It's always "the band's fault"!!

Smiley Roberts · Post by **Smiley Roberts** » 24 Oct 2004 9:14 am

In the key of fake

Teen songbird Ashlee Simpson had a microphone malfunction on "Saturday Night Live" last night, scurrying off stage when a production glitch caught her lip-synching the wrong tune.The pop star, younger sister of singer and TV star Jessica Simpson, sounded great belting out "Pieces of Me" in her first segment on the show. It was the same song that she butchered at August's MTV Music Video Awards, drawing withering reviews for a flat, out of key performance.

But the triumphant moment turned into a debacle when she came out to debut the song "Autobiography" for a second set. But whoever was responsible for piping in a studio-engineered rendition for Simpson to mouth screwed up, playing "Pieces" once again.

The raven-haired beauty hopped around briefly, then slinked off the stage as her hapless band half-heartedly faked away. It didn't take long for critics to vent their rage on Ashlee Simpson's official Web site.

"Finally, you're exposed for the fraud that you are," wrote an E-mail poster named drdrewby minutes after the embarrassing performance. "You have cheated your fans and people who actually thought that you had a lick of talent. You should quit the music business because you are now and always will be a complete and utter joke."

Said CowboyJeff99: "I knew she sounded like crap live, so I was 'wondering' what was going on when her voice sounded just like the radio edit."

When the cast of the live show came out to bid the audience good night, actor Jude Law tried to explain Simpson's slipup.

"What can I say folks, live TV," Law shrugged.

A still-humiliated Simpson apologized to her fans - and blamed her band for playing the wrong song.

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Earnest Bovine · Post by **Earnest Bovine** » 24 Oct 2004 9:57 am

Now that's entertainment! See it at: http://www.rateagame.net/ashlee_snl.wmv

Earnest Bovine · Post by **Earnest Bovine** » 24 Oct 2004 10:07 am

Ashlee explains how it happened: http://www.askross.com/ashlee_simpson_SNL_lying_beotch.avi

Earnest Bovine · Post by **Earnest Bovine** » 24 Oct 2004 10:09 am

Ashlee will get a chance to redeem herself on Monday:

Ashlee Simpson will be performing for the upcoming Radio Music Awards,
airing live from Las Vegas on NBC October 25 at 9 p.m.

from http://www.ashleesimpsonmusic.com/news/default.asp

Rick McDuffie · Post by **Rick McDuffie** » 24 Oct 2004 11:00 am

Ouch, that's painful to watch.

I know what it feels like when things are falling apart onstage and there's nothing you can do about it... but at least we were playing it live.

Walter Stettner · Post by **Walter Stettner** » 24 Oct 2004 11:17 am

Man, I was laughing hard when I saw that! Thanks for the video link, Ernest!

I remember seeing an informal TV special one time, with some background shots in the studio of one of those "teenie idols" - this girl could hardly sing, she was out of key, couldn't stay in tempo, a real disaster. Then they played the final product, after the technicians and sound guys did their job - sounded like a totally different recording! Some guys of her production company and label were interviewed, they more or less admitted between the lines that she is not a great singer (what an understatement!) but the audiences love her for her powerfull show (dancing, showing her..., being cool).

She, like many others, has no other option than lip-synching through her songs, otherwise she could never appear on TV and radio etc., like this funny appearance proves. Most likely they wouldn't make it through the complete song with their original voice, too!

Kind Regards, Walter

www.lloydgreentribute.com
www.austriansteelguitar.at.tf

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Jon Light (deceased) · Post by **Jon Light (deceased)** » 24 Oct 2004 11:47 am

Now THAT is fun to watch. The equivalent of watching Sammy Sosa's bat shatter exposing a layer of cork. They suspended ol' Sammy didn't they? I'd like to see the FCC hit NBC with a half million dollar fine for fraudulent abuse of the public's airwaves. But it's hard to expect much from a bunch of guys who are terrorized by a human nipple.

Rick McDuffie · Post by **Rick McDuffie** » 24 Oct 2004 12:08 pm

If those band guys have an ounce of self-respect, her Dad's gonna have to hire a new band today.

Walter Stettner · Post by **Walter Stettner** » 24 Oct 2004 1:08 pm

Yeah, blaming the band for that is really cheap!!!

Kind Regards, Walter

www.lloydgreentribute.com
www.austriansteelguitar.at.tf

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David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 24 Oct 2004 1:40 pm

Yeah this is drole. Big fines for faking it on the air.. seems fair.

At least Janet Jackson actualy can sing AND dance
at the same time, and both well.

Even if she does have $500,000 wardrobe malfunctions.
And it seems she didn't fake that. LOL

I have seen internet references to Jessica Simpson,
at 1st I thought she was a new baby on the cartoon show,
then maybe Baywatch starlet etc,
then singer... singer of WHAT... huh!!!

Still no clue a year or more later what she might actually have sung.

And now I get to hear her lil sis butcher the air waves...
Oh Joy

Just saw it... gee why sing ..
the mic ain't turned on.. oh well just leave.
[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 24 October 2004 at 02:41 PM.]

