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S O U N D S | review
America has been blessed recently with more than its share of televised pop-feminist statements. First, ABC broadcast the Victoria’s Secret fashion show. Then, in a span of 96 hours, Britney Spears, Jennifer (J. Lo) Lopez and Madonna performed live “concert specials’ — the key word being “concert” — where the queen of the night was engaged to sing her heart out for an audience of millions, from a stage stocked with sweaty dancers and flashing lights. Of course, Britney, as the press has remarked, did no such thing: She lip sync-ed. But there are other, more compelling reasons why little Ms. Spears’ concert at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas stands out in retrospect. J. Lo and Madonna, no matter how under-skilled the former seems or how poignantly gifted the latter appears, are actual music-makers who serve the audience a product (albeit a processed one). Spears’ product is not her music. It’s not her dancing, her floating trapeze flips or her cotton candy tunes. Nor is it her silicon chest, glistening abs, shiny blond hair, pouty mouth or aerobicized behind. Spears’ product is naturally occurring: It is herself. Little Ms. Spears, like a true lady of the night, is — yes, you guessed it! — for sale. Consider the nature of her show’s myriad of songs and the dozen or so costume changes (the more elaborate of which took place backstage, while audience members watched a pre-recorded film of Britney’s "dreams"; part of the night’s postmodern theme of "Dream Within a Dream"). It’s nothing new for pop stars to change outfits, nor is it particularly original or rebellious for an artist to present a survey of her oeuvre and traverse a carousel of issues within it. But Britney offered more than a spectacle; she offered customization.
Britney will be whatever you need her to be, on-demand. Are you a pre-teen girl looking for inspiration? Britney will wear tight-but-semi-tasteful clothes and sing about confidence in "Overprotected" until you can talk to that guy who makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Are you a frat boy just out of a three-week relationship with the co-ed from down the hall? (Are you Bob Dole?) Britney will prance about in low-waisted jeans and a shimmering bra underneath a faux-rain shower to get your juices flowing while singing "I’m a Slave 4 U."
Britney will be your everything, your anything. She is your fantasy (which, incidentally, is the governing principle behind the world’s oldest profession.) No matter how fast J. Lo shakes her body or how many cut male supermodels Madonna beds, both seem to have a voice — a character, a persona — they present. Britney’s persona is the absence of one. She is an empty vessel designed quite intelligently by A&R executives to provide a varying degree of things.
And, what’s worse, she proved it last week on HBO and in front of members of the country’s armed forces, who enjoyed the proceedings via satellite. The culminating moment — slutty outfits, high-pitched squeals, pimp-y Technicolor dream coats, and ballet shoes aside — took place about half-way through the show. Prior to singing "I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman, Britney sat down next to her piano player and spoke to the audience: “You know, I know I get a lot of flak for what I wear, and what I say, and what I don’t say. But ” I’m not a little girl anymore. And I guess I do those things because the way I feel inside. And I also know that I’m a young lady and I have a lot to learn and a lot to experience. And I guess what I’m trying to say is, is that, the way I feel right now inside, I feel so wonderful because I’m doing exactly what I love to do. And I’m experiencing all of my wildest dreams. And my advice to you is to never, ever, lose your passion to dream. Please, don’t.” This political spin on her evolving identity crisis was a surprising marketing ploy. When did Madonna — Britney’s supposed idol — ever give excuses for how she acted? When did she try to please people so intensely she felt it necessary to explain her actions so as not to lose her audience? Britney is the embodiment of modern marketing: She’s become a brand. And even more upsetting, her dream, as she is quoted as saying, is ‘to please everyone.” But here’s the problem: If you’re everything, you can’t be something. You can’t have character or spirit. And if you’re not something, or someone, well, then, you’re nothing. That’s why it’s so scary that Britney’s album is number one and that she can fill the MGM Grand with a show with less heart than the nightly special at the Bada Bing. Our nation’s current musical heroine is devoid of any substance, be it moral or immoral. And what’s worse than the fact that she’s proud is that we eat it up. Give us more nothing, we, as a country, say. Don’t challenge us; just get us off. We paid for it. Enter the Pop Forum Adam Baer is Sounds editor at PopPolitics. He also contributes to Slate, The New York Times, NPR and other publications. Related Sites |
