Is Idol's Nick Mitchell the Next William Hung?

Posted March 9, 2009   



After eight seasons of
auditions America has seen a long succession of Idol characters. Some are only interesting for a season, then they are long forgotten. Replaced by someone even more outrageous, charming or just interesting. And still for some, celebrity fades within just a few weeks. Take ‘bikini girl’ for instance. But every now and then a singer rises to the top of America’s radar, sometimes for inexplicable reasons and remains embedded into the collective memory of Idol fans and foes alike. Take for instance, season six’s Sanjaya.  Perhaps best known for his flowing locks, his pretty boy face, and mediocre singing ability, Sanjaya is now synonymous with ‘contest spoiler,’ as many in the media suggested that the Idol franchise would have been permanently damaged had Sanjaya won although he maintained a vice grip on the competition until he was eliminated in 7^th place.

The top spot in Idol annals however, unquestionably lies with an unassuming gentleman from New Jersey by way of Hong Kong. William Hung captured the hearts and minds of everyone in 2004 when he stepped in for an Idol audition and performed a most sincere version of Ricky Martin’s “She Bangs.” Inexplicably, this nerdy, rhythmless, off-key, college dropout became the stuff of legend. Three albums and dozens of television appearances later, most people, whether they watch Idol or not, knew the story of little William Hung.

That brings us to Nick Mitchell or Normund Gentle of season 8 fame. Is he a flash in the plan, soon to be forgotten, or will his antics rise to same level of Idol fandom as Sanjaya and Hung? It is tough to say for sure at this early stage but we can compare the similarities and differences between Gentle, Hung and Sanjaya. First, it is clear that Nick/Normund can sing better than his two predecessors, and he is a more captivating presence on camera, mostly because he is so darn funny, and for those who don’t find him funny, he is still captivating to watch because you never know what he will do next. But achieving legendary status is not as simple as calculating a performer’s  entertainment value, indeed there is a mystery quotient that determines who can and will capture the imagination of that wide swath of America that sometimes inexplicably anoints a person into pop culture icon status.

We here at karaokeTraveler believe that the common thread is “irony.” American pop culture is filled with ironic characters; take Superman for instance, he is a shy unassuming nerd whose alter ego is a confident, powerful superhero. The music industry had and still has to some extent, Madonna, a huge cultural icon that wedded feminine innocence (remember the lace gloves) with badgirl antics(think leather bustier) . Hung gave us the strange dichotomy of an awkward but sincere geek singing a song made famous by a handsome commercial hunk. He put a honest, heart-warming face on all of those dreamers out there who will never be an Idol, but want their voices heard all the same.  Sanjaya ‘s case on the other hand was taken up by a vast contingent of Idol haters intent on destroying the show’s simple but vain (in their opinion) premise; the most talented – translation: “commercially appealing”  person wins.  It is commonly believed that this anti-Idol movement, in addition to the large amount of preteens that supported him, carried him as far as he went. The irony here is that he is the pretty version of William Hung and would have exposed Idol as a beauty contest merely masquerading as a talent competition.

Normund Gentle gives us much of the irony and Idol mockery that Hung and Sanjaya provided before him. And while his elimination last week from the top 36 precludes any type of Sanjaya like following, it is more likely that Gentle’s demise at this early stage was due more to the new voting process – in which only the top 3 survive each week- than lack of popularity. MTV.com has already anointed Gentle “the Greatest American Idol Contestant Ever,” describing him as “cheesiness personified,” and “an incredible slab of performance art.”  Most importantly though, they note that Gentle challenges the show’s entire premise by going for the gut-wrenching laugh instead of conforming to the show’s rigid definition of ‘commercial appeal’ as Simon Cowell would probably call it. Ultimately, history will be the judge of whether Gentle is mere footnote or idol legend, the better question may be how will he be able to parlay his moment in the sun into a long Indian summer of success and fame.




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