'Idol' Banter: ode to an Overmyer

Hey, “Idol” dialers -- if you’re voting for Amanda Overmyer, can you drop me a line? I’m really curious about her fan base. Overmyer is emerging as the biggest exception in “Idol” history, a contestant who continues to succeed despite her refusal (and in some ways, inability) to fit within the show’s parameters. She’s had her rough moments -- let’s not mention Kansas -- but tonight she applied her sandpaper voice to a Joan Jett rave-up and won everyone over, even Simon. Even then, his lavish praise brought only a half-smile to her deliciously deadpan face. It would be way too “Idol” for Amanda to act like she cares what the judges think.

Her cool -- which is very different than Danny Noriega’s nervous sass, or his BFF Ramiele Malubay’s "Gossip Girl" smirk -- is one quality that makes Amanda the most unlikely “Idol” finalist since Taylor Hicks. She genuinely does not seem to care what the judges say. If Simon skewers her, she shrugs it off; if Paula encourages her, she shrugs it off. It’s extremely believable that she’d be just fine getting voted off the show tomorrow.

Her stoicism seems half-connected to her unpretentious Midwestern background, and half about her commitment to old-fashioned rock 'n' roll hauteur. I once saw Joan Jett perform a club show in front of a crowd of jeering, gobbing Seattle meatheads; she only paused to flip an occasional finger. I’ll bet Amanda’s had similar experiences on the Indiana club circuit. At least Simon keeps his spit in his mouth.

Then there’s Amanda’s lifestyle, or what we know about it through the tattered veil “Idol” throws over its contestants. Nude photos are so passé, but repeated auto mishaps, at least one involving alcohol and jail time -- that’s rougher stuff. Overmyer’s not some starlet driving the wrong way down the 134 in her sports car, either; she projects the nonchalant steel of a career tough mama. While the other gals talked about second-grade crushes and church mishaps in the “Most Embarrassing Moments” segment, Overmyer chuckled about accidentally setting her deck on fire.

Is it really possible that we could go from virginal Jordin Sparks to this? And don’t claim Chris Daughtry’s the middleman. Daughtry was in a Christian rock band, Absent Element, before going "Idol." His role model is Live frontman and noted New Ager Ed Kowalczyk. Amanda, conversely, is totally old school; if she ran across those modern rock wusses, she’d smack ‘em down with a vinyl copy of “Exile on Main St.”

That pleasant image leads us to Amanda’s Keith Richards-esque singing, allegedly still the most important factor in the competition. This is where she really doesn’t fit. The prototypical “Idol” rocker, male or female -- and it is a category now, especially after Daughtry proved to the show’s producers that the role could be commercially viable -- boasts a broad vocal range and a clear tone like Carly Smithson’s, as suitable to Celine Dion’s catalog as to Queen’s. Grit cannot factor in; it would get in the way of the predictable pyrotechnics that late-season contestants must deliver.

But grit is what Overmyer does best, though her “Idol” turns don’t recall her heroine Janis Joplin as much as Vince Neil in Motley Crue circa 1988. That’s the amazing thing about Amanda: not only does she have a striking style that’s not even a bit pop, her rawness has only worked for a very select group of singers in hard rock. Overmyer’s taste may be more classic than au courant, but her singing is genuinely edgy.

Edgy singing can move the masses, as the work of the late, great Janis Joplin reminds us. (Imagine an “Idol” singer delivering a first note as ear-shattering and emotional as Joplin did on her version of the R&B chestnut “Cry Baby.” Simon would have a seizure!) It can turn bohemian cool into Top 40 fashion, as Rod Stewart proved in his whisky-voiced early days. It can introduce new ways to think about a genre, the way Macy Gray did for soul, or Tom Waits did for songwriter-oriented rock. But it probably can’t win “American Idol.”

Hard rock has always been a difficult field for women, and I can’t blame Overmyer for jumping the metal fence into pop’s biggest gladiator ring. I worry, though, that if she does ever listen to the judges, she’ll forget her past in bands with awesome names such as Steeleto and Ruinaces, and become the 21st century Bonnie Tyler. Remember Bonnie Tyler? She’s actually a good blues singer, but her fame’s mostly associated with songwriter Jim Steinman’s attempts to turn her into the female Meat Loaf. Amanda, that’s not what the world needs from you!

P.S.: Obligatory plagiarism shout-out -- Simon used the forbidden word, “original,” to describe Brooke White’s effective if vocally tinny acoustic take on Pat Benatar’s “Love is a Battlefield.” Well, Pat herself has been performing that song acoustically for years, accompanied only by her husband and longtime guitarist Neil Giraldo. And you know what? Even at 54, Pat still sings the daylights out of that song.

The clips:

Rod Stewart YouTube clip

Bonnie Tyler YouTube clip

Janis Joplin clip

Pat Benatar YouTube clip
From "The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn"

--Ann Powers

Photo courtesy of Fox

Comments

[Connie D.]

