Ashlee Simpson's recent outing on Saturday Night Live was more to me than just another window into the shady goings-on of pop performers these days; it was a shot to the gut of the highly talented musicians and performers out there who diligently hone their craft day in and day out who will most likely never have a chance to appear on that show.
First, what on earth possessed the talent booker to schedule Ms. Simpson to appear? I mean really, this is a show that airs from 11:30pm -- 1:00am, not exactly a time when Ashlee's core "tween" audience is watching TV. I seriously doubt that most of the people tuning in were either current fans or fans in the making, and the booking screamed of populist hype. I understand SNL wants to stay current, but with so many cool bands out there they could have done better.
I stopped watching SNL years ago, but that's mostly because I just don't think the show is funny anymore -- my personal opinion. I still love the early years and can watch those shows over and over as cable reruns, but the program doesn't hold my attention these days.
Along with the great early comedy came groundbreaking musical performances. SNL was the place you turned each week to hear outstanding new or underground artists like Elvis Costello, or larger than life performers like The Rolling Stones.
I'm not stupid, I understand that TV these days is about one thing and one thing only: selling advertising, which is accomplished by commanding great ratings. And that in order to get those ratings you have to play it safe -- c'est la vie. But I don't think it means you have to book someone like Ashlee Simpson, who is so supremely untalented she should be managed by Broadway Danny Rose.
In all honesty, I feel sorry for Ashlee Simpson, as well as her sister Jessica. They are two cruise ship entertainers who were pushed to accomplish a goal their parents never realized and they both made it bigger than they should have. Unfortunately, very soon they will be swimming within the riptide that is the 14th of Andy Warhol's 15 minutes of fame. We will, of course, revisit with each in 10 years to find out that celebrity was not kind to them as we peek into their crumbling worlds from the pages of the National Enquirer or The Star -- at least that's how it's gone for most of the other people who have been in their place in the past (for a list of who I'm referring to, just watch any episode of The Surreal Life).
I think what irks me the most though about the recent Simpson SNL debacle is that there are so many people out there who are talented, who deserve a chance, and they're just not finding it. Though they can now make a record in their bedrooms, they can't easily get it heard, and every time I see someone like Ashlee Simpson get nailed for lip-synching on national TV because she really can't sing (or dance), I know there's someone else out there who would wow us had they been given the shot.
Of course it's ridiculous to think that all the talented people can make it. Even from the '50s-'70s, when so many great performers entered the pop culture landscape, there were many more who for one reason or another didn't make it out of obscurity. I think it's fair to say though that the batting average was somewhere in the Ted Williams vicinity. Today, we are overwhelmed with mediocrity, and I'm just not buying that the stars really aren't out there.
To all the people who are talented and trying, don't give up. We can only hope that we're nearing the bottom of the bell curve and that things will soon change, that you will be discovered and that you will truly entertain us. At least we can hope.
Subscribe to Feed
