Adam Lambert Makes No Apologies For Racy AMA Performance
If you watched last night's American Music Awards (AMAs) from the east coast, then you saw Adam's very racy performance, which included simulating fellatio with a male dancer, a kiss with keyboardist Tommy Ratliff, grabbing his own crotch, and flipping off the audience. It was edited for the west coast broadcast.
"You know honestly, if I offended some people... it's apples and oranges. I'm not an artist that does things for every single person," he told Access Hollywood. "I believe in artistic freedom and expression, I believe in honoring the lyrics of a song, and those lyrics aren't really for everybody either."
He also said he considered editing his performance "discrimination."
"There's a big double standard, female pop artists have been doing things provocative like that for years, and the fact that I'm a male, and I'll be edited and discriminated against could be a problem," he explained.
Added Lambert, "People are scared and it's really sad, I just wish people could open their minds up and enjoy things, it's all for a laugh, it's really not that big of a deal."
'The View's Sherri Shepherd disagreed. Here's what she twittered while watching the show:
Did Adam Lambert just grind some dude's head in his crotch.... TO MY NIECE... GO TO BED NOW!
And did Adam Lambert slip the tongue to one of his dancers???? Whoa... Celibate woman here... turning off t.v. now... somebody else recap
Given the graphic nature of this video, I won't post it, but you can see it on YouTube here. Warning: this is the UNEDITED version of the performance.
ETA: This is what Adam twittered after the show:
Hope u had fun tonight! We did.
All hail freedom of expression and artistic integrity. :) fans: I adore u.
Did Adam go too far?
Photos by Wenn.com
69732 points
I didn't watch it but I truly get what he's saying - female artists do some pretty racy stuff all the time. Usually they save it for MTV and such, though.
1085 points
I agree. With female stars, it never seems to be an issue. Remember the Lady Marmalade performance or Christina in chaps or Britney wearing little more than a live boa? If people don't like it, change the channel.
www.notsohumble.ca
5515 points
i can't stand liberace but my my vera, aren't you the prude.
49120 points
Madonna does that stuff all the time during her shows. And I have to admit, eventhough I have never listened to any of Adam's music, I'd much rather watch him than Madonna!
21100 points
agreed.
LOVED IT! The only real and raw peformance of the night. So amusing that one of the only artists who truly does not give a cr*p about what people think about him came from AI--the most sickening show on t.v.--so sometimes something wonderful can come from something horrific. Rock on Adam--nobody puts you in a corner!
And to be offended by him kissing another man! What the h*ll is this?? The 1950's??
He did this all for publicity and attention...I hope it blows up in his face. Nowadays,our society is too accepting when it comes to vulgarity and lewdness...and all in the name of "art". Its really sad.
You hope it blows up in his face?? I bet he does, too! You prudes are just too funny!!! OMG, people. He's SELLING a CD!! Press sells. Plus, folks...it's art...if you don't like it, flip the channel, go get a snack, use the restroom, etc. Lots of music that I do not like comes on these shows, don't take it personal. Grow up.
I could care less one way or another - I think he's an attention whore so that's why he did what he did - but saying change the channel if you don't like it - it really isn't that easy because it's not like one KNEW he was going to put a man's face in his crotch, you know? If you were just a casual viewer of the show and watched all the performances, it's certainly not something you expected to see.
And it isn't art. He isn't doing anything that - by his OWN admission - female pop artists have done before him. It's all the same and it's all completely non-shocking at this point. He shouldn't need to try this hard. He has the talent. That should do all the work for him.
"it's all certainly not something you expected to see" and "it's all the same and it's all completely non-shocking at this point" kind of don't go together. Maybe he is an attention seeking wannabe, but so are many other popstars, and as sex is a huge part of pop i don't think Adam should be frowned upon b/c of his performance. And i liked it, but wasn't thrilled, not my favorite artist.
My first statement was in regards to changing the channel if you don't like what you see - I didn't EXPECT to see him grab anyone's head and put it in his crotch. I was watching because I was watching the show, it wasn't like I heard his name come up and I thought oh, great, here comes the faux fellatio. I just thought here comes the screeching. And not expecting something doesn't necessarily mean I was shocked by it. I am in no way surprised that he pulled stunts nor am I shocked by the ones he did pull.
