INTERVIEW: Sass Jordan on Canadian Idol, short attention spans
Sass Jordan is soon to enter a new phase in her career. From humble beginnings in a Montreal band called the Box, the British-born singer distinguished herself as a bluesy rock shouter of the highest order and hit a peak in a duet with Joe Cocker that was featured on The Bodyguard soundtrack. Her own music is rich in the ballsy blues defined by Joplin, which any female artist with a little gruff in her voice gets instantly compared to.
The new thing will involve “public speaking,” and more the 51-year-old singer cannot say. A clue is in her spiel about the evils of short attention spans.
“Our world does not support focus and attention,” she says, citing many examples: Instant gratification from being able to download any media desired, able to access any information, and in diabolical television shows like Breaking Bad or Homeland where experts in keeping viewers in a constant state of suspense ply their craft. Is this nothing new? Trying sitting through a TV mystery made in the ‘60s. Booooring!
“The less you are focused and the more your attention is scattered madly all over the place, the easier you are to control,” Jordan says. A good example, she says, is the overwhelmingly one-sided media coverage of Rob Ford.
“There is absolutely zero sympathy for this guy in the media. And as you know, there is no such thing as a one-sided situation, ever. He can’t be all bad. I don’t care what anyone says. And at least he’s standing there saying, yeah I actually did do that. What, you assholes never did anything in your entire life your regret? You’re so quick to point the finger. I hate the witch hunt mentality … He’s going, fuck you! It’s like, whoa, yeah, dude. When the whole world is against you, there’s something appealing about that.”
Ever the rebel. She adds, realistically, “He probably should get out of there. There’s only so much abuse you can take, but this guy, he’s epic!”
And what were we talking about again? Right. Short attention spans. Jordan is concerned for humanity. Modern life is going too fast and people seem powerless to stop it.
“All I can say is that the stress levels in all the people I know has been exponentially rising over the past 10 years. It’s getting more and more intense and I feel it’s a consequence of over stimulation and a scattering of focus.”
The solution can be summed up in a few words: “Slow the fuck down.”
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