....and the truth about talent

This is really some very serious stuff to talk about this week. The results of season 9, American Idol spoke the truth about talent competitions.

....and talking about talent, I may think I have lots of it. But the truth is, what I think is not what everybody else thinks. But dad was such an inspiration about what I think I have, a good "right-side" brain. I draw, paint, write some poems and songs, a big love for education, and I have too many hobbies, in fact too many for one guy to handle!

I remember taking part in a talent show with my neighbourhood chum Keechoo. We did a lot of practices and went in as a duo in an "unplugged" act, playing the guitars and singing "Something" to try pass the preliminary round at Radio Malaysia Penang in 1971 (I was then 17)

The results?...kekeke...we were knocked out. LOL!

But it was a good try and we trodded out wee bit depressed, because we thought we were better than many others who made it!

On reaching home dad commented, "It's not only talent you think you have that counts. It's the other things, even though that was a talent contest. Look at how you dress?...how you react with the results?....how young and inexperienced you are?...the people selecting you out of the race feels that you need more time and you have lots of it!'

How ironical.

"Why didn't you tell us earlier?" ...and a quick, stern answer shot back, "'because I don't want you to be in this business." Period.

Many yearly winners of that talent competition became hugely popular like The Beads

 (who later rename to The Alleycats, and my ping-pong mate at the Penang Youth Centre, Khoo Fooksin - was their keyboardist!), Salamiah Hassan, Sudirman (he was the music icon of Malaysia then - very much like the artist in MJ!) They all had something else I don't, and hmm... I surely missed out.

 ...and looking at what turned out, dad was right. Besides talent, one school of fans need the personality, charisma, a down-to-earth attitude that exudes from the performer to blend with them, together with a 'help-me-make-my-day-and-your-day" appeal.

The other school of fans will be at the other extreme welcoming totally outrageous characters like the Keith Moon of The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Freddie Mercury, Madonna, or the pop world's latest icon, Lady Gaga, and all of them don't even have to compete to gain recognition. They sheer talent, nothing else.

Today I want to see how true those words of my dad worked in the results of the battle between Crystal Bowersox & Lee Dewyse in the American Idol competition.

Crystal Bowersox has been my favourite since the first round, Lee Dewyse was never in my head, a hard contender. He should have just survived at the top 5. But he won the competition, and considering that Crystal blew everyone away and out-did Dewyse in the final! Crystal even made many shed a tear or two as she performed with her mind and soul...

Lee Dewyse?

...to me, he's going out, crackling pitchy lines and he never even rendered a smile when singing a happy song like "Beautiful Day"....but he won.....ridiculously, I would say!

So that went back to what dad said.....and I asked myself what quality, besides talent, did Dewyse have that Crystal don't?

Dewyse has sympathy from the voters, a young paint salesman

looking for a break. He's unattached, good looking and a good voice (that's the only natural "talent" he has, his other status has nothing to do with talent).

 

Crystal has great talents built up over the years, plays many different musical instruments, fantastic vocals, writes her own songs, worked very hard from a tender age with music as a performer..even busking for some buck$..

She's got all it made when it comes to talent, but she's a mother (that status has nothing to do with talent, but the americans who voted for her to be second best must have felt that she is attached already, a mother of a mysterious someone else's son, her being a bit lofty when she's actually too seasoned and experienced as a performer.)

Fans want their idol to be theirs, not already attached to someone else. You can ask Andy Lau. He kept his marriage a secret for years just not to disappoint his fans, or lose them when they start committing suicides if they know he's already married!

So in this limited choice selection, unattached Dewyse with the sympathy garnered since the top 5 got the votes over Crystal - someone portrayed over and over and over again as a single mum until it drummed into the heads of the voters that they should be voting for an "ideal" idol to worship, not a committed "mama".

I feel that she has been discriminated against as a single mother by the Americans who voted, and Dewyse emerged champion because the sympathetic voters thought they are kind people by giving him the break he's aiming for. They forgot it is a talent show!

Strangely, the voters never gave serious thoughts as to Crystal needing a big break too! I rooted all the way for Crystal (even though I'm not eligible to vote), and I'll continue to root for her when her album's out. Personally, I believe Crystal will do much better in post-American Idol than Lee Dewyse. so let's see what happens when it comes to talent, when it stands alone.

...and having said that, my dad was quite right in his comments about me & Keechoo in that talent competition, even though it was just the first round.

....and Simon Cowell seems to disagree with the results too! He wants no part of it. He wanted a kiss on the lips, but now he's just getting the kiss on his cheek. So Simon is saying bye-bye gracefully. Such kind of voting bias has been slowly but surely, pulling the popularity of the show down and simple Simon knows just when to stop. Kudos, Simon!

It's not just the talent you think you have, it depends on the other things you don't have, and what the others perceive as unable to get from you. In this case, Crystal has been portrayed as being more committed to her family, than will be to her fans.

Even the nick-name churned out by the press for her, "Mamasox", speaks for itself. It killed "mama", but it won't be long before Mamasox sock-it-to-them!

So, my dad was right. He may have been gone for 35 years, but he was so dead right!

Those were my thoughts on the results. Share yours!