Taken by Surprise
1/20/04
by Diane Sprague
It takes a lot to capture my imagination. Most things fall flat, leaving me bored and restless. The more glitter and flashiness that is added, the more I turn away. The emptiness underneath never disappears, and I refuse to follow mere illusions in the hope that they will lead to something real.
Reality television bombards us with myths and promises that quickly lose their power when the noise and images end. Do we really expect the love that is manufactured there to end up being real and lasting? Of course not. Do we imagine that the emotions generated by arranged situations are revealing something genuine that exists in all of us? Or, do we just want to make believe for awhile? Is it really that interesting to watch people eating weird animal parts? Or, are we just extremely bored? Do we hope that we can take hundreds of people auditioning before three ridiculous judges and expect to find someone with true talent? Well…
Okay. I was suckered in by the last one. The myth, the possibility was just too intriguing to set aside. I didn't mean to start watching American Idol . It just happened. First, I had to find out what my children were hysterically laughing at one night. It ended up being the bad singers. I have to admit, it was amusing. Very soon I found myself enjoying comparing my judgments of the singer's abilities to the idiot judges who only proved to be brilliant when their assessments agreed with my own. Okay, I said to myself, these dynamics work. This is entertaining.
It wasn't long though before I started looking for something more. Just being entertaining wasn't enough. My expectations were that the show would produce someone who was already with us in ample supply: a physically attractive person who was somewhat talented and could fake his or her way through entertaining us with a song as long as ample flash and glitter were added to the performance. Yawn. It was time to go back to reading books.
I didn't stop watching, though, because each week I found myself waiting for Clay Aiken's performance. The something more that I was looking for was coming to life right before my eyes. The myth was true. Something real could come out of this silly contest. A great talent was being discovered and the process of watching this unfold was utterly fascinating. The uniqueness of his voice and the star inside of him began to capture my imagination far more than I ever expected.
Why? Because it is fun to be surprised. I didn't expect this from reality television. It's tiresome to watch repetitive dullness disguise itself with sparkles and glamour. It's is also tiresome to become cynical and bored with it all. It's a real treat to be surprised and delighted with something real, something beautiful, and something magical.
Thank you Clay. I doubt future American Idols will ever again bring us anything as amazing as you, but I applaud their attempt. In spite of themselves, they brought some magic and music into the false world of reality television. That is an accomplishment that will never be forgotten.
SirLinksalot: Clay Aiken Links
SirLinksalot: American Idol Links