Welcome to the newest regular feature here at True Genius Requires Insanity, the “Crate Dig.” As you may already be aware, we strongly feel as though it’s time to advocate a “back to basics” movement in music. We feel that instead of everyone being an innovator, that some of us need to be preserving the importance of original source material. To that end, the “Crate Dig” will feature members of the TGRIOnline.com staff, the “Hustlers of Culture,” digging through their mental crates to remember the songs that made them appreciate music. There will be some amazing, and yes, embarrassing choices here, but always the key impact is to remember when music was not something to be over studied, remixed, downloaded, forgotten and torn asunder. We’re remembering when music was simply a song you liked, and really couldn’t tell you more than a sentence or two why. Sit back, reminisce, and enjoy the building blocks of music appreciation.
Reason discovered: MTV’s The Cut
The trend of “unknowns sing on TV to get contracts and renown” is a stalwart concept of television. It fills thirteen (or more) weeks with first run programming that is inexpensive, cheaply produced and easy to follow. With notable programs like Star Search and American Idol taking the cake and being the industry standard, my favorite, by far MTV’s 1998 foray into the concept, The Cut. I didn’t even like The Cut as a show. I liked the fact that Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes was the lead singer, and that Mack 10, who was dating T-Boz at the time, was a judge. It was a funky little piece of corporate synergy between MTV and LaFace Records, and it was otherwise filler programming. Except for Anastacia.
The pert and spunky then 30 year old Chicago singer was the entire reason to watch the show. A white girl who sang like Martha Wash, she had her own material and could blow like none other. She even was a Crohn’s disease sufferer, and pretty much had the saddest story on the show. One of her tracks, “Not That Kind,” really stood out. It was loud, brassy, ballsy and proud, and for a guy who counts Janis Joplin and Dusty Springfield as voices from heaven, I was enraptured and immediately decided that even though she was on MTV in front of millions of people, that she was MY new discovery. Before blogging existed, I told pretty much everyone I knew on the Providence College campus, plus all friends, family and colleagues about her, that they needed to hear this song, and that she was going to be huge.
All that being said, Anastacia is how I learned about industry politics.
A) She didn’t win the show. No, for being by leaps and bounds the most technically talented performer on the show and that she could stand inside a barn and blow the barn doors off 50 feet away with terrific clarity, a easily marketable and timely to the era male/female rap duo, Silky, won the contest. Remember Silky’s hits? No? Exactly. I thought so.
B) She signed to a Sony boutique label based off of her success on the show, and her debut album Not that Kind, with a lead single “I’m Outta Love” that was tailor made for radio. Well, in the US it hit #168 on the album chart and sold 188,000 copies. Overseas? Over 7x Platinum, spawning a legendary decade long career.
Man. Anastacia’s awesome. And ultimately the reason I learned one of the saddest lessons of all.
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