Defender
22 May 2002, 14:14
POOP, POOP, POPSTARS!!!
Everyone Wants to Be One-Even Chris Murphy!
by Phil Tripp
I don't want to be a TV critic, but the latest edition of Who Wants to Be A Loser in the Millionaire Music Game made me want to comment in a humourous manner about what is a very weird program.
There's train crash compelling viewing to the recently ended third round of the Popstar program which, despite my better judgment, I watched a few episodes. I wanted to comment earlier but frankly, I thought I might be defamatory. It's such a stupid program, I shouldn't have watched it. But seeing my old mate Chris M Murphy (The M so he doesn't get confused with the lawyer of the same moniker) just made me laugh out loud at what I perceived as the absurd posturing and posing from one who craves media attention even more than the aspirants to stardom. It was a hoot until it quickly became monotonous.
It's not surprising that this is the poorest rating, most reviled series of the Popstar phenomenon and appealing to the lowest common denominator of taste. But it's not because of Chris M who commanded our attention. It's also no surprise that the first release from the winner went to number 1 as the rubes who were suckered into the series voted with their wallets for a sad single. As H.L. Mencken once said, "No one ever lost money underestimating the taste of the public." And in the music industry, that's often a marketing mantra.
There's a serious side to the music industry and a buffoonery side to the biz. We get a lot of serious inquiries into our premises by Net, phone and people dropping by, wanting to elevate their knowledge by buying books on the business, increase their skills and make the appropriate contacts. In the past couple of weeks, we've done a series of music business seminars in Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne (with one to go in Brisbane this Thursday May 23) which have brought together over a thousand hopefuls who would rather listen for three hours in a free seminar than sit in front of the tube. These people are the hope of the industry while what we see on Popstars is the sausage making machinery that fills the skins with **** instead of real meat and peddles it to the masses as critical culture.
Maybe that's unkind but one thing we do know is that it, as a series, panders to a cretinous consumer rather than a true music lover. But hey, who are we to criticise the star-making machinery. After all, we're in the industry of illusion where talent is plentiful, talent is cheap and talent is the most disposable commodity in the music industry.
Look back at the past two series and you kinda wonder what went wrong. Bardot were originally managed by Grant Thomas Management and then went through a few managers before imploding. Scandal'us was handled by Les Gock and then at the ARIA Awards, he was conspicuously absent in the thank you speech. How quickly they forget...
This past series, we have been confronted by the massive on-air ego of Chris Murphy, the more laid back business attitude of Warner Music's Matt Medcraf and the blonde booboisie rep Jacqui O. Jacqui is a radio and TV personality and new Thorpy Angel, Matt's a nice guy recexec and Murphy's... well... an interesting beast to watch. Actually, he'd be really suited to replace Stan Zemanek on Beauty & The Beast because in this one program, he's shown how well he can ogle the chicks in the series and bring out the humour in intergender communications.
But hey, at least he's found happiness with the other McPherson sister it would appear from the papers, but I wonder what happened to his latest wife. I seem to remember her being down on the farm in Wagga a while back. We've read he's selling the farm where he produced organic chooks and lambs, an industry not far removed from our music biz. We read that in the papers too. He's a master of his own publicity, you've got to give him that. And when it comes to wrangling talent, he's got an illustrious history.
Chris is most often referred to as the 'former' manager of INXS. He's also the 'former' owner of rooArt Records and 'former' head of MMA Music which also aren't really visible now that they have been taken over by others. He's also the 'former' owner of AM radio station 2SM, possibly the lowest rating music station this side of Radio for the Print Handicapped. He's also the 'former' head of Digital One, the online radio meteor that disappeared from view online a while back, at least in my world.
There's a certain endearing style that Chris exudes in person, much like someone who has marinated in a cologne rather than gently applying a spritz on the pulse points. He's a dynamic conversationalist and a master debater when it comes to conceptualisation. So it was a natural that he was made the real Popstar in the series. And that's what gave it that wonderful, thrilling kinda panache that propelled it into the media event that it has been. It's a cult of personality.
I kinda feel sorry for the rejects. They all seemed like good kids with a mission. We see that kind of zeal where we sit. Somehow I feel that magnanimous side of Chris M just might come out and harvest the chaff, giving them a chance at stardom on his latest venture, Petrol Records, which must be a real gas. I remember the debut of the first artists, 2INS, on that label and seem to remember that the label was distributed formerly through Sony or somesuch. Maybe I saw the Zomba logo recently on some sorta compilation of Cuban and Brazilian music. But I'm sure that Petrol will serve as a compelling outlet for Australian talent in the future as has been promised in the past.
We need more outlets for great talent. What I don't think we need or can even stand anymore is another version of Popstars.
