Anyone who reads the news and watches TV will have heard of Justin Bieber. The Canadian adolescent with the funky hairdo is all over the news these days. Whether his music appeals to you or not, his achievements are impressive. Not even 18 yet, he has already surpassed artists such as Lady Gaga in billboard rankings, he's scored a record deal with Usher and he's got more girls swooning at his shows than the Beatles could ever have dreamt of.Speaking of which, it's remarkable to see the similarity. Back in the days, the Beatles became so popular that police had to restrain the hordes of ecstatic fans whenever there was a show.
In the end that was part of the reason, if not the most important reason, for their break-up. The madness had gone too far and they were tired of it.
I suppose that a newfound star like Bieber might be enjoying the attention, and shouldn't he?
After all, even if you don't like the music or the hair, you have to admit that he can sing and dance, and Usher wouldn't have given him a record deal if he hadn't had some talent. He's even recorded a version of one of his songs in faultless Canadian French. Not that this defines talent, but it does go to show diversity.
Unfortunately, the hysteria surrounding some of Bieber's appearances leads, on occasion, to chaos and even injury. At recent shows, the sheer number of ecstatic fans got into a bit of a muddle when the police reacted too late to increasing chaos.
Maybe it's a sign of the times that crowds sometimes go berserk but then again, crowds have always been willing to be whipped into a frenzy. The very word 'berserk' goes back centuries.
It does raise the question how Bieber himself must feel about it? While he probably enjoys the attention, he can't be happy that people have gotten injured, even if accidentally.
Let's all hope that the madness settles down a bit. Music is for fun and enjoyment, not for craziness.
