The Miming Experience
Thoughts by Danny Bracco
At his second inauguration ceremony in January, President Obama should have been front and center on the world’s stage. However, his speech was usurped by the celebrity takedown of the week: Beyoncé, for her mimed performance of the “Star Spangled Banner.” And thus, lip-syncing became a national debate.
Beyoncé made an acceptable choice. She later admitted to having limited rehearsal time, it was 40 degrees outside and she was singing our national anthem—the one song that turns every listener into Simon Cowell—in front of a worldwide audience. This was not her tour, this was not Grammy Awards—this was not about her. But that didn’t last long.
Her dramatic earpiece gesture notwithstanding, what about her lip-syncing is so offensive? Are we pretending Beyoncé doesn’t have a beautiful voice all of the sudden? Is it not worth it to her to protect such an instrument on harsh weather days, or days when she may not feel vocally up to the task? Her presence and performance was nothing more than a gesture, a symbol; a big name with a big voice to deliver the national anthem on a big stage. Mission accomplished.
People argue that Kelly Clarkson sang live (so did James Taylor, but he doesn’t register on the pop culture scale and, therefore, may as well have read poetry), to which I counter: so what? For my money, Kelly is the superior singer anyway, but more importantly, she has less to lose. Kelly has built a reputation on her tremendous voice, always singing live and her own kind of off-the-cuff, unvarnished charm. The rest of her pop star package is decidedly unremarkable. Beyoncé, on the other hand, has an empire to protect—a stoic image of comprehensive perfection, from her look to her endorsements to her timed inclusions of Destiny’s Other Children. It’s a heavily orchestrated career by a woman whose work ethic has no equal in her field. She has a hell of a lot more to lose botching the national anthem than Kelly Clarkson had for messing up “My Country, ‘Tis Of Thee” (who even knew there were other verses?).
Sadly, for the next musician who lip-syncs on the national stage, they will have the weight of this debacle behind it, as outrage can only build from here. Vocal cord health be damned! This is a generation that would so much prefer that you go out there and fuck it up than fake it—and not for the sense of authenticity, but for the taste of mockery.
