David Coverdale discusses whether Bob Dylan or Tom Waits would make it through on ‘American Idol’
It would be interesting to determine how many people on talent shows are told they will be stars and how many actually become stars. Granted, plenty of artists have been on talent shows and gone on to have fantastic careers, but there aren’t as many superstars churned out as you might think, given the array of vocal abilities that are often on the show. It begs the question, would other famous musicians such as Bob Dylan and Tom Waits make it through a program like American Idol if they went on?
The question was put to David Coverdale of Whitesnake, who didn’t waste any time announcing he didn’t watch those programs. “I never watch them so I don’t know,” he said, “They certainly passed the audition with me. I fucking adore Dylan and Tom. One of the vocals, the original ‘Here I Go Again’ I did with Bernie, was, ‘Listening to Tom Waits on the old gramophone.’”
Like many musicians at the time, David Coverdale became a huge fan of the country blues sounds the two musicians made. It was a sound that took the world by storm and influenced many musicians at the time and still does today.
“Just making words, I only had a part of the song written,” he continued, “I think Tom Waits is amazing. There are certain records that I can’t play at home because my wife can’t embrace the aspect of country blues. I think that stuff is gorgeous, so when she’s off shopping, that’s what is on!”
There is a disconnect between superstars and the people who get big on talent shows. Sure, there are some anomalies; Harry Styles got his start on X Factor and Adam Lambert, the current singer of Queen, went through American Idol, but these are exceptions.
The criteria to win a talent show are: a) do you sound good, and b) are you likeable? When it comes to making it big in the music industry and changing the way people perceive music, there is much more that an artist needs to do. Bob Dylan had a unique voice. People today still argue about whether it’s any good or not, but the way that he can emote and how he writes resonates with so many that it makes him stand out as one of the greatest musicians in the world.
What Bob Dylan and Tom Waits do goes beyond something that can be judged in an audition or portrayed through the strict structure of prime-time TV. As such, there is a genuine chance that if they were to audition on a talent show such as American Idol, they might not do very well. But that’s not an insult; if anything, it’s a compliment.
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