When the video for Lana Del Rey’s “Video Games” spread like a wildfire across the Internuts earlier this year I was initially skeptical. As a rule of thumb anything that Pitchfork heralds that early on I side-eye out of respect for the way things should be. Fast forward to a top 25 pre-ordered album on Amazon, a cover on Billboard, Complex and Interview Magazine and an abysmal SNL performance that would make Ashlee Simpson do the ho-down back to Hollywood–and Lana is looking more like Mitt Romney, than Ron Paul. Gone was our indie darling image, in it’s place was some kind of abominable indie-pop conspiracy, a lip injected, spoiled, manufactured, super-rich airhead being sold to a gullible world as indie-pop royalty when in reality she’s more like the Kim Kardashian of Pop Music, a musical example of the things that money can buy.

Money is a powerful thing. Without it even the smallest tasks seem daunting, with it you can be anything you can fathom. People have literally bought their dream jobs, their way out of prison, the presidency and our society gives them a pat on the back and spot in our popular culture. I love money as much as the next person, but I’ll take a talented person over someone who’s faking it any day. But that’s just me, and talent means nothing to most these days. I don’t mean to discourage the kids out there who have a dream of making it big on their good will and talent alone, but if who’s on top says anything about our culture it’s going to be near impossible to do anything without two things on your side: money and good looks. What happened to merit? It exited the day marketing companies figured how to pimp indie bands.

“People like being marketed towards, until they realize they’re being marketed towards.” And the Lana Del Rey backlash ensued. A self-referential music fan values authenticity over everything. And with a millionaire father, elaborate cover-ups of previous attempts at fame and the best PR and Marketing team money can buy is putting out the worst example for our generation. As herself, Lizzy Grant, she couldn’t make it. With daddy’s money, a few lip injections and a pin-up makeover and the world is yours.

Amber Rose and The Kardashian clan is enough. Just when you thought they were out of those kind of bimbos, here comes Lana riding blogs like a white horse. No amount of money can buy you experience and talent, or respect for that matter. It’s one thing to suck on your own merit and build up to a stage like SNL or Billboard. But it’s another thing for your daddy, to feel bad when you fall on your ass once, and pump money into your career and poof to make you a star. After watching this, I imagine Daniel Radcliffe was backstage thinking, “fuck, i wish magic was real!”

Related Posts: