Olymping Along

by Charles Long

We have all heard about the little Chinese girl (Yang Peiye) who was not allowed to be seen singing the Chinese national anthem because she was considered not pretty enough! Another girl, Lin Miaoke lip synced the anthem. Of course, American’s shouldn't be too self-righteous about this. We gave Grammy’s to Milli Vanilli as Best New Artist 1990 after all and they lip synced to beat the band. Then there was the classic play and film ‘My Fair Lady.’ On Broadway, Eliza Doolittle was sung by Julie Andrews (you know, Mary Poppins). The film version featured Katherine Hepburn: a great actress, but no singer. All the songs have Hepburn lip syncing. According to Wikipedia, the real singer was Marni Nixon. So before we cast stones at the Chinese…we ought to consider our glass housing!

All this says more about Man than it does Music. Music doesn’t care about the singer’s looks. What matters to music is the singer’s craft. I am personally so sick of singers who look like models. Give me Mama Cass over Mamma Mia! Give me Janice Joplin over Janet Jackson! Give me Pavarotti over Groben! Man makes everything look great but sound sterile. Music give us a vital sound and peasant looks. Give me music.

And as long as I am on a rant…can we please have some LESS produced music. In the pre-digital era, the music had an edge. The edge was the little imperfections that couldn’t be fixed. In the digital age, those little imperfections are fixed. We get perfect pitch in perfect time…and no soul. And in addition to less produced music can we please have some DISSONANCE, too? When every chord blends perfectly, we have consonant music that is dull! Can I get a clash now and again? Little grind? Its not the consonances that give music real beauty: it’s the dissonances.

So… China …I know you’re reading this…let the singer sing…on camera…the world will love her…she’s a seven year old girl. No one rejects a singing seven year old! So… America …let’s get off the over produced music band wagon and let’s get some real music. Finally, there is hope; the word is that a remake of My Fair Lady is in the works. Columbia Pictures…I know you’re reading this…let’s get some real singers…so don’t keep olymping along.