What some writers won’t do for a measly hundred bucks…
It’s not easy making a living as a freelance writer. So it almost goes without saying that every once in a while, you have to grit your teeth and choke out a puff piece about someone or something not wildly deserving.
Take former American Idol winner David Cook.
The Blue Springs export’s been in a 10 year downward spiral since winning Season 7 of the show, 10 years back in 2008. Yet from reading former Pitch music editor Jon Niccum‘s piece on the cover of Sunday’s Arts + Culture section of the KC Star you’d think Cook was a world beater.
“Ten years ago, David Cook parlayed his commanding voice and amiable stage presence into becoming the first ‘rocker’ to win ‘American Idol,” Niccum begins. “But the Blue Springs-raised musician has hardly remained in his comfort zone, instead continually accepting challenges that take his career in new directions.”
That’s basically accurate, but it ignores that the challenges Cook “accepted” were forced on him based upon dismal music sales and not much of anything else positive than a bit of minor charity work.
From a live music standpoint, Cook’s gone from headlining Sandstone with Justin Bieber as his opening act, to playing Knuckleheads in the West Bottoms to barely getting a gig anywhere.
Other than a brief fill-in appearance on the lower level Broadway show Kinky Boots, Cook’s only halfway meaningful live shows this year are a pair of freebie gigs in September at an outdoor theater at Walt Disney’s Epcot.
Cook’s only music output since RCA dumped him after poor sales of his second album have been self-released. And his purchase of a seven figure Hollywood Hills home was followed in short order by a fire sale and a hasty retreat to KC, then Nashville.
The bottom line: Outside of coming to KC for the Big Slick Celebrity Weekend softball and bowling games with Paul Rudd and Rob Riggle Cook doesn’t appear to have much of anything going on.
Meanwhile fourth place, season five American Idol winner Chris Daughtry has been minting money via four successful major label albums and a touring schedule that won’t quit.
Instead of breezing in KC for a charity schmooze, Daughtry will be playing the Uptown Wednesday with “platinum” tix going for as much as $178 per.
So much for telling it like it is…
They used to put people in the can for the kind of street-level extortion and shell game the Star perpetrates on the oldsters who still “purchase” the Star’s so-called product. Left-wing advocacy and propaganda, scant hard news coverage on any kind of even keel, and ever-shrinking original copy of ANY form (even the political flunky type). It’s gonna be a Huge Laugh from this Independent when this sad sack shell of an alleged media outlet finally goes belly up. Maybe then local public figures will regain the freedom to endorse any political candidate they want (and not just ones with the fourth letter in the alphabet next to their names). No shame, has the Star, none whatsoever.
All I’m really saying here, Rage, is that this is another careless example of how a writer trying to pitch a story to a newspaper that just laid off its top music writer and editor puts out a bogus representation of a few simple facts.
Yeah, I guess I did take it as an excuse to start ranting and raving about the Star in general. But Star deserves it. And I do very much feel like they are fleecing the oldsters these days worse than the Mustache Pete days of the old mob.
Hmmmm…
Mustache Pete?
We get it. You don’t like David Cook and never have. He still has a better career than a two bit hack in an unknown newspaper. Sad for you.
Two bit hack? Nice one…
BTW, I have nothing against him – why would I? Fact is, when I sat in judgement of him at a battle of the bands in Olathe, I picked him as the winning team. Which, uh, I’m sure he recalls.
Just telling it like it is.
HEARNE HAS DONE QUITE A BIT IN MEDIA IN KC, COLUMN FOR MANY YEARS IN KC STAR AND ON MANY RADIO AND TV SHOWS WITH A HOT BLOG SO HE’S ACCOMPLISHED IN KC, I MET DAVID COOK, NICE GUY, HIS CAREER JUST NEVER TOOK OFF, BAD LUCK..HOPE HE BOUNCES BACK.
Did they let Finn go? The ‘Back to Rockville’ page has been stuck on its post from 2 weeks ago.
Yep, Tim Finn took a bullet, along with entertainment editor David Freese.
Longtime freelancer Bill Brownlee has been in full flight ever since.
WOW I didn’t know that one.
Assholes!
He’d make a great addition here, just sayin’.