I’ve heard that the music industry is driven by how photogenic performers are, as much as by how the music sounds.  But see if this performance by unknown Susan Boyle on a British talent show, doesn’t make you want to stand up and cheer.  And be amazed by the emotional impact of unexpected difference between expectations and reality.

(Embedding is disabled - click the link to hear it.  The video has over forty-eight thousand comments so far, on seven million views.)

Boyle has actually made huge numbers of people aware for the first time of Elaine Paige, the British musical star that she wanted to be as famous as.  That is, in becoming famous herself, she made a famous person more famous. 

In other news, Google has just launched YouTube Orchestra.  Technology is often blamed for lowering culture, but it can just as easily raise it.

UPDATES:

• Tanya Gold of The Guardian has a few choice words to say about the judges and the audience (and really all of us): It wasn’t singer Susan Boyle who was ugly, it was our reaction to her.
• BBC reports How Susan Boyle won over the world... including a few people realizing how awful they’d been (and let’s face it, probably will be again).
• Bonus!  Dana picks up the baton and beats lookism around the head and shoulders with it, in Things that piss me off: shallow culture edition

1. I’m certainly not afraid to admit I cried a little. It was pretty emotional watching her shatter expectations and prove the people rolling their eyes at her wrong.

   Go her!

   Posted by webs05  on  04/15/09  at  09:34 PM

2. on the same program, a pair of dancers followed the singer

   Stavros Flatly

   Posted by MrsDoF  on  04/15/09  at  10:33 PM

3. Never forget that the commercial music industry is not about music.

   I wonder how much wonderful music never arrives at my ears because the performer wasn’t “attractive.”

   Posted by gerry rosser  on  04/16/09  at  07:52 AM

4. Bite me, music industry!  Ha!  Now where’s my Susan Boyle cd?  Look, everybody loves a pretty face, but in music, it’s the voice and the skill with instruments that make the experience.  She proved that in spades.

   The look on Simon’s face was priceless.  That was a happy, happy man.

   Posted by Dana Hunter  on  04/17/09  at  06:10 AM

5. Speaking of appearance. See my current post, and read the George Will column I rant about.

   Posted by gerry rosser  on  04/17/09  at  09:07 AM

6. Outstanding: Demon Denim: George Will is an American Hero.

   Posted by George  on  04/17/09  at  09:18 AM

7. What a marvelous, talented, and good-humoured woman she is!  I do hope that folks wise to the pitfalls of success will help her.  (Sean Connery comes to mind.)

   Off-topic:  I am passing on an award given by a journaling friend, to you and others.  There are no obligations with this award.  It’s just my way of letting people who read my journal know some of the journals that I really look forward to reading.  There are lots of different reasons why I read some of these journals.  You may like some and not others.  (Some take forever to load on dial-up; I’ve noted them as “Photos”) 
   You can copy the graphic from my journal, as well as the write-up, if you are inclined to participate, or if you like the looks of it.  http://sillama1.xanga.com
   Hugs from Corea,
   ~ Sil

   Posted by ~ Sil in Corea  on  04/17/09  at  09:39 AM

8. Ellen Paige is British?  Not.

   Posted by WeeDram  on  04/17/09  at  06:51 PM

9. Well, many of us had not heard of Ellen Paige until this came along.
   I looked up E P on YouTube and found a couple very nice songs, but it was the comments that told a good story.
   Somebody started a thread asking “if Susan Boyle brought you” and the number was already up to 40.

   She made somebody who would be famous to be just a little bit more visible as well.

   Posted by MrsDoF  on  04/18/09  at  06:45 AM

10. Oh, I did see a bit about that orchestra. It’s all very well, I suppose, but I think classical orchestras play tired old music, and have no idea if any of them survive without tax subsidies.

    Don’t get me wrong, I know some folks enjoy the music, but I find it soporific. Maybe I’m a low-brow. Playing in such an orchestra is certainly better than gang-banging.

    Posted by gerry rosser  on  04/19/09  at  08:33 AM

11. I heard earlier about the Cry Me a River track that Dana posted, which is supposed to be from a movie soundtrack. I suspect that in their effort to boost Susan’s fanbase, someone has perpetrated a hoax. Exactly when would this woman who has reportedly been buried in church work and taking care of her sick mother in a small, obscure town be given the chance to record (with full orchestra) a song for a movie? I’d like to believe it, but until there’s some proof, I can’t.

    Posted by Catana  on  04/19/09  at  10:51 AM

12. Skepticism is well-warranted with exploding stories. I am a bit worried about Susan Boyle colliding with fame. She doesn’t exactly seem media savvy. Hope somebody trustworthy is looking after her interests.

    Posted by George  on  04/19/09  at  11:01 AM

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Decrepitude

A few selected articles from the last few years. Feel free to nominate others because really, I can't remember what all I've written.

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Story from a picture
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Creative Commons stuff

I tried to figure out the Creative Commons and Wikimedia stuff but it was like doing your taxes in another language. Short version: it's OK if you copy my stuff as long as you give attribution and you're willing to share what you make of it with others. Here's the little logo:

This work by George Wiman is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.