I had the great pleasure of watching the YouTube clip of “Britain’s Got Talent” in which the dowdily-dressed and very plain Susan Boyle wowed the audience and judges (including Simon Cowell) with her version of “I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Miserables. My wife was even more impressed than I was; not being able to see well and experiencing YouTube from the comforts of her couch where she knits, crochets, and hems my trousers makes her focus on the sound.
We’re fond of good singing, even if at best I’m a pleasant baritone who fits well in a choir and she’s a very shaky alto. Our Saturday afternoons are spent with the Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts, or the Lyric, the L.A. Opera, the San Francisco Opera, and the surprising Houston Opera. We listen to other clips of singers such as Rene Fleming, Dame Joan Sutherland, Victoria de los Angeles, and other divas. During the week, I, the old fogy, listen to Alan Titchmarsh’s radio program on the Internet. We hear good singers often, and I would rate Miss Boyle a very good, but not excellent singer.
That is NOT putting Miss Boyle down in any way. She’s untrained, for one thing, and her repertoire is going to suit her very well. She reminds me of Barbara Cook, whose rendition of “Hello Young Lovers” still thrills me to no end.
However, in this world of visual and audio arts, Miss Boyle was never going to get anywhere because she didn’t look good, and she couldn’t dance. Many people don’t just listen to the music; they watch it. I’ve seen singers whose comments on YouTube include “You’re not great, but love your hair.” I’ve seen critics who savage someone less than physically perfect because, I suppose, they feel cheated of their double-dipping multi-sensorial treat. With that sort of attitude, how are you going to get ahead in the music business?
Should you get ahead in the music business? Is fame and fortune worth it for a talented musician who would get spoiled by constant adulation? We are humans, not God Almighty, and when we receive worship, we are accomplices in someone else’s violation of the First Commandment. For some, it means that you can end up with a lot of money, but not much happiness. John Lennon took years to sort out his life, and it ended with a gunshot from a crazed fan. Michael Jackson never had a normal childhood, and it shows.
My favorite performers are the sub-stars, the consistent acts, who may not sell hundreds of thousands of downloads (if anyone does) but when you go to their performances you know you will have a good time. Dianne Schuur is an example of that sort of singer. Suzanne Vega is another. So, in another field, is Doc Watson. They combine technical perfection with enthusiasm.
So, have we begun to pass from the era of the Master of the Universe to the Common Man as Hero? Recent events with Captain Sullenberger of US Air, who landed a textbook landing in the Hudson, saving all his crew and passengers, and the rescue of the captain of the Maersk Alabama, suggest that we’re all tired of hype.
We’re not. We just don’t like the people being hyped.
This brings me to the question of the White House dog. I think it’s great that the President’s kids have a dog. Every kid should have a dog. We had one in our household, a half-Shepherd half wild dog, who was a phenomenon of speed, grace, power, and plain dumb-dogness. My wife tells tales of her standard poodle. The Obama kids should have a dog.
Why is this dog so important as to grab so much attention? Well, duh, it’s a dog story, and people like dogs. It’s also a Presidential story, and many people like the President (as a growing number actively dislike him.) Thus, in an era where newspapers are dying and broadcast stations are eating their seed corn by cutting back on news staff, a savvy news director puts the stories people want to hear on Page 1 and the first three minutes of the broadcast.
It’s the choice of dog that annoys many people. Bo is a Portuguese water dog (though I bet he wouldn’t recognize a word in Portuguese except maybe o alimento, o banho, e o veterinário). He’s not a rescue dog from the local shelter. Therefore, the Obamas aren’t setting a good example. Worse, everyone who shares the canine characteristic of rolling over for the Alpha Male will want a Portuguese water dog, and we may have to go to war with Portugal to seize enough of them. [1]
Having a dog is value neutral. Dogs love their masters, and humans love their dogs. Hitler had a dog, but so did Franklin Roosevelt. It’s not the dog; it’s the pattern the Obamas are showing while they are in the White House. They have very expensive tastes, especially compared to the rather plain G.W. Bush family who preceded them. They’re foodies. They are growing a White House garden not to promote self-sufficiency, but to have arguela and other fancy vegetables for the White House table. [2] In itself, that’s fine. But did Obama run for office so he could indulge his expensive tastes? His track record as a leader suggests that he hasn’t accomplished much in office. He did more as President-Elect.
Does he feel our pain as a nation? If so, it’s at a distance. When you’re eating White House veggies off fine china, prepared by a professional staff, you aren’t thinking about the unemployed car mechanic save as an abstraction. Policies affect real people. Being President Tingod, the one who is admired afar, keeps you from realizing that policies affect real people.
Worse, does his taste for the finer things in life indicate a predilection for corruption? He did come from Chicago, after all, and has adopted a Windy City approach to politics. The side the Republicans are seeing is Rahm’s “kick them when they’re down” attitude, and Napolitano’s “all right wingers are potential terrorists” political blinders. He should be very careful that he doesn’t do favor for favor, especially if he is the beneficiary. I haven’t seen any indication this has happened. This is only a concern so far. But, if he isn’t very careful, he will start thinking a little “something for something” is acceptable, as long as it’s for A Greater Good.
[1] That was sarcasm. The Internet is not a forum where you can easily detect sarcasm. It’s a good thing Somalia doesn’t have a breed of dog besides pirates.
[2] And Food Lion isn’t unionized.
Ce spectacle de télé-réalité est très fantastaic parce qu'ils sont si nombreuses personnes talentueuses ont découvert par cette émission.
Posted by: casino bonukset | May 09, 2011 at 10:48 AM