You’re quite right and the line I’m arguing is a pretty subtle one. Because of course it’s OK for performers to have an ‘image’. I guess they pretty much all do. Speaking personally I really liked Madonna’s image. I liked it because, though I guess the elements of her persona were like quotations from other things, that’s the way with such things, and the images became very much her own. Vehicles for her incredible energy and chutzpah. Very confronting in lots of ways.

I don’t know much about Chrissie A, but I don’t think she’s in that league. (Not because she’s not as ‘big’ as Madonna commercially). There’s nothing original about Chrissie that I can see. She does a good tough rock chick routine. And indeed she lived it – my guess is that it was to her cost but who knows? But, though she is no doubt a talented performer, I can’t see anything original in what I’ve seen of her. So I’m arguing that kind of amateur image making degrades into pretentiousness.

I agree with you that the singles they give the Idol’s are poxy – as I said in my post. But that’s their first single. After that they get progressively more autonomy. Poor Casey was given plenty of latitude on the show, but unfortunately her post Idol career blew up for reasons that I don’t think are related to Idol’s inadequacies.

She cultivated an image – rock/pop music is about lots of things including musical talent and presentation. Madonna hasn’t got the best voice on the planet, but she has mostly been interesting and funny and silly (with quite a few good pop songs to boot).

Amphlett’s role as a strong woman in what was a male-dominated music industry remains very important. As does the import of Boys in Town in the history of Australian rock music.

There’s nothing wrong with Idol, except that they often try and turn performers into something they’re not. Casey Donovan had a great voice, and they gave her a turgid Celiney thing to sing. They always do.

Fair point, James.

Natalie might find winning Australian Idol doesnt lead to much of anything.

Well, it led to an invitation to perform at the Sydney FC v. LA Galaxy match last night in front of 80,000 (including me). That’s something.

It’s also ‘cool’ of course. And pretentious as hell.

I heard a long interview with Chrissie Amphlett in which she spoke about her time with the band. It was basically a disaster for her personally.

That’s ‘cool’ for you.

I think it’s ironic that Idol gets bagged for lack of ‘authenticity’. It’s inauthentic in all sorts of ways of course. But so is all that pouting rock bullshit. If it was a pose in a song or whatever that would be fine, (and of course a performer can do whatever they like and good on them if it helps them be successful). But it gets lionised. IMO it’s pretty trivial pretentiousness.

Through all the artifice and the encouragement by all and sundry to do the opposite, Natalie and Matt refused to be pretentious.

It’s a gesture of anger at the patriarchy and/or blokes that have done a girl wrong.

The song is Boys in Town (if it’s that song by the Divinyls). Best Australian rock song ever. At a time when Australian rock music was dominated by boys (e.g. Cold Chisel, the Oils), it was great to see the pouting, angry, uniformed Chrissie Amphlett – complete with Avon teddy bear perfume broach – belting out that song on the Saturday morning video show:

I am thru with hanging around
With all the boys in town
Now i want a man around
Get me out of here

I am a just red brassiere to all the boys in town
Put this bus in top gear get me out of here

I must have been desperate i must have been pretty low
I must have been desperate i must have been pretty low

I was always driving home all the boys in town
But they never telephoned get me out of here
I think they’re pretty phoney
You’re not like the rest
You’ve heard of matrimony
They’ve all flunked the test

What a ripper of a number, but given the town-bike subject matter I wonder if it’s right for such a clean image. Always baffles me how people misinterpret songs, or in this case I guess just fail to comprehend what’s staring them in face.