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Why does she thrill us? Susan Boyle is the anti-"Pretty Woman"

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pnwmom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 12:33 PM
Original message
Why does she thrill us? Susan Boyle is the anti-"Pretty Woman"
Edited on Sat Apr-18-09 12:41 PM by pnwmom
Makeover? "Why should I? Why should I change? It would take away my identity."

The opposite of a sell-out, she'll succeed based on genuine talent and on her own terms.

What an inspiration.
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liberalmuse Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 12:39 PM
Response to Original message
1. I love it.
Edited on Sat Apr-18-09 12:39 PM by liberalmuse
Who knows how much dormant talent is out there within people that would rarely get a second look? I loved that she disavowed that audience of their preconceptions with just a couple notes. I think most people on the planet can relate to her. We all have dreams, but perhaps not the courage to pursue them. She is indeed inspiring.
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MADem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 12:41 PM
Response to Original message
2. I think she's got a swell face. That plastic shit gets old after you've seen a few hundred thousand
of them....the same pulled faces, the same blowfish lips, the same hair color that never appears in nature, the same fake-straight denturific neon teeth, the same angry boobs, the same liposuction in the exact same places....there's no "interest" there. It's like an assembly line.
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pnwmom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 12:59 PM
Response to Reply #2
4. I agree. I remember seeing an episode of, I think, The Twilight Zone,
where everyone had to choose one of the numbered faces out of a book and go in for plastic surgery. I remember being horrified. Looking at the people in TV-land these days, it can feel like being in The Twilight Zone.
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MADem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 03:43 PM
Response to Reply #4
62. Number 12 Looks Just Like You (it first aired in 1964)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0734604/

In a future society everyone must undergo an operation at age 19 to become beautiful and conform to society. One young woman desperately wants to hold onto her own identity.

Wanna watch some great snippets from it again? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaVo2xifmSw
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pnwmom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 04:11 PM
Response to Reply #62
64. Thanks for the link!
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CrispyQ Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:01 PM
Response to Reply #2
6. "neon teeth"
Attention, Rick Sanchez, back off on the whitener! I'm going to have to wear sunglasses if his teeth get any brighter. I love my whitener kit, but there's a point where it looks artificial.

Assembly line -- great analogy.
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Puzzler Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:29 PM
Response to Reply #6
27. His teeth...
... as with many TV/movie people are most likely capped.
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nickyt Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:07 PM
Response to Reply #2
10. Yep, and now they all got that unbelievably grotesque "spray-on tan" crap going -
I'm sooooo bored with this homogenized humans horsehit!

Susan, dahlink, "don't go changin'"!
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Raksha Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 04:33 PM
Response to Reply #2
67. Who was it who said this?
"There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion."

I remember the quote but not the author--was it Shakespeare? It had to have been earlier than Edgar Allen Poe, because he took it and ran with it in his short story "Ligeia." That's probably why I remember it. It's a classic observation against the idea that human beauty has to conform to an abstract, mathematical standard of perfection (i.e. the Golden Mean).
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MADem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 05:51 PM
Response to Reply #67
73. The strangely proportioned Francis Bacon!
He probably stared into his looking glass and said to himself "Damn! I look GOOD!"

http://www.authorama.com/essays-of-francis-bacon-43.html





VIRTUE is like a rich stone, best plain set; and surely virtue is best, in a body that is comely, though not of delicate features; and that hath rather dignity of presence, than beauty of aspect. Neither is it almost seen, that very beautiful persons are otherwise of great virtue; as if nature were rather busy, not to err, than in labor to produce excellency. And therefore they prove accomplished, but not of great spirit; and study rather behavior, than virtue. But this holds not always: for Augustus Caesar, Titus Vespasianus, Philip le Belle of France, Edward the Fourth of England, Alcibiades of Athens, Ismael the Sophy of Persia, were all high and great spirits; and yet the most beautiful men of their times. In beauty, that of favor, is more than that of color; and that of decent and gracious motion, more than that of favor. That is the best part of beauty, which a picture cannot express; no, nor the first sight of the life. There is no excellent beauty, that hath not some strangeness in the proportion. A man cannot tell whether Apelles, or Albert Durer, were the more trifler; whereof the one, would make a personage by geometrical proportions; the other, by taking the best parts out of divers faces, to make one excellent. Such personages, I think, would please nobody, but the painter that made them. Not but I think a painter may make a better face than ever was; but he must do it by a kind of felicity (as a musician that maketh an excellent air in music), and not by rule. A man shall see faces, that if you examine them part by part, you shall find never a good; and yet altogether do well. If it be true that the principal part of beauty is in decent motion, certainly it is no marvel, though persons in years seem many times more amiable; pulchrorum autumnus pulcher; for no youth can be comely but by pardon, and considering the youth, as to make up the comeliness. Beauty is as summer fruits,) which are easy to corrupt, and cannot last; and for the most part it makes a dissolute youth, and an age a little out of countenance; but yet certainly again, if it light well, it maketh virtue shine, and vices blush.
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Raksha Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 08:03 PM
Response to Reply #73
84. Thank you, MADem! I knew someone would bail me out on this one.
Edited on Sat Apr-18-09 08:06 PM by Raksha
Francis Bacon, huh? I guess that means I was close when I said Shakespeare, considering that many people believe Bacon *was* Shakespeare.

