I don’t watch TV, I don’t tune in to AI, but I am aware of the players – and my sister clued me in eariler in the season for the people to “watch out” for.
Sufficed to say, with my sister as my witness (and some other friends who I discussed it with) – I kinda felt Kris was going to win it… in spite of the fact that Allan had “superior” vocals and showmanship.
And the reason I state is the same reason I stated during that same IM conversation with my sister months back. It’s an “uncomfortable truth” as it were, and can be quite controversial… but I really think it was the case.
To make a long story short, the reason why I personally didn’t like Adam as much as Kris was plainly because if he [Adam] wasn’t in fact, gay, he came across as such – and the uncomfortable truth there is that I really think that fact put him at a disadvantage.
Before you judge me, hear me out. Let’s do the math:
First of, this was a big deal to discuss because at the time Pia “tuned me in” it wasn’t clear if he was gay (or bi, or whatever). Given that I never really had the drive and interest to do the research, I don’t know if it was confirmed or not. But regardless, his aura came across to me as o-a (overacting)… and I mean overacting in a “gay way,” a behavior which I admit to not being being a fan of. 1 Why can’t homosexuals be like Neil Patrick Harris? Now THAT’S a homosexual worth respecting
So that’s my personal take, but even if we would strip that little detail of personal preference and stretch it to be more general. Here’s what I think: Marketing-wise, Kris will get the woman votes precisely because of that aura Adam exuded. It’s not a matter of equality or not, but the fact that most women will go for the cute straight person. So votes on that demographic are now locked in.
Likewise, we need not try to figure out who the conservatives would vote for. You can also lump them in with the “rocker” vote. As much as it’s unfair to Adam (and people like him) a gay rocker is kind of an anachronism.
And yes, I’m aware of very successful gay rockers (Freddy Mercury of Queen, Bloc Party’s vocalist, etc.) But I would like to remind people that their reputations as musicians preceded their orientation. 2 They probably became famous before anyone knew they were gay I’m pretty sure given the choice, when rockers want to be represented, they prefer their “role-models” brimming with testosterone – else it just doesn’t feel right. Then again, I’m coming from a background in heavy metal, so I guess it would be unfair to expect the same perspective with rock as a whole.
It also didn’t help he had that emo look going on… everyone hates emos, so why copy their dismal fashion sense?
So that leaves one possible area where Adam could outdo Kris: skill and musicality.
And so the market we’re now left with are those people who thresh out the details of musicality in general. And in that context, suddenly Kris isn’t that much at a disadvantage now. He may not be as good as Adam with showmanship/vocals… but he more than makes up with it overall musicality.
So here’s the undeniable truth:
Adam’s a better performer, but Kris is a better musician.
When Pia was showing me the clips, the favorite then was Gokey. And I remember saying to Pia, the problem with Gokey was pakitang gilas lang siya. Mataas/powerful lang boses niya… that’s about it.
I told her that I see Adam and Kris slugging it out at the end because unlike Gokey, Adam had musicality… but not as much as Kris. And while Kris had the vocal chops, it wasn’t good enough compared to Adam (and even Gokey now that I mention it). Either way, Gokey didn’t have a place in that simulation… and it turned out exactly how I expected it.
“So if Kris was better ultimately even musically, why did you even bring in orientation into the equation?”
Glad you asked hahaha; because the truth is, the people who analyze this way (e.g. those who are musicians themselves) are the minority. It’s scientific fact that the more knowledge of music a person has, their receptivity to appreciating music presented to them changes proportionally. Simply put, the average joe who just wants to have a good time will interpret/appreciate music way differently from those of us who actually make music.
And having said that, it’s no secret that showmanship will usually trump everything else (all things being equal). So quite frankly, if we were to follow the “average joe” votes, it would make sense that Adam should’ve won. But like I said eariler, he probably lost the women, the straight rockers, etc. etc. So yes, it’s his orientation that put him at a disadvantage IMHO.
Try putting Adam’s skill in Daughtry’s package… then do a Chris vs. Kris… now that would be a tough comparison (For all it’s worth, I think Daughtry would win in that case)
Your thoughts?
I dunno. I like to think that Adam didn’t necessarily “lose” any votes, but that Kris “got” the Danny Gokey ones. Because between the 2, Kris is closer in style to Gokey than Adam is. I also think that the judges’ constant pimping of Adam created some sort of backlash that ultimately worked against his favor.
I think it was a simple case of Adam being a decidedly polarizing figure (whether it’s for his singing style, his fashion sense, his sexuality or — likely — all of the above)and he was fighting a more difficult battle from the beginning. Kris, on the other hand, was your classic American Idol — a great talent plucked from nowhere given a chance to shine. I think in the end that’s what Americans still responded to. Add to that the fact that people who actually like Adam are also likely the people who’ve never and would never ever actually vote. They’d buy his CD and watch his concerts though, which is what matters in the end.