I’ll have what everybody else’s having
What is talent? It is simply the ability to overcome stage fright. Conquering topophobia is a talent in itself. This is my conclusion from watching tv lately. An example (this I see alot): There was a candidate in a beauty contest who performed a dance number. From what I had seen, it, obviously, wasn’t about the quality of the performance that should be noted but her guts - pulling off a lousy, for-compliance-sake performance, with confidence.
A talent is what you can do in front of other people. You don’t have yet the talent even if you are endowed with an exceptional singing voice if your ‘exposure’ is limited only within the confines of your bathroom or in front of the clothesline while hanging freshly-washed clothes. What you have is only a gift.
A kid who can make his underarm fart in ‘Nickelodeon’ is showcasing his talent while a person who can identify all the genes in human DNA is, more likely, gifted.
I was tempted to cite Einstein, but he was not gifted. He was a genius. Like Mozart was to music. I am not much into classical music, so I cannot tell a work of a genius from, say, a Levy Celerio -I’m not saying that he was not a genius in his own right. He wasn’t a national artist for nothing.
If those people who call the shots in the art world say that a Picasso’s painting of a disfigured woman with a volleyball by the beach is a masterpiece, then for me it is. Who am I to contradict what erudites proclaim? If I cannot appreciate it now, what I usually do is to just force it down my throat and chalk it up in my head under the category: The-Elite-Says-So.
But with movies I let no one tell me what to watch. Like in the case of two Eastwood films: I don’t think "Mystic River" deserved the criticisms it received. Contrary to what critics say, I find it a better movie than "Unforgiven".
Other things takes some getting-used-to to appreciate, like music. New genres - usually a mutation of the established genres - pop-up once in a while. Now it’ll take more than regular air-time on the FM radio or gimmicks to sell it to the people. When I first heard the album "Nevermind" I thought it was the musical form of an excruciating headache. But it didn’t take long before I fell in love with it. Now I believe that Kurt Cobain was a genius.
It would be naive or downright stupid of me not to realize by now that there are in the music and fashion industry who are calling the shots. They practically tell everyone what to wear and what to listen to. How else can anyone explain how fashion gurus get to predict what’ll be in and what’ll be out next year? Does anyone really think that fashion evolve naturally? Some people simply won’t allow it.
This is how I think it works: Once a year famous names in the fashion world come together to submit their own idea of the next big trend. Everyone’s sketches will be flashed on the overhead projector and the design that will register the biggest laugh from the audience will be adopted.
How can I prove this? Well, ever wonder why trendy clothes look funny at first? Well, because they are. Initial reactions are almost always correct. How come it still proliferates? Because nobody dares to laugh at ‘what’s in’. We have to keep that opinion to ourselves or suffer ridicule from peers for not being up-to-date or being ‘baduy’. Now, imagine everybody thinks like this, so that there is now a false sense of approval or support from everybody by just being quiet about it. Don’t be surprised if there will be more and more youngsters who walk around looking like clowns.
Now if the above isn’t convincing enough, here is a truly ‘give-away’ in proving the veracity of my conspiracy theory: Why are your photos of the last decade so hilarious and embarrasing to watch? Because by now your already sober and in a better position to render an honest judgment. As if looking from a distance, you now see the real big picture: That they were really meant to be funny in the first place. Notice also that only after the trend has become something of the past or ‘Hindi na uso’ we are now allowed to laugh our heart’s out at those silly wadrobes and hairtyles we once proudly display and used to impress the opposite sex.
So fashion-wise, one is actually more of a Tommy Hilfiger than a Dennis Rodman if he snorts rather than applaud at what he sees in fashion shows. Ever notice how simple fashion designers dress-up? When they are dragged on the stage by the models after the show, they’re the only ones who look… normal. Take your fashion tips from them…literally.
Not much of a different setup in the music industry. I remember the tv show "How Did They Do That" featured how they made Billy Ray Cyrus an instant household name and his one-hit-wonder "Achy Breaky Heart" an ‘overnight’ hit. Look!, they even made money out of revealing to the people they screwed-up how they were screwed-up good…in record time!
All these only make me realize that I do not know what I want until it is rammed down my throat or shoved up my a_ _, whichever is more convenient to them.
You can’t beat the system.