Rick McDuffie · Post by **Rick McDuffie** » 24 Oct 2004 3:13 pm

I've watched it a few more times. It's hard to tell what went on there. Obviously, there has to be a click track with a vocal (at least that), but the band is also playing "real time". The drummer is on it from the beginning, which makes me wonder if he (isn't it always the drummer's fault?) had a mental lapse and just punched up the wrong file on his mini-disc, or whatever digital piece of hardware they were using to feed that signal to the studio board. The Les Paul guy is looking at him hard, too. The drummer looks guilty to me.

So- it's possible that Ashlee is telling the truth about the band starting the wrong song... but she was still lip-synching.

At any rate, it stinks that this is passed off as entertainment... when there are so many young singers who can actually knock your socks off and they can't get a gig.

I got my start in entertainment pantomiming (that's what we called it then) "Ahab The Arab" in the 5th grade.

[This message was edited by Rick McDuffie on 24 October 2004 at 04:41 PM.]

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 24 Oct 2004 3:30 pm

"Ahab the Arab", now that was a great song, right up there with "Achy Bracky Heart"!

www.genejones.com

erik · Post by **erik** » 24 Oct 2004 9:58 pm

Do you think she's the only fraud....?

Kevin Hatton · Post by **Kevin Hatton** » 24 Oct 2004 11:51 pm

Talentless garbage. SNL should be ahamed of themselves.

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 25 Oct 2004 12:27 am

And what's with this strange variation on irish dancing, HUH ?

Irish crossed with Hip Hop or
I HOP ...

[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 25 October 2004 at 01:27 AM.]

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 25 Oct 2004 1:30 am

I hate that when that happens..

Sat night I was playing Pop-A-Top..the band was playing Tropical Depression..they have there nerve for making me look small..I had no where to hide..no curtain to run behind..no publicist to come out and tell the nice folks that were all Liquered up on the dance floor that it was not my fault..

It's always the bands fault..

"know what I mean Verne" ?

t

Stephen Gambrell · Post by **Stephen Gambrell** » 25 Oct 2004 1:34 am

Tony-
hide behind your volume pedal

Joe Casey · Post by **Joe Casey** » 25 Oct 2004 5:34 am

Gee I thought they were great.

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Smiley 15-4 Crank&pull pro model

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 25 Oct 2004 6:43 am

...drawing withering reviews for a flat, out of key performance.

Well shut ma' mouth! Ya' know, I didn't think anyone noticed things like that anymore? ('Cept me.) You mean singers nowadays are still expected to sing on key??? Could'a fooled me, that's for sure.

John Macy · Post by **John Macy** » 25 Oct 2004 7:06 am

Here;s an Ashlee quote from Lucky Magazine...

"From Lucky Magazine interview:

LM: What are your takes on lip-synching?

AS: I'm totally against it and offended by it. I'm going out to let my real talent show, not to just stand there and dance around. Personally, I'd never lip-synch. It's just not me.

Pete Burak · Post by **Pete Burak** » 25 Oct 2004 7:26 am

I saw a Jessica Simpson performance on TV from a live benefit, and thought she sounded great... looking back on it, it was probably lip synked.

Mark Metdker · Post by **Mark Metdker** » 25 Oct 2004 8:07 am

Hopefully after this fiasco, we'll never have to worry about seeing her on TV again! No talent.

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Ray Minich · Post by **Ray Minich** » 25 Oct 2004 8:20 am

Fraud exposed, and all because somebody pushed the wrong button...

Probably a mixed up label on a mixer board.

My grandad used to say "Trust none of what you hear and only half of what you see." I know he got it from somewhere else but never have learned the origin of the quote. Seems appropriate though.

[This message was edited by Ray Minich on 25 October 2004 at 09:24 AM.]

Earnest Bovine · Post by **Earnest Bovine** » 25 Oct 2004 8:24 am

Pre-recorded lead vocals have been the standard on many big tours for a long time. In about 1988 I remember some guys in Michael Jackson's tech crew in a panic because the tour was about to start and they were having trouble getting all of his vocals into their truckload of Synclaviers. Nowadays one Mac can handle that but of course they have redundant systems.

Since most pop music became loop-based over the past decade, the loops must be played by computers at "live" performances. And as long as Digital Performer is playing, why not put other the synth parts in there too? This leads to amusing quotes like this one from Marcus Brown, "keyboard player" on Madonna's current tour,
"'We can't recreate that, so let's just leave it in Digital Performer.' Anything that's like, sixteenths, you know." [Keyboard magazine, Sept 2004 page 44]

Earnest Bovine · Post by **Earnest Bovine** » 25 Oct 2004 8:30 am

Each month, Keyboard magazine runs an interview with a "keyboard player" who is currently touring with a top act. This is valuable for young players who want to know what musical skills they'll need in order to make the big time. Here's a typical bit from last month:

To achieve sync the "correct" way, I would set up my G4 to transmit sync to my G5s by using MIDI Machine Control. The MOTU MIDI Time Piece AV connected to my G4 would act as the master. The MTPAV would then send wither LTV (Linear Time Code) or MTC (MIDI Time Code) to the G5s, which have MOTU Micro Express MIDI Interfaces. Set the G5s to sync to wither LTC or MTC. I've tested this a lot, and if the system crashes, or even if the MTPAV is unplugged from the A system, the MTPAV will continue to generate sync.
...
[it goes on for 8 more paragraphs]

So kids: keep practicing those piano lessons!