Everyone Wants to Be One-Even Chris Murphy!
by Phil Tripp
I don't want to be a TV critic, but the latest edition of Who Wants to Be A Loser in the Millionaire Music Game made me want to comment in a humourous manner about what is a very weird program.
There's train crash compelling viewing to the recently ended third round of the Popstar program which, despite my better judgment, I watched a few episodes. I wanted to comment earlier but frankly, I thought I might be defamatory. It's such a stupid program, I shouldn't have watched it. But seeing my old mate Chris M Murphy (The M so he doesn't get confused with the lawyer of the same moniker) just made me laugh out loud at what I perceived as the absurd posturing and posing from one who craves media attention even more than the aspirants to stardom. It was a hoot until it quickly became monotonous.
It's not surprising that this is the poorest rating, most reviled series of the Popstar phenomenon and appealing to the lowest common denominator of taste. But it's not because of Chris M who commanded our attention. It's also no surprise that the first release from the winner went to number 1 as the rubes who were suckered into the series voted with their wallets for a sad single. As H.L. Mencken once said, "No one ever lost money underestimating the taste of the public." And in the music industry, that's often a marketing mantra.
There's a serious side to the music industry and a buffoonery side to the biz. We get a lot of serious inquiries into our premises by Net, phone and people dropping by, wanting to elevate their knowledge by buying books on the business, increase their skills and make the appropriate contacts. In the past couple of weeks, we've done a series of music business seminars in Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne (with one to go in Brisbane this Thursday May 23) which have brought together over a thousand hopefuls who would rather listen for three hours in a free seminar than sit in front of the tube. These people are the hope of the industry while what we see on Popstars is the sausage making machinery that fills the skins with **** instead of real meat and peddles it to the masses as critical culture.
Maybe that's unkind but one thing we do know is that it, as a series, panders to a cretinous consumer rather than a true music lover. But hey, who are we to criticise the star-making machinery. After all, we're in the industry of illusion where talent is plentiful, talent is cheap and talent is the most disposable commodity in the music industry.
Look back at the past two series and you kinda wonder what went wrong. Bardot were originally managed by Grant Thomas Management and then went through a few managers before imploding. Scandal'us was handled by Les Gock and then at the ARIA Awards, he was conspicuously absent in the thank you speech. How quickly they forget...
This past series, we have been confronted by the massive on-air ego of Chris Murphy, the more laid back business attitude of Warner Music's Matt Medcraf and the blonde booboisie rep Jacqui O. Jacqui is a radio and TV personality and new Thorpy Angel, Matt's a nice guy recexec and Murphy's... well... an interesting beast to watch. Actually, he'd be really suited to replace Stan Zemanek on Beauty & The Beast because in this one program, he's shown how well he can ogle the chicks in the series and bring out the humour in intergender communications.
But hey, at least he's found happiness with the other McPherson sister it would appear from the papers, but I wonder what happened to his latest wife. I seem to remember her being down on the farm in Wagga a while back. We've read he's selling the farm where he produced organic chooks and lambs, an industry not far removed from our music biz. We read that in the papers too. He's a master of his own publicity, you've got to give him that. And when it comes to wrangling talent, he's got an illustrious history.
Chris is most often referred to as the 'former' manager of INXS. He's also the 'former' owner of rooArt Records and 'former' head of MMA Music which also aren't really visible now that they have been taken over by others. He's also the 'former' owner of AM radio station 2SM, possibly the lowest rating music station this side of Radio for the Print Handicapped. He's also the 'former' head of Digital One, the online radio meteor that disappeared from view online a while back, at least in my world.
There's a certain endearing style that Chris exudes in person, much like someone who has marinated in a cologne rather than gently applying a spritz on the pulse points. He's a dynamic conversationalist and a master debater when it comes to conceptualisation. So it was a natural that he was made the real Popstar in the series. And that's what gave it that wonderful, thrilling kinda panache that propelled it into the media event that it has been. It's a cult of personality.
I kinda feel sorry for the rejects. They all seemed like good kids with a mission. We see that kind of zeal where we sit. Somehow I feel that magnanimous side of Chris M just might come out and harvest the chaff, giving them a chance at stardom on his latest venture, Petrol Records, which must be a real gas. I remember the debut of the first artists, 2INS, on that label and seem to remember that the label was distributed formerly through Sony or somesuch. Maybe I saw the Zomba logo recently on some sorta compilation of Cuban and Brazilian music. But I'm sure that Petrol will serve as a compelling outlet for Australian talent in the future as has been promised in the past.
We need more outlets for great talent. What I don't think we need or can even stand anymore is another version of Popstars.