But despite all the teary-eyed colleagues who claim that "you just have to see her performance!" or the mass email that I and every other woman at Smith over the age of 23 received last week, I'm honestly not convinced. Though Susan gave a lovely performance, this whole thing stinks of a pre-packaged formula meant to spice up viewership and give the audience an emotional connection with the Britain's Got Talent brand.
I took a good seven minutes out of my lunch break to watch the video and I would describe my reaction as the following journey:
- This woman is not ugly (which is what everyone who had described her to me up until that point had said).
- Everyone's reactions to this woman -- who is funny and dorky and cute like a grandmother might be -- reminds me how hideous our culture actually is.
- Of course she had an amazing voice. They wouldn't have put her on otherwise. The producers knew that people would be "surprised."
- Every reaction each judge has merely reinforces the fact that Susan's acceptance is entirely based on her ability to perform in this well-honed sphere of "talent." Had she failed to deliver, she would simply return, in the eyes of the viewers and judges, to being an unattractive woman.
And mind you this whole ordeal has been completely shaped by an editing room that went out of their way to be sure that you knew she was thought of as a social reject.
The only reason we (the grand all-encompasing "we") accept Susan Boyle is because she excels as a singer and because we don't expect her to. And even that definition of "excelling" is shaped by the parameters of the show itself. What would have happened had she opened her mouth and sounded like, say, Joanna Newsom (who, full disclosure, I cannot stand as a singer)? Conversely, if Joanna Newsom looked like Susan Boyle, would she be as lauded and praised as she is? (Second point of disclosure: I actually really like Newsom's songs, but not her singing them).
This, my friends, is all about optics (my favorite buzz word du jour) -- how it looks for the camera.
Our reaction to Susan just makes me sad. And though I am certain that her experience was amazing and uplifting and I don't look to take that away from her, I do want to grab all my friends who are falling for this by the shoulders and shake some sense into them.
Susan Boyle's story was fabricated for you by a bunch of producers who think you are a sucker. And guess what? You are.
Oh caddy. when did you get so cynical. can't you just let the dumb masses have their story of an "underdog" to cheer on? Yes she may be prepackaged. yes she can definitely sing. and while i agree she isn't ugly...she definitely isn't the definition of "prepackaged attractive." I say let the lemmings follow the producers' predetermined (but totally actual reality tv) trail off the cliff. all the while we will stand back and enjoy (while looking like we don't, because that's what all the other hipsters will think is cool) our Joanna Newsom (her songs...not her voice...as that would be too much to handle all in one shot). miss you love. talk soon.
ReplyDeleteWhile it is true that Jojo Newsom is a terrible singer, it isn't never not true that she is not not ugly...
ReplyDeleteThe obviously nice lady from podunk UK ("n'er been kissed") has taken some sort of confidence in her singing as an excuse to step in front of the mass media reticle. She deserves credit for that. I certainly would never want to see my face plastered all over mass media. I have fat. I have pores.
Anyway, of course sleazy bastard tv people got involved and made her display of talent into something gross. Boyle's genuine skill and longing cut through the very white noise of everyday television exactly by not looking like mainstream wallpaper. Any one of us, acting as a tv ratings whore, would have put her on and made Simon look like an ass (RATINGS!!) but in the end, as if there ever is an end other than wandering off to another topic, Boyle did something good for herself.
She is not what we expect to see when we turn on the television. She is old. And not on spring break. Or in a commercial for Yazz or yogurt or some perverse psychological drug. She has some job she has to do so that she can pay for her food and rent. She is a normal person.
Except she can sing really f'n well.
So yeah, tv is gross. And the internet, since it is less censored, is even more gross. But the lady herself is not.
At least not yet.
So...I was genuinely moved. But I've got a thing about crowds cheering. I cry at pretty much any movie in which a sports team overcomes great odds to win the day.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I'm certainly not going to accept this as an example of why one shouldn't give up on one's dreams. If you're dream is to impress a bunch of judgemental assholes who are surprised that you have any value at all because you look funny, then, yeah, totally, don't stop believing because there are ample opportunies for you. If your dream is to achieve fame as a professional singer...well, seriously? Susan Boyle's NOT..THAT..GOOD. Not half as good as a gazillion people who've been busting their asses at making a living at it for years and years and years. It seemed SO good because it was "surprising" and that wears off after the first time, right? I think the whole thing is ultimately gonna be really depressing for her. On the other hand, she's certainly good enough to form a band and make a few pounds here and there singing traditional tunes in the pubs or at weddings and nobody would think she was ugly or old. They would just be like "Yeah, that's Susan. She's a singer."
