Shocking Music Controversy? Yawn.

And so . . . we have our shocking music controversy du jour.  American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert debuted his new single “For Your Entertainment” on the American Music Awards last night.  The performance (warning: not suitable for young eyes) featured such delightful vignettes as Lambert dragging a scantily clad young woman across the stage as if he were Cro-Magnon Man, Lambert whipping two dudes as they crawled across the stage, a few seconds of simulated oral sex, and a passionate lip-lock with a keyboardist of “indeterminate gender.”

My kids — especially my 10 year old daughter — are Idol fans (who isn’t?) and are on the cusp of embracing the world of music.  So, how does a parent approach something like the Lambert atrocity (or any number of other pop music “outrages”)?  After all, if it isn’t Lambert this month, it’s Miley Cyrus “pole dancing” a couple months ago, or just about anything Madonna did when I was in high school.  Pop music is in the business of outrage.

So, I’ve got an idea.  What if we don’t play along?  What if the whole thing just bores us to tears?  After all, I’m of the opinion that it’s parents like us who’ve fueled the stardom of any number of reprehensible pop acts over the years.  We react with fury to “protect our kids,” the media amplifies everything, and the industry thrives in the white-hot glare of “controversy.”  What if, when Adam Lambert comes on the screen (and it looks like things are going south), we roll our eyes, say “Oh that’s funny.  They’re trying to shock us.  That’s so fifty years ago” and then switch back to something actually good -- like another famous Idol, Kelly Clarkson.

Rather than curse the darkness, give the impression that it makes you sleepy.  Then light a country music candle.  After all, there’s a lot of good stuff out there.