Oh Mama, don't walk away. I'm a goddamned sore loser.

To what extent do musician have an obligation to entertain us when we enjoy them in concert? Is there a set of concert stage rules that they must abide by? Can you get away with doing nothing if you're a certain type of musician? Is there a an entertainment clause in concert riders? Could one be a pop star and not have a visually entrancing stage show? This is an issue that I have been giving a great deal of thought for the past little while.

One of my favourite artists of the past few years has been Ray LaMontagne, a man who is notorious for not interacting with his audience. He has a reputation for turning off all the lights in the venue to separate himself from the audience. He even extends this separation by granting few, if any interviews. Amazingly though, he has a strong and dedicated fan base, myself included who seem to have no problem with this behaviour and continue to go out to shows for his amazing voice.

Is this accepted segregation of artist and audience a more recent development. Would such a disconnection with one's audience been an allowable occurrence 30 years ago? Would Elton John been as big of a success if he told everyone to fuck off and played his piano from behind a curtain? I know that is an extreme example, but my question is valid.

I leave it up to you.

Word.

*-*Laura*~*:You should make a William Hung cover album as a joke
*-*Laura*~*: no lies, it would sell millions
A:hahaha
A:would i pretend to be chinese?
*-*Laura*~*: Yes... Yes you would
*-*Laura*~*: Do it.
A: K-Fung?
*-*Laura*~*: ooooh that's good
*-*Laura*~*:I'll buy you a ricky martin cd to prepare!!
*-*Laura*~*: Or better yet, do it like William Shatner... spoken word it up!!!

I'm riding on this dark horse baby

Maybe I am jaded, or just a curmudgeon, but is it just me or is American Idol redundant? It is in its 7th season now, and out of the hundreds of people that have appeared on the show over the years, only 4 have had relative success. Of those four half didn't even win (Aiken and Daughtry, and Aiken doesn't count since he really was made for a different music market). Even this season there is a girl who has already failed once at a recording deal, and the research team failed to pick up on this?

Are they really idols for the American public? What have they done aside from auditioning and competing? It's not like they've struggled for 20 years to make it here, half of them just auditioned at the mall. There is nothing to idolize in them. Hell I idolize women who go through birth more, and in a sense many of them just had sex to get to the birth part. Furthermore, shouldn't the first season have found the true American Idol? Kelly Clarkson did do well for herself, minus the last album. Not having listened to any of her albums I cannot speak on the quality of the music, but she seems to be a decent singer.

Am I the only one who finds it even remotely amusing that in recent months that many of the AI contestants have been dropped from their labels..... YOU DON"T SAY?!? Come on folks, do we expect record labels to hang on to artists that are not selling? I should be going up to the labels that signed on Fantasia/Ruben/all the others whose names I cannot recall and ask them what they were thinking. I would love to point out that the American music public is a fickle fickle mistress, and that shoving money at a fad is only a temporary solution. This is also the same group of people who gave William Hung a contract!!! Once again, here it is... COME ON!!!

I'm not going to touch on the issue Canadian Idol today, aside from the fact that is just a sounding board for washed up Canadian music talent (Dave Moffat, some dude from McMaster and James), along with alcoholic and statutory rapist judges..... You think I jest....

I'm going to channel Randy Jackson now..... Yo dawg, get you some skills! Lie back and give birth and then maybe you'll get my admiration. Or at the very least learn how to sing and dance......

A Lesson in obscurity

Typical conversation

Me: ever notice how ashton kutcher has no career? I wonder why that is
A:haha
A: people have forgotten about that 70s show
Me:he had Punk'd... and what was supposed to be a movie career. i wonder when he'll move into music
A:lol
Me:I'm serious! it's the next logical step
Me: maybe he'll do trance... or country
Me: or country trance, with Wilmer Valderama doing glowsticks and banjos
A:haha, that could work
A:kelso and the fez
Me: word