White female over 50. I spend my valuable time voting for Amanda because she is raw and mad-talented, like Elliott Yamin. I like the way she moves and dances. I'll be quite disappointed if she doesn't make the tour.

One of these weeks she is going to kill everyone dead off of the stage if she is allowed an arrangement that fits her.

[suta]

Count me in as an Overmyer fan.
I'm twenty-one, female, generally metalheaded, and I have come to resent American Idol's overall fakeness over the years... So I told myself that I wasn't going to watch AI6, and didn't-- and wasn't planning on watching AI7 until I heard a ten-second clip of Amanda's snarling a few weeks ago. Now I find out when she'll be performing, tune in then, find out what her number is, and then proceed to stop caring until they announce whether or not she's 'safe'. My remote interest in this season's results will go when she does.

Usually the 'rocker' girls on this show are mallgothy and very average-seeming. The "rocker" boys? True rock wouldn't be caught dead on reality television, though Amanda's attitude suggests that she might have hit a very wrong turn at some point and might be too cool to smile like an idiot anyway. That aside, vocal talent is irrelevant if it's something we've seen a frillion times on this godforsaken show.. Once in a while they actually admit someone a little less polished and made-up, which is the only thing I'm gonna look forward to in this show. That's Amanda Overmyer.

[Gerb]

I'm 44, a midwest mom, author and Amanda fan. I like her style and personality. Take away the hair and she reminds me of Julia Stiles. Cute smile - when she smiles. Her vocals are definitely different for Idol, which is a great deal of her appeal. I'd love to see her continue and I think she will... as long as she doesn't have another Kansas performance or let the stylists pouf out her hair. I hope she makes it into the top ten so she can tour with AI.

[purple.haze]

im 21, proud mom of a 2 year old, and a solid Amanda fan! I love the quality of her voice(it reminds me so much of my idol Janis) and I honestly believe that she's as genuine as genuine comes, that's probly why people misunderstand her behavior as apathy or indifference, i think that she's just being herself and you can't really blame someone for being real right? anyway i'd take her 'indifference' anytime over fake smiles and forced group hugs! i loved her since her audition in Atlanta and I believe that her best is yet to come, i know that she is capable of so much more! And with that in mind good luck Amanda and just believe in the fact that real talent doesn't need reassurance from the majority! Good luck girl!

[kelly]

i love her, she is the only one of the contestants, not just this season, but the entire 7 seasons, that has put me on the edge of my seat and kept me there. she is the only one that stands out, to me. and her fan base is a variety of different "types" of people, but the majority are the ones who were also raised on that old rock n roll.

[Barbara]

I have NEVER watched one second of American Idol in six years...never had any interest. Three weeks ago, the TV was on and the show was playing, i wasn't paying any attention then Amanda Overmyer came on. I stopped dead in my tracks and LISTENED. I was hooked. I am a 48 year old woman, actor/writer from NYC.Will she win? Probably not. But I love her and I watch just to see her perform. And I do love her attitude. Thank you Amanda, you are great. GOOD LUCK.

[M.]

Who's the Amanda fan base? Well, I'm 24, college graduate, and begrudgingly got into American Idol at the insistance of roommates. Now it's an admitted love/hate relationship with the show. I live for Simon's bubble-bursting comments, but am admittedly just as excited to see someone like Carley Smithson perform. So when someone like Amanda comes on channeling the raw musical talents of those such as Janis Joplin - rock in the real sense, not rock in the caricature sense, it's refreshing.

[Any]

Great article!
Im 23 year old woman from Dominican Republic... been watching idol and i cant get enough of Overmyer, i cant get enough of her interviews and i cant get enough of her singing. She and her voice are just so magnetic.

[Gianni]

Well, it's about time for someone like Amanda. I am a 50 yr old male who never adds to message boards. I think she has incredible talent and originality. Not only can she rock and sing but think for a moment how hard it is to take a band who she hardly has worked with and rearrange a song that is as stuck in everyones head into a Southern rockin number like she did. She took a chance, handled it incredibly well, rocked the joint, and moved like a pro.

She sings what she lives and loves and you can tell. I for one am tired of the AI wanna be Mariah, Whitney, Celine's who can't make a song their own and couldn't sell me on a song. 6 seasons of AI and I own maybe 8 of the songs from all the past contestants, however I already have all of Amanda's on my iPod and my car stereo. She has the potential to be great even with her lack of versatility.

Carly is good and so is the girl from Selma Oregon but Carly is on her third run at a career with two previous record contracts and a video and the Oregon girl had a contract from 2001 with Epic Nashville. Not that Christi could win by a mile though but AI is supposed to be about discovering new marketable talent not resurrecting talent.

With a little career coaching and some voice lessons I believe she could expand her range enough to be less predicable and very marketable.

Go Amanda. I am a big fan.