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50,000 Fantasia Fans Apparently Wrong

A weary, cathartic, unabashedly snobbish piece on American Idol here, from the SF Chronicle.

Just musing here. Riding a quiet, gurgling inner annoyance. Maybe what they’re doing on “American Idol” — as vindicated by the “judges” — is music. But in that it lacks passion of any kind, that it forsakes real emotion for overindulgent vocal tricks, well, then it’s not really music. Real music allows people to express themselves without the actual need to hit all the notes. That may go against operatic principles and raise a vigorous defense from people who like Whitney Houston and “pretty” voices, but it’s not up for argument. You should get a visceral reaction from music, not the sense that someone has sung lifeless pabulum to perfection. “I feel nothing from that song, but damn, she hit the high ones.”

Kudos also to writer Tim Goodman for adept deployment of the phrase “god-awful pox on humanity”. And if I’m only mentioning the piece because he cites Tom Waits and American Music Club – well, so be it. Nothing like having one’s own prejudices catered to.

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