“Deep breath, girl, deep breath.”
So I just saw on my Twitter feed that a tattooed, shirtless, crotch-grabbing Biebster is on the cover of Rolling Stone with the cover line “Bad Boy: Why JB just won’t behave.”
Dear RS, I can answer that question without reading your inevitable fluff piece: Because it’s part of his management’s long-term rebranding strategy and instead of being the respected, insightful music publication you used to be, you are now just a pawn in the marketing game of big music industry players (and I use the word “music” loosely). Oh, and I also saw a tweet mentioning J’s team is releasing a new video… not for a song but of his recent “incarceration”… how convenient.
Am I just jealous David never got this kind of evil-genius treatment? Yes and no. Yes to the genius part, no to the evil part. From the beginning of JB’s career — from his manufactured “showmance” with Ms. SG to his manufactured baby-daddy drama to his manufactured minor brushes with the law — many of us have clearly seen The Great Oz pulling the strings from behind the curtain. Has that stopped any of it from making him millions or duping even big publishing giants like Rolling Stone? No, of course not.
And I honestly have nothing against the Biebs. This kind of manipulation — whether it’s by American Idol or for individual “products” — just turns my stomach. And it makes me sad that nice, genuine people fall for any of it.
But would I want David to be treated like some new video game or sausage meat and redesigned and packaged to maximize profit margins? I’m sure none of us would… and clearly he doesn’t.
I keep having to remind myself of all the artists who stand up to this kind of fakery … from those you may never heard of but who support themselves and their families with a fulfilling music career to the Adeles and the Jason Mrazs of the world.
Sorry, rant over.
What do you guys think of all this?
P.S.
My antidote:
SnowAngelz: Canadian fans of David Archuleta 
What do I think of this? PREACH ON DEB!! Could not agree more. ♥
Oh…and I can never not watch O Ven when I see it posted…so thanks!!! 🙂
same 🙂
saw that … so fake… guess thats why we’re david fans, he’s not 🙂
I totally agree. Thanks so much for writing this; hopefully someone from RS will see it.
Rant on! I’ll take this kind of rant any day. What do I think of it? If it gets ignored perhaps it will go away… this kind of stuff can’t, and won’t, last. David has the kind of music and soul that will be around for longer than this other stuff.
Oh yes, I’ll swallow that antidote any time it’s made available. 🙂
Hear! Hear!
Rolling Stone gathers no credibility with that cover and the fluff that follows. It has become easy to make fun of Bieber and his bad boy antics; but even from the beginning I thought his team should have been charged with exploitation of a minor, to say nothing of how they continue to con Biebs’ fans.
BTW, I read your rant twice as an excuse to double up on the antidote.
I feel sorry for Justin. He has lots of money but no privacy. Living in a fishbowl can’t be easy. As a fan I wanted David to be a superstar, but most superstars do not have a happy life. Now I’m looking forward to whatever David’s career brings. I’m hoping for concert tours and new music eventually. If he stays an indie artist and sings in clubs I will still be a happy camper. I think it’s the music that is important to David, not huge fame.
I agree, guys, Justin’s only a pawn, and the price he’s had to pay for “success” seems more than what we’d want David to have to pay. He’s probably already been offered that trade and turned it down.
I think I need an additional antidote. 🙂
Thanks for this post. Don’t know what I think except that I have been to lots of concerts and find myself listening to good quality recordings of live music because there is nothing like that connection between artist and audience. And of all I have seen and heard live, David’s connection to his audience is my favorite. I ask you to take a look at this video and listen to what Sara Bareilles is saying in this song. It helped me understand more what it’s like to be a performer, especially the ‘stuff’ that comes with it, and what those moments are like when the show is over. Found it very moving and thought of David. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMIUKy2lC_0
Beautiful, muldur, thanks so much for posting. The only time I’ve been able to see Sara live was on this Brave Enough tour… amazing… just Sara and a piano/guitar and her music, no opening act or band or anything else needed. As you say, such a special connection between artist and audience. Totally thought of David, too.
Sara B live and The Civil Wars live (not gonna happen again) are the closest experiences I have had to being at David’s performances. She is just amazing..
Thank you for sharing that link, muldur. Insightful and touching. Can’t help but think of David.
I love it TOfan when you write and then add O Ven O Ven because it is nice to have if at our fingertips,
I am sorry to see Justin disliked so much as if he has done us wrong. I believe that in our deep subconscious we feel the “dang I wish David could have had it big because he has so much talent!”
Every star is up against something. David isn’t on the normal track either. We haven’t really a clue to what he will be doing when he returns to music, or where he has planned to go, what contract he has already signed to do whatever or when or for how long or to what degree. Someone talks about ” kissing” in his next adventure?? It is easy to see some fans would like him to act while others hope he will be singing.
Time to listen to O Ven O Ven…..it gives me hope that his singing will win over the acting. Well that has to be a given 😉
??
SB
I am certain that when some of the other singers get out of rehab or out of some other troubles they are in,
they will be on the cover of RS too!
Maybe JB is one realistic example of our modern day dilemmas! Canada just barely left Russia for home when all the troubles that we are seeing started to becime so obvious.