Michelle winning Pop Idol => British pop changed forevah?

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Pete Waterman walked out, y'know. Walked out! It felt like a real "your time has passed, old man" moment - someone who made a living out of Woolworths Ears, unable to accept the universals of SAW pop (pretty people, celebrated triviality) were no longer what The Kids really wanted.

So, is it troo? Is "authenticity"-as-foundin'-pop-virtue here to say? How about this association of ugliness* with said authenticity? What it does all mean? Tell me what to think, y'all!

― Gregory Henry (Gregory Henry), Monday, 22 December 2003 23:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Hello, Greg :)

It's desperation, that's what it is. She may be able to sing, but she has one *less* thing going for her than every other m,anufactured pop act, and will probably become extinct that much quicker. Next year it'll be a trannie or somesuch - just something different, at least in the eyes of the people who vote. And they're none too choosy.

― Markelby (Mark C), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 00:02 (twenty-one years ago)

a transvestite made the finals in Australia. as did several non-skinny women. big fucking deal.

― the surface noise (electricsound), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 00:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Why did he walk out?

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 00:03 (twenty-one years ago)

I hope she has many number ones.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 00:04 (twenty-one years ago)

you are disgusting.

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 00:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Tracer - he'd been saying all the way through that "she wasn't a Pop Idol" (basically for appearance reasons). It seemed like almost a personal reaction to people wanting someone he'd never have been associated with. Simon Cowell was totally fine with it, he knows where there's votes there's record sales...

(Hi Mark!)

― Gregory Henry (Gregory Henry), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 00:08 (twenty-one years ago)

rjg- are you calum?

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 00:13 (twenty-one years ago)

(*: Obviously Michelle is only "ugly" in the way that goths are persecuted outsiders - as compared to compared to some imaginary majority of gleaming milk-fed uberteens...)

(This thread has got me digging out my old Gareth singles out again, hurrah, they are still great).

(I hope she succeeds too!)

― Gregory Henry (Gregory Henry), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 00:20 (twenty-one years ago)

haha with rjg

― cozen (Cozen), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 00:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, if only ILXORs could sing. FATTEYS

― TEH ONE AN ONLEY DEANN GULBAREY (deangulberry), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 00:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Pix pls.

― ModJ (ModJ), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 00:31 (twenty-one years ago)

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/39657000/jpg/_39657897_michelle.jpg

― jed (jed_e_3), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 01:50 (twenty-one years ago)

oops

http://www.itv.com/popidol/images/home/michelle_finalhomepic.jpg

http://theinternetforum.co.uk/popidol/images/final1.jpg

― jed (jed_e_3), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 01:51 (twenty-one years ago)

facially she reminds me of someone in my office

― the surface noise (electricsound), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 02:35 (twenty-one years ago)

She sort of reminds me of someone in my office after they had eaten everyone else in the office.

― TEH ONE AN ONLEY DEANN GULBAREY (deangulberry), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 02:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Michelle won because the voting public loves an underdog, as to whether or not she'll have a lasting career I don't know. For that matter I don't care.

She's clearly not ugly, though does not conform to a perceived aesthetic of beauty by virtue of being overweight. It's probably healthy and joyful that she won, but I really can't bring myself to give a flying toss. Apologies, Gregory, I probably don't belong on this thread. though the Waterman walkingt out thing sounds quite funny.

― Matt (Matt), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 02:44 (twenty-one years ago)

She sort of reminds me of someone in my office after they had eaten everyone else in the office.
-- TEH ONE AN ONLEY DEANN GULBAREY

r u the only 1 left in your office then, deann?
;)

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 02:47 (twenty-one years ago)

No, she reminds me of me, goddamit. I AM TEH ULTIMAET FATTEY!!!!!1

― TEH ONE AN ONLEY DEANN GULBAREY (deangulberry), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 02:52 (twenty-one years ago)

No, I kid. I just ate a lot of Chinese food. I'm okay, you're okay.

― TEH ONE AN ONLEY DEANN GULBAREY (deangulberry), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 02:55 (twenty-one years ago)

okay... okay...
*pats deann's head, then his own*

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 03:24 (twenty-one years ago)

The Waterman thing is cos Pop Idol's appeal has become much less about the singers and much more about this Liasons Dangereuses style power-gaming between the various judge-moguls. When it was Girls Aloud vs One True Voice on Popstars: The Rivals last year a lot of the attention went to Waterman slagging off GA and (I think) Fuller ripping into him in return - there was no animosity between the groups, the 'Rivals' in question were obviously the producers. This is the second straight public defeat in a row for Waterman's pop instincts - he is a proud man and cares about these things, his whole public image is "Mr Pop", 'fuck the critics I know what the people want' kind of deal: if he loses that he has nothing. It's gripping stuff!

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 10:46 (twenty-one years ago)

It would've been Louis Walsh ripping into him.

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 23:35 (twenty-one years ago)

cozen- are you calum's friend?