Of course you’re right about how this thing was packaged for viewers – like just about everything we consume on the tube. Still, it’s also engendered (unintenional word play) a slightly more interesting meta-discussion: what we talk about when we talk about attractiveness. I read a commentary piece in the UK Guardian a few days after Boyle’s appearance, and in it, the writer (a woman) attempts to challenge “us” for our unkind response to Boyle’s appearance by writing this: “Is Susan Boyle ugly? Or are we? On Saturday night she stood on the stage in Britain's Got Talent; small and rather chubby, with a squashed face, unruly teeth and unkempt hair. She wore a gold lace dress, which made her look like a piece of pork sitting on a doily.” (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/apr/16/britains-got-talent-susan-boyle)
ReplyDeleteNow that is what I – a writing teacher – would call an unconventional rhetorical move. And she’s supposed to be one of Boyle’s defenders.
Which leaves me wondering how “amazing and uplifting” this actually is for Boyle.
I've been particularly upset by the regular mention of Boyle has being a 'virgin', and wonder about the ways in which this 'fact' -- who knows if it is true, and to be sure, we shouldn't know anything about it -- enables our collective enjoyment of her performance and personae.
ReplyDeletei think i watched the first five minutes of this train wreck and then kept walking by. i, for one, have a sliding scale on which i'll react to reality television. not to say i don't participate in it, but things like this, the biggest loser, and the bachelor (can i just say, major network reality tv?) always seem stale and obviously edited together. the lowest level of engagement in order to attract as many people as possible.
ReplyDeletems. boyle should ride the wave as long as she can, it prove to us how much she's REALLY worth. in the meantime, i'm going to pay attention to news stories about pirates and the economy.
alex.
Holy over-reaction, batman. It's a show about being able to sing and they were blown away by the fact that someone could sing? So I guess there are two options. 1. The judges are ridiculously naive or rather stupid--they expect only people who are sexually appealing (in that oh-so-vanilla and accepted way that only the popular can be) to be talented. 2. The producers actually wanted to get the message "you're watching this show and so are probably unattractive, but you may still be to be of some use---at least as a novelty freak--for five minutes and the pitiful way that judges spoke to Ms. Boyle was one hundred percent fabricated.
ReplyDeleteEither way, that show and anything like it, is obnoxious.
I guess I would like to begin by saying this is thoroughly reminiscent of Paul Potts. While Ms. Boyle isn't "ugly" she is certainly homely- in a cute to be pitied kind of way. I also refuse to give her the credit for having a "great voice," and whether I "give her her moment" or not she's already got it. She was alright- strong for sure but at times off pitch (drowned out by cheering) and the tremolo drives me bonkers. i wonder how many les mis albums have sold in the last couple of weeks... cynicism and skepticism can be healthy-especially when directed towards something as widely disseminated as Britain's got talent (did i spell that right?).
ReplyDeleteAt least it's not as bad as the time every one laughed at the learning disabled kid on American Idol who sang the spiritual Go Down Moses (let my people go). that was sweet.
What's just as bad as the show itself is the media's coverage after, with headlines that should have read, "America Wants to Remove Susan Boyle's Face, Replace it With Jessica Simpson's."
ReplyDeleteI would not blame Susan Boyle in the least if she lashed out to the next reporter who asked her in a baby voice, as if talking to a 90-year-old infirm woman who had just crapped in her Depends, if she understands what it means to get a million hits on YouTube. Do you, Susan?
So now millions of people know she can sing. But the celebration isn't because of her voice; it's because "ugly" old women who have "never been married" aren't expected to contribute to society. Jaws didn't drop because she hit those notes, but because who was hitting them.
The media used Susan Boyle and spit her out. But presupposing that she isn't using the media, that she is weak and naive, plays into the same stereotype the media is pushing. I bet she's laughing maniacally from the green room.
though i love a good cynical media critique, my thoughts on this are actually pretty shallow.
ReplyDeletei stumbled upon this video on my own without any expectations or hype going into it. i was watching...i don't know...some human league video or something...and saw a video up in the corner of the screen with a title like "grandma surprises judges...", so i clicked it, and immediately saw where this was going.
and sure, it's insulting that the only reason anyone's surprised is because she's not young and thin and full of tits. but whatever, the woman clearly knows that's part of the show and plays it up a little. i mean...she even chose to sing the song of a lovelorn from Les Miserables. but of course it just gets really disgusting when people like that barbie doll judge start tearing up over the performance. how fucking condescending! it's like they're pitying the woman for being such a lowly commoner, but still managing to produce beauty. fuck them. this woman seems pretty happy and comfortable with who she is and the life she lives, and doesn't for a second need the teary eyed pity of glamour douchebags like them.
and what's more offensive is that this emotional overreaction came out of what was essentially a mediocre performance in the first place. seriously! i give the woman props for getting up there and showing what she's got. and the woman definitely carries the tune and hits the notes adequately. but regardless of her age or appearance or background, the fact is her performance was flat. it lacked the drama and pain that has left me in GENUINE tears when i've heard certain broadway performers sing it. she carries the tune and hits the notes, but there's no personal interpretation or spirit to her performance. it all just felt very special olympics. this older less-than-attractive woman that everyone expects to get a laugh out of comes on stage, and the audience's expectations are so low that all she has to do is NOT COMPLETELY SUCK to bring the entire crowd to a teary standing ovation. as if to say, "wow! she's not the total loser i thought she was! she's actually capable of doing something moderately well!" so the woman was double shamed in my opinion. first when she was judged for daring to come out on stage as an ordinary middle-aged human being. and again when they built her up as some kind of diva when all she did was sing moderately well. insulting. nevertheless, she seems like a sweet lady and i hope she's enjoying her time in the limelight.
