American Idolatry
Gary Catona Posted on Friday, June 8, 2012 at 02:27PM ;)
Some people argue that high school is a microcosm of the real world: the “popular” kids become Hollywood celebrities and politicians; the “geeks” go on to become industry moguls; and the “misunderstood” eventually find a way to express themselves as enlightened gurus in their respective fields.
So what happens to the remainder of the students? We become fans—watching the popular kids’ movies and supporting their political campaigns; consuming the geeks’ products; and seeking guidance from the formerly misunderstood. We all seek empowerment, and we draw inspiration from those who have found it. We crave their power, and we revere them as demigods for their achievements. In a word, we “idolize.”
It is no surprise therefore that we love shows like American Idol, The Voice, X Factor, and America’s Got Talent. We support the contestants, judges, and hosts, and even subconsciously, the sponsors and advertisers. We are excited. We are inspired. We are entertained. We are empowered.
What’s not to like then?
As a teacher in the field of voice, it would seem antithetical to pooh pooh the great opportunity these shows seem to offer to a small number of aspiring singers.
On the other hand, I am concerned for the future of singing—for the integrity of the art form; for the truth it is supposed to express. For the better part of the past century, truth in art has often been confused with truth in marketing. Nowhere is this more evident than in the hyper-sensationalized singing competitions mentioned above.
The problem is not that we idolize singers. Singing should be celebrated as an art form and singers as artists. This naturally implies some degree of idolization.
Rather, what concerns me is that we are engaging in such spectacular, idolatrous extravagance that we overlook the truth and integrity of the art form. Are these singers truly great artists? Or are they marketing prodigies? Are we truly impressed by their artistic abilities? Or are we blindly devoted to the hype surrounding them? And what of the overnight sensation? Is our insatiable sense of urgency distorting the organic artistic process to the point that it is disingenuous?
The unfortunate fact is that a spoonful of glitz is making the mediocre voice more palatable and stunting the emergence of the true artist. We can continue to idolize; indeed, human nature cannot be curtailed. But we must begin to view these shows at face value: they excite; they inspire; they entertain. Only rarely, however, do they move us to new levels of awareness and understanding about the art form.
Image source: Helga Esteb /Shutterstock.com
Reader Comments (2)
Bravo Gary!!! Excellent post!
Now I see, that I am not the only one who feels this way.. Thank you! You gave me courage to continue expressing the true ME, not to be bothered about "marketing". You are very inspiring, Gary! Thank you for posting all this valuable information! I really appreciate this! :)
Mara, thank you for the kind words, and thank you for reading!