Damon Albarn Speaks Out Against X Factor
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Tuesday, 02 November 2010 |
Written by James Conlon
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Gorillaz co-creator Damon Albarn has criticised talent programmes such as the X Factor and American Idol, claiming that they manipulate and ‘sanitise’ contestants.
In a recent interview, the Blur frontman joined a very long list of celebrities and mainstream musicians who have criticised the show: “I think music would be totally fine and in a healthy state if people weren't so preoccupied with celebrity.” he said
“There is potential for insane cross-fertilisation but there's this sort of malignant tumour that keeps growing, very much based on a few TV and record executives practising this dark art of the television show. It's not good because, though from time to time they may stumble across a beautiful voice, they put them through a food processor and make them fast food. A cow is definitely a more beautiful thing before it hits the hamburger factory.”
“They do things to these kids: they play with their bodies and their faces.They just bleach and sanitise everything about them, and that's a very potent aspirational aspect of our society.”
However, Albarn wasn’t in a completely misanthropic mood. He continued to suggest that the music industry has the potential to improve by utilising the advancements in media and technology of recent years: “In that sense, the music business is in very ill health - but that can change because the opportunities to make music and communicate ideas are better than they've ever been.”
This isn’t the first time that Albarn has made his voice heard over the recently flourishing marriage of music and television. Last month the singer criticised the hit US show ‘Glee’, claiming that it offered "a poor substitute for the real thing".
Gorillaz recently released a digital-only Live EP, which features six of their biggist hits to date. The ‘iTunes Session’ EP is available to download now.
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