X-Factor: The last nail in Pop-Music's coffin |
TV shows are bothering me.
I do have a feeling that the whole world becomes more stupid with these shows. You can't avoid them: someone around you is watching them. Be it a friend or family or even the TV displays on the stores. The News talk about them the Newspapers talk about them.
Take the Music Idol (Britain's Got Talent, X-factor) and its varieties throughout the world.
It changed the music scene, it gave new opportunities to singers... But it didn't do any good for musicians, nor to help creativity.
The same old songs being sung again and again and again.
And people clapping when they recognize a known song...
It's all nice and cozy and recognizable, familiar, safe.
But this is a killer for true Art and Creativity.
Don't get me wrong.
I love most of the songs there.
I would go to a concert and watch the original singer/band/orchestra performing it.
But this is something like the infamous 'tribute bands'. The most bizarre thing: people dress and behave like their idols. Imitate them. Talking about grown-up people here.
In my surroundings, these Elvis Presley imitations were laughed at when they were attempting to get more serious recognition, today even the Tribute Bands are glorified. All is good, all is irrelevant.
I am bothered because all Art is shown as Entertainment.
I am bothered because most of today's 'stars' are so uninteresting people, really.
I am bothered of the Idolatry of the Media: creating idols out of ordinary people just to have someone to write/speak about.
But Andy, a friend of mine gave a really good explanation about the x-factors:
Pop music is dead in the last 15 years, he says. Nothing new has been created there that wasn't done before. You can take all the new Pop music of the last 15 years, including Hip-Hop and Dance/Techno, and you wouldn't miss a note.
It's a slow, dying process that is happening right now. And the X-factor is like a 'stamp' for the whole thing. A stamp saying: 'Confirmed Dead'.
So true.
By Viktor