Agreed. I do not want to see this gross stuff.
I truly feel sorry for you, that really all I can say..
Our society has no problem seeing women behaving this way and this has been going on for a very long time. A young man does it and everyone loses their shit. I am thankful that the double standard is brought to light. I'm tired of all things media being over sexualized in general and I hope this makes people think. I'm glad it was a guy that did the all of the shocking this year, Im tired of women being portrayed as sex puppets.
695 points
Have never heard this guy, don't really care who or what he kisses, but my! His makeup is terrible!
57942 points
That's my thought as well. I don't know who he is and I don't care who he kisses.
What? His makeup is amazing...He should be gracing the cover of Vogue or Harper's Bazaar. He can give lessons to the local makeup ladies at Sephora.
143950 points
"Adam Lambert Makes No Apologies For Racy AMA Performance" Will he at least apologize for wearing more make up than most women?
8280 points
hah
I consider myself to be very open minded and am far from a prude but I did find Adam's performance hard to watch. It was a little over the top for his debut performance. The song wasn't great either. I would not buy his album based on that performance. If you are a true talent you don't need all of that extra stuff for attention. The artists that do push the envelope like that are usually doing so because they are lacking in other areas. Adam's demeanor on stage came off as pretty arrogant and turned me off completely. It didn't seem very well received form the audience either.
Really? I mean, Really!! Did Elvis stand on stage and just belt 'em out. Hell, no!! He gyrated!! Did The Beatles look like ANYONE else. No! Did Aerosmith's Steven Tyler, David Bowie, or Elton John HIDE their sexuality. NO!! And that's just a few examples that jump to mind!! Pubilcity is a good thing and in an age where music is watched on YouTube or one song downloaded for 99 cents ... attention is name of the game. At least, I get the game!!!!
You can't expect artists to keep one-upping eachother. Dear lord, imagine what we'll be watching two men do in a few years, if that' the case. I don't care to watch ANY two people swap spit while singing. Yes, I think a line was crossed.
3165 points
He did this all for publicity and attention...I hope it blows up in his face. Nowadays,our society is too accepting when it comes to vulgarity and lewdness...and all in the name of "art". Its really sad.
it's call stage make-up so i don't find his make-up that bad considering. remember when madonna kissed britney and christina and all that controversy?....people are only offended because he's gay. it's obviously for publicity and attention and it's working.
5515 points
please let's not compare Madonna who has a 25 year career and still selling out shows in 10 minutes to this little wannabe Freddie Mercury. and i'm not a bid vadge fan either but this guy blows (HAHAHHAH, i made a funny)
you don't have to be his fan...that's not my point. if britney did exact same thing as him....people would say "HOT" but because he's gay, people are disgusted.
i think people are disgusted because he's so NOT talented.
50800 points
I agree that he just copied what Madonna did at the VMA's. People want to be "shocking" for the publicity that comes along with it.
I wasn't offended by his sexual choreography, although I thought it was lame and cheesy. I was much more concerned with the song itself, which sucked. I have higher expectations from someone as talented as Adam and that song sounded like all the other mindless garbage being churned out by every pop artist. Also, I thought the vocals were weak. When he wasn't hitting those high notes Adam just sounded bad. I have high hopes for him but last night did not impress me at all.
56293 points
My gay male friends didn't like his performance!
He's absolutely right about female performers getting away with this stuff all the time.
However, that doesn't make it a good thing to do. As a person who finds nothing about sex and sexuality offensive or vulgar, I'm not impressed with being shown meaningless softcore porn for art or entertainment. There are much better examples of sex in art that are more meaningful than rubbing someone's face in your crotch.
If Lambert meant to cater to an audience that sees sex as something that can be incorporated into art, he didn't do that good of a job.
If he meant to shock people, well, he got what he wanted.
The AMA awards is hardly the place for this shenanigans, but at least he brought up the double standard topic.
