Here's my 2 cents.
First, I"m not famous, and my livelihood doesn't depend on what other people think of me, so I can't really imagine how it must be for someone in Stevie's shoes to become, over time, less and less marketable. As a fan, I sit here and think to myself that Stevie must have enough money to last her the rest of her life, and she has to realize that she has made music on her own and with Fleetwood Mac that will live on long past her own life. But again, I'm not her, and I can't really judge her since I have not, and never will be, in her shoes.
But as a fan, I do have an opinion, though again, it's not like I'm really criticizing Stevie. It's more my own inability to understand her.
I really dislike all of those shows like The Voice and America's Got Talent and what not. To me, the reduce music to its most base form. Yes, the people have good voices, and I'm sure they have had to put in a ton of hard work, but none of the music they make rises above insipid glorified karaoke. There is no soul in any of it. Stevie's music, whether you are a fan or not, is iconic. Her lyrics, her stile, and her messages are original. Even people who don't like her would I think admit that she wrote and performed songs that didn't sound like anyone else's. Dreams didn't sound like anything before it. Ditto Edge of Seventeen. Ditto Sara. I think when she did started making music that sounded like other people was when she started recording other people's songs on her solo CDs. In my opinion, Every Day may as well have come from American Idol. It's boring and has nothing of Stevie in it.
Anyway, I personally have no interest in her on those shows. Of course I watch on youtube so I can just see her parts, just because I feel like I have to, and not really because I want to, if that makes any sense. If she makes more fans who are younger and are only exposed to her because of those appearances, then great for her, but there is still this little voice inside of me that objects, that thinks that she could do a lot less of all that and still give us some great music, both live and recorded. But again, maybe that's just my personal bias.
I guess my real message is that she should do what she wants, even if people like me think that it's not really in her interest.
Kevin
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