Ok, so let's discuss this "image" thing for a minute.
Yes, we can say that the whole "Rhiannon", mystical thing makes for a great image... something for fans, and critics, to latch onto, and do with what they will... but at the same time, Stevie has always maintained that this "image" wasn't terribly calculated. She wore the clothes that she liked... and moved around the stage the way she wanted to move.
Granted she plays it up... which any entertainer worth their weight in gold, should know how to do... but it is very much a part of HER personality, on or off the stage.
She's not a Bowie or a Madonna... she's not someone who needs to change herself from album to album or video to video.
She's got her thing and she sticks with it, and I think that's something her fans tend to really appreciate about her.
Bowie's last few albums have been VERY different from anything he's ever recorded... and the public at large doesn't seem to be the least bit interested.
Am I saying an artist should never change, or try new things?
Absolutely not.
I'm just saying that innovation doesnt inherently equal substance, or appeal.
And yes, I can see how Stevie's "mystique" would get stale to some people... I look at Michael Jackson still doing the exact same dance moves 18 years after 'Thriller,' and I'm bored to tears. But Stevie never did purport to be on the cutting edge of anything. Her performances were never about innovative dance moves, and her music has never been intended to be a harbinger of new fads.
If someone finds that uninteresting, then by all means, look elsewhere for your entertainment... but again, it's unfair to dismiss Stevie as nothing more than a well-used image.
Johnny Stew
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"Although the arrogance of fame lingers like a thick cloud around the famous, the sun always seems to shine for Stevie." -- Richard Dashut, 2014
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