ESSAYS
WHAT THE MEDIA IS INTERESTED IN? SINGERS' TALENT OR ONLY GOSSIP? By Maximillien de Lafayette
TALENT VERSUS FAME
Photo: Helen
Baldassare.
In 2004, 2005 and 2006, almost 97% of all the articles and blurbs written about Madonna were of a gossipy nature. Everybody knows that. The columnists and reporters enthusiastically and ad infinitum poured so many ink and filled so many pages about what Madonna did that weekend in London, who is she dating now, her haunted mansion in England, how she offended a Rabbi in Tel Aviv, her alleged mockery of the crucifix, etc., Only 9 out of 76,000 articles written about Madonna rotated around the musical quality of her recently released CDs. AOL front page consecrated its news section to Angelina Jolie and Paris Hilton almost on a daily basis for more than 16 months. Stories and headlines like: Jolie is pregnant…Jolie is adopting…Jolie hiring new bodyguards…Jolie’s newborn baby…Jolie’s is harassed…Jolie is going…Jolie is back…Paris Hilton and her foes…Hilton’s new makeup…Hilton’s new hairdo style…Hilton’s new line of fragrance…Hilton in New York…This is what the media is interested in. The juicy part. Same thing applies to Jazz and cabaret singers. Gossip, gossip and always gossip. Art study and analysis bore the readers. We do not read anymore articles in-depth. We have no time anymore. We watch TV too much. We spend 69% of our time talking on our cellular phones, almost everywhere, while driving, walking in the streets, holding babies, cashing at ATM machines, eating and even while talking to each other. I am not trying to change all that. It will never work. Gossip is an integrated part of the fabric of our existence. We breathe it and cultivate it wherever we go. Studies show that 87% of what the media write about and what regular folks like you and me constantly talk about evolve and rotate around celebrities. Their lifestyle, affairs, scandals, that is, not the quality and depth of their work. Rarely, we do talk about undiscovered or hidden talents. It doesn’t pay. It does not sell newspapers. It does not stimulate our mind and it does not interest the masses. The rich gets richer. The poor gets poorer, the famous gets more famous, and the talent and obscure artist is buried and forgotten. More exactly, never mentioned! In my books on art and entertainment, I honestly tried to give exposure to magnificent artists who are totally unknown to the general public. Their gifts and talents were more important to me than all the hot gossip and juicy talks about their private lives and lifestyles.
Recognizing others’ talents is a sacred duty of a critic.
Have you ever heard about Lisa Clark? Lisa who you might ask. Why should you know about Lisa Clark? She is not a celebrity. But she is a remarkable singer. If you listen to her new CD Blue Carousel, you will discover a great hidden talent. So I wrote about Ms. Clark and recommended her CD. And this the sacred duty of a critic. Discovering new talents and promoting their work - if they deserve it - is a vital part of the responsibility of a reviewer and a critic.
Sarah James, a superb singer with the aura of a femme fatale and the wisdom of a guru.
How about Madelaine Ostlund? Same question you might ask: Who is Madeleine Ostlund? Never heard of! Well, this lady is a magnificent singer. A hidden talent to many of us, here in the United States. Her new CD So It Sings is a marvelous piece of work. And as a critic, I got to review her CD and recommend it, if it shows creativity, talent and meaningful contribution to the world of music. And I did. So It Sings deserves accolades and public recognition. I do not rush to listen to new CDs by famous recording artists. Instead, I enjoy discovering new talents. Superb unknown artists who need a break, a helping hand, an exposure, so their work would or could be known to a large audience and publicly appreciated. This is a major part of what I do for a living; recognizing others’ talents.
How critics and columnists comment on what I wrote.
Photo:
Janice Borla, A mega talent!
Writing about singers and artists is part of the fabric of my life. But this is not the issue here. It is rather about how columnists and critics view my work and articles I wrote about mega stars, ascending artists and obscure but gifted singers. It is so revealing and informative. It shows us what the media is basically interested in. And what topics, artists profiles and entertainment subjects I wrote about that capture the attention of journalists and reviewers. Sometime, they pick up on subject, title, a paragraph or something I considered quite simple and ordinary. And they made a pick fuss about it. Some other time, they get it right and elaborate on an idea or a thought I wanted so strongly to publicize or communicate to a large audience. I think, this is what they did upon reviewing my book. It seems that thematic quality or quantity of a book is not always le plat du jour. We live in a strange and incomprehensible world. Gossip or a bad review of a show or a CD can steal the headline. And in-depth analyses of the chronological development of a major movement in our history are rarely appreciated or read. Only “hot stuff” made headlines and front page news .