Idol Thoughts

So, tonight, the people of the world are supposedly wracked with suspense, eagerly awaiting their own next "American Idol". Will it be Adam?! Will it be Kris?! Honestly, I really couldn’t care either way. I’m not just saying that as a glib comment from a bitter college-age hipster. I’m saying it because the chances that either of those two will make a lasting impression in the music industry are minimal. It has nothing to do with the talent either may (or may not) have. Rather, just look at Idol’s track record. Seasons of American Idol have come and gone and only two winners have become certified successes: Kelly Clarkson, the very first, and Carrie Underwood. Clarkson found success by reinventing herself as a punky pop star, while Underwood tapped into the awesome retail power of America’s country-record-buying masses. But none of the other winners have achieved anything like this. I went to a baseball game on Saturday and who was singing the national anthem? None other than Taylor Hicks, former American Idol winner. America supposedly elected him to be one of their foremost pop-stars. Instead, only a few years down the road, he’s finding himself singing at Mariners games in-between stints in a touring off-Broadway production of Grease. Oops.

It figures that the third-most successful Idol wasn’t even a winner. Chris Daughtry has become a certified rock radio phenomenon, lack of talent notwithstanding. However, he has single-handedly trounced all the other American Idol winners and hangers-on when it comes to commercial success. Look at last season’s winner. David Cook is already vanishing from view. So, whoever wins American Idol in a few hours, the record shows that they’ll probably have a rough road ahead of them. Will Adam or Kris be one of the few who break tradition by finally having some real success? Their chances aren’t looking good right now.