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Iggy Pop on American Idol

minorthreat

minorthreat

Feb 18, 2011
56
4
NYC
#1
Not the Stooges, but I think Iggy did a good job. It was obvious that he was unknown to most of the crowd and possibly Jennifer Lopez (she didn't appreciate him at any rate). I only learned about it while flipping through the channels and heard the announcer mention him.

I had to keep flipping back to not miss him and caught a glimpse of other parts of the show. I can usually appreciate a musician's talent even if the music isn't my cup of tea. Not much to appreciate on American Idol...
 
#7
duff beer said:
If you can't appreciate the house band on AI, then you really don't appreciate musician's talent like you claim. Yes, most of the music sucks, but the band is tremendous.
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Yep. Awesome house band! I have stopped on AI before just to hear the band.

It's the judges, and the contestants, and Seacrest, and the whole pre-fab nature of it all... Pretty much everything about AI except the house band.
 
#12
Southpaw5 said:
The kid that play DB and sings is pretty cool though, I liked his interpretation of "why don't you do right"
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That's Casey Abrams, he's really good and definately has true artist potential. If you've missed his stuff check him out on Youtube, he's been playing his upright on the show and has some serious chops - the dude's 18 years old! Randy gave him a big shout out the other night for performing with the upright which I thought was great.

And the house band is the best they have ever been, some seriously great players.

I really think they have some great people on this year and excellent performances. The thing missing is original tunes. However, if you think about it, there are a lot of very big artists over the years (and I mean since the beginning of recorded music) who have had very successful careers playing other people's music. So at this point I disagree with the karaoke comments to some extent. But I do wish they would have the contestants perform music that they have written.
 
#13
I'm a regular watcher of AI. Whatever your own opinion of the music is, that's fine, but there are also some amazingly talented artists every season (maybe more this season than ever before). Personally, I think Casey Abrams (bass playing guy) is one of the best overall musicians this show has seen, and Pia Toscano's voice is world class.

As for Iggy Pop's performance, I found the vocals dull and the perfomance on the verge of uncomfortable to watch. To me, it seemed like Iggy was not too interested to be there except to collect a check. (IMO, YMMV)
 
#14
My Wife watches the show religiously and as soon as she saw him walk in with the DB she yelled for me to come and watch, talk about a great surprise! That performance was both impressive to other bassists/musicians and a total panty dropper. I overheard 3 different women talking about that performance.

But seriously, that kid has serious chops and I hope we continue to hear his music after the show is over.
 
#15
I don't think the question is about the talent level, especially as the rounds progress, all the contestants on AI that make it to this level are talented singers. I think the 'dog and pony show' atmosphere is what turns some musicians off. It is clearly a popularity contest rather than a legitimate skills competition.

While it is true that many great musicians made their name performing their interpretations of older tunes, as many '60s British rock groups did, what had people listening (and keeps them listening) is the originality and the genuine artistry those groups performed them with. This is what many people find offensive while watching AI. It's said an TB all the time: just having chops (i.e. vocal ability) doesn't make you an artist.

There must be a reason why in the 10 seasons that AI has been airing there have been only two real 'stars' (Kelly clarkson and Carrie Underwood). I think that's because it takes more than winning a popularity contest to make people care beyond the boundaries of the contest itself.

My karaoke comment was more from personal experience than anything else. I have a friend who is a good singer. We go to a bar where they have a karaoke machine and after a few drinks, and a few bad singers, I convince him to sing. He absolutely kills on Billy Idol's 'White Wedding' to the point that nobody else wants to sing. I would say that my buddy sings 'White Wedding' just as good as Billy Idol, but there is something intangible about a singer who can sing and have people go see him sing and a karaoke singer who can imitate doesn't have that.

My .02
 
#17
duff beer said:
If you can't appreciate the house band on AI, then you really don't appreciate musician's talent like you claim. Yes, most of the music sucks, but the band is tremendous.
Click to expand...

My glimpses of the show waiting for Iggy lasted only a few seconds each (all the 'singing' and mindless banter I could take), so I didn't have (or give myself) a chance to hear the house band. Guess I missed out...
 
#20
I just watched the recording of this performance, and I'm reminded of an interview I saw last year, Tavis Smiley talking to Prince. At one point Tavis was asking Prince about how his performances have toned down a bit as he has gotten older, and Prince replied, "No one wants to look at old skin."

Poor Iggy, old skin and out of breath before he finishes a single 150 second song. The shows I saw 30 years ago still stand out as some of the best concerts I've ever attended. What I just saw saddened me.

JBY
 

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