I'm probably going to get a lot of push back on this and angry email and comments... But I really need to tell you all something.

I am the 1% of America which cannot stand the idea of the "American Idol" TV show. Now before you set up the noose and march my burning likeness down Main Street... allow me to elaborate.

I'm a musician. In the loosest sense of the word sometimes. I play punk rock. I've been playing it for about 12 years now. It's not as long as some, but in my genre which is built around youth culture, it's almost ancient.
The bands I have been in have never made a lot of money. They seem to have earned more noteriety than record deals, but that's ok. I have shoeboxes and albums worth of pictures,trinkets, and other memories that are worth more to me than a paycheck would ever bring.

I guess you would have to have spent a very long time in a sweaty van with me to understand a few rules of thumb that were learned in the punk rock culture...

1. Rich Kids can't play rock and roll
2. Play one slow song for every fast six.
3. New City equals small crowd
4. The Bar tab is never free
5. Fall down 7 times, get up 8
6. Never trust a karoke singer

It's number six that makes me think of American Idol. I just don't see it as much more than a glorified karoke competition. I mean, they don't even let them sing their own songs... so how are we supposed to know and gauge how good they really are? (The sad truth is you aren't... most pop singers don't even write their own music nowadays)

There is a huge abundance of singers and bands playing in bars around the country tonight as I type on this computer. Most aren't so good, but there are some that are playing their hearts out singing a song that they wrote that quite frankly means the world to them. Other musicians call it "paying their dues." You can't get somewhere if you aren't willing to take the journey.

I don't like music contests. I never have really. I just can't see some judge telling me that I'm not good enough to meet his or her standards. I mean no offense... but Paula, Randy and Simon were no where near me when I wrote some of my favorite songs, so how can someone judge my personal contribution to the world? The answer is they can't. No one can judge your art, that is a gift from yourself to the listener. A song becomes as powerful as you let it be, and the critics... well they said Star Wars wouldn't last either...

On that note... I'm even more angry at American Idol because they gave me someone to cheer for. I'm talking of course about Taylor Hicks. From day one, this guy just wanted to sing. When I saw him take a stroll with harmonica in hand... I cursed the sky for giving me someone to root for. An underdog who was so unlike the other contestants... it was phenominal. He wasn't a "Clarkson" or a "Rocker" a "Country guy"... he was Taylor. And tonight he won. So I guess that makes me a big ol' hypocrite since I like the fact he won but hate the contest. (I was however watching Lost tonight... so Fox didn't get any ratings out of me)

The race for American Idol got more votes than the last presidential election... I think that says something about American consumers to the outside world, and it's not too good.