Thursday, May 3, 2007

Tom's Dark Epiphany

Tom's Dark MomentShortly after inventing his Edison Recording Machine, Tom sat listening to a wax cylinder of music.

All of a sudden, the years opened before him. He heard generations of recorded music: symphonic, impressionist, minstrel singers and crooners, blues both country and urban, worksongs, jazz, rock and roll, country pop, jam-bands and hiphop.

He heard and saw a musical future enabled by his own inspiration and work.

Then he saw a singing contest, judged by a strange trio: a clownish bear, a trained seal, and a dyspeptic clergyman. He saw democracy harnessed to this contest; its voter participation outstripping any actual election.

A title appeared in his mind's eye: American Idol. And he wept.

1 comment:

mmahaffie said...

I should note that this bit of nastiness was developed from an original idea by my friend Sandy Schenck, whose take on this was both funnier and less mean-spirited. But I was the one with the camera...

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