I thought this was interesting: A man cannot tell whether Apelles, or Albert Durer, were the more trifler; whereof the one, would make a personage by geometrical proportions; the other, by taking the best parts out of divers faces, to make one excellent.

I didn't realize until I read the full quote that Durer did that--i.e. used composite faces in his paintings. Haven't there been studies done along the same lines, where men have created a composite image of their "ideal woman" by a similar process? It would be very easy to do with a computer graphics program. I think the studies involved a statistical analysis of large numbers of these composite images, to see what they had in common. That's pretty much all I know about it, though.

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D-Lee Donating Member (457 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 05:16 PM
Response to Reply #2
68. And don't forget the same BLUE contact lenses!
It does get pretty stale doesn't it?

On the other hand, I would like to see her dressed in clothes with more flattering lines (no raglan sleeves for those narrow shoulders) and an eyebrow trim ... I just like to fix things up a bit, I guess.

And, if that doesn't happen, I'll still revel in that rich voice ...
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nevergiveup Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 12:51 PM
Response to Original message
3. Being an often grumpy old man
I am seldom moved by such stuff but after watching the video I wanted to hug Susan Boyle. I am not even sure why but she just made me feel so damn good to be alive.
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pnwmom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:02 PM
Response to Reply #3
7. Part of it was her brilliant choice of that particular song.
She said she chose it because it represented her at this stage of her life. She bared her soul for the world to see.

Listening to those words, about how she'd had a dream, and life had killed her dream -- we all lived through her triumph. Life had ALMOST killed her dream -- but with each note out of her mouth, her dream came alive again.
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dkf Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:10 PM
Response to Reply #7
12. Is this why I don't get it?
My brother was trying to explain that its a song about having dreams, but I can't get over the song as the deathbed lament of a desperate woman who doesn't know what is going to become of her daughter. Her rendition didn't move me as much as I normally expect.

Les Miserables is a depressing story. "On My Own" is my fave song...it makes me cry like a baby.
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MADem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:15 PM
Response to Reply #12
17. I think she also picked the tune to demonstrate her range to the three judges.
And she sure as hell did do that!

Also, it's a song that is better known and sung at the drop of a hat for any dreamy reason in UK, Andrew Lloyd Webber and all that...
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dkf Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:32 PM
Response to Reply #17
30. Actually its not done by Webber, its by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg
who also did Miss Saigon.

Now THAT is a tearjerker. I couldn't help but cry from the first note when I went to see it and "I'd Give My Life for You" pretty much killed me.

I haven't listened to my broadway CDs in ages. I think I'll go dig em out.
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MADem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:44 PM
Response to Reply #30
41. I saw Miss Saigon in London, oh...Jeez, was it sixteen years ago?
That helo landing on the stage was quite the thing!
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pnwmom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:19 PM
Response to Reply #12
21. Here's a link to the lyrics. Pretend you never saw Les Miserables.
Edited on Sat Apr-18-09 01:20 PM by pnwmom
These sentiments could be felt by many middle-aged and older people. In Susan's case, her story was that she had given up her life to care for others, and now she was alone. Her mother died two years ago, and since then Susan had stopped singing (until recently). Watching her sing that song was like watching a re-birth. Every note was a magnificent triumph over the bleakness of that last line. Life had AMOST killed her dream -- but now it's alive again.

http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/l/lesmiserables13323/idreamedadream409549.html

There was a time, when men were kind
And their voices were soft
And their words were inviting
There was a time, when love was blind
And the world was a song
And the song was exciting
There was a time it all went wrong

I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high and life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving

Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made and used and wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung, no wine untasted

SNIP

I had a dream my life would be
So different from the hell I'm living
So different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed
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WHAT Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:48 PM
Response to Reply #21
45. She's got culture...
We're all starved for culture...exhibitionism can't take the place of introspection.

