Here, in part, is how I explained why I am far more impressed with music stars like Adele and Beyoncé than those like Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj:
Lady Gaga literally personifies the triumph of packaged and formulaic acts over talented performances. Which is rather a shame because this girl can sing…
Come to think of it, though, most performers today seem to think that the key to success is looking and behaving in a way off stage that makes what they do on stage seem almost irrelevant: Exhibit B – Nicki Minaj (or, for you older folks, think of all of the off-stage exhibitionism that rendered the music of artists like Grace Jones and Madonna irrelevant).
By sterling contrast, Adele not only sings like an angel, but she might just be the music industry’s saving grace. Unfortunately, the VMAs have so little to do with musical talent these days that Adele performing on this show was rather like Andrea Bocelli performing on So You Think You Can Dance.
(“2011 MTV Music Video Awards, The iPINIONS Journal, August 30, 2011)
As you can imagine, I got a lot of flak from Gaga’s “little monsters” for dissing her in this fashion. But, as vindication goes, it doesn’t get any better than this. Because here’s what no less a person than Elton John is saying now about Gaga – who happens to be the godmother of his two sons:
When your persona begins to take over your music and becomes more important, you enter a dangerous place.
(New York Post, September 17, 2013)
Of course, some might suggest that there was a time in Elton’s career when his persona was beginning to take over his music and become more important – adorned as it was with Liberace-like costumes and ostentatious eyewear. But he would probably stress the difference between wearing flamboyant costumes for performances on stage, which he did, and wearing them as performances off stage, which Gaga does … as part of what seems to be a pathological need to pull daily publicity stunts.
Interestingly enough, Elton is also quoted in this Post report recalling how he predicted that Michael Jackson would never perform a single one of the 50 “This Is It” concerts he contracted to perform at The O2 Arena in London.
Except that I don’t know why anyone thought he actually would – given the public meltdowns that characterized Michael’s last years, including showing up for his child-molestation trial wearing his pajamas and showing up for the grand announcement of his “This Is It” concerts utterly dazed and confused.
Here, in part, is how I commented on his life’s downward spiral towards its all too predictable end:
Reports abound that Michael fed this [spendthrift] habit in recent years by contracting to perform, collecting hefty advances, and then resorting to all kinds of ploys (often involving hospital visits) to avoid getting on stage. Indeed, despite reports of him rehearsing for his big comeback series of concerts, I am convinced that, having collected a hefty percentage of the advance ticket sales, he had no intention of actually performing.
Therefore, it shall remain one of the greatest ironies, if not mysteries of his life that, for a man who claimed to be happiest when performing, Michael did so much during the last years of his life to avoid being on stage. His last concert performance was in 1996….
(“Michael Jackson, King of Pop, Is Dead,” The iPINIONS Journal, June 27, 2009)
Enough said.
Related commentaries:
MTV…
King of Pop…