I swear! Not only do some folks not know when they have it good, they don’t know it when they have it bad. It might only be me. (I’ve got issues, I’ll admit it.) But frankly, I am getting very tired of seeing recent American Idol rejects making the talk-show circuit complaining about their terrible lot in life.
The common complaint from these castoffs seems to be that the judges wronged them somehow. These folks – notice I don’t call them “losers” – say:
- They lost themselves somehow because they were trying to please the judges.
- They sang in a different style from Melinda and Lakisha and the judges were always comparing them to better singers.
- The audience understood neither they nor their creativity.
Okay, folks, whatever happened to graciousness?
Puhleze! Flip the channel over to C-Span and see how true competitors accept defeat. Learn a lesson or two. Say how wonderful your competitors were! Say humble, self-deprecating stuff. Tell us what a wonderful experience it all was and how blessed you felt to even have been nominated! Say: you are the luckiest person in the world for having had such a wonderful opportunity to experience the joy and character-building that was American Idol. Say something nice, for heaven’s sake! I, for one, will like you much better if you do. Have you no gratitude for having arrived so far? Good Lord, folks! You got to be on television and taste fame! You’re going on the national tour, for heaven’s sake! That’s more than the rest of us can say.
Whatever happened to self-assessment?
I’m not saying you were bad singers. Hey, I’ll shout it out: you all were good singers. But you just weren’t THAT good. The voice is an instrument. You had no control over it. A star should be able to hear advice and comments without faltering. Admit that the audience did understand your limitations – lack of talent, lack of personality—and we just weren’t so into you.
In one interview, Chris Sligh said he tried to be different but the judges just didn’t understand him. Okay, perhaps he was trying to be different. I kinda saw it. But the guy didn’t have the musical skills in him to be different. Let’s not think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think. Compared to Chris Richardson and Blake Lewis, Chris Sligh just wasn't able to show the music flowing in his soul. Chris Sligh's CD, Take a Chance on Something Beautiful is super! But he obviously wasn't able to bring it before a live audience. A good storyteller should be able to tell someone else's story in addition to his own, and he should be able to tell the story to a large audience. Others simply didn’t understand music. Period. Only a good storyteller can go without a plot, and some of these folks were novices when it came to understanding the elements of musical storytelling. Okay, I understand the need to defend oneself after being slammed in front of America and after not receiving enough votes from the audience. I’d be on the defensive too! But check the “misunderstood artist ego” at the exit door, guys. Buck up, and shut up.
Article comments
1 - clee
You must have missed Brandon Roger's graceful exit interviews. He admitted that his failure on the show was due to his poor song choices and not building up enough of a fan base/momentum to be able to overcome forgetting his lyrics. Not only that, he joked about it and was able to laught at himself. He even put to gether this funny skit for Best Week Ever: Brandon Rogers
2 - Carole McDonnell
Hi Clee:
Very true. You're right! Brandon was very gracious and very funny on Best Week Ever. I was aiming at the whiners. I'll be careful about being so general in the future. Not all the cast-offs have been whiners. Haven't heard much from Sundance lately. -Carole
3 - Kaonashi
I too, was disappointed in reading Chris Sligh's exit interview. I just thought to myself, "Sour grapes much, Chris?" It's a shame to see someone who had so much potential degenerate into just another sore loser.
4 - meta4man
Too bad Chris Sligh took losing so hard, but really, he never did learn to keep time with the song. Part of the show's lure is watching who will slip, anyone who thinks they are entitled to a bad week will find out they were wrong.
5 - Borsh
Who got voted Out Tonite.....Wednesday, April 4th?
6 - Jewels
Nice commentary on the dark side of the show, the ones that must go home, and their reactions.
It is a competition and what many folks sorely miss is yes, talent plays a big role, but so does growing a fan base and gaining popularity. The three ladies with the most talent are remaining due to having so many fans, where some are remaining due to having avid, enthusiastic fans who vote long and often.
It will be interesting to see which tactic in this voting competition overrules the other.
7 - Grandpa Idol
Each and every one of these kids believes that they are talented enough to be the next American Idol. Some knew it earlier than others and as you stated some handle elimination better than others. Somewhere in the middle is a balance between cockiness and defeatism that the true winner must possess. To keep coming out week after week and putting it all on the line is more pressure than most people will ever even remotely experience.