I take my hate off to Adam, why should he be a fake? he is who he is, and he has the right to perform as he see's fit. Im for one am very happy that this may just be the dude that can break down barriers for gay male artist.. I wish him the very best. I think he has a awsome voice, and is a good and learing performer.
143950 points
This post is a grammatical nightmare.
182320 points
LOL !! i sometimes wonder if you say the same about me !!!
14240 points
Not good Kiddo!!!
182320 points
wha ?!!! ;)
3165 points
LOL.....
271020 points
No where near as bad as when people SHOUT the whole way through. I don't even bother to read then!
LOL !! when i do i shout in my head while reading :P
1430 points
I didn't see his performance, but I enjoy his eye makeup...
2955 points
I'm not a fan and I'm on the fence. I'm very liberal, but there are young adults who watch these shows. Yeah, yeah, it happened after 10 pm, but my mom always let me stay up late to watch the award shows. That's my only beef about it. I'm sure there were children who caught that performance.
Like Adam said, he is not a babysitter. It is not his job to think of children. The parents should raise their children to expect these thing in the real world. You can walk down the street and see the same thing in some places. Or after the first 'lewd' act, they could have changed the channel or asked the children to leave the room.
67165 points
Hated the sing, it sucked... along with his performance it was weak to say the least. Not impressed.
I think people use "art" as a crutch. Really it looked like the same crap that has been shoved down our throats over and over again in the name of expression and uniqueness. There is no individuality there. There is no uplifting of my heart. It left me vile and disgusted.
Also I liked him on AI. Now he sounds and acts like a male version Britney. He song lacked integrity. He was way over the top.
That's true. Posting on this site is a form of "artistic expression" for me. Although, my boss would highly disagree.
950 points
I didn't see anything too scandalous at all...but the performance itself was awful. That's the first time I'd ever seen or heard him perform...not impressed at all.
I'm not surprised anymore. I agree, that make up is making his skin look bad.
the make-up did not make his skin look bad. Actually having bad skin is making his skin look bad! he has horrible skin and the pancake make-up does not help.
I was not a fan of his druing AI and this just proves that he did not deserve to win that contest! this was a desparate performance that was not even backed up with halfway decent vocals. My favorite part was when he fell and coverd it up by doing a roll! Now THAT was entertainment!
182320 points
whatever... it was a bad performance
i can't stand perezhilton and i was able to use my remote to get rid of him, can't folks do the same with adamlambert if they don't like him? i am a fan of adams and i was waiting for his performance, perez being there took me by surprise so i had to act fast, but still one push of one button on the remote and poof! he was gone, no more perez offending my tv:)
271020 points
Agreed. Perez is a hypocritical moran. He has become everything he bitched about when he first started out.
He is a disguting queer and is not fit to be on TV. Plain and Simple. I will be complaining to the sponsors.
271020 points
I think you have some issues mate. Homophobic much?
I think that everyone has a right to their own opinion and freedom of expression through art, or whatever medium one chooses. I did find myself a little surprised by his performance but not disgusted. I do agree that if it was a female artist it wouldn't have been as big of an issue. I say, right on Adam do what makes you happy, proud, and true to you.
I think that everyone has a right to their own opinion and freedom of expression through art, or whatever medium one chooses. I did find myself a little surprised by his performance but not disgusted. I do agree that if it was a female artist it wouldn't have been as big of an issue. I say, right on Adam do what makes you happy, proud, and true to you.
I dont the people posting against his performance are offended by it because he's gay..... I have no problem with homosexuality at all....
what im offended by is turning on an awards show and seeing him shove someone's face in his crotch, simulating fellatio on television. I would think a stunt like this was crude and in poor taste no matter who did it.
I truly believe that if an artist is genuinely talented, they shouldnt have to resort to shock tactics to get people to buy their records.
I agree with you 100%
2955 points
Yup. Yup. I wasn't offended by the kiss, but when Britney and Madonna did it, they weren't eating each others faces off, either. I was more offended by the crotch thing. Gross no matter who does it outside of the bedroom.
wanted to add that i think his voice is way too theatrical and just not that good plain and simple. Anyone remember his horrid rendition of "burning ring of fire" on American Idol? I honestly will never forget how horrible that performance was. I thought my ears were going to start bleeding it was so bad.
