The Power of Cher

So what if she is an icon.

I was never really into her.

I did think her appearance on Will & Grace was hilarious. But more because of Jack....

Then I watched the censored version of her farewell concert on national TV. Yes censored...comments about queens in her audience didn't go down well with the censors here.

I thought it was so creative that when I got back to the US, I bought the DVD.

I watched a little of it again tonight. Then I realized that the whole thing could be summed up in one word:

Hot.

Audience: Hot hot hot. You got to respect an artiste if she can bring in that many hot bods in front of, and on the stage. And the odd thing is, even the older members were hot. Then again, she has a strong gay fan base. And we all know that gay people generally primp themselves more haha.

The final audience tally was made up of: gay men and women who defied the stereotype, straight men who were either comfortable with themselves or looking at the hot gay guy next to them, women who wonder why the men have better complexions, and the ultra fag hags who would lip sync every song like the best drag queen on the market. I jest of course...except for the bit about the straight men. When you think about it, it is so good that regardless of what you are, you can still be in a concert hall with people of different persuasions and still enjoy yourself. For two hours, prejudice didn't seem to exist.

Show: Extremely hot. Great staging, lighting, costumes...nothing could be faulted. Well, maybe the aerial acrobatics that was not as good as Madonna's concerts.

What was truly hot though was Cher's staying power.

For one thing, plastic surgery etc aside, she looked hot. And her youthful spirit was even hotter. She didn't look out of place performing for kids from 18 to 50 years old. Nor did she look out of place sharing the stage with dancers half her age at least.

There is a guy in Singapore called Dick Lee, a supposedly prolific singer songwriter whose current stage musical may actually hit Broadway by 2008. He turned up at his 50th birthday bash dressed as the Pope and got into a lot of trouble. If you were to look at him, he seriously does not look or act anywhere close to 50. His body is still fab, his face shows no signs, he talks in current lingo. And he is fabbbbuuulllouuusss in his designer clothes.

Not everyone is as lucky as he is. To be so current that he is still adored by people half his age and younger. To have his work still resonate with the audience. To still have a strong sense of being. I have seen so many ex VPs, CEOs, Consultants, Creative Directors etc that lost their sense of being after they left their titles. It is always dangerous for people to allow designations to define their lives. The titles bear no reflection upon their place in the world. I don't even think they felt down because they lost their jobs or were encouraged to move on. It was more because they felt that they had no value and that they lost their connection.

Value.

Today's world dictates that the one's value is tied to one's relevance to the world around them. To be in the know, to be on top of everything current. To constantly have a sharp mind. And to not be lost in whichever age group you are communicating with, especially those that fall within the main advertising demographics.

I talked to one guy who used to head a huge creative team. He was let go after gazillion years of service. He seemed to brighten up when he talked about his past glories and achievements. I am actually impressed by his body of work but at the same time, I sensed some sadness. Like he didn't know what was next. Like his age is now the number that will limit his opportunities.

I wonder though if it does end up as that for everyone: a numbers game. A fight between experience and youth. But then I look at the cases of some of the most successful businessmen, media personalities, industry experts etc and they all have the same internal progressive qualities. They never look back. It is always about staying in the moment, and moving on to the next thing. It is about the pursuit of goals and dreams and achievements, and not about money. It is always about what has not been done yet.

I realized that I don't want to look back and reminisce. The first sign of being irrelevant is when you start telling yourself, Oh I did that once or I remember when... Sure some day you would want to have a retrospective look at the body of achievements you have amassed. But that is probably closer to when you are going to die.

So I found my worst fear: to be irrelevant, and out of sync with society and youth culture. To be coasting. Out of touch. Voxless. To stop having the next thing to work on.

With no intention of being a drama queen, I think I would seriously take a knife and slice my wrists if I end up being irrelevant.

Why live when you are either coasting and waiting to die, or if you have stopped progressing and are dead inside already?

Think about it.