It Ain't Hemingway

I feel like I’ve been so engrossed in the world of Indie music that I’m completely out of touch with all the mainstream music that’s shoved down our throats in the USA. I heard my first Lady GaGa song right before the Grammy’s.  I listen to a station in Philly that plays a variety of music but mostly Indie and alternative. I don’t think they’ve ever mentioned the name Lady GaGa on air, let alone play her music. This is the reason I’ve remained a GaGa virgin for so long. Don’t’ get me wrong I know exactly who she is, I know all about her crazy outfits, alleged penis and shoes so distorted even a Geisha would wince. What does that say about an artist when their gimmick is more recognizable than their talent? Who convinced this woman that she needed to go that route? I have a video on my blog of one Stephani Germanotta with long brown hair sitting at a piano looking very bohemian, belting out a song with more integrity then I’ve ever heard before. She doesn’t need the carney act we would’ve believed without the glitter and spandex.

I think we are a nation who expects all the bells and whistles mostly because of the Hollywood scene and now we expect our musicians to deliver the same kind of theatrics. The Peas and their dancing alien beat boxes; Beyonce with her army of Storm Trooper’s, and even Green Day with their new career venture as the pseudo punk version of Andrew Lloyd Weber with the latest Broadway Rock Opera. Sorry not a fan of Green Day or Broadway musicals.

It’s refreshing when a true rock band wins an award. A band who’s idea of theatrics is when the lead singer performs the last-minute of the last song on his knees; who’s stage set consists of a black backdrop, blinking light panels and the random close up of their faces which never show enough of the hotty drummer in the band. I can tell you in my humble opinion the honesty of the music and simplicity of a solid performance is the thing that keeps drawing me in and will keep me coming back until the band chooses not to do it anymore. It’s the integrity and the purity of the music that the awards should be based on and not who can do the best Cirque D’Soleil act. All I’m saying is the soundtrack of my life doesn’t come with fireballs, acrobats or dancing robots, it’s not what I will remember.  It’s the sound and the words, the feeling it gave me, and the people I shared this passion with.

Obviously not all the awards are based on popularity or record sales, I think true talent is recognized more often than not but as in most things politics are always involved. I take award season with a grain of salt every year and watch to see the pretty outfits, my favorite Rock Stars, and Movie Stars and every once in awhile I hope to be pleasantly surprised by a good honest choice.