The former Soviet country of Turkmenistan isn’t known for its trendsetting qualities. It’s dry. It’s cold and ugly. It exports lots of cotton. Not what you’d call a world power.
But in 2005 it became the first country in the world to take a strong stand, not against fascism, but lip-synching.
Declared a great crime against the culture of the proud nation, the late President Saparmurat Niyazov banned miming in all forms _ concerts, TV, even private weddings.
China followed suit last year after a pretty girl replaced the face, but not the voice, of a less-cute pigtailed version singing the theme tune at last year’s Olympic Games opening ceremony. Yes, we were all shocked.
But the outrage has finally landed with the NSW Government revealing it’s considering laws to force artists to disclose on posters or tickets if they plan to mime.
Tabloid poplet Britney Spears seems to be the catalyst for what could be a pre-cursor to a wider crackdown.
Specifically, her 14 Australian shows in which she’s charged up to $1500 a ticket to let people watch her move her lips in the way they would look if noise was actually coming out of her mouth.
Value for money? The thrill of shaming tall poppies? Who knows what NSW’s rationale is, but it’s a frickin’ hilarious idea. And a fairly stupid one. I hope that few feel strongly about real life human ventriloquism. Those with a passion for watching artists perform moving live renditions of songs they write aren’t the candy-pop-bile type.
Those who obsess over celebrity, repetitive synth music and bright flashy lights won’t give a crap whether their half-naked, gyrating idol is singing. As long as they can sing along.
Anyone else who arcs up about the shame of lip-synching is probably a black frame spectacles-wearing, faux artsy, music snob.
Besides, there’s a case to let drones such as Spears mime.
Wikipedia (the shining beacon of truth) says miming ``can be used to make it appear as though actors have musical ability’‘.
``E.g. the Partridge Family. Or to misattribute vocals e.g. Milli Vanilli.
``It is more often used by recording artists to create a particular effect, to enable them to perform live dance numbers or to cover for illness or other deficiencies during live performances.’‘
The last two seem particularly apt for Britske.
She ain’t alone either. Rapper 50 Cent did it at the B.E.T music awards. R Kelly’s done it. Ashlee Simpson. Pavarotti when it got too cold for him to breathe and ... um ... the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the 2000 Olympics.
Tour director Steve Dixon has defended Britney’s miming, saying ``you come for the experience’‘, and he might be right.
There’s so much more to look forward to from a Britney concert than just the ``music’‘. She might overdose/attack a photographer/collapse/vomit/shave her head/get put in a straight jacket/not wear undies/drink drive/abuse her father/give birth/forget her dance moves or simply look fat.
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marley says:
I'm one of the older ones, so I've certainly seen a few changes in my time. When I started school I learned to write with a nib pen, dipped in an inkwell (no, I'm not kidding). My mother became a dab hand at getting inkstains out of my clothes. Flicking ink at one another in the classroom was an essential… [read more]From: I’d rather have a piece of toast than listen to crap lyrics
Erick says:
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