X-Factor and Autotune

Is anyone deep down that surprised at the idea that some audio has been edited/tweaked on Saturday's show? X Factor is no more about discovering genuine talent than my shaven head is about me not wanting to have it hanging down to my arse anymore. You do not need genuine talent, only an emotionally manipulative backstory, some small degree of talent and you are away.

Here is a list of the winners of the last six seasons, now I can name two that have achieved any real fame beyond the initial interest generated by their winning and even they are painfully generic, talented in the coldest, most technical sense - even Alexandra Burke has devalued her cachet by doing adverts for deodorant and Leona is yet to do anything of true worth - I cannot see her locking herself in a studio with a pound of good grass, a bunch of musicians and producing anything a tenth as cool as Voodoo or The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. No she will produce ballads that might be technically flawless but have all the emotion of a soft boiled fart and the odd uptempo number that paraphrases whatever is considered 'current' by Cowell et al.

The show is about laughing at those who cannot, or fail to see they cannot sing, thrilling at the possibility of seeing someone make it despite their circumstances and ignoring the fact that they get all that made them interesting knocked out of them until they become polished and anodyne.

The truth of music is that no matter how well you can play, no matter how well produced your record is. there will be a sixteen year old with a broken guitar and a heartful of pain who will blow you away with a chord. That's what makes it great, its been forgotten by the likes of Cowell, who I doubt actually really enjoys music for its own reward. His is a world where everything is product, marketing and financial projections rather than art and passion and pain.

Oh, and only tangentially related - why is it lauded that Will Young and Joe McElderry only come out after their initial flush of success? Why is it that they are considered role models for being fucking cowards in case the fact of what they do in private might upset their chances of hitting the top ten? Essentially they are telling young gay people that they should hide who they are if they want to be considered successful - that's not a role model of any import, is it?

Enjoy X Factor, by all means, but lets not pretend its anything other than light entertainment with no more cultural or artistic impact than a Punch and Judy Show. I like it because Cheryl Cole is mesmerising to look at.