I Confess, I Was Part of the Rossi Posse

I must admit, I was totally hooked on the Rock Star Super Nova series, as was the case with its predecessor, Rock Star Inxs. At a time where I opt not to ever turn on the TV, this was the exception to the rule. As part of my depression (for lack of a better word), I'd lost interest in everything that is TV. Or maybe it wasn't just depression, maybe it was an absence of quality programming or anything that remotely interested me that probably contributed as well. Whatever the case, I tended to mostly stick to factual programs - news, biographies, documentaries, etc. I've also enjoyed some reality TV in the past - but we're bombarded with so much of it now that it's overkill for me and I've lost interest in all of it. But Rock Star is different for me. That's caught my interest.

Now, just as I commented on Will's blog (sidebar link), I'm not completely sold on the idea of auditioning for a "rock" group in this manner. Being eliminated in front of the world is an exercise in humility and leaves one wide open for crushing blows to the ol' self esteem. Being criticized, even if it is in a constructive light, is hard enough on one's pride - being criticized in front of millions of people can really mess with the mind. Hopefully these people survive the flashbacks of team captains picking the dodgeball teams and being the last, unpicked one standing there. May as well be naked at that point.

I tend to question whether or not "what you see is what you get" and the overall honesty of the performances....these people obviously were very much aware of the cameras on them and I wonder how much this impacted their behavior and the delivery of the songs. Towards the end, some of the intensity seemed "forced" and unnatural to me - more like trained monkeys than guys up there truly lost in the performance and lovin' every minute of it. Lukas, however, remained unchanged to me - I feel he was perhaps the only one who stayed "true to himself" and wasn't affected by the whole scene. Maybe that's part of why he made it, I dunno.

Right from the word go I pegged it - Lukas to win, Dilana in there, battling hard. Those two were my favorites - I LOVED DILANA - both her voice and her style. I'd actually pay to go see a show of hers....I hope that she makes it (and think she will). Lukas, however, was the perfect "fit" for this band, as far as I'm concerned. I think he'll add a "fresh" factor to these old geezers/rockers (whom I love, btw) and his sense of style completely screams out "rock and roll star". As well as having a very unique voice and the capacity to shift gears and take on any song, he always managed to do so by adding his own flair to them. Some people just have the ability to perform cover songs and make them their own - Lukas did that for me. Some of the other performances, while very "good", reminded me of impersonations in a Vegas lounge. While the rockers may have pulled off very good renditions of the songs, they did absolutely nothing to show me that they were "their own". And if you're going to do it exactly like the original, remember - you're not the original and people don't forget that. Try and do Radiohead exactly like Thom Yorke, without actually BEING Thom Yorke and you're settting yourself up for failure in my eyes. Show them that you can do it your way...just like Frank told you to. This is probably why I liked Zayra...she was completely original and brought something new to the stuff she performed. It wasn't always "the best" as far as perfection...but it was always interesting and entertaining. Never boring. And some of the carbon copies bored me.

Probably the "decider" for me (as I was torn between the two) were the interviews. Dilana's honesty (which I could completely relate to) probably got the best of her in the end - it just wasn't the politically correct thing to do in slamming her peers (as Dave was quick to point out). I knew, then, that she'd probably blown her opportunity and the band likely wasn't interested in inheriting this kind of drama into the mix. While I applaud her honesty, I think it played a role in helping make the final decision. No matter what, she should've taken the diplomatic high road and refrained from one upping by trash talking - she probably expected it to help her but it totally had the reverse effect. It showed her lack of "got your back" comradery and only managed to paint her as a bit of a two faced backstabber. Even if it was the truth to her, it made her come off as immature and petty. Lukas, on the other hand, handled himself very well, like a pro as a matter of fact. He knew the limits and, while he pushed the boundaries of things, did so with class and composure. Dilana struggled with that at the end and her unravelling was the beginning of the end (I think) for her.

So, congrats to Lukas, the little Canadian cutie who did us proud. Just like JD before him, these guys are giving the world a taste of some Canadian kickass class and talent. Way to go Lukas, game on!

(And note: learning that Lukas has worked with members of Rush and Big Wreck and jammed with Papa Roach explains a lot to me...this guy's destined to do something great)