American Idol Rants

Last week the American Idol phenomenon started up again. Honestly, I have never really gotten into the show. My wife recorded the first couple of shows on our DVR. We had some friends over the other night and all watched it together. The first shows are kind of like watching a train wreck. It is chaos and mayhem, but for some reason we are drawn to it. I am not a musician thus I don’t really care about who is good and who is not. I can’t even define tone, pitch, or harmony. I am however a man and like watching a train wreck. I was always the kid in the back making fun of everything so I love Simon. I am just being honest here.

I do have two observations/rants about the show. First, why do people think celebrity means success? So many of these people were looking “to make something of their life” or trying to be a “success” and longed to have their name “in lights.” This was their driving force for showing up to the audition. As a pastor let me scream to the world that success is not as a result of you being so outlandish that you get on TV or in the tabloids. Get a life America are we that desperate? No offense to Britney Spears but does any sane father desire that train wreck for his daughter. If I have a daughter and she becomes Britney Spears for the record she will NOT be considered a success.

Successful living is connected to how you love those in your life. If you are a loving and providing husband than you are a success, a loving guiding father then you are a success, a foundation of your community and church then you are a success.

Means and worth is connected to our relationship to God. When we put our faith and trust in the person and work of Christ then we come adopted children of God. As His children we are fully accepted by Him. We don’t have to act like fools and get everyone to look at us to find worth. Christians have worth because we are granted it by the Father.

Second, kudos to Simon for destroying some of these people’s false views of themselves and of art. Art is not just something that you are born with or that you can just throw together. Most of these kids are a disgrace to the great artists of our day. Where do they get off thinking they can just sing along with Christina Aguilera in the car and then become professional singers?

I have a painter friend who devoted four years of undergraduate study to painting. I have a singer friend who has worked on her art for the 10+ years that I have known her. I have a friend who is an actor and makes movies. This guy works at his art. He is in the process of completing a 90-minute film. It takes him hours to edit just a couple of minutes of the film! I have a friend in Hollywood trying to become a writer. He is working hard and starting at the bottom to get his foot in the door.

It is disrespectful to other artists to just show up and think you are good because your mom told you so. Art is just like anything else, you are good as a result of commitment. God has blessed humanity with art and has called us to create as He has created. We show our character by how we create. Kudos Simon for sending these arrogant kids home. They don’t respect the art enough to get good at it.