I’m not watching American Idol this year. Not even out of the corner of my eye. But I am kind of curious about all the flap there is that one of the contestants may be gay this year (yeah, this year). Is it possible for America to elect a gay Idol? I love a good flap. More than the next person. But seriously, why on earth is this even a question?
American Idol is about pop. And in pop, butch fails, soft prevails. If you’re a macho man, go sing metal, because candy ain’t gonna love ya. Let’s face it, nobody wants to hear Jason Statham sing Puppy Love (actually I would pay good money to see that, but I’m probably not your average consumer). Soft, sweet, non-threatening, that’s what gets the little girls (and some of the boys) to open up their Hello Kitty wallets. If a guy looks rough and ready, he’s going to be a hard sell to the screaming teeny-boppers and teeny-boppers at heart. [Okay, you say Tom Jones sings pop. Granted. But he’s a sex machine, and an exception that proves the rule. Conversely, there's Morrissey: gay but not soft, and, guess what, he doesn't sing pop.]
Take the case of Zac Efron. Admit it, he reads gayish. Cute as hell, but gayish. I don’t know him. He could be straight. He and Doris Hudgens make an adorable couple - sorry Vanessa Hudgens. But honestly, I wouldn’t put it past Disney to have figured out that a whiff of the, as my father would put it, “poofie boy” (I know. We’re working on it.) sells big time when it comes to the teen girl audience. He could be grown in some lab in Anaheim. The perfect tween market specimen: straight, yet ever so slightly effeminate. They may even have told him to gay it up a bit, to move a couple million more units. Seeming gay, even when you aren’t, may be the most devious marketing scheme in history. It never hurt Duran Duran.
And anyway, what does it matter? He’s a singer. All that matters is how he sounds. Would I love George Michael any more if he liked girls? Would his love songs sound more achy? Would his dance songs be any more rump shaking? Nah. Leave the Idol kid alone. A difference that makes no difference is no difference.
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2 comments:
I have loved Adam since his first audition on AI - gay or straight or bi - whatever - the boy can put on a show and outclasses everyone else in the competition. And really this IS Pop music as you point out - ie Elton John, Freddie Mercury, etc. had no need to come out - they just WERE and ARE great.
I've done a little Idol catch up since my first post. I like Adam, but I think he's got a long way to go before he's a real pop god (all hail Freddie), though he does have the potential. Being merely sexually ambigous isn't enough. I wan't skills. I want to see how he turns out after a few more years of playing to a crowd. I have to say that Allison is my fave. She's like the love child of Kelly Clarkson and Nikki McKibbin. I just think the kid is fun.
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