In Episode 17 we discuss how the pressures and foibles of the singing life work to instill certain ubiquitous traits in many unsuspecting singers. Plus: Is the anti-diva the new diva? And where's the line between bitter and practical?
Opera singers get a bad rap (this is distinct from being bad at rap [http://youtu.be/uIjauW5xSOg]) in the world library of stereotypes; "diva" is almost synonymous with "singer", for one thing, and there's also this pesky rumour that we are impossibly fragile.
While the truth about any group of people is more slippery than can be conveyed with a single outdated pejorative, Chris and Isaiah believe** that, in general, the reputation is unwarranted. Neverthess, FEAR NOT! We've got a whole new set of stereotypes to erect in its place.
**All findings anecdotal


-=-Show notes-=-

Britten - A Midsummer Night's Dream, Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Midsummer_Night's_Dream_%28opera%29

Leah Alfred on Twitter
https://twitter.com/leahsoprano

'The Really Big One', by Kathryn Schulz
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/07/20/the-really-big-one

Urban Dictionary - PFO
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=PFO

Wikipedia - Butter Tart
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butter_tart

YouTube - Veritasium - Learned Helplessness
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMPzDiraNnA

YouTube - Brian Johnson - Learned Optimism by Martin Seligman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Me9TI9JhvZw

Article - 'Overcoming “Special Snowflake Syndrome” as a Millennial', by Leah Bentley (Loughran) | Medium.com
https://medium.com/@leahbent/overcoming-special-snowflake-syndrome-as-a-millennial-2c3b83272e2b#.hx2y2vphw

Lise Lindstrom, Soprano
http://liselindstrom.com/

Book - Valley of the Dolls, by Jacqueline Susann
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/581811.Valley_of_the_Dolls