for teaching me about acid-reflux disease.
Wow, thanks for the info on the dangers of acid reflux, Ashlee and David. Seems like you’ve got a job lined up, once your career tanks. And, David Albaugh, you’re a jackass.
I’m sure someone else can be alot more witty and sarcastic then I could ever be.
:rolleyes:
I have acid reflux myself, and it sucks. However, I’m not sure acid reflux is something we need to raise awareness of, and especially not by throwing temper tantrums on network television.
Did she throw a temper tantrum? I didn’t see it, but from everything I’ve read, it sounds like she handled it somewhat gracefully - stopped singing, did a few hokey square-dance moves and exited stage left.
I’m confused.
What does acid-reflux disease have to do with lip-syncing? Is she saying that because she has acid-reflux disease, it’s too risky to sing live?
She said that the acid-reflux caused her to lose her voice, which can happen.
OK. I didn’t see it and was going by what I’ve heard or read about it.
Can I prove what I’m about to say? Probably not.
However, IMHO the acid reflux explanation is bunch of horse apples.
I did see the video several times, and if you listen to the audio you first hear ashley’s voice singing a different song…when that gets cut out you hear her “band” trying to play the correct song. The sound that comes out is a very weak and poorly played version of what they are supposed to be playing. Then somebody hits the right button, the band hears the backing music track and they continue to play along. All of a sudden the sound is big concert level.
My point being that the entire thing was on backing tracks, not just ashley’s voice. So did the band also have acid reflux preventing them from playing the actual music?
Look at it another way, let’s suppose she gets an attack of acid reflux the morning of the performance. They decide they must use a backing track since her voice is lost…OH NO!!! where are we going to get one?! We can’t go into the studio and record one, even on such short notice, because ashley’s voice is already gone…I guess we’ll have to use the one we already have. And why do we already have one…um…uh…
Because she doesn’t sing very well and we need to prop her up with backing tracks on a regular basis so she doesn’t embarrass herself and so the gravy train won’t stop and kick us off.
And we’re perfectly willing to tell a bunch of lies to get out of it when we get caught doing it. Why not? Everybody else does.
We call this “Art”.
I make no testimony to the talent of Ashlee Simpson or her band (in quotes, or otherwise) but singing and performing to a backing track is not an uncommon thing. Sometimes it’s to add a little “weight” to the singer’s voice, as they’re not performing in a studio where everything can be tweaked just-so; sometimes it’s to provide a fallback for moments of breathlessness (especially during particularly energetic performaces a la Madonna or Britney Spears) and sometimes it’s just a crutch.
Maybe she’s lying, who knows? But I can only ask, if she is lying why wouldn’t she just say she was struck by a bout of laryngitis? Why mention acid-reflux at all?
She shares half or more of her genes with Jessica Simpson; acid-reflux was probably the best excuse she could come up with and with it starting with an “A”, didn’t require much leafing through a medical dictionary. “L” is all the way in the middle and just too much of a hassle.
Just because it’s common, it doesn’t make it an acceptable practice. I abhor lip-syncing or using a guide vocal. It’s cowardly and I have no respect for anyone who does it*. Why do we have to say it’s okay just because “everybody does it”. That’s the sad thing about the music industry these days–ineptitude is perfectly acceptable, as long as it’s marketable, right?
But then again, I’m a purist.
*It’s one thing for shows like (I’m showing my age here) Solid Gold, Soul Train and American Bandstand, who require lip-syncing, but when you don’t have to, you shouldn’t be doing it.
I’m definitely not defending the practice, only pointing out that the existence of a backing track does not mean she was lying about the reason she was using one. Believe me, I’m not in favor of the backing track in any way, and I have absolutely zero interest in Simpson’s brand of music. Just in favor of not assuming the worst for no good reason other than it’s some bubble-gum pop star.
A purist has no business in modern pop. What matters is the final package, the product, the show. And frankly I’d rather listen to a great-sounding performance with back-up vocals than a weaker one without.
Then why the cover-up? If there are no purists in pop music, then there’s no need for an excuse for the lip-syncing.
I’d rather listen to someone who knows how to sing, rather than someone who’s popular for merely looking good or having the right attitude and having their voices so polished by studio technology, just to fool people in to buying their crap. It’s all smoke and mirrors and no talent these days.