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 00:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Tom is OTM, to an extent. The Cowell/Waterman "rivalry" is the best thing about Pop Idol, and at the moment Waterman (who I think geniunely does care about "his" brand of pop, or at least being on top of it) is suffering from seeing the rug of public support being pulled out from under him and not really knowing how to deal with it.

However, the problem with Waterman-brand pop in recent years has been nothing less to do with the faces and the presentation and the overall PACKAGE and more to do with the songs being rub. I suspect that last year the girl band would've beaten the boy band no matter what, but the fact that Sound Of The Underground shat all over... whatever the One True Voice generic drippy ballad was called enhanced the margin of victory.

I say Tom is OTM to an extent because (and I'm pretty sure he'd agree) is that the support of the market is hugely different with regard to who the public want to win a reality TV show and who they want to buy records by. Of course, it depends on the record as well, and I'm sure Michelle will be shoehorned into a hugely unsuitable pre-prepared ballad, but then I kinda doubt any of the Popstars/Pop Idol winners from now on will get that far TBH.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 01:23 (twenty-one years ago)

not anymore no.

― cozen (Cozen), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 01:25 (twenty-one years ago)

The other thing is that Waterman-brand pop hasn't really gone away, it's just that Waterman himself appears to be barking up the wrong tree with all this Pop Idol stuff and anonymous boyband ballad bollocks when really he should be going more in the Steps direction ie Hi-NRG disco with an easily identifiable brand - which is exactly what Girls Aloud provide. I suspect that Waterman himself would've approved highly of them if they hadn't been predesignated for Cowell, leaving him duty-bound to disapprove.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 01:29 (twenty-one years ago)

The first single is to be that uplifting ballady number they both did for the final. Not much of a song, and not terribly well suited to Michelle either. It'll be a hit on the momentum of the show, but not a colossal one, I think.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 01:33 (twenty-one years ago)

GIRLS ALOUD WERE PRODUCED BY LOUIS WALSH NOT SIMON COWELL, SIMON COWELL WASN'T INVOLVED IN POPSTARS: THE RIVALS.

That is all.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 02:13 (twenty-one years ago)

He was on the TV panel, which is far more important than a paltry detail like who produced the record. He was also in favour of the girl band, IIRC.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 02:17 (twenty-one years ago)

I like swans.

― Lynskey (Lynskey), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 02:49 (twenty-one years ago)

There's a huge (Scottish) nationalist sentiment behind Michelles success. After the English rugby victory and getting gubbed by the Dutch there was a huge ground swell that something had to be done to regain some Scottish pride. Activists campaigning on the streets of Glasgow, front page every day on the Daily Record.

If the plucky, feisty Michelle had came from Leeds for example. I would guess that the same desire to win, from the local populace, wouldn't be there and result may have went Marks' way.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 09:26 (twenty-one years ago)

but Leeds United are suffering relegation crisis, surely that would lead to populace uprising etc?

― Ste (Fuzzy), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 09:47 (twenty-one years ago)

lynskey otm.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 12:01 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't fancy their charting chances eh

― Andrew Thames (Andrew Thames), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 12:15 (twenty-one years ago)

He means the birds. They can break a man's arm, you know!

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 12:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Matt- the panel for Popstars: The Rivals was Pete Waterman, Louis Walsh, and Geri Halliwell. Simon Cowell was not involved onscreen with the show at all.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 12:24 (twenty-one years ago)

I hope she has many number ones.

i just wish this wasn't a really bad chinese food pun.

― ken c (ken c), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 12:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Gah - of course, he was doing American Idol at the time, wasn't he? Curse my rubbish memory.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 12:43 (twenty-one years ago)

The One True Voice song was SHAKESPEARE'S WAY WITH WORDS (ooh I would write a sonnet/put yore name upon... it), marvellous stuph. I are being told somewhere in my brane there was a ballad but I don't remember any ballads unless they are called "Mandy".

Some nippers on the bus said they didn't vote for "Mark" because he was dead booooring. Then they said there was another one called Mark. And then said that he was in Fame Academy. Then they said one of the judges was called Mark. I considered the world to be ending around my ears, jumped off the 36 and ate a Flamin' Chicken Royale in Paddington station.

"Flamin'" my arse, it was less than half the spice of your average chicken shop "hot wings" - not that I'd know. Oh. Um.

― shakespeare, Wednesday, 24 December 2003 18:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Did One True Voice not do a cover of the Bee Gee's "Sacred Trust" before the Shakespeare thing? I think it was a "double A side" (matter of opinion i guess) with a ballad which I can't remember the name of. They were both utterly pants though.

― Melly E (Melly E), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 20:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Going off at a tangent, are Girls Aloud the "New Spice Girls" ? They have a ginger one, a baby one, a scary one, a pouty one and there's another one who might like sports. Maybe.

― Melly E (Melly E), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 20:39 (twenty-one years ago)

The Spice Girls had more than one number one, though.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 20:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Hm. True. Girls Aloud, pull the socks up then if you want the fiendish New Spice Girls Plan to succeed.

― Melly E (Melly E), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 21:05 (twenty-one years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.