Longing for the day ...

Ignoring Australian Idol

A couple of people asked me the other day at a gig whether I'm watching Australian Idol this time. I gotta confess that I'm not. (interesting to see the IdolBlog this time around - and that a Google of "Australian Idol" did not turn up the official site in the first two pages. There's a lesson there for their site designer: piss the images off and use more carefully written text!).

There are many reasons for this but, basically, I'm over it and have more important things to spend me time on. Last time I studied Idol a lot and concluded that it means nothing creatively or musically, it's just another way to get teenage eyeballs onto the screens to attract viewers. I am disappointed with the effect the concept has had on the music industry - encouraging dream chasing and neglecting long-term development.

Moreover, I'm aghast at the behaviour of Kyle Sandilands. What a wanker! I've only caught snippets of his efforts but they don't seem to add anything constructive to the process at all. At least Dicko had some credibility and what he said was usually spot on. Kyle just shreds defenceless talent for the sake of cheap ratings.

Of course, this seems to continue the ego-trip he was on when he told Frenzal Rhomb they would not be played on Triple-M again (to which they pointed out that they weren't anyway). Whether it's a deserved reputation or not (and it's a bit hard to figure that one out because Sandilands threatens anyone who sledges him and former colleagues are reluctant to speak out).

So, on the face of it, it's hard to not conclude that Kyle Sandilands is basically and egotisitcal tosser and I don't want to watch him shred defenceless people. One day we'll see some quality musical content on prime-time Australian TV again. Until then, bring on the footy!