Fake Pop? Fake Rock

Written by: Xil

We have always been interested in what's going on with them there famous folk, many live vicariously through them and love to hear the newest gossip on whether Mary Kate can keep her finger out of her throat or who JLo... erm... Jlopez... or... Jenny from the block is engaged to this week. Regardless, we love these people and whether we admit it or not, we love to hate them too.

You gotta wonder though, just which of these people are playing the game of life and which ones are simply using the cards they've been dealt. Often times, especially in the world of pop, many bands are created through an auditioning process, which involves the ability to dance, sing, and act all in one (see Ammer's article on sacting). People generally love these bands one minute then hate them the next (My pet peeve is bands who have their record labels control the creative process for them). Many people fail to see that "creating the band" or just plain faking it isn't something that just happens with pop music. It happens everywhere, nowadays, more so in rock music than anywhere else.

"But-t-t-t... Rock is pure! Rock is great!" Yeah, it's all great, but it's going to be imitated too. The biggest example right now is the oh-so spiraling downwards media coverage of Ashlee "the Banshee" Simpson, whose screw-ups on major performances, lack of singing ability and amazing hoe-down skills leave us all wondering just how often the world of rock has managed to pull the wool over our eyes.

Looking at the rock of the past and the rock of today, you can't help but wonder what in H-E-double hockey sticks happened. Everything has mellowed out and became more moany, self-loathing and depressed, music no longer appeals to everyone at once, but to the target audience that the managers say it does. Where has the real music gone? With these new artists we're seeing less raw talent and more manufactured music which is meant to appeal to us.

I'm not saying bands who have signed to labels are all terrible, some bands played smart. For example, Our Lady Peace signed to Sony Canada under the agreement that they would have total artistic control of in what direction the album would go. Their latest venture, Gravity sold well and was totally different from their original work. With a heavier sound and more of an edge, they found a nice forte.

All I'm asking for is a band which can give us more of that good ol' Rock and Roll; The Boss, Jet, something that will rattle some bones and get people out there to listen. A band that doesn't care if you download their music. U2's front man, Bono, said in an interview that if you want people to hear your music, you need to so-called "sell-out" in answer to a question on their stance on the i-Pod commercials. I personally think that word of mouth is the best advertisement; I've learnt of more bands that I like through word of mouth than any other media outlet.

I suppose what I'm saying is before you sign up for Canadian Idol, American Idol, Pop Idol or whatever, think twice!

Then again, I suppose that could be a bit much. :)