Unpopular Opinion Time
Oct. 1st, 2009 06:46 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lierdumoaSo the popular fannish opinion seems to be that Adam Lambert was robbed of his victory. In fact, I think many fans don't even consider it to be an opinion. Everyone I've come across who had anything to say on the matter assumes that Adam was the superior artist, regardless of the viewer's personal style preference.
I ... respectfully disagree.
I got into this whole American Idol thing late. I didn't do any voting, but if I had been voting during the finale, I would have been voting for Kris.
Yes, Adam is a better performer. His voice is better trained in the sense he can manipulate his vocals more than Kris. But he's not a better musician. He cares more about showing off his voice than doing what is best for the song, and it shows. Just because he can add in twelve additional hard to hit falsetto notes that have nothing to do with the melody doesn't mean he should in every song he sings without exception.
Adam was certainly more consistent than Kris, but I do not think more consistent equals better. Adam's voice is very stylized. He does a particular vocal affectation, and he does it very well, but I don't particularly enjoy listening to it. I know lots of singers who are capable of doing everything he does vocally and, unlike Adam, know when to stop doing it and let the song stand for itself. Good music is about more than having a well trained voice.
Kris cares more about doing right by the song than the song doing right by him, and I can hear that when he sings. And I love his singing. I love the sound of his voice (which I can't really say for Adam, though that has more to do with a fluke of genetics than any kind of skill). Even if I don't like the song, I generally agree with the way he sings it. He makes good vocal choices.
"Heartless" was amazing, because not only did he pull off an improbable cover, but he made me relate to a song I hadn't been able to relate to before. Adam's song choices did a great job of selling Adam. His songs showed that he was wild and audacious and irreverent and fun and all portrayed a high level of technical competency. But where Adam's songs made me love Adam more, Kris' songs actually made me love the songs more, and in terms of musical ability, I consider that to be a far rarer and far more extraordinary skill. Kris might be a little hit or miss, but when he hits, holy crap.
Adam never gave me any holy crap moments. Well, not with his singing, anyway. I had plenty of holy crap moments with regards to his persona. Adam should have been the American Idol if that were, in fact, the purpose of the vote. He is a better idol. He has presence and personality and charisma. He inspires worship. The judges said, in the finale that the purpose of the show was to find a worldwide star, and they had found that in Adam.
But being the biggest star and being the best musician are two very different things. The fact is that in any artistic field, whether it be music or fine art, the artists who become the most successful generally aren't selling music, or sculpture, or paintings. They're selling their personalities. Personality is far more marketable a commodity than art.
I'm not so naive as to believe Kris actually won for his musical ability. I think it's pretty obvious he won because of homophobic bible belters and Arkansian state pride. But if this were a perfect world, and it really were about the music, and only the music, I honestly believe Kris deserved his win.
I ... respectfully disagree.
I got into this whole American Idol thing late. I didn't do any voting, but if I had been voting during the finale, I would have been voting for Kris.
Yes, Adam is a better performer. His voice is better trained in the sense he can manipulate his vocals more than Kris. But he's not a better musician. He cares more about showing off his voice than doing what is best for the song, and it shows. Just because he can add in twelve additional hard to hit falsetto notes that have nothing to do with the melody doesn't mean he should in every song he sings without exception.
Adam was certainly more consistent than Kris, but I do not think more consistent equals better. Adam's voice is very stylized. He does a particular vocal affectation, and he does it very well, but I don't particularly enjoy listening to it. I know lots of singers who are capable of doing everything he does vocally and, unlike Adam, know when to stop doing it and let the song stand for itself. Good music is about more than having a well trained voice.
Kris cares more about doing right by the song than the song doing right by him, and I can hear that when he sings. And I love his singing. I love the sound of his voice (which I can't really say for Adam, though that has more to do with a fluke of genetics than any kind of skill). Even if I don't like the song, I generally agree with the way he sings it. He makes good vocal choices.
