Adam Lambert's defense of performance holds no water

 
Idol Watch fans might wonder why I haven't reviewed Adam Lambert's For Your Entertainment yet, given how much I championed the finalist who I'd praised as the most interesting Idol contestant to date. Adam Lambert saved American Idol last season and made the show worth watching.

I'd stand by that claim. His rendition of Mad World still occupies a proud place in my iPod.

I haven't reviewed the CD because Sony, until moments ago, had yet to send me a physical copy for review. I won't review off a stream. A download's just been made available. I will post a review of his debut CD by week's end if time permits.

But I can weigh in on the flap surrounding his tasteless, train wreck American Music Awards performance. A colleague pronounced him a "black hole of charisma," meaning he was so charmless he couldn't elevate that awful, screeching song above the tawdry, desperate performance.

Former Idol finalist, Jon Peter Lewis, called Adam's AMA performance "art" a "sham." Much as I hate to agree with that little weenie (the Idol finalist, not my colleague, altho I hate to agree with him, too) I have to agree with both of them.

And now there's a backlash, much of it centering on Adam's defense of the act and the insinuation on Twitter that ABC would be practicing "discrimination" if they were to edit his act. He's also complained of a double standard -- that women have been doing these kind of sexual gestures for years (hello, Madonna) and no one complains but when a man does so, a gay man at that, all hell breaks loose.

 Good Morning America dumped Adam afterward, feeling its early morning audience and advertisers might not enjoy watching a guy jam some other musician into his crotch for simulated oral sex or French kiss another while screeching an unappetizing song like For Your Entertainment.

 

Adam's defense is hogwash. I find his bogus "discrimination" charge as unsavory as that performance and the song. We aren't bigots or homophobes if we refuse to accept someone on TV so desperate to sell a bad song and trite performance that they have to resort to generic sex moves to get attention.

If the song was great, Adam wouldn't have had to do the hard sell shock value. And if he had more imagination, maybe his act would have been memorable for the right reasons like Lady Gaga's earlier performance of Bad Romance.

And he's saying that women have been doing it for years and it's time for a man to get to do something raunchy or sexy? Uh, dude, I remember Prince. I remember Bowie. I still see Mick Jagger. Steven Tyler. Nothing you're doing, Adam, is defendable or new to males discovering they have sex appeal to use, too.

And then there are all the interviews he's given with Rolling Stone, Details, EW, et al where his whole focus is on his sexuality and way TMI about his previous sexual encounters in his teens and early 20s. Enough, Adam. If your music was worthwhile maybe you'd talk more about that for a change? Here's hoping the rest of the CD is.

 

 

Photo: Getty Images

 

 

Follow Howard Cohen on Twitter @HowardCohen

 

Comments

[G-ski]

You make some excellent points, Howard.

I have mixed feelings about this performance. On the one hand, it was TERRIBLE. Oh, the SCREECHING! Adam is capable of singing better than that...why not do it? And the raunchy behavior did not add anything to the proceedings.

But on the other hand, I think it is good for a performer to do something that shocks people once in a while. And yes, as amazing as it is to imagine, there is still a LARGE chunk of America that is shocked to see two guys French-kissing (much less that whole face-in-crotch thing). And while it is true that there are many other male performers that preceded Adam in their raunchy onstage antics, how many of them were OPENLY GAY? I cannot think of a single one.

Openly gay celebrities have been gaining exposure for gays in general steadily over the past decade or so...and I think that's a good thing. But usually they are pretty well-behaved. Maybe it's time for someone to up the ante, so to speak.

[Michelle]

Why on earth should anyone 'up the ante by shoving their crotch in someone's face?'

I don't care if it's a gay man, straight man, gay female,or straight female - the sight on prime time TV of someone thrusting their 'stuff' into another person's face, and then openly fingering a woman dancer is not upping the ante. It's vulgarity.

[Red]

Being sexual during the performance is just a part of Adam. It has nothing to do with the quality of the song. Look up his pre-Idol performances, especially the Zodiac Show. Even during Idol tour, he wanked the microphone stand when he sang "Whole Lotta Love". No matter what we think of him, we’ve all got to acknowledge this: He’s queer with confidence, with sexual swagger, and without any hetero-pacifying neuter “harmlessness.” When was the last time mainstream America embraced a openly gay male star with so much sexual energy? By exuding an obvious sexual energy, he’s clearly not hiding himself in order to make his straight neighbors feel more comfortable.

[ada]

As a straight woman I enjoy seeing men kissing...as men enjoy watching women kissing.... Why am I not allowed? Why is it shocking? Where is the "equality"?

Your review is totally off the mark...this was the most interesting performance of the night

[Myla]

I find it more offensive that GMA cancelled Adam's performance but booked Chris Brown, a convicted woman-beater, so that he can "redeem" himself. They should have give Adam the chance to "redeem" himself. AMA was one performance and Adam is smart enough to know what is appropriate for daytime TV. Bravo to CBS The Early Show for snapping him up after GMA cancelled on him. He sang Whataya Want From Me and Music Again beautifully. For Your Entertainment is not a bad song. It's a fun, sexy song. Adam was just performing the lyrics of the song. Sad that people are so small-minded to see that.

[Katie]

I agree with you. I am a big Adam fan. But, his performance was tasteless. I don't mind sexually charged performances at all--if there is some artistry behind them, like Gaga's and some of Madonna's best. But this was just, ugh. Bad singing, bad song, no artistry. Just went for cheap thrills. He is way better than that.

[Karen]

Thank you for being brave enough to say the truth. I am personally a former Adam fan.

[mk]

I agree with you Howard. I can't decide whether Adam Lambert is a very insecure little boy crying out for psychological help or a spoiled brat coddled by his parents who gave him his way everytime he cried "victim" when he was young.

Either way...it's time to grow up. But I suppose when one's CD is that bad...this is the only way to go about it.

Poor soul.

[Rarely Comment]

I agree with your criticism of that performance. It certainly was an equal opportunity offender. Vocally, it was really bad, but that can be forgiven. But to follow such a lousy, trashy, and stupid performance by flipping off the audience? Hey, what did we do wrong? It follows on the heels of the Details photo shoot that gave off that b.s. vibe of "ladies, you might be able to flip me!" and had the objectification of women thing going visually. Not good. Not good.

[Red]

Rolling Stone magazine totally gets it and says it was "one of the most awesomely outrageous rock & roll moments to show up on prime-time network TV lately."
http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/11/23/full-frontal-glambgasm-rob-sheffield-on-adam-lamberts-amas/