have you ever wondered how particular people come to be the people interviewed for new york times stories?

From a story today on the increasing public acceptance of lip-synching in concerts:

"[F]or an increasing portion of the pop music audience, perfection is more desirable than authenticity -- especially when they're paying almost $100 a ticket for an elaborately choreographed concert."

"Tell me, who can sing hanging on a harness upside-down?' said Nicholas Martinez, a high school senior from Espanola, N.M., talking on his cellphone during a year-book meeting. ... Mr. Martinez paid $91 for a ticket to Ms. Spears's Onyx Hotel Tour and will drive six hours to Denver to see the concert. 'I'd rather her not ruin my favorite song and just put on a good show,' he said."

Incidentally, and not to get all rock-purist on Mr. Martinez, but Freaktoastt J performed every song from every concert on his 1995 Stata-telic Stalactites tour while hanging upside-down, and it is rumored that he even hung upside down on the tour bus when traveling between shows. The vocals were not lip-synched and sounded great. I think some of his songs were even more moving/meaningful because he was singing them while hanging upside down, especially "Be My Reciprocal," "Just Another Sleeping Bat," "Lovin' in a Yoga Sling," and his cover of the old gospel standard "Peter, Why You Want To One Up Jesus?" These upside-down performances are regarded by many discerning Freaktoastt J fans as the most spectacular performance stunt (so far) of a career filled with many remarkable stunts, although other aficionados instead point to his performing every song on the 1997 Ginger Rogers' Neighborhood tour backwards and in high heels.