"Heartless" was amazing, because not only did he pull off an improbable cover, but he made me relate to a song I hadn't been able to relate to before. Adam's song choices did a great job of selling Adam. His songs showed that he was wild and audacious and irreverent and fun and all portrayed a high level of technical competency. But where Adam's songs made me love Adam more, Kris' songs actually made me love the songs more, and in terms of musical ability, I consider that to be a far rarer and far more extraordinary skill. Kris might be a little hit or miss, but when he hits, holy crap.
Adam never gave me any holy crap moments. Well, not with his singing, anyway. I had plenty of holy crap moments with regards to his persona. Adam should have been the American Idol if that were, in fact, the purpose of the vote. He is a better idol. He has presence and personality and charisma. He inspires worship. The judges said, in the finale that the purpose of the show was to find a worldwide star, and they had found that in Adam.
But being the biggest star and being the best musician are two very different things. The fact is that in any artistic field, whether it be music or fine art, the artists who become the most successful generally aren't selling music, or sculpture, or paintings. They're selling their personalities. Personality is far more marketable a commodity than art.
I'm not so naive as to believe Kris actually won for his musical ability. I think it's pretty obvious he won because of homophobic bible belters and Arkansian state pride. But if this were a perfect world, and it really were about the music, and only the music, I honestly believe Kris deserved his win.
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no subject
Date: 2009-10-01 02:17 pm (UTC)On the other hand while I do agree homophobes and bible belters and some funky voting played a part in Kris's win I don't think Adam was robbed per se. I did think that when it first happened but not so much in hindsight for a few reasons.
Look at what you said and what I said and there is part of the answer. People liked Kris or loved Kris but there weren't many who didn't like him. Adam on the other hand was polarizing, he said so himself, "It's not for everybody." That is a big part of what did him in. He had tons and tons of people who loved him, but he also had a lot who didn't like him at all and that really came into play at the end.
Once it came down to Kris, Danny, Adam and Allison it was pretty much a done deal that Adam could not win mathematically. Assuming Kris and Adam were equal (and they pretty much were at that point) had the final three been Kris, Adam and Allison some of Allison's votes would have gone to Kris and some to Adam. That would have put Kris in the winner's circle because when Danny went his votes would have gone to Kris. We had a Kris, Danny, Adam final three. The ones who didn't like Adam or Danny voted for Kris, making it a Kris/Adam finale. Most of Danny's votes were going to go to Kris as were all those people who just didn't like Adam for whatever reason as well as a lot of Allison's votes.
Kris and Adam already had their own pretty much equal fan base going into the finals. It was all going to come down to how the Allison and Danny votes split up and Kris had the clear advantage there. Toss in the homophobes and irregular Arkansas voting and it was all over for Adam.
All that said though, Kris is fantastic and winning meant more for his career that it ever would have for Adam's. Adam has gotten everything he could possibly have wanted out of AI and so has Kris. I'm not sure it would have worked out that way had the results been reversed.
I've got Kris, Adam and Allison's CDs all on pre-order and am really looking forward to all of them.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-01 05:39 pm (UTC)And as much as I hate the whole conspiracy theory, I do think that sexual orientation had a small part, but overall, I think that Kris brought it when he needed to and made people's mouths drop open in shock and awe and he really was the better musician.
On a separate note, I've thought AI was rigged since about season 3. And to be completely honest, I think the producers wanted a Gokey/Adam finale, with Gokey defeating Adam. However, I think they realized after Allison left that there was no way in hell Gokey was going to win because people just DIDN'T like him and in order for them to defeat Adam, Adam had to go up against Kris. Kris was the only one would could have beaten Adam. I know I said no conspiracy theories right, I lied, totally lied, and I frankly think the producers were hoping against hope that Adam and Kris would be at each others throats and it backfired in such a huge way that I'm hoping they don't try it again.
Anyway, my two cents, worth what you paid, nada. :D
no subject
Date: 2009-10-02 01:00 am (UTC)Honestly, I think even if the producers tried to pit Adam and Kris they still have to be happy with the end result, because scandal might garner interest, but slash fen garner interest and raise money and provide free advertizing and put together campaigns and are generally more active and loyal of a fanbase than people following scandal for the sake of scandal. They put those two together hoping sparks would fly, and one way or another, sparks flew.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-02 02:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-02 04:45 pm (UTC)