I think her maturity helps authenticate her life experience and allows for a personal, yet universal, interpretation we all can feel.

I think she's fantastic.
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Raksha Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 05:24 PM
Response to Reply #45
70. You are right that we're starved for culture,
but even more than that, we're starved for MEANING! Could that be what Susan Boyle evokes in people...the hunger for meaning?
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WHAT Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 07:29 PM
Response to Reply #70
79. I agree with you...
we might be talking about the same thing. meaning? modulating a deep emotional experience?

I guess I think of culture as something transcending the pr saran wrap we are encapsulated in, something real.

I've been coming back to this thread hoping that someone would talk about that.
I just hope she's never on Charlie Rose!
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Raksha Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 07:44 PM
Response to Reply #79
83. I didn't really stop to think about it when I posted,
but I suppose by "meaning" I meant "something real." Doesn't matter on what level--spiritual or physical or both. The antithesis of hype. Something we respond to instinctively, without conditioning or manufactured wants or needs.
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pnwmom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 09:37 PM
Response to Reply #79
86. "Modulating a deep emotional experience." YES!
And it has a lot to do with the particular song she chose, I think. She's said that she picked the song because it reflected her at this particular time in her life. The song is about having dreamed a dream -- but that life killed that dream. We all know what her dream has been. So she sang of the dream, and how it was lost -- but at the same time with each and every note her dream came alive again.

She bared her soul to us -- and we were all there to witness her triumph, at the very moment it occurred.

How often do we get to share in something like that? That combination of incredible vulnerability, hope, courage -- and triumph?
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MADem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Apr-19-09 06:11 AM
Response to Reply #45
94. Did you know, also, that she's developmentally delayed?
She has a learning disability as a consequence of being starved for oxygen at birth.

She's quite a remarkable human being.
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GoesTo11 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Apr-19-09 04:24 PM
Response to Reply #94
99. And she has overcome that and become a singer.
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ayeshahaqqiqa Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:01 PM
Response to Original message
5. I think she is cute
She reminds me of my favorite great aunt--same build, same bushy hair and eyebrows. And I am so glad she doesn't plan to change. Her voice is angelic, her talent genuine.
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dkf Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:03 PM
Response to Original message
8. I was wondering if that is why everyone is so bowled over by her.
I think she has a great voice but I don't get the overwhelming response. Since when does the world go nuts for even great broadway singers?

I'm feeling out of it over this one.
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pnwmom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:07 PM
Response to Reply #8
11. How often does someone bare her talent -- and soul -- to the world
Edited on Sat Apr-18-09 01:10 PM by pnwmom
without compromise, with complete integrity, and succeed brilliantly?

Did you listen carefully to the words of her song? She was -- as she's noted in interviews since -- talking about the stage of her own life. Life had killed her dream. But with each beautiful note from her mouth, her dream came alive again. And most of us could feel it.


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MADem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:11 PM
Response to Reply #8
13. She's really very talented. And there was no "voice mixer" or "overdub" or
any machination of her voice at all. Just a karaoke tape for the music.

And then, there's the fact that she looks real...like "one of us." Not one of the overproduced, over-fluffed, totally faked, "them."

She's from our team. And she's TALENTED. That's why we like her, I think.
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MedleyMisty Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:13 PM
Response to Reply #8
15. It's not about her voice at all really
Her voice is more just sort of the vehicle for it.

Like I said in another thread - I think it may be different personalities. Like those of us who love her story are more people-centered, and those who don't get why we're so into it are more task-centered. So task-centered people would focus on the song and her voice and the technicalities of it whereas those of us who are more people-centered focus on her and her story and personality and personal triumph.

My husband is task-centered. He has no interest in watching her performance but he politely listens to me go on about it.
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dkf Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:45 PM
Response to Reply #15
42. Wow you are so right.
I've listened to so much Broadway and enough Opera that neither her voice nor her version stood out in any significant fashion for me. If I truly want to listen to a song I close my eyes.

