The Beatles and JFK

I have heard it often said that the Beatles (and British Invasion in general) helped kill off (commercially) a lot of the girl-group, rhythm & blues and early American rock 'n' roll that they cut their teeth on/emulated.

Was the U.S. so bummed out that Motown, etc., couldn't cheer us up, and we needed (ducking) the Fab Four? Anybody have first/secondhand anecdotal evidence?

As for Idol -- there were plenty of bankable reality/music show hybrids pre-9/11. I think stuff like Making the Band and Pop Stars (or even that VH-1 show that gave us the redoubtable Flickerstick) are a natural progression to Idol. (Not to mention the British show it was based on, as so often the case with much of this crap)

Also, wasn't the real draw of Idol the catty British guy slamming the talentless hopefuls? That doesn't seem like a light-hearted, feel-good, heal-from-tragedy elixir to me; it's more like fun at other people's expense.

Anyway, if this show has been a sensation of a much greater magnitude than it's predecessors, it hasn't penetrated to my social circle. (Which doesn't say much. I don't know many people, and I obviously don't know the right people.)

The Beatles were on Ed Sullivan when there was three channels, that's it. Sullivan was also one of the highest rated programs at the time, so you can figure that probably better than 1/3 of the people that were watching TV at the time were perhaps watching that program. Beyond that, in late 63 or early 64, if you had a TV, most likely you didn't have more than one.

I don't think even The Beatles or any stupid gameshow program really provides any more than diversion. Claims such as stated are just junk generalized claims.

Alot of people were watching Little Orphan Annie films and listening to Jimmie Rodgers during the depression, but you probably can't say that it "healed the embittered tattered souls of a nation in economic poverty".

(Y = I obv)

Actually, Texas is the reason the presidet's dead.

What none of this explains is why the Trashmen's "Surfin' Bird" ruled for the nonce.

As for American Idol, zillions of trauma-addled folks were looking for a water cooler item before Sept. 11. What the unusual popularity says is that some bitchiness and schlock translates across generations well. I just met a 14-year-old female Incubus fan, her 30-something mom, and the girl's grandma at a wedding this weekend, and they all love the show.