Idolized: Music, Media, and Identity in American Idol

318 Pages·2010·2.705 MB·English

by  Katherine L. Meizel

IdolIzed

IdolIzed
Music,
Media,
and
identity in
amerI can Idol
K at h e r i n e M e i z e l
IndIana UnIversIty Press
Bloomington & Indianapolis
This book is a publication of of Paper for Printed Library Materials,
ANSI Z39.48-1992.
Indiana University Press
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Publication Data
Telephone orders 800-842-6796
Fax orders 812-855-7931 Meizel, Katherine.
Orders by e-mail [email protected] Idolized : music, media, and identity
in American idol / Katherine Meizel.
© 2011 by Katherine Meizel p. cm.
All rights reserved Includes bibliographical references
and index.
No part of this book may be reproduced ISBN 978-0-253-35571-3 (cl : alk.
or utilized in any form or by any means, paper) — ISBN 978-0-253-22271-8
electronic or mechanical, including (pb : alk. paper) 1. American idol
photocopying and recording, or by (Television program) 2. Popular
any information storage and retrieval music—Competitions—United
system, without permission in writing States. 3. Music—Social aspects—
from the publisher. The Association United States. 4. Music and television.
of American University Presses’ 5. Popular culture—United States.
Resolution on Permissions constitutes I. Title.
the only exception to this prohibition. ML76.A54M45 2010
791.45’72—dc22
∞ The paper used in this publication
meets the minimum requirements of 2010034622
the American National Standard for
Information Sciences—Permanence 1 2 3 4 5 16 15 14 13 12 11
This book is lovingly dedicated to my family:
Janet and Stanley Meizel
and
Laura, Marc, and Sadie Reeve.
Contents
“My political ideal is that of democracy.
Let every man be respected as an
individual and no man idolized.”
Albert Einstein,
The World As I See It

“Every one of us is, even from
his mother’s womb, a master
craftsman of idols.”
John Calvin
Contents
*
* Acknowledgments ix
Introduction: No Boundaries 1
1
Facing Reality: American Idol as Reality Television 19
2
Facing the Music 51
3
Win or Lose: Success and Failure and the American Dream 81
4
Idol Worship: Civil and Sacral Religion in American Idol 102
5
Going Places 134
6
Politics as Usual 160
7
The United Nations of Pop: Global Franchise and Geopolitics 192
* Epilogue: Crystallized 220
* Notes 229
* Works Cited 263
* Index 293

ACknowledgments
Writing this document, I have been constantly aware of just how
much I owe to others. My work for this project was inspired, encour-
aged, supported, and shaped by my friends, colleagues, and advisers,
and I am truly grateful to all of them.
To my advisers at the University of California, Santa Barbara
(UCSB)—Timothy Cooley, Jon Cruz, Sonia Seeman, and Scott Mar-
cus—I extend my sincerest thanks for the mentorship, guidance, and
unwavering encouragement that helped me to shape the early stages
of this book. I do not have the words to say how deeply I appreciate
their generosity of time, and their knowledge, kindness, and respect;
I can only offer them my eternal gratitude. Cornelia Fales, who left
UCSB just after I began this study, was also an invaluable source of
advice and support in its infancy, and I am very grateful to her as well.
Special acknowledgments to Stewart Hoover, Lynn Schofield-Clark,
and Rhys Williams, who, in conjunction with a grant from the Media,
Religion, and Culture project at the University of Colorado, Boulder,
greatly influenced my research into the relationship of popular music
to sacral and civil religion.
I am profoundly indebted to those who participated in my re-
search. I was particularly fortunate to have opportunities to interview
American Idol’s associate music director, Michael Orland, and vocal
coach, Debra Byrd. They generously spent much time talking with
me, and not only provided me with inestimably important informa-
ix