On the other hand I was immensely moved by Adam Lambert's version of "Mad World" the other week and I was familiar with both Tears for Fears and Gary Jules versions. But who can explain what touches a person musically?
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mitchum Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:36 PM
Response to Reply #8
33. Because the TV says so!
You will obey!
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MedleyMisty Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:45 PM
Response to Reply #33
43. I haven't watched TV in a decade
I picked up on her story online - actually I wandered into the astrology forum to see what was up (I don't really believe in astrology myself but the people there are nice and struggle with some of the same things I struggle with emotionally in dealing with human evil) and found the link in a thread there, before it was posted all over GD and the Lounge.

I have watched some of her interviews with the MSM online, and they actually seem to underscore that it's not a MSM-driven thing. The people interviewing her seem to not really know how to deal with the story. It's like they're trying to fit her story into their plastic reality (for instance, I've noticed a few articles that seem to be trying to push the line that the whole thing is completely due to MSM approved celebrities Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher mentioning her on Twitter) and they're kind of bemused at what the unwashed masses are choosing to celebrate. They obviously don't get the first thing about her story or why it appeals to people. I think this story came from the bottom up rather than from the top down.
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pnwmom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:53 PM
Response to Reply #43
50. I think you're right -- "this story came from the bottom up
rather than the top down."
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kestrel91316 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:04 PM
Response to Original message
9. All she needs is a good hairstylist and some fancy duds, and she's set.
Maybe a minor eyebrow plucking, though they are such a part of her charm........

Ella Fitzgerald and Kate Smith made MILLIONS and weren't Barbie knockoffs, IIRC.
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MADem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:12 PM
Response to Reply #9
14. She doesn't want a makeover. "Why should I?" she said! nt
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kestrel91316 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:40 PM
Response to Reply #14
38. She doesn't need a makeover. Her hair actually looks a little better
in a photo from later in the week, so maybe she was just having a bad hair day. I ought to know, I have plenty of them myself, lol.

And more stylish clothes for performing doesn't constitute a makeover either.
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MADem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:49 PM
Response to Reply #38
48. I think when she went for a haircut, the hairdresser did a better job
styling it to cover that bald spot.

She is "developmentally delayed" as they say. Lack of oxygen at birth. She's not going to be too easily swayed by encouragement from others to fiddle with her looks, I don't think--she's in a comfort zone/routine as far as her clothes and looks and so forth. I hope one of her brothers or sisters gives her a loyal hand in navigating these waters, and maybe runs interference for her and watches her back.
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eShirl Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:17 PM
Response to Reply #9
19. she doesn't "need" any of that. n/t
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originalpckelly Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:13 PM
Response to Original message
16. I just listened to that song of hers from '99, Cry Me A River.
It's a tragedy she's only getting into music so late in life. That's so beautiful.
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originalpckelly Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:16 PM
Response to Reply #16
18. It makes me want to cry a river.
No literally, it does. :-( :cry:
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MADem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:19 PM
Response to Reply #16
20. She's been in music for a long time--just not "famous" at it!
She's turning into one of those "overnight sensations" who have been working at their craft for many, many years. It's part of why she's so good, perhaps--she's been able to hone her talent without everyone staring at her.
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LisaL Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:20 PM
Response to Reply #20
22. How has she been in music for a long time?
That one song on a charity CD?
Give me a break.
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alarimer Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:24 PM
Response to Reply #22
24. Singing in a choir doesn't count?
Just because someone is not making records, it doesn't mean they are not in music. There are plenty of amateurs out there who just love music for it's own sake.
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pnwmom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:27 PM
Response to Reply #24
25. It wasn't enough for her, clearly. She said she'd always wanted to perform
Edited on Sat Apr-18-09 01:28 PM by pnwmom
for a large audience. Now she can.

Singing in a CHURCH choir is not about performing. It's about worshipping. In that sense, she hasn't been "in music."
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MADem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:41 PM
Response to Reply #25
39. She performed at the local pub next to a hotel near her home regularly.
Not just a church choir. She also performed in musicals locally.

See the link I provided upthread.

She's been performing since she was a small child. And yes, she HAS been "in music."

If the definition of being "in music" means it only counts if you have a big audience, a lot of very good musicians, by your measure, are screwed.

