[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.” But it explains lessabout the globalness of global pop; you could argue her reha-bilitation at home reflects Quebec’s contentment to ridealong with the steamroller of Anglo-American monocultureas it flattens the world, mowing down regional cultureslike so many hectares of rainforest, clearing ground for aStarbucks at every river mouth and a McDonald’s at eachdesertified crossroads.Indeed, being a stealth operative ofglobalization is the most substantial charge Quebec intel-lectuals still lay against her.If protesters are more likely to cite Arnold Schwarzeneggeror Britney Spears in complaints about “Coca-Colonization,”they may be too fixated on visuals, because Céline Dion haspierced the global eardrum just as deeply.The process wasalready well underway by the mid-1990s but the infectionCARL WILSONwent viral when she stowed away on the ultimate planetarylove boat, Titanic.Upon Let’s Talk About Love’s internationallaunch, Sony Music Europe’s senior vice-president of mar-keting Richard Ogden told Music & Media magazine: “Webelieve this is the biggest ship-out in the history of SonyMusic, bigger even than for Michael Jackson’s HIStory Part1.” Its $845,000 “kickoff” included a transatlantic videohookup from Céline in Montreal to fans and media inLondon, Paris and Cologne.More striking are the anecdotal accounts you’ll get fromany returning traveler from the developing world, or in asearch linking her name with the country of your choice.Asampling:• Becca Costel o, Sacramento News & Review, June 30, 2005:A few days after my return from a two-week trip toNorthern China, a friend asked me, “What’s the biggestmisconception the Chinese had about the West?”.AsI struggled to answer my friend’s question, I suddenlyremembered one misconception I’d encountered oftenenough to suspect a sort of mass hysteria had settled overthe whole country.I lowered my voice and confessedChina’s shameful secret: “The Chinese believe CélineDion makes good music.”.Out of the whole catalog ofAmerican, Canadian and British music, the Chinese seemto enjoy primarily four artists: Dion, Mariah Carey, EltonJohn and Kenny G.Don’t mention Madonna.As one uni-versity English major told me, ‘She’s far too scandalous.”• Blogger Michael Dumlao, traveling in Ghana (date unclear):_________• 40 •LET’S TALK ABOUT LOVEA la Jesus, Celine is everywhere in Ghana.What ismost remarkable about Céline’s arachnid reach is that shehas managed to appeal to everyone (from stoic chiefs totrend-bucking artisans, pop teens and every single taxidriver in Ghana).• A February 2007 USA Today article credits Céline,Bryan Adams and Lionel Richie with helping popularizeValentine’s Day in Ghana, where public displays of affec-tion among unmarried couples are traditionally taboo.• Observer Music Magazine, December 14, 2003, quotes Iraqitwenty-one-year-old Roa’a al Gharab: “There is a lot ofpain and separation in Iraqi songs.General y the Westernmusic we like is slow: Michael Bolton, Celine Dion.”• Richard Lim, entertainment editor of the Straits Times inSingapore, May 31, 1998:There is no escaping [“My Heart Will Go On”] in Singaporeand elsewhere.You hear it in every karaoke lounge, on theradio and in the malls.At her sellout concert at the IndoorStadium on Wednesday, Taiwanese diva Zhang Huimeiincluded it in her repertoire, and many in the audience sanglustily along with her.• An NPR piece on the “Changing state of music inIran” in March 2000, reports on a former opera singerin Tehran, Alahai Hamedi, who at personal risk givesvoice lessons to girls, teaching not Iranian or westernclassical repertoire but songs by Whitney Houston,_________• 41 •CARL WILSONBarbra Streisand and Céline.• In 2000, the Ottawa Citizen uncovers documents thatreveal that on a 1998 official visit to China, Canadian cul-ture minister Sheila Copps was met with a formal requestthat Céline tour China.“We fol owed up,” a Canadianpress secretary commented, but Céline’s staff said itwasn’t possible at the time.Copps was there mainly toconvince Chinese counterpart Sun Jiazheng to “join thebattle” to “ensure cultural diversification in an increas-ingly globalized world.”• April 21, 2003: The Chicago Tribune reports that the mostvisible cultural influence in Afghanistan was Titanic, withCéline in tow.Most residents had seen the movie onillegal video when the Taliban regime was still in place,but now: “In [Kabul’s] central market, vendors nowsell Titanic Mosquito Killer, Havoc on Titanic PerfumeBody Spray, Titanic Making Love Ecstasy Perfume BodySpray.Whatever is big is Titanic.Large cucumbersand potatoes are sold as Titanic vegetables.Popularthick-soled sandals are called Titanic shoes.” And Célinetapes played from boomboxes in many stalls.And that leaves aside al the friends and acquaintanceswho’ve told me that in Kazakhstan, Japan, Argentina, wherev-er, when locals found out they were Canadian, they’d be metwith “Ah! Céline Dion!” Is any territory immune to Céline’ssupposed charms? Well, Billboard has reported Sony’s frustra-tion at being unable to break her bigger in Germany._________• 42 •LET’S TALK ABOUT LOVE* * *Unlike most musicians, who establish themselves on a localscene and then aim for wider renown, Céline took the planetfor her stage from the beginning.Her 1982 win at the now-defunct Tokyo song contest was succeeded by her bigger vic-tory in 1988 representing Switzerland at the Eurovision SongContest, the five-decade-old Cheeseball Olympics of popmusic, the most-watched ongoing musical event on Earth,with an annual audience estimated at 300 mil ion
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]