suicide blonde

... and suzie mcneal falls out of rockstar inxs, which doesn't surprise me much. she figured in the bottom three from viewer's votes so many times which could only mean her onstage appeal had to be proven many times over to appreciate her "fit' into the new inxs. her version of stone temple pilots' "Interstate Love Song" was rockin' (save for a few missed cues!), but her rendition of the inxs original "Suicide Blonde", though quite impressive, lacked the luster that would have proven gender was a non-issue for repackaging inxs.

J.D. was quite a surprise. his performance of "By My Side" was so smooth, so smooth indeed he surprisingly sang it with such ease but with a whole lot of oomph. which is quite a threat to marty (who happened to be the one spared from the bottom three), who has that trademark blank but daring look in his eyes that could well become the signature of the future inxs. mig, who had never landed in the bottom three until today, finally had the chance to sing an inxs song. he did "What You Need" and i was almost blown away -- michael hutchence.... isdatchu???

it's down to marty, J.D., and mig.

redefining inxs

Been quite a while and I must say I have recently slipped into irreversible addiction to reality tv. Hardly productive, given you can easily read between the script i.e., producers’ manipulation, and deconstruct production right off the bat (which makes it even more interesting!), though admittedly it is wildly entertaining that my new name is mark burnett.

One “reality show” worthy of dissecting is rockstar inxs, for reasons that one, I am a fan of inxs, and two, that whoever “wins” in the “show” will actually be around for a long time, front and center: he/she will actually have a job which fans will follow and consume for the years to come. And with one of the more notable rock bands to ever carry on their ingénue and brand, crossing over time, well past the eras of bubble gum rock, grunge, hip-hop, white rap, and various reincarnations (read: bon jovi <-- will you guys please retire?). Above all, whoever emerges the best performer in rockstar inxs would have the greatest challenge and/or burden of resurrecting the band and replacing its former lead vocalist who once thought he’d be immortalized if he snorted coke to death. alas, the millennium gave birth to the most nifty of inventions that churned sustained viewing and brought megabucks to stockholders that it is almost safe to say that the first record that inxs will release with its new vocalist is already a sure platinum, what with the hype and loyal following from viewers and voters alike.

I got hooked on rockstar inxs when the contestants were already down to about five (I believe there were 15 at the beginning). The remaining five were really great performers and artists, but come showdown, there are only two who always emerge with that rockstar edge: marty and mig. Never mind the audience votes, I think it’s the magic they bring onstage and a possible “new” sound and image of inxs that you’d anticipate long after the reality contest is over.

Jordis (with that outrageous rastaman `do) did an impressive version of lennon’s “Imagine” that I almost levitated off my bed pondering on the injustices in this world. Sadly, Jordis’s musical experience and grip were confined to selected pieces that she failed to show her versatility and maturity as a musician when rehearsing and performing her own composition. You’re only good as your last performance.

J.D., on the other hand, is very cute. ‘nuff said. Ok, ok, the guy’s talented, and he stole the show during the photo shoot for levi’s. but frontman for inxs? I don’t think so. He doesn’t exude the flavor of what inxs has been known to be. He seems too soft for inxs. He’s not “wicked” enough. He’d probably make a better fit for a returning boy band, more like Backstreet Boys Gone Bad kind of band. and that "Pretty Vegas" composition of his, though catchy and very promising, doesn't squeeze much of the artist in him.

Suzie has one of the more powerful vocals among the last five, and true to what marty once told her, she has the vocal power to prove to inxs that if a woman were to front for the band, her voice would be it. Her performance of bonnie rait’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” indeed squished my insides. But I don’t buy it that her rendition of bohemian rhapsody was all that great. It’s bohemian rhapsody, for crying out loud. It’s almost a blasphemy to have somebody else sing it other than the late, great freddy mercury, let alone a woman belting it out.


And then there’s marty, who definitely has the looks that would catapult inxs back to selling records in no time, and an ever-present attitude onstage that oozes with much mystery and sexuality, especially when he starts to swoon in rock-star fashion. He had me at “Wish You Were Here”, a Pink Floyd original and his original composition “Trees” which is becoming a favorite. Marty is a story teller when he holds that mic. You’re a captured audience. You’re trapped. Which is a big threat to my other favorite, mig. I’ve heard about mig long before I even tuned in to the show, and I said to myself, oh another talented pinoy raised in a foreign land joining a contest and the whole Philippines is owning him, left and right he is the cousin or a friend or a classmate of this and that. Until of course, I saw him perform. That man is the bomb! Never mind that he looked like pepe smith’s bastard, but the man practically exudes rockstar confidence. he has the onstage attitude and could very well carry a slide-over-here-and-give-me-a-moment-your-moves-are-so-raw kind of performance. He proved his substance when he sang “Paint It Black” by the rolling stone (so apt, so amazing) and “Hard to Handle” by the black crowes, and still pull it off with a dark ballad through “Kiss From A Rose” from Seal. It made it even more interesting that he’s done theatre (notably rent, the musical) and has the lyrical prowess to translate his thespian vocals into rock tunes that I can almost hear what the new inxs would sound like. And I think I’m going to like it.

Ah, but the saga continues, the votes are yet to come in and the members of inxs have yet to decide who will bring them back into the musical radar. Surely, I will be following the weekly progress until the finale. Told you I am hooked.