Undercover

In the bubble

David Hasselhoff is trying to break into the metal scene. There are so many things wrong with the statement above. First off, why is Hasselhoff making music in the first place? Secondly, metal really? I used to believe that we should let everyone express themselves openly, no matter what, but the Hoff has quickly robbed me of that fantasy.

I can’t give him all the credit. I’ve slowly been losing that fantasy as I observe people so coddled in their bubbles that they’ve never been told they shouldn’t do what they’re doing. I’m 96.7 percent confident that Hasselhoff falls into this category. When someone surrounds themselves with “yes men,” they’re only a short step away from the madhouse. It’s as if they’ve put themselves in a padded room, and no matter how hard they throw themselves against the wall, they can’t get hurt.

Sooner or later that padded room becomes all that person knows. The outside world, the one with the sharp edges that define reality, becomes a foreign land.

This isn’t to say that no one should experiment. Thom Yorke just debuted his recent exploration into classical with his new song “Gawpers,” and I was surprised by the quality. I’m not a huge a fan of new Radiohead projects, but this dérive into classical comes off somehow less pretentious and theory heavy than some of their other work.

I wonder how angry Hasselhoff would be if someone told him that his exploration into metal is going to end disastrously. Would he stop and return to running up and down beaches with his shirt off? Would he send a slurry of angry emails in an inappropriate vent of unregulated rage? Would he fire everyone around him? He’s certainly got enough money to remain in his burnt-out, post America’s Got Talent bubble.

Maybe I’ve misjudged the guy. He could be very down to earth and, perhaps, I’m just a member of the press judging yet another celebrity for their strange career choices. I doubt it. At this stage, does anyone even have a needle big enough to pop that bubble?