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X Factor: Vote Jedward - Leeds sociologist's view
They can't sing, can't dance and drive the X Factor judges to distraction. But we shouldn't be at all surprised by the phenomenon that is Jedward.
A freind of mine who can ordinarily be found enjoying the delights of the bars and clubs of Leeds on Saturday nights managed to surprise me the other week.
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"I stayed in and watched X Factor," he announced excitedly when I casually asked what he had been up to the previous weekend. "I voted for Jedward. Twice."
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Such is the appeal of the cute-as-a-button Irish twins with gravity-defying hair that it seems no one is immune from their charms.
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Much to the irritation of many, most notably head judge Simon Cowell, John and Edward Grimes have somehow managed to hijack this year's X Factor talent search.
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So far the public has been prepared to overlook the Dublin duo's haphazard dance routines and inability to sing in tune to keep them in with a shout of upsetting the odds and walking away with the prize of a 1m record deal.
Even Cheryl Cole, one of their harshest critics, has begrudgingly admitted their performances – complete with outrageous outfits, ridiculous dance routines and visual pyrotechnics – are the ones she most looks forward to each week.
But then should we really be so surprised by our readiness to clutch these most unlikely of pop stars to our hearts?
There is one magic ingredient in John and Edward's over-the-top performances that has been so plainly missing from those of their rivals.
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In stark contrast to the grim-faced pursuit of fame and diva-like behaviour of fellow competitors such as cocksure teacher-turned-wannabe-popstar Danyl Johnson, the pair perform with grins plastered across their faces and tongues planted firmly in cheeks.
They're a welcome antidote to the pitch-perfect tonsils and glistening white teeth of their preening, polished counterparts. We've seen all that before and, quite frankly, it's beginning to get a bit boring.
With their clunky dance moves and ear-shredding vocals, Jedward represent the true spirit of talent shows: the idea that anyone can get up and give it a go.
And give it a go they most certainly do. More than anyone, John and Edward grasp the importance of enjoying it while it lasts.
Their steadfast refusal to take themselves or the competition too seriously is reflected in song choices that have been camper than a row of tents – from Britney Spears' Oops I Did It Again through Queen's We Will Rock You and on to last week's aural assault on the Ghostbusters theme.
Each week they are forced to withstand the barrage of brickbats aimed at them by the judges, not to mention the boos from the supporters of the blubbing, fame-desperate starlet they've just knocked out.
But, thanks to skin that's as thick as rhino hide, never once have they shed a self-obsessed tear at the barbs that have come their way.
Jedward are the awkward kid at fame school who leave everyone wondering why they're there and, in a nation that has an abiding love of the underdog, we can't help but root for them.
Even their amateurishness is endearing, especially when we know that every false note and fluffed dance step is another dagger in the heart of smug Simon Cowell.
In fact, so riled was the flat-topped media mogul by their popularity that he even threatened to leave the country if they won his precious talent show. And if there was ever a reason to vote for Jedward, that was surely it.
"I think the Jedward phenomenon is fascinating," says Leeds cultural sociologist and unashamed X Factor fan Max Farrar.
"It seems to me there are a number of factors why we keep voting for them and they come from understandable and, in many ways, admirable impulses.
"The vast majority of X Factor's viewers are female and mums love boys like John and Edward while girls think they're cute. Even I can see there is something endearing about them.
"When Simon Cowell says they're rubbish it comes over as sheer arrogance, even though deep down we know he's right. It makes people want to vote against him and that means a vote for John and Edward."
When the Grimes brothers take to the stage each Saturday night the nation sits transfixed by the sheer unashamed awfulness of it all.
Their cringeworthy stabs at classic songs have us watching from behind a cushion. It's the original car crash TV, but somehow it's so bad it's actually rather good.
The twins' mentor Louis Walsh unwittingly hit the nail on the head when he claimed his proteges had the X Factor.
It's true in as much that they represent something so different to the conveyor belt of precocious pretty boys and girls dished up by these
shows in the past.
Viewing figures have peaked at a record 15.8 million – five million more than were watching at this stage in last year's competition. And, like my stay-at-home mate, they're tuning in to watch John and Edward.
"It comes down to the amateur entertainment factor," says Max Farrar. "The idea that you don't have to be great but if you've got tremendous enthusiasm then people will respond to it.
"They can't sing, they can't dance and can't act. But at the end of the day there's nothing wrong in loving full-on and faintly absurd entertainment, and that's exactly what Jedward provide."
Of course, we've seen this phenomenon at work before.
John Sergeant, the BBC's former political correspondent, was dubbed a 'dancing pig in Cuban heels' when he appeared on last year's series of Strictly Come Dancing.
His rhythm-free routines resulted in some of the most comedic moments ever witnessed on British television, including the notable achievement of making partner Kristina Rihanoff, one of the world's finest dancers, resemble a bag of potatoes being dragged from the cellar.
And yet such was the level of public support to keep him in the contest that he ended up having to pull out for fear of red faces all round if he ended up winning.
"The really interesting thing for me about these programmes is the democratic element in them," says Max Farrar.
"Because of viewer voting you've got this curious phenomenon of ordinary people making decisions on issues which historically have been made by people who are the gatekeepers in a particular field, in this case the entertainment industry.
"This intrusion of democracy puts this whole contest in a different light. There's a strong anti-authoritarian streak at work in Britain which means that the more the so-called experts tells us not to vote for someone the more likely we are to do it."
However, there are signs that in the case of John and Edward this rebellion has a finite lifespan.
The twins found themselves in the bottom two for the first time last week and a Facebook group called I Hate Jedward has more than a quarter of a million members.
It helps explain why their nemesis Simon Cowell was willing to go to the public vote on Sunday rather than use his casting vote to be rid of them once and for all.
The record viewing figures no doubt played their part, but perhaps he also knows that for many the delicious schadenfreude of seeing the twins triumph over infinitely more talented acts is beginning to wear just a little thin.
Still, if Jedward's 15 minutes of fame are indeed coming to an end they can comfort themselves with knowing that they, and we, sure had fun while it lasted.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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