You, too, are in error.
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pnwmom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:48 PM
Response to Reply #39
46. I hadn't heard about her performing in the pub regularly, or about musicals.
If that's the case, then she has been working in music.
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MADem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:38 PM
Response to Reply #22
35. Give me a break??? Is she your best friend? Do you live in the next council house over in West
Lothian? You couldn't be MORE wrong, despite your ironically bullying and assertive tone.

She said in one of her interviews that she's taken voice for some time. She has been "musical" since childhood.

Don't talk out your ass as if you know, when you don't.

Of course, you'll want a link. Here, let me oblige you:

Yet, bullied though she was, there wasn't anyone in Blackburn who could deny that Susan had an amazing voice.
She was a musical child and, at the age of 12, her mother placed her in the choir of her local Catholic church. 'I also sang in musicals at school, lots of them, I can't remember what.'
After leaving school, she became a regular on the microphone at the Happy Valley Hotel in Blackburn and performed karaoke at local pubs.



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1171536/They-called-Susie-Simple-singing-superstar-Susan-Boyle-laughing-now.html

Is "since childhood" a period that is "long enough" to suit you? I won't hold my breath waiting for your apology. But I'll take that "break" you need to "gimme."


Always musical: Her talent was spotted at a young age
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LisaL Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 04:23 PM
Response to Reply #35
65. Yea and my parents wanted my sister to play a piano.
Edited on Sat Apr-18-09 04:26 PM by LisaL
She's done it for several years as a child. Too bad she hated it. But I guess she's been "in music" since childhood. Seriously you are describing things many people do. Performing in school musicals or singing karaoke is hardly being "in music."

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MADem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 05:34 PM
Response to Reply #65
71. How about getting paid to sing at the hotel bar?
But of course, LisaL, you just can't acknowledge that you spoke too soon.

And you've got a pretty lame attitude as to what constitutes being musical. No one "wanted" this gal to play a piano--she's had an acknowledged instrument in her voice for many, many DECADES. It's why she was tapped to perform on that charity record you denigrated--ten long years ago.

What a sad soul you are--you think the only way people can be "in music" is if they're "commercially successful." Either that, or known to you.

You are wrong. Have a swell day, now.
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LisaL Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 06:37 PM
Response to Reply #71
76. I've read through the link you provided. It says she took
Edited on Sat Apr-18-09 06:39 PM by LisaL
her one and only job as a trainee cook in a hotel, and that lasted a short time because she wasn't that good at cooking. It says nothing about her being paid to sing in a hotel bar. It says after her being a cook didn't work out, she didn't work except for charity. Again it doesn't say she made a living by singing in hotel bars.

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MADem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 06:51 PM
Response to Reply #76
77. It doesn't matter. You don't think she's a musician because you think that
only "famous" people that YOU know can have that designation. It doesn't matter if she's been singing since childhood in a variety of PUBLIC venues. It doesn't matter if her entire village knows her as a singer. YOU don't, and apparently, in your little world, you're the only one who counts. Fortunately, in the bigger world, no one gives a shit what you think.

Tell me, is the author who writes the book that isn't a bestseller not an author?

Is the painter who doesn't have paintings hung in a museum not a painter?

Is the busking guitarist on the street "not a guitarist" .... all because YOU don't know them?

You're really something. Judgmental and a bit vicious about this lovely woman, too. Why is that, I wonder?
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LisaL Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 06:57 PM
Response to Reply #77
78. Nothing you say makes any sense to me. How am I being
judgmental about this woman? Because I say she hadn't made a living by singing? That's being judgmental to you?


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MADem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 07:35 PM
Response to Reply #78
80. You've decided she's not "in music" because she doesn't fit into your odd definition of that term.
Sorry--anyone who's been singing in public since she was twelve is "in music" to me. And to most anyone else who isn't in the mood to carp about this lady.
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LisaL Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 07:40 PM
Response to Reply #80
81. I have meant that she was not a professional singer,
and hadn't made a living out of it.
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MADem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 07:41 PM
Response to Reply #81
82. You're moving the goalposts. You said she was not "in music."
And you snarked at me about it, too.
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BlooInBloo Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 09:53 PM
Response to Reply #80
91. I've been in music all of my life too. I love hearing it. And I sing in the shower.
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LisaL Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 10:04 PM
Response to Reply #91
92. There you go.
I guess I've been in music as well. Although I can't carry a tune, I sang in a school choir.
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MADem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Apr-19-09 06:07 AM
Response to Reply #91
93. Performed in musicals, in an organized choir, at your local pub, and the nearby hotel bar?
Edited on Sun Apr-19-09 06:08 AM by MADem
Cut a record for a charity outfit? Taken voice lessons for several years? Been identified as a "talent" since before you were a teen?

