# American Idiot **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 24, 2007, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idiot/405398 "2007-05-24T20:19:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idiot/405398/21 "2007-05-24T21:36:04Z")
[QUOTE=Capatalist Lion Tamer] Well, I would say you don’t have a very good ear for music. Listen to her sing _My Funny Valentine_, then listen to her do some traditional Motown. Night and day. Granted, it was her voice singing both songs, so it would certainly sound the same to some extent. This was my first year watching Idol for a whole season, and I was very much surprised at how nuanced her singing came across vs. any previous contestant I had heard on the radio. [/QUOTE] You’re so right. That whole criticism of her is Neanderthal in its conception. Hell, singers are recognized by the sound of their voice. You can tell it’s an Elton John song, for example, even if you’ve never heard it before simply because he has a unique voice. The only way a singer couldn’t “sound the same” on every song is if something were done with the mixing equipment. ---
**Author:** ![DudleyGarrett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DudleyGarrett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DudleyGarrett)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idiot/405398/22 "2007-05-24T22:01:34Z")
[QUOTE=Capatalist Lion Tamer] Well, I would say you don’t have a very good ear for music. Listen to her sing _My Funny Valentine_, then listen to her do some traditional Motown. Night and day. Granted, it was her voice singing both songs, so it would certainly sound the same to some extent. This was my first year watching Idol for a whole season, and I was very much surprised at how nuanced her singing came across vs. any previous contestant I had heard on the radio. [/QUOTE] I have a pretty decent ear for music, thanks. If you think you’re hearing something I’m not, then fine, say that. Making a sweeping generalization is useless. What I mean by the same is that she didn’t have a great range and she had a nasally, throaty whine. It didn’t matter if she was singing softly or belting one out. The strange noise came out. Further, singing in tune doesn’t mean it’s pleasing to the ear. To mine, nothing she sang was pleasing. That is something that you cannot refute, no matter how hard you try. And neither can you, **Liberal** , no matter how much ad hominem you add to your vitriol. Finally, she was not unique in the least. LaKisha’s voice and style was infinitely more original than Melinda’s, but her wheels came off toward the end. ---
**Author:** ![Capatalist\_Lion\_Tamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71c47a/32.png) [@Capatalist\_Lion\_Tamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capatalist_Lion_Tamer)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idiot/405398/23 "2007-05-24T22:16:00Z")
[QUOTE=DudleyGarrett] I have a pretty decent ear for music, thanks. If you think you’re hearing something I’m not, then fine, say that. Making a sweeping generalization is useless. What I mean by the same is that she didn’t have a great range and she had a nasally, throaty whine. It didn’t matter if she was singing softly or belting one out. The strange noise came out. Further, singing in tune doesn’t mean it’s pleasing to the ear. To mine, nothing she sang was pleasing. That is something that you cannot refute, no matter how hard you try. And neither can you, **Liberal** , no matter how much ad hominem you add to your vitriol. Finally, she was not unique in the least. LaKisha’s voice and style was infinitely more original than Melinda’s, but her wheels came off toward the end. [/QUOTE] I think that every single point you made in that post is crap. That is something that you cannot refute, no matter how hard you try. If you think that LaKisha’s voice was “original” then you haven’t spent much time in, say, any given southern Baptist church. I could be willing to bet that you are 100% wrong in your prediction of Melinda’s success. ---
**Author:** ![DudleyGarrett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DudleyGarrett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DudleyGarrett)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idiot/405398/24 "2007-05-24T22:23:19Z")
[QUOTE=Capatalist Lion Tamer] I think that every single point you made in that post is crap. That is something that you cannot refute, no matter how hard you try. If you think that LaKisha’s voice was “original” then you haven’t spent much time in, say, any given southern Baptist church. I could be willing to bet that you are 100% wrong in your prediction of Melinda’s success. [/QUOTE] Then buy her CD, fuckstick! ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idiot/405398/25 "2007-05-24T22:54:41Z")
