http://story.news.yahoo.c...e_ronstadt

NEW YORK - Linda Ronstadt (news), whose singing career began in the 1960s, says today's music industry values sex appeal more than talent.

"It puts a huge amount of pressure on kids," who are aspiring performers, she told the Daily News in Monday editions.



"If you are someone like Beyonce who happens to be gorgeous and talented, well great. But there are a lot of people who are not paid attention to because they don't look like a fashion model," the 57-year-old singer said.



Ronstadt, a native of Tucson, Ariz., was a sex symbol herself, with such hit albums as "Heart Like a Wheel" and "Simple Dreams."



She never plays those recordings anymore, though.



"I never go back. I never listen to them," said Ronstadt, who is scheduled to perform at the Beacon Theatre on Tuesday. "Music is a work in progress. On a record, it gets frozen in time, and it's oddly unnatural."


[This message was edited Thu Jun 3 9:08:09 2004 by otan]

Unfortunately she's gained some weight, but she definitely has an amazing voice. At least she can sing!!

Otan



So let me understand Linda, sexy image worked for you for most of your career and now you are large and it's not right?

Recorded works are now unnatural? Tell that to people's who's music has stood the test of time and sounds as good as the day it came out. Mozart's stuff was a place and time, it's not natural to write it down and have people playing it 300 years later.

Slave2daGroove said:

I like to read her statements
& remember the pics from inside that RS
with Linda wearing nothing but a teddy
& lying on the bed with her ass up in the air.
Yeah the record industry forced her to be sexy.

otan said:

That is a very odd thing to say.I would think she would proud of her past success.She has had a long and varied career, and apparently done it all on her own terms.

WHOA she's 57????

She was sex on legs. But she had talent.

man...i haven't seen that woman since cry like a rainstorm, howl like the wind!

otan said:

I'm not sure I get this statement. It's no more unnatural than an old photograph, which isn't unnatural either. Both are frozen in time and represent where a person was at one time, and sometimes they're forever at that place, wherever that place may be. Because many times it contains a lifelong ethos for an artist. Recorded music is like an audio photograph.

Woah, not to be insensitive, but she's pretty huge physically now in comparison to her youth. And she was so skinny and attractive back then. I can see how her weight now might influence this opinion. Personally, I think she's half-right and just a litttle biased.

.
[This message was edited Thu Jun 3 19:08:15 2004 by mrdespues]

She did/does have an awesome voice - as does Christina Aguilera, who will probably be quoted saying the exact same thing in 40 years.

I think Linda's changed musical tastes - so, to switch from jazz standards to her cool 70's stuff would be a crazy switchup in a live setting... what would the big band do while the rock band plays? I think THAT is why she doesn't do the older stuff. Just like, I can't imagine Christina Aguilera doing Dirrty at a "VH1 Diva's 2033" concert.

My favorite Linda song - "Get Closer" - the coolest pop song in a 5/8 time signature.

VoicesCarry said:

that's right! And that's what makes the big difference. Most "sex on legs" women "singers" today have very little talent.

"Senor Plow no es macho, Es solamente un borracho.."

i love her! she was one of the first artists i listened to, as a kid. my brothers had all her stuff.