American Idol: Be Gone

           The television show, American Idol is destroying music stars of our generation. Music is a form of art, and a form of expression. Music stars of the pre-Idol era were raw, and original. Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Tom Petty, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Jack White, and The Dave Matthews Band are all examples of musical acts that are perfect in their imperfections. There is a great chance that not one of the previously mentioned acts would make it through the early rounds of American Idol, but they are all widely considered as some of the most influential musicians of their respective eras. American Idol produces perfectly tuned, pitched, and postured musicians that all turn out roughly the same. Music has become synthesized and inorganic, and I believe American Idol is a leading cause of that amongst other things.

            In my opinion, music is something that all humans can relate to. It is a universal language that touches us in a different way than anything else. The reason for this is the songwriters and musicians performing are raw, vulnerable, and display the pure emotions they felt when writing their song. Often times their voice will be slightly off key, or their guitar will be a little out of tune, but that’s what people relate to, and it’s what music fans come together to rejoice over. A new sound, or way of doing something that has been done for so long in songwriting.

            Don’t get me wrong, there are a few musicians who have avoided the vortex of American Idol artists and those who mimic them, but they are few and far between compared to the music legends of the past. Let’s take out the perfectionists and refill the music industry with what we are all, imperfect.