surprisingly, the one appropriate reaction in the room came from legendary douche simon cowell. true he rolled his eyes when she came out and introduced herself. and true he smiled surprisingly when she broke into the song. but he didn't join the standing ovation or throw out any excessive praise. as far as i could tell, he merely clapped approvingly and moved on. which is the appropriate response for a merely adequate performance, regardless of her appearance.
i'm with you candace. though i have to admit i don't think she was a very good singer; pretty mediocre actually. i couldn't help thinking of paul potts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k08yxu57NA.
ReplyDeletean unassuming package with an amazing voice. more amazing than susan boyle. though his performance was circulated widely (46 million viewings on youtube) there wasn't much mention of his looks or how the judges prejudged him. is it because women are first judged by looks? i don't know. but the susan boyle phenomenon seems strange to me because the paul potts phenomenon already happened.
my mom sent me a youtube clip for the first time ever of this lady. the whole thing makes me want to throw up everywhere.
ReplyDeletecandace i couldnt agree with you more!...i had heard a few mutters about this video but i hadnt seen it until i read your post and i was disgusted by everything in the video except susan boyle...i found myself saying "f*@k you" over and over again as i watched what seems to be a very manipulated show...its sad to think if people actually think that way on their own....i didnt get why everyone was so shocked and surprised when she sang beautifully....do you have to be a super model to have a good voice?..if people believe that then we are completely and fully living within the idiocracy now!....i found it sad!......and yes...it also reminds me how sad and hideous our culture actually is.....
ReplyDeleteI'm one of those who enjoyed seeing a middle-aged woman with a considerable frump factor stand up in front of a huge live audience and millions of TV viewers and sing out a Broadway song with an old-fashioned, full-throated voice. She bucked the sneering crowd, thumbed her nose at the jaded, elitist judges and threw her head back and sang her song.
ReplyDeleteIs it prepackaged? Who knows? When Britain's Got Talent or American Idol take to the road for new talent, they don't know what they're getting before they get it. Prepackaged connotes premeditation: Do you think they brought her in as a ringer? I would say it's post-packaged is more like it. Once they saw what they had, the producers made the most of the moment. They are in the entertainment business, after all. But I do think it was Susan Boyle's moment to stand or fall. There are plenty other kids with cute factors or teens with disadvantages to take her place if she didn't come through with a winning performance.
It wasn't that her voice was so amazing – some of the notes were below her range and her pitch was a bit off in places. It wasn't that her interpretation was spectacular – she just got up and sang the song through – there was no acting involved. And I think, for me, that was the point. She just stood up there on the stage and sang. Sometimes the most simple action speaks the loudest.
There have been plenty of reactions to the clip. Some berating the audience for their shallowness, others finding fault with the judges preconceptions. Even Susan Boyle herself has been dragged down into the vast sinkhole of bloggerhia. But interestingly, they are all reactions to a clip of something that actually happened live onstage. No one can begin to comprehend the power of a voice, the command of a large stage presence in a theater unless they are actually there to experience it.
Susan Boyle turned around an unruly crowd out for blood. Within 16 bars of music, she got them cheering. Sometimes a moment is just a moment – something powerful that truly happens spontaneously.
And whatever else we put on it is just our own tangled mess of societal convention, rebellion of the soul and ego survival tactics.
i thought the brits were renowned for having ugly celebrities.
ReplyDeletewhat's the big deal?
-rachel
(ps. when was this assignment due?)
Because I had not previously been familiar with "Britain's Got Talent" I just assumed that the title of the show would allow for Susan Boyle to exist without it being a big surprise. I mean after all, the only thing you need is presumably "talent". On American Idol you can be kicked off for having the wrong clothes/hair cut/sex life/age/past employment choices etc. regardless of what talent you may or may not have, but I guess I was giving the Brit version more credit. I assumed that Americans demanded "idols," but the UK was OK with anybody who could kind of sing. I mean after all, you could accumulate a rather large list of less-then-attractive-yet-successful British musicians pretty quickly.
ReplyDeleteSo still, I don't get why she is such a sensation. I would not have ever heard of her had my boss not informed me that Ashton Kutcher twittered about how "moved" he was. I'm neither moved by her performance, nor surprised by it. But I guess I am surprised by how much other people seem to care.
I do hope the attention and notoriety are what she wanted. I assume if you go on a show of this nature you are signing onto their idea of reality and agreeing to keep up your end of whatever plot it is they choose to edit you into. More power to her I suppose, but I'll never quite understand why people agree to this sort of thing. And I worry that people who are less savvy about the media, or less cynical then I, just don't know what they're getting themselves into.
...I wonder if Ashton was moved enough to offer to help her out with her career? Produce an album, etc?