No Idols, No Convenience Shops!!

I remember I really did not like clowns. I still do not. This might have any meaning and surely has had impact on my personality build up, ever since. Today, I still keep in my mind some loosen past images from the time I was a kid and, here and there, was getting into a circus’ tent. I remember I used to spend the time in there, statically seated, kind a frozen, patiently waiting for the moment people used (and still use) to call “The End”. I did not like circus too, when I was a kid! I still do not.

It is not nice when somebody is living any event looking at the watch every twenty two point three seconds while waiting for “The End”. That is life and it will be like that forever, I guess. Part of our life is filled in with stuff we do not like but we need to go through, though. However, nobody really needs to collect idols, I think (…therefore I am). Michael Jackson was a great artist. But Michael Jackson was a pedophile who almost spent his fortune to avoid being incarcerated. Why the hell is human race still venerating him? The guy was an artist, yes he was, but the guy also spent his life denying and rejecting his own race! Michael Jackson was mentally insane and people cry for him?

When I was a kid I used to read Superman, The Phantom, Mandrake The Magician, Lucky Luke, Asterix, Lone Ranger and other super-heroes which I was never able to see as such. I know most people need a hero, an idol. What I do not know is what for. Everybody needs a cartesian reference frame, we surely do, but a hero? An idol? What for? I never had one. Even when going through a deep Catholic practice I never saw Jesus either as hero or idol. I never felt a particular desire of adoring someone or something up to the point of changing considerably my normal behavior, dimming my own being.

Another interesting side of this polygonal life lived by humans is the strong need some people feel of being a regular customer of “Convenience Shops” (or Convenience Store). Some people need to be correct, other need to be “convenient”. When one is convenient, it is not necessarily correct, is it? This behavior, the convenience of being convenient, is nowadays much more than a trend, it is already an institution. See, for instance, you and the way you stand before your job: your boss is not your idol (in fact he might even be disgusting) but it is convenient for you to fulfill all his basic needs, day after day, smile to him quite often showing your Sunday smile, saying “yes” all those many times as per his requirement and ask him about his family and dog (in case he doesn’t consider his dog part of the family) once in a while (but never, ever, do it on Mondays)…

“Ídolos” is the name of a Portuguese TV show on SIC channel, Sociedade Independente de Comunicação, capturing the attention of many people over here, much more now that we are very, very close to the end. The only kids still competing are Filipe Pinto⁽¹⁾, a Pearl Jam style singer, and Diana Piedade⁽²⁾, one of the most Hard Rock oriented females I have ever seen in my life. This contest is, obviously, the Portuguese version of the Idol Series, by FreemantleMedia, which is a daughter of the British show Pop Idol broadcasted in 2001. Idols has been replicated in many countries in the world with the intention of discovering new musical talents. In this contest, the kids competing for a free music training in UK just have to sing (more or less) known songs of some pop/rock idols, without pretending, and try to positively impress a four judges panel:

• Pedro Boucherie Mendes – (what a snobbery!) Portuguese from Lisboa, Portugal, 40 years old, is currently one of the SIC managers, arrogant enough to think he owns the whole truth and nothing but the truth, very worried with the look of the female competitors, which makes him to give them suggestions about the hair, boots and so on⁽³⁾. Once in a while he issues some interesting opinions which sound quite constructive.
• Laurent Filipe – (I like his style!) Brazilian, from S.Paulo, Brazil, 48 years old, owns an university degree in Music from Kansas, USA, composer, teacher, musician. He is very constructive, very technical, very assertive. He is also charming and I love the way he dresses. See his website here.
• Roberta Medina – (what a hot judge!) Brazilian, 32 years old, sponsor in the musical showbiz area, including the annual event “Rock In Rio” in Portugal, has already understood that she was repeating the word “charisma” but I guess she did not understand yet that “charisma” has not the same meaning in Portuguese from Portugal and Portuguese from Brazil. Anyhow, she owns lots of sensual charisma…
• Manuel Moura dos Santos – (who the hell was his Portuguese language teacher?) Portuguese, from Lisboa, Portugal, 49 years old, sponsor in the musical showbiz area. This guy murders the language of “Luís de Camões”⁽⁴⁾ every time he opens his mouth. He can be cruel like the devil, sounds offensive sometimes and he has been totally incapable of issuing a constructive opinion.

Human beings need idols but do need “convenience shops” even more. It is because of this that sometimes I think I am an alien: my slogan has been “no idols, no convenience shops”. I have not been able to change a single bit of my strong belief that I will be happy ever after if I keep being like so till my very last breathe. As a matter of fact, I do believe that right before I die there will be a second, a single second, during what I will be able to review my entire life. I do believe as well that it will be in that precise second that I want to feel the tremendous satisfaction of watching my whole Dignity smiling to me, in a clear sign of empathy.

May the gods be with you, which they will if you refrain from having idols…