An Open Letter to Kelly Clarkson
I watched the 1st American Idol in awe of the spectacle and fell in love with you. I'll be honest, I'm coming out of the closet waiting for my beatings, but I am a huge fan of Kelly Clarkson. There has not been a single talent-male or female to date on the show since you won that has the core talent, sensibilities and realism that you are capable of emoting. I have gone to the wall defending you to some of my rock freinds and have taken my fair share of "you're serious you like her?"But I stand firm you could be great. K.C. your success encapsulates the absolute best and worst of what Davis, 19 Management et.al have created. The machinery of Idol took a Texas waitress and threw her at light speed to the top of the commercial music business in less time it takes to write and record an album. Yes you owe them your career, but not your life.
Some of the greatest musicians have come from Texas. You come from the state that gave the world Buddy Holly-the Godfather of Rock n Roll. He fought a battle his tiny short career against everyone who created him, wanted a piece of him and thought they knew who Buddy Holly was and should sound like. He had a hard time growing up in a small town, not fitting in exactly then discovered what all great musicians discover: that they can't do anything else to quench the fire in the belly except sing. I know that music saved your life when you were a kid. It saved mine. If I didn't learn how to play the guitar at age 13 I would have fallen apart. My friends were doing drugs, drinking their life away in bush parties and generally not giving a good Goddamn about who they wanted to be. But that's what music does. It gives us a reason. It's what you go to sleep thinking about and wake-up with in the morning. A reason. I see this in your eyes when you sing. I know you're different when the Linsay Lohan's of the world who could be great but are lazy, stupid and misguided are making a mess of what is percived as youth culture. But you have worked, hard, kept clean, and been-yes, a role model. What you have comes from a different place than other fabricated pop-rock princesses (If you have an opportunity in your travels to do a Canadian a favour-please punch Avril right in the face-it would be AWESOME press and a totally karma resetting experience). What you have could do what Aretha, Gladys Knight, Janis Joplin and Joni Mitchell did for women in music-Change the rules of the game, set the standard, while making beautiful moving and inspiring songs. You know that feeling when you hear Respect, Midnight Train to Georgia, Natural Women, Me and Bobby McGee, Yellow Taxi, and so on, and so on. You know the music world changed with these songs and that there was a line of women behind every step they took for their success. You are following in the foot steps of great and enigmatic women. Musicians have a responsibility to make great art not just for their fans but to give respect to the legacy of fighters that preceded them to give us the opportunities we have to today to be artists.
So Kelly, from a struggling, broke, indie rock guy in Toronto comes a plea. Please don't give in!!!! I heard news today that you are forestalling your tour for sure and going back in the studio to create a more "radio friendly" album. I can't imagine the place your in right now. I know I'm lucky that if my band quote-unquote 'makes' it that we will have the opportunity to do it on our own terms and not be so much someone’s subject. I'm afraid for you though. This will make album number 4 in less than 6 years. I guess I'm relieved you’re not going back on the road for the fact that you need to rest. You need to find yourself. You need to find love, lose love, see the world from a different place than a tour bus, make new friends, get drunk in a Chinese restaurant with your closest friends that have NOTHING to do with music. You need to read, learn and discover what will make you bigger than the sum of your parts and the people that are currently looking out for your best interests. You need to get off the cover of In Style or whatever and get your hands dirty. Help people. Find the joy and accomplishment of charity. Find something, the baby Jesus-What ever it will take you to get to the point where you can change the rules and start to be in control. There are two types of female singers. The ones that have careers and ones that have a couple songs on karaoke but no real fans, no legacy. Females with careers are rare because just like in any other fucking industry, women hit the glass ceiling-the difference now is that the ceiling is a little higher but it's still fucking there.
Some of the greatest musicians have come from Texas. You come from the state that gave the world Buddy Holly-the Godfather of Rock n Roll. He fought a battle his tiny short career against everyone who created him, wanted a piece of him and thought they knew who Buddy Holly was and should sound like. He had a hard time growing up in a small town, not fitting in exactly then discovered what all great musicians discover: that they can't do anything else to quench the fire in the belly except sing. I know that music saved your life when you were a kid. It saved mine. If I didn't learn how to play the guitar at age 13 I would have fallen apart. My friends were doing drugs, drinking their life away in bush parties and generally not giving a good Goddamn about who they wanted to be. But that's what music does. It gives us a reason. It's what you go to sleep thinking about and wake-up with in the morning. A reason. I see this in your eyes when you sing. I know you're different when the Linsay Lohan's of the world who could be great but are lazy, stupid and misguided are making a mess of what is percived as youth culture. But you have worked, hard, kept clean, and been-yes, a role model. What you have comes from a different place than other fabricated pop-rock princesses (If you have an opportunity in your travels to do a Canadian a favour-please punch Avril right in the face-it would be AWESOME press and a totally karma resetting experience). What you have could do what Aretha, Gladys Knight, Janis Joplin and Joni Mitchell did for women in music-Change the rules of the game, set the standard, while making beautiful moving and inspiring songs. You know that feeling when you hear Respect, Midnight Train to Georgia, Natural Women, Me and Bobby McGee, Yellow Taxi, and so on, and so on. You know the music world changed with these songs and that there was a line of women behind every step they took for their success. You are following in the foot steps of great and enigmatic women. Musicians have a responsibility to make great art not just for their fans but to give respect to the legacy of fighters that preceded them to give us the opportunities we have to today to be artists.
So Kelly, from a struggling, broke, indie rock guy in Toronto comes a plea. Please don't give in!!!! I heard news today that you are forestalling your tour for sure and going back in the studio to create a more "radio friendly" album. I can't imagine the place your in right now. I know I'm lucky that if my band quote-unquote 'makes' it that we will have the opportunity to do it on our own terms and not be so much someone’s subject. I'm afraid for you though. This will make album number 4 in less than 6 years. I guess I'm relieved you’re not going back on the road for the fact that you need to rest. You need to find yourself. You need to find love, lose love, see the world from a different place than a tour bus, make new friends, get drunk in a Chinese restaurant with your closest friends that have NOTHING to do with music. You need to read, learn and discover what will make you bigger than the sum of your parts and the people that are currently looking out for your best interests. You need to get off the cover of In Style or whatever and get your hands dirty. Help people. Find the joy and accomplishment of charity. Find something, the baby Jesus-What ever it will take you to get to the point where you can change the rules and start to be in control. There are two types of female singers. The ones that have careers and ones that have a couple songs on karaoke but no real fans, no legacy. Females with careers are rare because just like in any other fucking industry, women hit the glass ceiling-the difference now is that the ceiling is a little higher but it's still fucking there.
The pressure is probably huge, but you have to forget it. We all have stress, we all have to make enormous decisions that will effect the outcome of our lives. But we all have to live with who is in the mirror every morning and who we will be to our kids and in your case your fans. You owe it to yourself, your talent and young girls who are currently in their bedrooms with a hairbrush in their hands lip-synching to Miss Independent-dreaming-waiting-praying they could be you.
With Love and Respect,
Len
With Love and Respect,
Len
posted by The Proletariat @ 8:08 p.m.
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