WHY TV SUCKS:
Josiah Leming, the boy who lived…in
his car.
America seems to have forgotten that before
American Idol, musicians had to work HARD to
make it in the business. They had to suffer.
They had to tour the country and live in
their car.
Everybody has a dream. Yes, everyone. Some
acknowledge their dreams and some don’t.
Those who recognize their dreams usually
aren’t willing to do the work to achieve
them. They aren’t willing to risk rejection.
They aren’t willing to live in their cars.
Josiah Leming, the boy who lived…in his car.
Never before has there been such a hotly
contested reject on American Idol.
His album sales shot up remarkably since his
appearance on American Idol. He told
www.votefortheworst.com that as of 14Feb he had
sold 7-800 albums. His myspace page has over
1.5 million hits and he even booked an appearance on
Ellen Degeneres.
Personally, I have never been so stirred by
a contestant’s motivation (he lives in his
car-touring the country), talent (he writes
his own songs and they’re good!) and passion
(he’s a bit too emotional for Simon’s
taste). Most of the contestants are not
nearly as devoted to the craft. Most in fact
have a strong “like” of music, but they’re
clearly more motivated by fame and fortune.
And if American Idol’s the way to get
there—that’s fine. Making the AI’s top 12 is
equivalent to winning the musical lottery.
When Josiah was shut out of the Top 24, I
actually cried. No, crying isn’t the right
word. I bawled. I’m 27 years old, and this
kid is making me cry, buy his album and
write about him on my blog. He reminds me so
much of my brother who lives in LA,
completely overwhelmed by student loan debt,
working his ass off to achieve an American
dream. Josiah’s rejection hit a new low for
television. Why would AI dangle this
talented, passionate kid in front of our
noses only to snap him away at the last
moment? Ratings? It seemed so wrong. So
evil!
Lemings album is good the first time. It
kills me to listen to it, because it’s so
beyond what any other AI winner, let alone
reject has ever created. www.myspace.com/josiahleming.
So why is Leming’s rejection affecting so
many people? And it’s not just diehard AI
watchers or 13 year old girls who are fans.
Leming is attracting interest from
men-straight men who wouldn’t be caught dead
watching American Idol if wasn’t for this
one kid named Josiah Leming. His rejection
solidified why AI is a disservice to music
and his rejection has become a symbol of the
slow, but sure death of music and art in
America thanks to corporate influence. Music
and advertising is slowly merging. The Doors
are one of the few bands who refuse to
license their songs to corporations, despite
a 15 million dollar offer from Cadillac.
Though we rarely see it there is still such
a thing as artistic integrity.
John Densmore wrote about
this subject for
The Nation. He later gave an interview
about this to LA Times:
People lost their
virginity to this music, got high for the
first time to this music. I've had people
say kids died in Vietnam listening to this
music, other people say they know someone
who didn't commit suicide because of this
music…...On stage, when we played these
songs, they felt mysterious and magic.
That's not for rent.
Nowadays celebrities hawk makeup, credit
cards and cell phones. Our favorite songs
show up in commercials. AI is looking for
somebody they can sell, somebody with
moderate creativity and a pleasant singing
voice. AI is not looking for the next big
thing in music, they’re looking for a
sure thing- They’re looking for someone
to sing the next Ford commercial.
In retrospect, being rejected from AI’s Top
24 is no loss. Josiah won’t have to sing and
dance like a retard with a cheesy smile
plastered to his face. He won’t ever be
whored out for Ford and most importantly his
music will remain his own—it won’t be
twisted into Simon’s “artistic” vision.
Josiah, if you’re reading—listen to the wise
words of Tom Waits. “Stay pure. Your
credibility, your integrity and your honor
are things no company should be able to
buy.” So don’t audition for AI again. You
used AI like the tool it is to gain exposure
and fans. Good for you.
This has been the first edition of WHY TV
SUCKS. So turn off the Boobie Tube and
listen to some music.
Read John Denmore’s article from The
Nation:
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20020708/densmore
