"American Idol" is to music what carnival treats are to fine cuisine. Tasty, perhaps, but loaded with sugar, grease and empty calories.
The pop-music reality series returned to Fox Tuesday night. And the record ratings indicate that Americans again fell for this overly saccharine karaoke-fest.
At first glance, the appeal is easy to see. The show plays right into American desires for instant gratification. Flash a nice smile, work your pipes, and you've got a record deal. It's not as simple as that, of course, but it sure beats the hell out of treading the traditional path to stardom - winding through nights of smoky clubs, endless days on the road and shots of cheap whiskey, scraping together enough cash to put out a demo CD and hoping that a secretary is kind enough to hand it to a record executive.
I don't doubt that the top contenders on "American Idol" have talent. They did beat out 10,000 other voices, after all. It's the network that put the talent to waste, forcing the contestants to sing such sappy, tired standards as "For Once in My Life" and "If You Really Love Me." It was, as one radio show host put it, like they were competing to be the next Michael Bolton. What an honor.
Serious musicians, or at least those who care about producing their own unique sound, would be well-served to stay away from the show. Kelly Clarkson, the winner of last season's installment of "American Idol" practically had to sign her creative freedom away to production company 19 Group and its head, British pop manufacturer Simon Fuller.
The contract, portions of which were cited in a Salon.com article last year, included provisions granting the producer "the unconditional right throughout the universe in perpetuity to use, simulate or portray (and to authorize others to do so) ... my name, likeness, voice, singing voice, personality, personal identification or personal experiences, my life story, biographical data, incidents, situations and events which heretofore occurred or hereafter occur, including, without limitation, the right to use ... any of the foregoing in connection with the series."
All of this means that unless she were to travel to another dimension (the contract is binding throughout the universe), Clarkson will forever remain in the grasp of the 19 Group and its subsidiaries. And she may as well have also thrown in her soul. This spring Clarkson and finalist Justin Guarini will appear in a musical comedy co-written by Simon Fuller's brother, Kim Fuller.
Clarkson may be a good singer, but imagine the stunned look on her handlers' faces if she were to proclaim a desire to take her career in a new direction, or perhaps even write a few songs of her own. She already came into conflict with management after being pressed into singing the national anthem at Sept. 11 memorials in Washington D.C. last year. Even Clarkson thought it was tasteless, but she sang anyway. Not that she had much say.
"American Idol" sells dreams, but works the ugly side of the recording industry, manufacturing celebrities with pretty faces to sell bland music. What's the use of riding in limos and private jets if you can never steer the course?
Write to Robert at rclopez@bsu.edu
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