CBS vs. Holograms (We knew it was only a matter of time!)

So recently CBS stated that they considered the popular Japanese J-Pop star Hatsune Miku, the world's fakest pop star. (We'll ignore the fact that the world “Fakest” isn't proper grammar and when I, of all people, with my wonderful grasp of the English language, can spot that, CBS has some problems that's greater than any that Katie Couric gave 'em.) for those of you that didn't read the article, or for those of you not in the know who she is, I'll explain: Hatsune Miku is a hologram. If you ever saw Macross Plus, with Sharon Apple? Kinda like that, minus the urge to destroy us all. (Thus far.) Remember some time last year, when Tupac showed up on stage? It's like that. Essentially a company in Japan (the name escapes me at the moment) created her as a musical idol, because... Well, they're Japan. They kinda do these sort of things. It's a three dimensional image projected onto a transparent screen. In short, she's a holographic musician. The simple fact alone that there's a goddamn three dimensional fictional character that you can see live in concert... Much like the Tupac thing last year, why this isn't blowing more people's minds is beyond me. Hell, just wait until we bring Elvis back... And not even old, out-of-shape Bubba Ho-Tep Elvis, but like young, skinny and attractive Elvis! Maybe that'll change some minds! (Uh-huh-huh!) But as far as the article goes with Hatsune Miku, CBS basically said it's silly, and that it's fans are silly for liking a hologram.

Well, they're certainly tone-deaf. But why dismiss it? Why, because she's not "real"? I challenge that she's no less real than Justin Beiber or whatever tween pop star that Disney is churning out this year. Western pop stars struggle with body images and when they hit a certain age, they run the risk of alienation by the media for being too old or out of touch. (This happens more than we realize. Especially to female pop singers.) Many of them do not write their own songs, and quite a few of them don't even perform them. Many singers are hired not for their talent, but for their photogenic looks, thus resulting in many of them torturing themselves at the gyms, under the knife, or hours of Photoshopping to maintain that marketability. (Pretty depressing thought if you think about it.)

Miku's a cartoon, but at least she's honest about it. She's always going to look like that, unless they update her design. (Which does happen as technology advances.) It may be a computer voice singing, but someone had to write those words. (And is a computer singing any less natural than an average auto-tuned tween idol?) Someone had program her dance moves... Which means someone with actual talent and skill has to do all that. And that brings me up to the reason I'm obsessing over this article. It's the line used in the CBS article, right here:

“...anyone with enough technical know-how can program Miku to perform any song on a computer.”

As an actual artist, and I'm confident I'm speaking for other artists here too... Nothing... NOTHING pisses us artists off more than dismissing any skills and talents we've spent years of our lives developing, with a claim that if you know the program, anyone can do what we do. Just because someone knows Photoshop, doesn't make them Stanley 'Artgerm' Lau. Just because someone can work Open Office, doesn't mean they're going to write The Lord of the Rings. Just because someone can play a guitar, doesn't make them Jimmy Hendrix or Eddie Van Halen. Just because someone knows animation, doesn't mean they're going to make Tangled or Snow White. It's the same here. SOMEone with actual talent had to create this character. Someone had to design her, and decide on her voice, which was sampled from Saki Fujita, an actual voice actress and musician. Someone had to program the dance moves, which may have been motion captured. (Meaning someone REALLY did those dance moves.) While, I'm certain the article's writer wasn't outright trying to belittle the creative talent behind this character... The entire article's narrative is basically saying “Can you believe this? Look at all these weirdos, worshiping a cartoon!” It's always been a pet peeve of mine, when someone dismisses an entire production, just because they didn't 'get it'. As David Lo Pan once said: “You are not brought upon this world to 'get it'.”

I'm not a fan of Hatsune Miku's music. I actually find it rather awful. But there IS talent put into it. And to dismiss it because it's a cartoon is insulting. Seriously, she's far from the first fictional musical talent in the world. Ignoring the live-action fictional bands like the Monkees or Spinal Tap, and sticking to just animated bands, she's got strong company with the likes the Gorillaz, Dethklok, and even Alvin and the Chipmunks. The only differences here is that she's an aqua-haired anime girl from Japan. (Though considering yourself in the same company as Dethklok is not all that good for your long term health.)

At least Hatsune Miku is unlikely to go get into an racially charged argument on Twitter about beating an ex and then tell me how to vote.