The point I was making is that this woman did not fall off the turnip truck in terms of working to improve her vocal skills. LisaL is denigrating the effort she made simply because the woman isn't commercial, or famous. Which says more about LisaL than it does about Susan Boyle.
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pnwmom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:24 PM
Response to Reply #20
23. She took lessons for a couple years and sings in the church choir.
Edited on Sat Apr-18-09 01:29 PM by pnwmom
Most of us wouldn't think of that as being "in music." A church choir isn't about performing, it's a form of worship.

But she's clearly been working at her craft.
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MADem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:42 PM
Response to Reply #23
40. Nope. She sang at the hotel pub and in local musicals, too.
I even provided a link upthread.
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burning rain Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:28 PM
Response to Original message
26. In a word, novelty, or... a token.
^
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pnwmom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:31 PM
Response to Reply #26
29. In three words: authenticity, beauty, courage. In one word: soul.
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burning rain Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:55 PM
Response to Reply #29
52. Well, I suppose having a soul might do as a novelty, for a little while.
Cynicism isn't often a vice of mine, but when it comes to the entertainment world that's a different matter.
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originalpckelly Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:38 PM
Response to Reply #26
36. She seems to have more talent than most of these pathetic excuses for singers today.
Maybe actual music will come back into style, you know, with people singing words that make sense on a pitch instead of screeching/mumbling into a microphone. I'm 22, by the way, and I like all kinds of music. Even some of those screechy shitty things, they are catchy. I mean, if you hear screechy crap enough, it will get stuck in your head.
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Hanse Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:30 PM
Response to Original message
28. Because some people underestimate ugly people.
Me, I couldn't care less.
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pnwmom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:33 PM
Response to Reply #28
31. She's only ugly to those with Madison Avenue eyes.
To me, she's beautiful.
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Hanse Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:34 PM
Response to Reply #31
32. No, she's ugly to you to.
Otherwise you wouldn't have been so surprised and interested in her.
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pnwmom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:37 PM
Response to Reply #32
34. Where have I indicated surprise? In looks, she reminds me of many of the beloved Irish
relatives I grew up with.

And I've explained up-thread why she interests me. It has nothing to do with her looks, and everything to do with her spirit.
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Hanse Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:40 PM
Response to Reply #34
37. With your OP.
There are a million people out there who can sing just as well as this woman, and if she hadn't been playing a bozo on a TV show, nobody would have batted an eye. You included.
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pnwmom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:46 PM
Response to Reply #37
44. Some people won't ever get it. The OP is for those who do. n/t
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tabasco Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:58 PM
Response to Reply #44
53. Hahaha. Disagree with me? You don't get it.
What a great debate technique!
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pnwmom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 02:09 PM
Response to Reply #53
56. I'm not trying to debate. The OP was written
for those of us who were thrilled to watch her, not those who couldn't care less.
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BlooInBloo Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:48 PM
Response to Original message
47. Nietzschean inversion.
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pnwmom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:55 PM
Response to Reply #47
51. Remind me.
I read some Nietzche, but I need a refresher.
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BlooInBloo Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 02:09 PM
Response to Reply #51
57. Ugly becomes pretty, if you just redefine enough terms.
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Iris Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Apr-19-09 06:24 AM
Response to Reply #57
95. which we see over and over in the fashion world
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Peregrine Took Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 01:53 PM
Response to Original message
49. Her "ugliness" wouldn't merit a 2nd glance walking down the street.
Its only in the media that we have been taught not to tolerate less than chisel nosed perfection.

I always loved that scene from the original "Batman" when the news people stop wearing makeup and start to look like ordinary folks, warts and all.

The "Ken and Barbie" obsession by the MSM is pathetic. I understand most of them get their make up blown into their pores by some kind of expensive machine in order to cover the flaws. Their looks are totally phony and just one more distortion the MSM shoves down our throats.
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pnwmom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 02:05 PM
Response to Reply #49
54. To me, Simon what's-his-name's teeth look unnerving.
Edited on Sat Apr-18-09 02:06 PM by pnwmom
Too white and too fake.

