Bland Performers

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Bland Performers

Posted: 11/25/05 at 11:49am

People don't like bland mashed potatoes right? If they were bland, they probably wouldn't want to eat them. Right?

So why do people listen to bland performers?

Updated On: 11/25/05 at 11:49 AM

People no longer know the difference, especially when they don't know who Gwen Verdon or Elaine Stritch are. And ticket prices are such that they are determined to have a good time, regardless of the show/performer's quality. Or they think they are supposed to like them/it.

re: Question

Posted: 11/25/05 at 11:54am

They don't have the breadth of experience and knowledge to know any better.

Have I ever shown you my Shattered Dreams box? It's in my Disappointment Closet. - Marge Simpson

re: Question

Posted: 11/25/05 at 11:57am

But they won't even open their minds and give these performers a chance.

That's what I don't get.

When I was a teen, I first got interested in musicals from our High School Production of Bye Bye Birdie and the Gypsy tv movie with Bette. Those are the first 2 things that sparked my interest. So maybe it's where you start. If the first thing that sparks your interest is bland, then you are likely to be drawn to that. Plus the fact that most mainstream performers are also bland.

Updated On: 11/25/05 at 11:57 AM

re: Question

Posted: 11/25/05 at 12:18pm

I started watching old movies because of my mother--she was a "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" fan and she got me hooked on Angela and she liked Bette Davis, Ingrid Bergman, the Hepburns, Hitchcock...plus as kids we watched all the old TV shows at home like Leave It to Beaver, Andy Griffith, Green Acres...and my grandma loved Burns and Allen, The Three Stooges and the old You Bet Your Life...so I grew up with an appreciation for things in B&W, not an aversion. I think Oliver! was the first musical film I saw, though The Music Man wasn't far behind. I also saw the Little Shop film in the theater and LOVED it...so the people I think are funny have stood the test of time, which means they gotta have SOMETHING going on...and most people today have nothing but mediocrity to compare with mediocrity--how COULD they know the difference?

re: Question

Posted: 11/25/05 at 12:43pm

I had a similar childhood, lildogs.

My parents had me late in life -- my dad was 51, and my mother was 41 -- so they really grew up in a different era than most kid's parents my age. They taught me a quick appreciate of stuff that most kids my age would turn their noses up at. My mom in particular is a whiz when it comes to Broadway/music/film from the 50s and 60s and always led me to the best stuff.

But as to the blandness, it's that way with everything. Look at some of the cartoons that became popular with kids. YuGiOh? That show was basically a 22-minute commercial for the card game/video games that go with it. Plot/characters are secondary. You like that kind of garbage when you're a kid, you'll transition into the same stuff when you become an adult.

re: Question

Posted: 11/25/05 at 12:57pm

I tried to find some Saturday morning cartoons last weekend and nothing was on! You're right--they are just advertising--but luckily a couple of channels still show Bugs Bunny/WB cartoons--I got to see one of my faves a few days ago--the Daffy Duck "Robin Hood" "Yikes! And AWAY!!!!" And I've got to see the Bogart/Bugs Bunny one where he does the Carmen Miranda impression--awesome! Mel Blanc is maybe the most underrated comic actor of all time. Does anyone think we'll be watching Pokemon in 50 years?

re: Question

Posted: 11/25/05 at 1:10pm

So true!

When I was a young kid and was watching them, I had no idea who Peter Lorre or Edward G. Robinson were, so those references would go right over my head. I loved watching them later and catching all those references.

That being said, not all modern kid shows are garbage. I still have a soft spot for Animaniacs. But even that was about 10 years ago, I guess.

re: Question

Posted: 11/25/05 at 1:24pm

Well, I liked The Smurfs and Muppet Babies, but that was a LONG time ago too!

Knowing those old personalities has come in very handy for me--I can rip them off and people think I'm funny--when in reality I'm just a hack. And if a director says "Give me a little Paulette Goddard here" or "Do it like Walter Matthau" I don't have to ask "Who?"

#10

re: Question

Posted: 11/25/05 at 4:42pm

Cartoon Network has (had?) some fantabulous stuff- Powerpuff Girls, Dexter's Laboratory, and Samurai Jack come to mind. And some children I know liked Jackie Chan Adventures, which seems pretty cute and harmless overall. Of course, for every one of those there's some massively stupid piece of animé or pseudo-animé ****. I don't think I'll ever get Japanese cartoons that weren't made by Miyazaki.

But guys, seriously- the good old days weren't all great. Don't look at the old Hanna-Barbera cartoons and tell me that those represented a heyday of animation. That crap almost killed the art form as far as I'm concerned.

Updated On: 11/25/05 at 04:42 PM

#11

re: Question

Posted: 11/25/05 at 4:44pm

My friend was one of the voices on Digimon. I tried to watch it - it was way too complex for me.

Have I ever shown you my Shattered Dreams box? It's in my Disappointment Closet. - Marge Simpson

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