In defense of bad singing (Kanye West on SNL, industry use of autotune, and the changing culture)

LA Times ^ | 04:10 PM PT, Dec 15 2008 | August Brown

[weegee]

After Kanye West's performance on "Saturday Night Live" over the weekend, the chattering classes are wringing their hands today over the gee-whiz revelation that, maybe underneath all that gratuitous Auto-Tune, West's voice might be a bit, as they say, "pitchy." We can go back and forth about the relative disaster-or-not qualities of his two-song set, but the hullabaloo over it begs for a few responses. First: hey, indie rockers, if you don't think that half your favorite beardo bands use things like Melodyne... But the second, and more crucial one, is this: What makes a "good" singer anyhow, and what does that changing value system say about the culture making it?...

...There's also something racially pernicious about the complaints that Kanye can't sing; it feels fraught with the racist meme that all African-Americans are supposed to be able to sing well. When someone lobs that same complaint at Britney Spears, it rings more as a general indictment of the pop star-making system. Whereas in Kanye's case that criticism seems to imply that he's not living up to the established traditions of black vocals in R&B and hip-hop, that the lack of expert rapping or singing somehow makes the record not "real" (read: "black") enough.

...By sounding bad in even the wrong ways on SNL, Kanye's arrived at something wholly new in the spectrum of vocal values: sheer charisma in place of both skill and authenticity. I certainly don't want most musicians to try this style, but in Kanye's hands it's a new and arresting sound for pop and rock alike, a willingness to put even the unglamorous mistakes (both on stage and off) high in the mix. In other words, he's the perfect frontman for a time in music where there is only an ever-changing front.

[raygunfan]

he sux, ‘nuff said.

[weegee]

By sounding bad in even the wrong ways on SNL, Kanye's arrived at something wholly new in the spectrum of vocal values: sheer charisma in place of both skill and authenticity... In other words, he's the perfect frontman for a time in music where there is only an ever-changing front.

The perfect description of the Obama Election.

[weegee]

raygunfan just don’t like industry popstars.

(neither do weeg...)

[kbennkc]

If you don't agree bad is good you must be a racist . I am no racist but I am becoming a hater of those that keep throwing that accusation around .

[RegulatorCountry]

Pitchy? I watched the show, and saw both "performances" by Kanye West. Without enhancement, he's no better than a first-round Idol reject, and worse than some of even those. The flashy, animated Apple ad-style backdrops are all that saved those performances from being a complete wreck.

[EggsAckley]

Where's Milli Vanilli when you really need ‘em?

[ZirconEncrustedTweezers]

Whatever happened to the good ol’ days when we just accepted the fact that guys like Robert Plant and Roger Daltrey only ever hit those really high notes in the studio?

[Wonderama Mama]

Stupid stupid article written by an imbecile. Read the comments criticizing the article. They're brilliant!

[dfwgator]

I have never seen more apologists for someone with little talent, as I’ve seen with Kanye West. I just don’t get it. He doesn’t even rap particularly well, and he sure can’t sing. But yet many people consider him a genius.

[dfwgator]

“Sometimes bad is bad” - Huey Lewis

[ReneeLynn]

What the heck is this article talking about? It’s pure, babbling drivel.

[Terabitten]

Whatever happened to the good ol’ days when we just accepted the fact that guys like Robert Plant and Roger Daltrey only ever hit those really high notes in the studio?

And the band compensated by tuning down when they toured. In this case, the guy literally can't sing in tune -- not just "can only hit the high note 6 out of 10 times."

[ZirconEncrustedTweezers]

Hehehe.... this just started playing on the classic-rock station I’m listening to.

[RegulatorCountry]

... and the lyrics themselves were sophomoric, when intelligible.

[LottieDah]

“Where’s Milli Vanilli when you really need ‘em?”

Millie Vanilli were made laughing stocks while their manager and producers walked away unscathed. It is no wonder one of them committed suicide.

[Obadiah]

Yeah, it’s really all racism here. Kayne is a GREAT singer, and if you don’t agree with that then you will be deemed unfit for social participation because of possible racist thoughts in your head. You will be sent to reeducation classes where you may be shot.

[Sister_T]

I love this comment:

I just wrote a book that has a plot and characters, but the sentences are incoherent. I'm brilliant!

Oh, by the way, I can't do a reading because I'm illiterate. I'm even more brilliant!!!!

LOL!

[weegee]

Big Media is sick of you challenging their ideas of what is good.

[Viking2002]

I saw Plant during his '90 Manic Nirvana tour. I remember how much buzz there was the day after the show, because he could still nail every high note in concert. Back then, guys like him and Daltrey were only in their early 40's, but considered 'geezers' in rock-n-roll. They've lost more of their musical talent over the years than the Kanye Wests and Britney Spears of the 'pop' world will ever hope to develop, and they can still out-perform that pop trash.