawyers or doctors, so the Idol experience was just another shot at living their music dream...

NaturalScience wrote: Rocinante is tired.  Perhaps he could use a rest and a cool drink of water.

Rocinante is tired.  Perhaps he could use a rest and a cool drink of water.

Ivan_Melgar_M wrote: I do believe American Idol, yes T also the USA version, they bombard us every deay with that through the cable, don’t talk about Latin American Idol because it’s even worst. At least in the USA version, Randy Jackson knows something about music (Well, he played with Aretha, Journey and Jean Luc Ponty) and Cowell’s comments are pretty accurate, here the woman chosen flirts with artists and nobody knows a damn sh!t about music. I'm sure about that. I've seen the mexican version and it's really.... well... disgusting.   The problem is that they are seeding wrong values in the youth, let me start: Tv has never been the place to find the values our children should have, has it? In today's world, at least in America, TV is losing its grip on the youth in favor of THIS, our beloved media, the internet. And that sucks because none of these two should be the value-school for children but their families.   No matter how bad you are or how ridicule your singing is, go and make a fool on TV: The casting shows are offensive, some guys really can’t sing at all, but they show this guys because it’s fun to see a poor idiot making a clown of himself. The sad thing is that some of them, like an oriental guy who sang something like “Shiboom Shiboom” (Don’t know or care how it’s written), must be the worst singer in known universe, but still he got a show in Vegas…Is this what we want our kids to learn? 1. It's a TV show. Shows where people have been doing ridicule things and being laughed at have existed for ages. That lasts only the first few programs anyway. 2. If we don't want children to learn this, don't let them watch it! It airs at night anyway. Children should be sleeping by 8 pm, I mean REALLY young children like ages 1-10 or 11... 3. He's famous, so what... Another one in a long list of famous people who don't deserve it.   If you suck, still rant and insult everybody on cameras: There are candidates who can’t sing a all, I’m sure their parents must have told them, or friends or neighbors, but still they cast and when with absolute logic, they are not selected, they insult everybody……That’s how we want our kids to act? 1. It's a TV show... in today's hip-hop and "reality" show world, it's good entertainment (considered to be) to watch regular people curse at celebrities. It's just that. 2. Let's tell our kinds DON'T do that or just use the remote control.   Doesn’t matter you are not the best, just look great, be popular and you will have the chance: This kids are being harmed, even the ones with good voice, because they will stop improving their artistic skills to look better, maybe some breast implants for girls, dressing at the latest fashion on guys, instead of telling them, “Please pal you have a good voice, but with a couple years of study you will be better”, they give the wrong message “Hey, look good, forget about making your style batter, you are cute so you are a star”…How many of this kids are going to succeed in real world? Probably they will be a fashion for a month and then they are forgotten.  1. Abdul is an idiot who says that kind of things but the other two tell the story a little bit more straight. It's a show so somebody has to make up for the thrashing that Cowell delivers... 2. I don't see how Amewrican Idol suddenly turned into the teacher that all children follow... I mean, maybe a lot will do.. but those who do do so probably because their parents are so incompetent that they left a TV show be the guidance for their children instead of them     Writing songs is a waste of time, just sing popular tunes and you will be a star: Some of this kids are able to sing they’re own stuff, but they are encourage to be Karaoke artists and sing what others write, in this way the industry will still get some extra millions for new versions of old hits, that’s the point of the show. Do you believe Rock will survive with a culture of Karaoke singers? 1. No. They sing popular songs because that's the only way people will actually watch the show. If everybody sung own songs, the show may be more interesting for music lovers but for the general population I think it would not be and the rating would suffer. But, eventually, many of the contestants get to release albums with own material. At least here in the US. 2. No, rock will not survive that. But the show is not targeted at the rock audience. Rock here in America is shrinking because of hip hop and other factors, not American Idol.   Some of this kids are ruining their lives: Lets be honest, some of this kids sound intelligent enough to study a career instead of wasting their time, but Mrs. Paula Abdul lies to them telling that they are already stars, if one real star appears each year, it’s too much, don’t lie to the kids, tell them the truth…”Hey, you will never do a living on this, better study a career”. But the 24 finalist already believe they are stars and waste their klifes. 1. You always work with evidence Ivan. Where's the evidence of the long list of Idol contestants who got their lives ruined? It's just an assumption. One I can't agree with because it would be known by now. Here in this country the stupid gossip magazines and shows would be on the case just for ratings. Also, many probably love music as their biggest passion and really don't want to become, say, lawyers or doctors, so the Idol experience was just another shot at living their music dream...   There are more arguments against this silly program,  Don't watch it. I believe it’s harmful for music, but worst for the contestant and teen audience, probably the son or daughter of one of you is already believing “Why should I study, if I’m good looking and can sing a bit?”. No... they will succeed only if they don't suck. There's lack of evidence about this. Psychologists haven't touched the subject and social analysts haven't also. Or maybe. Let's dig for some evidence and we can all agree on this.  Now tell them they are wrong and you will be the bad father/mother who doesn’t support them, while Simon Cowell makes another US$ 10’000,000 per year (maybe 10 times that) on the disgrace of many young people. He makes that money (much more I think) on the 30 million people that tune every week... the disgrace of young people... leave that in hands of the young people... and their parents.   Iván Teo

