Selling Out

Alright, the first post since moving into the new digs, and I think it’s going to be a good one boys and girls. Last night I had a conversation with someone about what is and what is not “selling out.” And as expected, they had some very strong feelings on the subject as most people do. See, recently I’ve gotten to know a few Taylor Hicks fans and it’s a loyal bunch which you know I respect. For the record, this isn’t anti-Hicks or even an anti-Idol post. I’ll save the latter for another time. But it’s of great importance that you know the truth (who the conversation was with) and understand a little about the famed Soul Patrol (it’s actually not a cult.)

I made the point that any artist would do just about anything for the right amount of money; essentially that everyone has a price. I firmly believe this to be true, and not just for artists. This loyal soul was adamant that dear Taylor would never ever sell out. I went as far as to say that for the right amount of zeros he would even record something like a Britney Spears cover. No way, now how she said. He’s a man of integrity and won’t ever do something like this. Well, for starters covering a Spears song wouldn’t be selling out, a bad career move perhaps but not the move of a “sell-out.” See, its common practice for an artist to do something for a pay day thus allowing them to do something more personal.

See Entourage for example, and don’t tell me it’s a television show, with Vince doing Aquaman. Obviously not the movie his heart and soul is into, but the big pay day allows him to still do a movie like Queens Boulevard. I used the famed Mel Gibson as an example as well. I’m fairly certain he didn’t believe What Women Want was great cinema. Yet, he took the bigger pay day of that and many other movies and pooled that money together to make Passion. He funded it out of his pocket so he could do it his way. It’s just smart business. Selling out would have been letting Michael Bay direct it, and changing his vision for the movie. Like setting it in Miami, with Jesus doing lines of coke off a hooker’s chest.

Selling out is not just something artists are faced with. It’s a line we all walk. Man (or woman) takes a job that pays a salary. This salary will help them provide a certain life style for them and their family. This is not selling out. Now, taking a job and putting that job ahead of your family. That, now that would be selling out.

Back to Taylor Hicks and that conversation. When the fan told me he would never ever sell out, I asked about that Ford commercial. She insisted he only did it because of his contract. Um, that’s a compromise right there. I believe he read the contract, or at least I hope he did, and knew wow I gotta do this horrible commercial. But it’ll give me a nice pay check, and then he signed. So, right there the man “compromised” his integrity. It wasn’t selling out. Now if Sir Paul McCartney actually had the rights to the Beatles music and he licensed “Revolution” for a friggin Nike commercial, that WOULD be selling out. Taking something you’ve done for one reason, and using it for another is selling out. Sadly, Michael Jackson owns the rights and he sold the Beatles out.

Fans toss around the term much easily. A few years back Jewel, every ones favorite folk singer, did what looked to be a bubble gum pop record. Right away, many branded her a “sell-out.” Shook up her image a little, and changed her sound up so automatically she had sold her soul. No one took the time to understand she was making a commentary about pop music and actually mocking the system. She might never recover completely from that. To an artist, or anyone, it’s almost like being called a rapist. Doesn’t even matter if the charges are true, they seem to stick no matter what the truth is.