“Imagine a professional sport that allowed all comers. There’d be an endless line of people trying out. But only the best would survive, those who’d played the game every day for endless years. Sure, an occasional walk-on might break through, but that would be the rare exception. This same paradigm now exists in music. Just because you can pick up a guitar, just because you got a record deal that does not mean you’re good, that we care, that you’re gonna last.”
I felt like I was having a stroke the whole time I reading this Lefsetz post on Lana Del Rey. First he said Rebecca Black dropping out of school to make music was “like you or me dropping out of the music business to become a professional baseball player.” I have no idea what that’s supposed to mean. I wasn’t aware 1) you couldn’t maintain a music blog while spending half your day standing around in a field or sitting on a bench, or that 2) someone who’s had her songs performed all over the place on like real TV shows and had millions of people watch her video had the same odds as the personal I have to become the next Yankee’s closer.
But the above quote, the second sports comparison, is the one that really perplexed me. For one, I sort of did think professional sports (like, all of them) allows all comers. I suppose if you were a really buff lady, you might get a lot of static about trying to get into the NFL, sure, but that doesn’t seem to be what Lefsetz’ talking about. There basically is an endless line of people trying out for sports — it’s called, uh, playing sports, and lots of kids age 4 to 24 are doing it. Is getting a record deal the equivalent of ‘making it’? Apparently not. Apparently getting a record deal is equivalent to ‘picking up a guitar’.
I get the appeal of writing anti-populist screeds, but don’t enlist me in your first person plurals, ok? Just because you’re a miserable snob doesn’t mean you get to speak for the people. In fact, I think it means the opposite.
God this whole thing just makes me want to launch into personal attacks on this guy, but I’ll resist and just quote a few of his lines to make my point.
I’m stuck here in the middle with you, overwhelmed at the plethora of music and astounded that some no-talent like Lana Del Rey got a shot on SNL.
Ok, so Del Rey clearly just doesn’t deserve to be featured on such a venerable platform. I guess so maybe.
But a shot is not what it used to be. It’s not about watching the show, but the clips thereafter. Does anybody really watch SNL in real time anymore?
Oh, ok so being on SNL is stupid. Then what’s the big deal?
JT’s been coasting on his appearances for years.
Yeah I can’t think of anything Timberlake has done for like years and years except be famous for appearing on SNL. Which is a shit show no one watches, remember.
*Ms. Rey (not her real name, of course, but what’s strange is in the Internet era Wikipedia tells us your real name!) *
Yeah, I think Bob Dylan has a song about how all the phonies of the internet era are taking stage names.
Just because you know how to reach me, that does not mean I care.
I could barely agree more!
But anybody can see that Lana Del Rey had her lips inflated and is low on talent and has nonexistent charisma…
Well since you took one body shot, I will too: I’d say Del Rey’s future is as bright as the shine off your bald pate, shitty SNL performance or not.
