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Original Message
"what's with the shades?"
Posted by dragonflies on 05-19-05 at 08:27 AM
Why does Bo feel he needs to wear the sunglasses all the time lately? Hung over? Stoned? Needs to hide? What's up?

another syren masterpiece
I *heart* Bo, just wish he would ditch the shades

Table of contents
Messages in this discussion
"RE: what's with the shades?"
Posted by DontGetMeStarted on 05-19-05 at 08:39 AM
Bright Lights?
"RE: what's with the shades?"
Posted by frankz on 05-19-05 at 09:20 AM
Image. He is cool, after all.
"RE: what's with the shades?"
Posted by nailbone on 05-19-05 at 11:14 AM
Exactly. It's a rock star thang.


New from Sigs by Syren!!
Keep lookin' up, cuz that's where it all is. o-

"RE: what's with the shades?"
Posted by melodyohmy on 05-19-05 at 10:46 AM
Maybe he did not want people to see him teary eyed if he got voted off...or maybe if Carrie got voted off?
"RE: what's with the shades?"
Posted by Loquatrix on 05-19-05 at 11:52 AM
In my opinion it's because he has difficulty with the "eye contact with the camera" thing that the producers require from the competitors in this contest.

Constantly mugging for the camera is not something real musicians do. Real musicians understand that the first thing you must do is connect with the live audience in the room with you, since their reaction to you will dictate whether your performance will be an easy and confident one, or difficult and stilted one.

If you connect with the live audience in front of you, they'll respond favourably to you, and you will feed off their enthusiasm, which will infuse your performance with the real joy and adrenaline rush of making great music. Once you have that, you can mug a bit for the people at home, because they'll also be picking up on the joy and adrenaline and will appreciate your drawing them into the action.

If, on the other hand, you spend the whole time Constantining the camera, you give your live audience nothing to interact with, so there's none of the joy and adrenaline of a REAL live performance. And the viewers at home notice this, and all the eye contact feels overdone, egotistical and even creepy after a while.

This was the difference between Constantine and Bo. Bo is actually a real musician, whereas Constantine is a wannabe rockstar. In case that seems like a fine line (it really isn't, but just in case), imagine Bo and Constantine are about to do some press. Bo would want to be interviewed by Rolling Stone. Constantine would want to be interviewed by Teen People. Savvy?

Finally, from a purely practical perspective, in a band situation (which is Bo's natural habitat) the camera is never on the singer the whole time, unlike the camerawork in pop situations where it's on Britney or Hillary or Jessica 100% of the time. Being the sole point of interest on a stage is not Bo's thing. He wants and needs to be part of a band. (This is why, if the show were called "Pop Idol" in America, like it is in the United Kingdom whence it was born, I'd fear for Bo's chances of winning it. He's not a pop idol. He's a very accomplished rock musician. But if there's any justice in this world, he'll win American Idol.)

But back to the point. For these various reasons, Bo wears shades so he doesn't have to feel too distracted and phoney as a result of having a camera shoved up his nose the whole time.

"RE: what's with the shades?"
Posted by Glow on 05-19-05 at 12:52 PM
Yes. What Lo said. Very well said.


"RE: what's with the shades?"
Posted by dragonflies on 05-20-05 at 10:22 AM
Great response Lo!

another syren masterpiece
are you a musician by chance?

"Enough with the shades!"
Posted by niteowl on 05-22-05 at 05:10 AM
IMHO, if the people at home are the ones voting, you have to play a little bit to the camera. I liked Constantine, and I've heard he does fine at live performances, too. Bo's shades are really bugging me (and they're not even the right style) I'm distracted, cause I keep thinking, "take off the shades you poser" through his whole song.
"RE: what's with the shades?"
Posted by okaychatt on 05-22-05 at 04:56 PM
Maybe it's as simple as the lights hurt his eyes. Or that he wants to see the audience better.


Everyone is entitled to my opinion.

"RE: what's with the shades?"
Posted by niteowl on 05-22-05 at 06:32 PM
Maybe one of the show "stylists" suggested it and it's becoming his trademark...doesn't seem to fit his image IMO.
"RE: what's with the shades?"
Posted by Harrison on 05-23-05 at 09:20 AM
It's the same reason he decided to grow a beard.
Being on American Idol is cheesy. Winning American Idol makes you the King of Cheese.
Bo seems to be of the opinion that he can salvage some of his "my way" cred by going against the grain. No short, spiked hair with highlights (Anthony), no clean-shaven poster-boy face (everyone, really), no painful mugging for the camera (Constantine), etc.

Of course, it's all for naught. You can't win American Idol and hope to become an "authentic rocker". And it's not because of Bo (he's good). It's because the process has been seen by everyone. We've watched him willingly jump through all of the hoops. We've heard him talk about the fact that he slept on a gymnasium floor with his mother all night just to audition. We've seen him hug Scott, for crying out loud.

Eddie Vedder (a one-time child actor) jumped through just as many hoops, of course. He networked his way into Seattle and was ferocious in his desire for the spotlight. But we didn't watch him do all that.
The result being that some people actually believe him when he claims to disdain fame (a classic Rock ethic).
Bo can't make that claim.

So he wears shades and a beard and hopes people will one day forget where he was when he was wearing them...

"RE: what's with the shades?"
Posted by melodyohmy on 05-23-05 at 10:12 AM
Outstanding points Harrison. I think Bo is a great singer with a voice that was made for southern rock. I dread him winning the idol contest because Bo and his voice should not be changed into "Idol Pop" and I feel that is what will happen. Bo will be given a recording contract win or loose "Idol". I do not want fluff or soft romantic love songs or even country pop. I want Bo to stick to his Southern Rock roots and let that voice rip. I know I will buy that CD.
I wonder if they will "Pop" up Carrie's voice if she wins.
"RE: what's with the shades?"
Posted by okaychatt on 05-23-05 at 04:44 PM
<I want Bo to stick to his Southern Rock roots and let that voice rip.

I think Clive Davis is pretty sharp. He seems to understand Bo's strengths. My guess is he'll fit the songs to Bo, rather than fit Bo to the songs.


Everyone is entitled to my opinion.

"RE: what's with the shades?"
Posted by melodyohmy on 05-23-05 at 06:22 PM
Clive Davis is the "YODA" of music producers (had to throw a smile in here).
"RE: what's with the shades?"
Posted by frankz on 05-23-05 at 03:12 PM
Eddie Vedder was a child star? Must not have been very successful. A google search found nothing about that. What did he do?
"RE: what's with the shades?"
Posted by Harrison on 05-23-05 at 03:43 PM
Yeah, I don't think he got too far as a child actor...but he certainly never lost his taste for fame.
I think the pinnacle of his acting career (outside of "Singles") was in a TV commercial selling chewy "Chuckles" candy bits.
VH1 showed a clip of it a few years back.

I can't get that image out of my head whenever I hear an old Pearl Jam song on the radio.
Instead of selling candy, he decided to sell himself as some sort of "anti-star" (an act he began to imitate while in Seattle) ...and he succeeded.

A regular PT Barnum.

"RE: what's with the shades?"
Posted by frankz on 05-23-05 at 04:01 PM
Oh I don’t disagree with your assessment at all. Just had never heard about the child acting bit.
I do, however, like a lot of Pearl Jam's songs, in spite of Eddie.
"RE: what's with the shades?"
Posted by frankz on 05-25-05 at 07:42 AM
At least he got some new ones this week.
But still only appears to own 2 shirts.
"RE: what's with the shades?"
Posted by melodyohmy on 05-25-05 at 07:47 AM
....ouch....