[QUOTE=DudleyGarrett] And neither can you, **Liberal** , no matter how much ad hominem you add to your vitriol. [/QUOTE] That was a lovely irony — assuming you knew what “ad hominem” means. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idiot/405398/26 "2007-05-24T23:06:02Z")
[QUOTE=Capatalist Lion Tamer] I think that every single point you made in that post is crap. That is something that you cannot refute, no matter how hard you try. [/QUOTE] “This is my opinion! You cannot refute the fact that I hold this opinion!” Wow, he’s really got you there, doesn’t he? You really can’t refute that he holds that opinion. Don’t even try, man. Don’t even try. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idiot/405398/27 "2007-05-24T23:07:41Z")
[QUOTE=Capatalist Lion Tamer] If you think that LaKisha’s voice was “original” then you haven’t spent much time in, say, any given southern Baptist church. [/QUOTE] I’d try AME Zion first. They have the really great Negro Spiritual choirs. A lot of Southern Baptist churches are too white-bread, with a congregation of pale zombies yawning off-key and out of sync, clapping on the downbeat. ---
**Author:** ![Capatalist\_Lion\_Tamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71c47a/32.png) [@Capatalist\_Lion\_Tamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capatalist_Lion_Tamer)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idiot/405398/28 "2007-05-24T23:24:31Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] I’d try AME Zion first. They have the really great Negro Spiritual choirs. A lot of Southern Baptist churches are too white-bread, with a congregation of pale zombies yawning off-key and out of sync, clapping on the downbeat. [/QUOTE] You are spot-on 100% correct. It isn’t that I think Dudley is unintelligent, but I figured that the AME reference would be lost on lost folks. What is the name of the predominantly African-American Baptist churches? It most definitely isn’t Southern Baptist. **Miller** , your post made my wife ask what I was laughing at. Good show. ---
**Author:** ![Capatalist\_Lion\_Tamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71c47a/32.png) [@Capatalist\_Lion\_Tamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capatalist_Lion_Tamer)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idiot/405398/29 "2007-05-24T23:25:49Z")
[QUOTE=Capatalist Lion Tamer] You are spot-on 100% correct. It isn’t that I think Dudley is unintelligent, but I figured that the AME reference would be lost on lost folks. [/QUOTE] lost on **most** folks. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![DudleyGarrett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DudleyGarrett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DudleyGarrett)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idiot/405398/30 "2007-05-24T23:33:59Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] That was a lovely irony — assuming you knew what “ad hominem” means. [/QUOTE] It’s something you do in nearly every post. ---
**Author:** ![DudleyGarrett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DudleyGarrett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DudleyGarrett)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idiot/405398/31 "2007-05-24T23:45:11Z")
[QUOTE=Miller] “This is my opinion! You cannot refute the fact that I hold this opinion!” Wow, he’s really got you there, doesn’t he? You really can’t refute that he holds that opinion. Don’t even try, man. Don’t even try. [/QUOTE] These people will argue anything, it seems. I wanted to sure that I adequately conveyed that it was my opinion. Because after all, I was originally stating my opinion and I was told I was wrong. Go figure. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2007, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idiot/405398/32 "2007-05-25T00:27:59Z")
[QUOTE=Capatalist Lion Tamer] What is the name of the predominantly African-American Baptist churches? It most definitely isn’t Southern Baptist. [/quote] National Baptist. > **[The Convention Movement Of The Black Baptist Church- Articles-...](http://www.blackandchristian.com/articles/academy/trussell1.shtml)** > > An informational and inspirational resource on the African American religious experience. > **[Bot Verification](http://www.nationalbaptist.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Page&PageID=1000000)** > [@DudleyGarrett](#): > > It’s something you do in nearly every post. What, ad hominem? Something I do? You mean me personally? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2007, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idiot/405398/33 "2007-05-25T00:35:06Z")
