I don’t know what impulse made me do it, but several months ago I posted a meme with the hashtag #IfUHad2Pick1. The first was Edith Piaf OR Judy Garland? Wildly thought to be two of the greatest female vocalists of the 20th century if not all-time, the idea isn’t who is better, but rather, given those two options which do you pick.
The criteria is your own, but my intention isn’t that one is more important but just the simple idea of if offered two greatest hits CDs (remember those?) which would you choose? I started with singers and bands and a few great albums or songs. You can play it on your own Facebook or Twitter. You can make it into a poll on either, but I’ve never kept track of who “won” so I usually create a meme. Usually, the “winner” is the coolest/ most beloved but a few are REALLY tough to choose. (I tended to use older more iconic artists, when you venture into newer artists don’t have the clout yet. Plus it depends on your own age and audience, mine is older, and more knowledgeable about the history of music.)
You may think it’s silly or unnessecesary to pit artists against one another but the real goal is fun and appreciation. If you just say who is your favorite, it’s a bit dull, but the either OR choice sets up a fun dynamic. (Madonna gets a lot of both love and hate so I chose to put her against Yoko and then Elton, just for fun…)
Sometimes it’s two very similar artists that are contemporaries, like Mavis Staples and Gladys Knight and other times it’s fun to cross generations like Janis Joplin and Amy Winehouse.
I’m finishing out the year with music and starting the new one with actors, directors, movies and TV shows. But it works for theater, fashion designers, authors, artists, architects and anything you can think of really.
If you play, please use the hashtag #IfYouHad2Pick1 so we all can search and see who is playing.
Thanks to all my Facebook pals for playing along every day, it’s been a lot of fun, even when those choices and comments got heated.
