One of my greatest heroes...

[CynicalGuitarist]

That's right, I'm a singer and one of my heroes is William Hung.

 

I'm writing this in light of the new season of American Idol... Even though I've seen it only a handful of times (and yes, I hate it), William is the one charm in my mind that stood out from the rest; love him or hate him. Why? Because of his attitude. When Simon asked him "You can't sing, you can't dance, what do you want me to say?" he just let it roll off his back and said something amongst the lines of "oh well, I tried my best and have no regrets!" I recently had an epiphany; you really DO have the power to do what you LOVE in life... What impresses me about him is the fact that he's making fun of this society's obssession with perfection. Actually, I am good at identifying singing talent (not tryna brag, tho), and he isn't really all THAT bad, he just doesn't have a great voice (to say the least). Not to mention his thick accent; that's not necessarily his fault.

 

I realized that Simon represents the worst self-critic in all of us. He collectively represents all the music snobs, nay-sayers, cynics, left-brain advocates, and perfectionists I've met in my life. So many people on that show (some who actually are somewhat talented) have left Simon dissatisfied, and have their spirit crushed... they yell, scream, curse, spit, cry, and give Simon power over their passions. I realize when people do that to others when they fight over petty nonsense, so much power is given over for the sake of the ego. William just thought "oh well, didn't make THEM happy, but why shouldn't I be able to do what I love?" I mean, a few records can't be wrong; I know of talented musicians all over the place who will, unfortunately, never receive noteriety outside of this country... ONE full length LP would be an emerald to them.

 

Do I share his taste of music? HELL NO! Do I abhor karaoke? Like you'll never imagine. Did he butcher one of my favorite songs (We Are The Champions)? Disturbingly... But I can set that aside and still call him a hero, 'cause he's one of the only people on that show able to roll the agony (HAH!) of being denied "Idol" (HAH!) status off his shoulders. This is actually a very deep philosophical sentiment and inspiration, if you think about it.

 

I have all kinds of people that tell me that I "can't sing" and am "not good enough to make a living off of it"... sometimes it got me down, but determined, I realize, it's not necessary to give them power over my passion. I still drive and strive; I'd rather end up dying a poor musician rather than a middle-class office jockey. Call me reckless, but SOMEBODY's gotta speak out in these times where wages are low and the dollar buys a penny's worth.

 

Well, at least I'm proud of myself for following my passions, for once.

 

Not to mention that I'd rather listen to Mr. Hung than that steaming pile called "Daughtry".

[greensleeves]

I admire your dedication to your craft. If you can make enought to live on doing what you love, you are a huge success. But I gotta say...I like Daughtry!!!

[livinginsbi]

Not to detract from your post - but doesn't it seem like a kinder - gentler Simon this year. He's still an opinionated *******, but he seems to have changed, just abit.

 

Personally - I hate watching the audition portion of this show - it's way too exploitive - but then again I guess the contestants are approving their exploitation.

 

And are not William Hung and Chris Daughtry similar as well. I mean both are out there doing what makes them happy and putting themselves out there - trying to make a living with what they love. And at this point, I'm thinking they are probably equally successful!

 

And what about the last guy on Wednesday's auditions, the dude with the Simon hat. He was so sincere - you have to like him! And Simon said, the song the audtioner wrote and sang on TV will probably be a million dollar hit!!

 

What fun life is sometimes!