21570 points
Adam's singing was totally off last night. That was a disappointment. That said, I'm still downloading his cd right now as I type this. I think he is super-talented, funny and smart. He wanted people to be talking about him and it worked.
I don't like it when he screams the lyrics at times, but unlike Anon 2:53 (above), I LOVED his version of Ring of Fire.
21570 points
Btw, if you want Adam's new cd, I just downloaded it at amazon for $3.99 - I couldn't believe it. Thought it was a mistake. But nope, his mp3 album and Rihanna's newest are both going for $3.99
21570 points
LOL!! Vera - amazon also has the Yo Gabba Gabba mp3 album for $5.00 right now =)
Adam,
You are very talented but your performance at the AMA's was RIDICULOUS. It felt forced and fake. I drowned in the drama of it all. Very distracting and not in a good way. Most people are guilty of trying too hard at some point in their lives. All the best to you. You will be successful because your voice is golden.
The AMA set Lambert sung
Had antics unfit for the young;
FCC lets let you watch
Adam grab his own crotch
But fine for a slip of the tongue.
News Short n' Sweet by JFD8
http://twitter.com/JFD8
All I can say is that guy really knows how to apply eye makeup. He looks purdy.
What a douche. Total hack, can't sing at all, just screamed his lyrics; also, can't dance, strutted around like a drunken peacock, did porno knowing kids were watching & fell down (best part). America, if this is your idea of an "idol", you've really lost it.
I don't like contrived performances...purely for attention. Wasn't a huge Madonna fan...have the same opinion of many of Gaga's performances. I think Adam has an unbelieveable instrument (his voice, people). It's a shame he seems more excited about pushing his agenda than showing off his musical talent. If he doesn't sell records, he won't have the opportunity to stay in the public eye. Last night's performance probably didn't win him many new fans. I wasn't particulary offended...just believe that the record-buying public most definitely was.
160070 points
i didnt like his performance, but he can do whatever he wants.
Though i don't think being gay and lesbian is right, i stand by that it is double standard its ok for Madonna, Brit and Christina to kiss but not Adam, if they don't want him to kiss then it shouldn't be ok for others to do so. Make the rule for everyone 19
He was gross. Disgusting for the AMA show
271020 points
Wow. Everyone is soo heated up. I am not shocked nor interested.
Pretty soon it will be acceptable to screw monkeys on stage. You so called liberals have ruined American. Have fun in the depression as you are also the ones who didn't save a nickel.
Oh and have fun with the monkey.
143950 points
You are a blithering idiot.
I agree with DonnaJ. CMT9: you are incredibly ignorant.
Am I the only one who found his performance a tad boring and not worth the hoopla?
186497 points
I don't see any issues with his performance. It's a different world we live in than when we were kids.
Why do people find it necessary to be as inappropriate as they can possibly be and then justify it under the guise of 'artistic freedom'? We have not reached a point in history that we as Americans should be proud of, and part of the reason for that is that people have strayed so far from family values and good old fashioned common sense. I think it's wrong for anyone, male or female, to be so overtly in your face about their sexuality. They should save it for their own bedroom and spare the rest of us from having to wash our eyes out...
Adam is a brilliant singer & performer, but I feel he pushed the envelope to far. I want to be in awe of his brilliance not distracted by his raunchy and shock value rating. Too bad, I was looking forward in seeing his future flourish.
Adam is a brilliant singer & performer, but I feel he pushed the envelope to far. I want to be in awe of his brilliance not distracted by his raunchy and shock value rating. Too bad, I was looking forward in seeing his future flourish.
its only a problem cause a male did it!!! YOU GO ADAM YOU ROCKED THAT ISH!!!!!!!!
His performance was a little shocking but in truth he didn't do anything others haven't done. Madonna comes to mind. If you don't like what you see on tv get off your butt and change the channel. My god what kind of a country are we that the most important thing we have to do is pick on a tv performance. Put all that energy into something that could actually help others.
Come on people hes Gay So what if he kissed it his life style not you're get the fuck over it and move on with you're life welcome to the real world..
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