Atavachron wrote: lighten up, there's art and there's business and occasionally the two meet.. I mean, is it really surprising that complex and experimental music doesn't appeal to large numbers?   ..BTW, you can be a tasteful, cultured person and absolutely love a show like American Idol.. it doesn't define you

I like to watch american idol (it's not something I would ever want to hear on cd), I like some rap music, I like Univers Zero. So what? I enjoy listening to good vocalists, even if the songs they pick aren't exactly my cup of tea. It's as simple as that.

Are all of you so intellectually stiff that you can't enjoy anything that is below your undoubtedly superior standards?

Besides, I fail to see the relevance of american idol in progressive rock. It's highly unlikely that the 12-year old girl who listens to Carrie Underwood would otherwise be jamming to Frank Zappa or Soft Machine.

Squonkman wrote: Slartibartfast wrote: 'scuse me, but when I saw this thread's title I couldn't stop laughing....   Why?

Because American Idol should be subtitled:
 American Idol, The Dumbing Down Of Music.

Squonkman wrote: Is it any wonder that progressive rock is now an "underground" movement hasn't prog always been such more or less?   Yep, someone did a Kansas tune on American Idol (Carry on Wayward Son). I'd have actually watched that.  Could we be witnessing the smartening up of the show?  Well Carry On was an AOR hit, someone doing Dust In The Wind, also a Kansas AOR hit would be more remarkable. What's next, Paula Abdul singing In the Court of the Crimson King? That would be a weird spectacle, I'd watch that, too. Yeah, I'm a sick twisted b*****d.

Edited by Slartibartfast - April 22 2008 at 06:43

prog-chick wrote: Is A.Idol dumbing down music for the kids??? ............ Hell no!    different taste in music is not necessarily 'dumb' that is a seriously odd notion to have, yes they might play "festival style arrangements"  but thats for a hundred practical and technical reasons.......... much in the same way that if they announced this weeks special guests are X (insert the name of your fav prog artiste here)  X would (probably) not indulge in 20 mins of prog-jam-widdly-nonsense (even if that same 20 mins would blow the minds of his regular audience)  This isn't "dumbing down" it's sensible.   I watch AI (I don't stay in for it, but you know if it's the right day of the week and I've had a long day I'll watch it ) and I find myself routing for these kids, I really do, I'm the same with X-Factor here in the UK, yes there is some awful songs, and awful arrangements at times, but it's great fun, and to accuse another form of valued musical entertainment as being "dumb" really is frightening!   Rx

 precisely..  as I said, it doesn't define someone, just as liking classical or jazz doesn't make you a snob