MADE You Look

MTV is coming. \nFriday, the folks who regularly rock out at Rhino's Youth Center and All-Ages Music Club will be joined by thousands of others -- vicariously, anyway -- when this week's "battle of the bands" is filmed as part of the network's reality TV show "MADE." \n"On every new episode of MADE," the show's Web page said, "one willing candidate embarks on a mission to transform his or her life." \nActually, "MADE" is looking to do double-duty, as two Bloomington teenagers, Jeremy Gotwals and Chelsey McKrill, have been simultaneously trained by Yellowcard frontman Ryan Key in the fine art of being rock stars. Tomorrow's final "battle" will test Gotwals' and McKrill's mettle against each other and three experienced bands before a panel of celebrity judges. The word from Rhino's manager Brad Wilhelm and booking agent Bob Nugent is that, while they'll be pitted against musicians their own age, Gotwals and McKrill will have their work cut out for them.\n"There's a remarkable amount of talent amongst young people around here," said Wilhelm of competing bands Busman's Holiday, Roomful of Villains and Siddius. "They're remarkably accomplished for their age." \nWho will take the rock glory? You'll just have to hit Rhino's at 8 p.m. tomorrow night and see for yourself (or wait for the episode to come out -- although Rhino's should have far fewer commercials). But regardless of the end result, Gotwals' and McKrill's quest toward rock reinvention brings up questions reaching far beyond the dreams of a couple of high school kids. They are following a larger trend within the reality TV genre: individuals pursuing self-improvement -- that is, "average" Janes and Joes seeking to change themselves in front of a nationwide audience. \nWhat does this say about us as Americans, as humans and as media consumers? And can rock stardom really be "made," or can it only come from within? Where does this trend come from, anyway?\n"It's clearly an American thing," said sociology professor Christine Von Der Haar, citing shows like "The Biggest Loser" and "Celebrity Fit Club" that have proven popular at a time when a significant portion of the nation's population is overweight. Meanwhile, "American Idol" provides an American dream that "for young people … is to be famous and wealthy, and to do it quickly."\nCollins Living Learning Center instructor, Matthew Kerchner, who has taught courses on the cultural underpinnings of phenomena such as punk rock and music videos, supports the idea that programs like "American Idol" tap into long-standing American beliefs, namely "the belief that pop music is a democratic project (that anyone is welcome to participate), the classic 'rags to riches' story prevalent in American narratives and the aesthetic understanding that the star persona is a manufactured idea."\nHowever, Communications and Culture graduate student Seth Friedman contends, rather, that because "Idol" and other reality programs were based on series from Western Europe, they are actually rooted in patterns seen across industrialized societies. One major influence on self-improvement programs is capitalist economics.\n"Any culture whose economy is so dependent on consumerism needs to have an elite class that others can strive to be like," he said. "Television is an advertising-based medium. Sponsors are selling goods and services," and the celebrities, who we see displaying the finest goods, "are among the most elite in a capitalist society." \nWhether due to capitalism or not, the suggestion that self-improvement via reality TV was based on a desire to join a cultural elite was much-echoed among the authorities consulted for this article. For example, telecommunications professor Julia Fox noted the influence that television has had on body image, as individuals have sought to become thin like the celebrities they watch. \nVon Der Haar, meanwhile, addressed rock stars in a similar vein.\n"We create these gods and goddesses," she said, "we put out the money for concerts, for albums. In a society like ours, we don't have kings and queens. We create them and we adore them. We think we can become gods and goddesses."\nBut the question of whether rock stars, or other such notables, require innate talent or can be constructed by producers, svengalis, marketing gurus or other behind-the-scenes figures (besides their publics) remained a subject of contention. \n"As soon as you add the element of competition, artistic integrity and value go right out the window," music professor Andy Hollinden said, expressing his distaste for programs like "Idol" and "MADE," "The composer Bela Bartok once said, 'Competitions are for horses, not artists,' and I totally agree." \nBut ethnomusicology and Jewish studies professor Judah Cohen noted that pop music has been packaged since the '50s, citing The Monkees and The Partrige Family as bands that blurred the line between television and pop music. And telecommunications professor Thom Gillespie argued that the idea of making ordinary people into "extraordinary" celebrities dates back to the introduction of game shows in the early days of television, with roots going even further into the past.\n"It is Joseph Campbell's 'Hero's Journey,' but we all get to vote on it," he said of "Idol."\nDo the kids taking to the stage at Rhino's tomorrow night care about any of this? Probably not. Instead, right now they have to focus on becoming rock stars. Meanwhile, in homes across America, thousands of viewers will soon focus on whether or not they do care.