Are we seeing the results of polishing turds?

The school (and I was a huge early supporter - speaking there several times, visiting for lectures, raising money for it via the gigs) shows people how to make the most of their (sometimes limited) talent.

And it does that very well BUT...

Isn't one of the keys of British musical talent (in front of and behind the scenes) the ability to originate?

And isn't that what Brit school graduates lack?

We get really skilled masters and mistresses of existing genres but very little star quality and almost no originality.

You can't teach that.

The Brits school highlights a problem that goes right across the board in the new wave of funding and "teaching" available in for existing music facilties and new ones.
You can hone natural talent but you can`t teach it, you have to look for it and so often the wrong people seem to have the voice.

At a grass roots level, from other government funded music projects, you would fall on the floor in disbelief at some of the things I have witnessed as being passable.

I do fear that the ability to originate is so often bashed out of new artistes crushed into conformality by those that can only see what they know.

Yes I remember Peter Whitehead raving about Radiohead in the early days as we did at the Tipsheet.

Nobody would sign them today.

Ditto Chumbawamba - One Little Indian actually dropped them and without the Tip Sheet, Tubthumping would never have been released.

It took me two years to persuade Steve Greenberg to have a go at Who Let The Dogs Out.

Mika - Brits school Freddie meets Scissor Sisters clone/copy becomes a major label priority...

The majors are lazy and do not look for real talent. They go along to see the 19 year olds in their last year at the Brits School and pick the ones they want to promote. They can't be bothered to look for real talent - people who have worked hard, written their own songs, gigged successfully for years etc.

I was shocked by many of the performances last night. Adele - do me a favour. Mark Ronson's trio of singers were painful to watch. It took me a while to realise that Daniel M was singing a Supremes song, so mangled was his version. When is someone going to admit that Amy Winehouse just makes a noise. Words are very important especially in very slow emotional songs. Just listen to Billie Holliday. Lena Horne etc.

Am I on my own in saying that The Emperor Brits has no clothes on.

And finally, at least the Osbourne children looked embarrassed about their parents' conduct, especially Sharon, who does not have Ozzie's excuses.

JK it is not the fault of the school or the talent but the fault of the record companies who sign identikit artists and pass over everyone doing something remotely original. So they all copy and imitate and hit a brick wall. In the rush for hits we end up producing shit i'm afraid. But things will change and we will get back to the situation in the 80s when people can make the music they like instead of being like (insert popular artist).

I personally think Adele's album is quite good.I think that Kate Nash's album is very good as well, but I agree with what Dex says about finding real talent.

I believe that was what the Arctic Monkeys were trying to say, when they came out to get their awards. They have managed to be very successful through nobody promoting them intitially. That was the highlight of the Brit show, yet the producers cut them short.

Although the Osbournes were not as bad as I initially thought, I felt that Sharon made a bit of a fool for herself by having a pop at the Arctic's.

One can imagine the Majors standing outside the Brit School gates on the last day of term shepherding the leavers straight into the studio - especially if they have a husky 'soul' voice.

It saves time & petrol travelling around the country to the grotty pubs where are the hard-working talented people are playing for peanuts.

Wonder if Dylan or the Beatles would have gone to a 'Brit School' establishment if available in their day. Think not.

To move music (and the business) forward a few risks will have to be taken.

One positive from last nights Brits awards though. The light show. Very impressive.


Stretch
www.dastards.com

To change the thread a little, why was Leona Lewis miming?

She wasn't.

I must admit Dex, when she paused, the backing track with her vocals carried on. But I think she was singing live, as it happened to Kylie as well.

Very unprofessional, having a backing track at supposedly the major music industry awards.

ok. Let's call it vocal re-enforcement - and face it the singers were not even just double tracked. Far removed from what I call a live performance.

Can't argue with that at all. In Leona's case, it made her look bad for someone who does have a great voice