Rock Star: INXS
Rock Star: INXS is what American Idol should have been, but realistically, stood no chance of being, Bo Bice aside.
American Idol, if you’re one of the five Americans unaware of it (I think even natives of the Amazon jungle are aware of it at this point), gives us the dubious spectacle of winnowing down hopefuls (who will then be shown in endless special episodes, like a bizarre videotaped version of chorus geeks mocking the wannabe chorus geeks) and then, once they have their 16 or so fresh-faced teenagers and twentysomethings, make them sing songs their grandparents liked. This last season was a little better — it was mostly songs their parents liked, instead. But still, for a show that professes to be a hunt for the next great pop star (although, to date, none of the winners or runners-up have realistically made a claim on that title), it’s relentlessly dorky. It might be interesting, sort of, to know that some 19-year-old kid from an Alabama trailer park can belt out Rogers & Hammerstein tunes, but what, exactly, does that say about this kid’s chance of making it as a pop musician? Barring meteorites wiping out Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Minneapolis, Miami and anywhere else modern pop music is created and produced, not much.
In contrast, Rock Star: INXS has a certain real-world urgency to it. Formerly one of the biggest rock acts of the early 1990s (I saw INXS in concert twice in college, and they were amazing each time around, both at the beginning and end of their tour supporting their “Kick” album), their lead singer, Michael Hutchence, died under circumstances that will probably remain somewhat hazy forever.
The rest of INXS, though, doesn’t want the band to follow Michael, and are currently working on a new album. The only problem, though, is that Michael’s death greatly overshadows the band in the modern day, and they both need to find a new lead singer (one who can be soulful, but who can also rawk when rawking is required) and generate positive publicity to push the bad stuff out of the public’s mind.
Enter Survivor creator Mark Burnett and his light (for reality TV) touch. The resulting show essentially follows the same formula as AI (as the cool kids call it), but the series began having already winnowed the hopefuls from around the globe way, way down. And instead of the somewhat sadistic way AI handles eliminations, drawing it out more and more, and openly laughing at the discomfort of people being humiliated on national television as they chase their dream, the members of INXS are singularly mature and polite about the process. Rejected hopefuls aren’t sent off in disgrace, as they are on other reality shows like America’s Top Model, but instead or treated with respect: “I’m sorry, but you’re just not a good fit with INXS.”
(On the other hand, eye candy Brooke Burke is forgettable at best in her role as host. Survivor host Jeff Probst apparently only makes it look easy to do that sort of job well.)
Given the mediocre track record of AI, it’s perhaps surprising that, at this point, there are several hopefuls who look like real viable candidates. (Of course, many of the hopefuls play in bands or solo already, and one even was a headliner in a West End rock and roll musical.) And even more surprising, at this point, it looks more likely than not that INXS’ new lead singer will be a woman. There has been a lot of talk about how women rockers can really rawk over the years, but it’s been a long time since they’ve really proven it — every time the phenomenon is talked about, the current subjects of the scrutiny seem compelled to dump rock for introspective singer-songwriter treacle. The female contestants on Rock Star, at least so far, deal with their demons the way rock singers are supposed to, by punching back musically.
Maybe this will all blow up in INXS’ and the viewers’ faces, but right now, it sure feels like the band is about to get at least one more great moment in the sun with their new lead singer, whoever it might end up being.
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