I tend to receive e-mails asking me about the Googoosh Music Academy show, which is basically an Iranian talent search show but unlike every other nation’s ours happens to be attached to an artist’s brand (which the name of Googoosh is). So I thought I might as well bring it up here, in case other readers wonder why I haven’t covered that show. I was earlier this year contacted by their PR-people who informed about the production plans, asking me if I wanted to write about the show and announce the auditions. Generally I have no problem with such announcements and if you have read my reviews and blog, you know that if there is anything I like to do it is to discover and help to give new talents public exposure. I have a problem, however, with anything coming close to cult of personality (idolisation driven to extremities) in art and thus decided not to give a show bound to the brand of a certain artist promotional publicity on the blog. In other words the decision is based on my personal principles and is the result of a highly subjective reasoning, since my blog is purely personal in nature. I have nothing against Googoosh (if I had approved of the idea itself then who better than Googoosh), the crew and the artists. In fact as you all know Arghavan is a good friend and I wish her and everyone involved in the project the best of luck. Admittedly the show looks really good for being an Iranian production, but I personally do not follow it since I do not have sat-TV and watching scattered episodes online is nothing I rather do right now. Hopefully one day I’ll be able to watch the show in its entirety. I like the group song and video they delivered recently, but have to say that it sounds very, very like a Ramin Zamani production! And two of the guys’ tones and ornamentations being reminiscent of Kamran and Hooman’s makes the parallels even stronger.
