Skip to main content

Very Bad Queen



I never actually watch live TV. It's all TiVO. So today, I was two weeks behind on American Idol. I watched the Queen Theme episode.

It's possible that the performances were okay.

From where I sat it was an utter disaster. I think Katharine McPhee has a lovely voice but I cringed all the way through her rendition of "Who Wants to Live Forever." I did thank whatever common sense gods convinced Taylor to not sing "We Are the Champions."

I admit, I haven't heard any of the covers of Queen out there on the tribute albums, and I have even avoided Sarah Brightman singing "Who Wants to Live Forever," although with her classical training and performance experience I imagine she gets it a little better than the average singer.

Queen is not simply a band, and Freddie Mercury is not simply a singer. They are not simply rock stars. Or were, in the case of Freddie Mercury. They were much more performers. Their music more rock opera in most cases than just rock. Freddie Mercury had an unbelievably versatile voice (four octaves) and successful grasp of multiple genres and styles of music (sometimes in the same song, LOL).

To ask Idol contestants to step out and simply sing this music is, well, a special sort of hubris. This is not music to just sing.

That said, I humbly request that American Idol not dip into the rock royalty again.

No more Queen, and while at it, no Prince either. Stick with genres, not artists who are a genre unto themselves.

I do suggest the 007 theme episode. All singers can sing title songs from any James Bond film. How about that?

By Julie Pippert
Artful Media Group
Museum Quality Digital Art and Photography
Limited Edition Prints
Artful by Nature Fine Art and Photography Galleries
The Golden Orchid: Original and Unique Wearable Art

© 2006. All images and text exclusive property of Julie Pippert. Not to be used or reproduced.

Comments

josetteplank.com said…
I don't watch AI, but I do think a an AI with a 007 theme is inspired!

Hey...have you seen the movie American Dreamz? It's great! A spoof on AI with the president ( a very GWB-looking Dennis Quaid) as a judge and a terrorist as one of the contestants.

BTW, I love that photo.
April 28, 2006 at 8:06 AM
Julie Pippert said…
Thanks chicha! For both the compliment and the validation.

I haven't seen that (or any other movie, well okay 102 Dalmatians and Journey to Joke-a-lot...do those count?). I'll put it on my very lengthy list of Things I Must See.
April 29, 2006 at 8:33 AM
Julie Pippert said…
Oh yeah and

(a) I mean chica

and

(b)a very GWB Dennis Quaid sounds very, very wrong LOL.
April 29, 2006 at 8:34 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Restaurant Trauma in Texas: How eating out prompted a really uncomfortable lesson about culture

WARNING: This is NOT a family-friendly post, aka the warning I WISH I'd gotten yesterday before I walked in. Yesterday was a Holiday. I hope you heard the scare quotes around that. Yeah, when you are an adult here is how holidays work: you, same workload as always, kids WOO HOO NO SCHOOL FREEDOM. Do the equation. The result is the day I had yesterday. If math isn't your strong suit I'm pretty sure you can still add that up but just in case let's say the highlight of the afternoon included me dumping out the mismatched sock basket and telling the children to have at it, in a way very reminiscent of Miss Hannigan of Annie . Anyway luckily I've taught my kids that Chores are Fun! and they had a good time. Later, I cranked up the fun-o-meter on a bank errand by dropping in the Halloween store to check out costumes, and upped the ante on "Mom needs new running shoes" by tacking on a "Hey let's eat out at a restaurant!" My husband was able to join ...
49 comments
Read more

NEW and UNDISCOVERED BLOGGERS: I'll link you!

** Hey please come vote for this at SK*RT to get the word out! ** You know what? There are new bloggers out there. I know! NEWBIES. What's more...there are undiscovered bloggers, untapped wells of talent. But we don't know about you. I know, some people are shy, not really joiner types, don't prefer blog blasts or carnivals and so forth. So tell you what: I'll try to create a link list with some regularity. All you have to do is comment and let me know how to find you (aka paste in your link). Write a brief description of your blog, you know a couple of sentences a la "Hi I'm a mommyblogger from Detroit and I have two preschoolers who are very loud and creative, all funny stories on my blog!" or "I'm so deep I make Julie look shallow. If you wish you could have hung with Plato, come by my blog." or "I'm a guy who likes to talk about motorcycles." or "My blog is all about space exploration." And I'll link you. I...
34 comments
Read more

Does the abstinence message for drug use work?

This past week I've made time to read up about social aspect awareness and education programs for young children in our public schools. My interest, of course, began with the red ribbon program , which I became alarmingly familiar with due to my daughter's negative experience . I read the Brain, Child article ( Scared Straight? Or Just Scared? Do elementary school anti-drug campaigns work? by Juliette Guilbert), which was excellent, as well as the research study that found the Boomerang effect of drug education and awareness programs that article cited (see a fact sheet that provides source citing for the University of Illinois article and also read the original Brain, Child article for more information). In short, our techniques are not working: "Levels of drug use did not differ as a function of whether students participated in D.A.R.E. Every additional 36 hours of cumulative drug education…were associated with significantly more negative attitudes towards police…m...
24 comments
Read more