Why has uniformity become the ideal?
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glitch Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 02:53 PM
Response to Reply #54
61. It only has to the pathologically insecure.
Unfortunately they own the media, so uniformity is what you see there.
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MADem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 02:07 PM
Response to Reply #49
55. It's an airbrush nozzle--like they use to paint cars!!
They used to use them on photos, too, but now they do that on the computer!

http://www.airpromakeup.com/

Funny how the switch to digital has freaked out so many TV talking heads! They look so clearly....HUMAN now!

The Europeans used to love coming here to be on TV--because we had fewer "lines" in our picture, they always looked way younger. Digital is now leveling the old playing field!
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glitch Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 02:50 PM
Response to Reply #49
60. This reminds me of a story about a young garment worker who was protesting slave labor
used to create Kathy Lee Gifford's clothing line. To combat the PR disaster Kathy met with her and this normally brave articulate young girl was unusually quiet.
Later she said that Kathy Lee's wholly plastic appearance terrified her. That story reminded me of the movie Brazil.
I don't think Susan Boyle is "ugly" either, I mean it's not like she looks like this:

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pnwmom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 03:56 PM
Response to Reply #60
63. And it's not like she looks like THIS:


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LisaL Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 04:27 PM
Response to Reply #49
66. Exactly. She is an average looking woman.
It's just we are so used to seeing gorgeous performers on TV.
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pnwmom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 09:40 PM
Response to Reply #66
87. On the surface, she's just ordinary -- which in some people's book,
Edited on Sat Apr-18-09 09:41 PM by pnwmom
apparently means ugly.

But I could watch her all day.
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Subdivisions Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 02:19 PM
Response to Original message
58. As far as I'm concerned, she's one of the most beautiful people on the planet. n/t
Edited on Sat Apr-18-09 02:19 PM by Subdivisions
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glitch Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 02:43 PM
Response to Original message
59. Imitation is suicide.(Ralph Waldo Emerson) nt
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rucky Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 05:24 PM
Response to Original message
69. The A&R industry is scrambling to find more Susan Boyles
and knowing them, they'll take an average-to-pleasant looking singer with a decent voice, frump her down and parade her around town as the next discovery. Then she'll get re-madeover and turn into another Kelly Clarkson.
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MedleyMisty Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 05:35 PM
Response to Reply #69
72. And that won't work
You can't force things like this.
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pnwmom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 09:42 PM
Response to Reply #69
89. And then some reporter will go to her hometown and the jig will be up.
Hopefully.
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LWolf Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 06:31 PM
Response to Original message
74. She doesn't.
I've never even heard of her, other than seeing her name in a bunch of thread titles on DU today.

:shrug:
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pnwmom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 09:46 PM
Response to Reply #74
90. Then I'd be doing you a disservice
Edited on Sat Apr-18-09 09:47 PM by pnwmom
if I didn't at least give you a link. I know it's probably not the sort of thing you'd usually look at -- I don't follow this show, either -- but, but, but . . . I hope you will.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnmbJzH93NU
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LWolf Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Apr-19-09 01:33 PM
Response to Reply #90
98. Ah.
A singing contest.

She must have won.
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pnwmom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Apr-19-09 09:26 PM
Response to Reply #98
100. She qualified. The talent competition will be ongoing. n/t
Edited on Sun Apr-19-09 09:27 PM by pnwmom
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Mike 03 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 06:33 PM
Response to Original message
75. She thrills us because of her talent. It's dumb to try to spin this into a social statement.
Edited on Sat Apr-18-09 06:34 PM by Mike 03
I heard her voice DAYS before I saw her face.

It's called "art."

Not only is it dumb, but it's probably sexist to make this into a bigger social deal than it is.

Who cared what Stanley Kubrick looked like?
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pnwmom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 09:27 PM
Response to Reply #75
85. I'm not talking about her face. I'm talking about her persistence -- even
against some ridicule (which was based on her age and apparent social class as much as anything else, IMO) -- and her ability to believe in her talent.
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Mind_your_head Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-18-09 09:41 PM
Response to Original message
88. Susan Boyle defies the 'rules' just because she has REAL HONEST TO G-D TALENT
Posers be d*mned.
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Triana Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Apr-19-09 10:36 AM
Response to Original message
96. GOOD for her! I hope she doesn't change a thing. n/t
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Threedifferentones Donating Member (820 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Apr-19-09 10:42 AM
Response to Original message
97. On her own terms?
Riiiiiiiight
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