[Kate Adams]

One thing you can say about Billy Idol is that he lacks the pretense of 
being a serious artist.  So his act is 98% schlock and always has been.  So 
what?  He's an entertainer and I happen to find him pretty damn entertaining.

As far as Sheryl Crow's "lapses" and other "sellouts", I offer the 
following three observations:

1) these people have managers and handlers who get them into these things 
for their own purposes, and when people become larger than life they often 
get dragged around by their entourage and people who say things like "well, 
REM turned down Microsoft and where are they now?".

2)Don't be so sure money has anything to do with it.  Having personally 
witnessed Bono touring Harvard University (where I work), its hard to 
describe the expression on his face knowing he was being taken seriously as 
a human rights activist.  Sort of a "just got my license and Dad actually 
handed me the keys to the Porsche" face.  And this wasn't something he was 
being paid for.  Satisfaction can transcend money.

3) If you want to hold up someone as being exemplary, be sure you don't 
ever look too close.  Everyone involved in any of this is, ultimately, 
human and will have human flaws and quirks.  Even the cleanest person has 
mites in their eyebrows if you look with a microscope.

That's why they call it "arts and entertainment".  Some are artists, some 
are entertainers.  If you don't care for the latter, support the former and 
get on with it.

>In my case I'm not attacking a particular style of music or an attempt by an
>artist to become more popular by playing more mainstream music.  What I am
>attacking is someone who feels the need to showcase their talent at a
>sporting event.  If that's not an appearance for the sake of commerce, I
>don't know what is.
>
>It also takes other forms.  Sheryl Crow who seems to be the favorite of so
>many classic artists seems to be the biggest offender.  Her so-called single
>(I say that because the idea of singles in CD days seems ludicrous) ends up
>being released at the same it appears in an American Express commercial, that
>also stars, guess who Sheryl Crow.
>
>Do you want your artist pushing a product other themselves and their music.
>I don't.  I mean how much money does one need.
>
>And they're artist who still have integrity.  Midnight Oil, U2 having only
>slipped once and we may forgive them for thinking they had a message behind
>their appearance.  We have Neil Young who even coined the phrase, "this
>note's for you."  So all is not lost.
>
>But some of these acts are nothing more than capitalism in its worse form.
>And when the money stops flowing so does the music.
>
>AL
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Kate Parker Adams
kate@dnki.net
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"She's gonna dream up the world she wants to live in,
She's gonna dream out loud" - U2 (Zooropa)
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go Out Of Mind ... http://www.kpasoutput.blogspot.com
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