[QUOTE=Capatalist Lion Tamer] I hate to disagree, but they are gaining viewers… [/QUOTE] [No they aren’t](http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,275271,00.html): > [@](#): > > An estimated 29.5 million Americans tuned in for the season’s final “American Idol” with Jordin Sparks winning the prize – a sharp drop from last year’s finale, according to preliminary ratings from Nielsen Media Research. > > Last year, 36.4 million people watched Taylor Hicks win. And even though Hicks was featured singing during Wednesday’s two hour-plus episode, that **represents a 19 percent decrease.** ---
**Author:** ![Capatalist\_Lion\_Tamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71c47a/32.png) [@Capatalist\_Lion\_Tamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capatalist_Lion_Tamer)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2007, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idiot/405398/34 "2007-05-25T00:45:12Z")
[QUOTE=Fear Itself] [No they aren’t](http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,275271,00.html): [/QUOTE] What about the rest of the season? ---
**Author:** ![Quiddity\_Glomfuster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/c4cdca/32.png) [@Quiddity\_Glomfuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quiddity_Glomfuster)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2007, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idiot/405398/35 "2007-05-25T01:45:43Z")
[QUOTE=Fear Itself] [No they aren’t](http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,275271,00.html): [/QUOTE] I’d be interested to know what the drop (if any) was after Melinda was voted off. That’s when I quit watching. ---
**Author:** ![Capatalist\_Lion\_Tamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71c47a/32.png) [@Capatalist\_Lion\_Tamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capatalist_Lion_Tamer)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2007, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idiot/405398/36 "2007-05-25T01:49:42Z")
[QUOTE=Quiddity Glomfuster] I’d be interested to know what the drop (if any) was after Melinda was voted off. That’s when I quit watching. [/QUOTE] Most sources I’ve read are reporting that the number will be adjusted upward eventually, but I’ll still retract my statement for now. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2007, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idiot/405398/37 "2007-05-25T03:36:18Z")
All I want to know is, _why in hell was Green Day there?_ Is this part of their ‘Green Day finishes selling out to the man’ tour? American Idol was meant to be watched via the magic of the PVR. Each one hour show condenses nicely into about 30 minutes, making it enjoyable. The finale - about 15 minutes in two hours. I liked Kelly Clarkson, I liked the duet with Ruben and Jordin, I liked the Glady Night Medley, I liked the Melinda stuff, and everything else I paused on just long enough to hear about 4 bars, go “agh!” and continue fast-forwarding. As for Lakisha’s uniqueness of voice; sure, she sounds like one of those big ole’ gospel belters. But so what? That’s like condemning Steven Tyler because he’s got that ‘gravelly rock voice’ that a dozen other rock singers has. Lots of people have similar vocal styles. It’s what they do with it that counts. Lakisha was maddeningly inconsistent. Once in a whole she would perform the hell out of a song and blow you away, and then she’d come out the next week with some lackluster performance that would make you shake your head wondering if you were hearing the same person the previous week. But when she was on, she was great. In that finale medly with Gladys Night, her voice actually stood out over Melinda’s, I think. She was singing great. And Haley surprised me during that number by hitting a few bars that were just really good. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2007, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idiot/405398/38 "2007-05-25T03:43:13Z")
[QUOTE=Sam Stone] All I want to know is, _why in hell was Green Day there?_ Is this part of their ‘Green Day finishes selling out to the man’ tour? [/QUOTE] Wait, there was a period where Green Day hadn’t sold out to the man? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2007, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idiot/405398/39 "2007-05-25T03:48:23Z")
[Quote=Nutty Bunny] You are coming back next season, right? [/Quote] [QUOTE=Liberal] God willing, goddamn it. [/QUOTE] Next time you comment on my intelligence, I’m making this my new sig. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2007, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idiot/405398/40 "2007-05-25T04:16:04Z")
Right, **Lib** , the show’s incomprehensible refusal to put the great hero America cries out for in its time of need, the legendary Boston Rob with all of his superpowers, in even so much as the final 10 dooms it to the twilight of mediocrity. :rolleyes: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idiot/405398.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idiot/405398.md?page=3)