One of the great wasted moments in music history happened on February 22, 1990. On that fateful day, Milli Vanilli, the two-man sensation fronted by Fabrice (“Fab”) Morvan and Rob Pilatus that sold over 30 million singles and 14 million albums during the late ’80s and early ’90s, won the Grammy award for best new artist of the year. Problem is the dread headed duo didn’t sing on their releases. The actual voices heard on their platinum selling records were those of Charles Shaw, John Davis, Brad Howell and twin sisters Jodie & Linda Rocco. German producer and the group’s manager Frank Farian hired the duo to market his creation because he felt that those singers lacked the proper marketable image. Farian was right. With Fab & Rob as the sellable faces of his productions, Milli Vanilli was a worldwide phenomenon and the money rolled in as the duo danced, preened and strutted the world’s stages mouthing songs to screaming pubescent masses that were not their own. All was fine and dandy until they won the Grammy. That was when the shit hit the fan.

Standing on the stage that night as they accepted the award for best new artists, Pilatus & Morvan blew their chance at redemption. Though the truth of their lip-syncing was an open secret in music circles, the two cherished the adulation of strangers and maintaining the lie more than artistic honesty. Getting the award assured that the Milli Vanilli ride was over. Sooner than later, the truth was going to come out. This is when the great wasted moment in music history occurred. If they had smashed the Grammy and admitted their deception as willing participants in the orgy for fame and fortune, they would have been seen as revolutionaries who had the testicular fortitude to not accept what wasn’t rightfully theirs. Even if they respectfully declined the honor with any measure of grace it would have saved them from the ruin that followed. Milli Vanilli would have become folk heroes and could have played the ensuing controversy to their favor. Even the little girls that made up their fan base would have forgiven them and continued to flock to their shows but no one, not even Milli Vanilli fans, likes to be deceived. Instead, they proved to be corporate whores to the bitter end and suffered the consequences of being exposed as frauds.

Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan reminds me of Milli Vanilli. In his new book, “What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception”, McClellan’s revelations only confirm what anybody paying attention already knows. The Bush Administration lied and deceived the American public to achieve its goal of going to war in Iraq. Like Rob & Fab’s missed opportunity for salvation on Grammy night, McClellan blew his chance to be a true public servant. The time for his forthright candor was back in 2003 when such disclosures could have prevented our country from being duped into war by an unscrupulous administration and an obedient media. In 2008, these candid admissions are five years too late. The damage has been (and is still being) done.

The truth about Milli Vanilli didn’t come out until eight months later when Farian publicly admitted in November of 1990 that neither Fab nor Rob sang a single note on any Milli Vanilli release. Similar to McClellan, Farian felt compelled to expose the truth after he made his money shilling a lie. Both were willing accomplices when the going was good and only turned when exposing their deceit was in their best interests. In 1991, Farian tried to resurrect Milli Vanilli with the release of, “Moment of Truth” (featuring Fab & Rob look-alike Ray Horton) but the public wasn’t interested. In McClellan’s case, five years passed before he felt the compulsion to own up to his role in deceiving the public with the release of his tell all memoir. His moment of truth should suffer a similar fate. 

Cherisa - you’re not missing anything.  These guys were just faces for selling a product they had nothing to do with creating. They were the epitome of the trend created by MTV where actual talent and ability meant almost nothing compared to looking good on video.

I was born a year befor their first album came out so I have no idea what their music even sounds like.

jojo said it best, it’s “too little, too late”

takes a lot of intestinal fortitude to own up to your mistakes. in McClellan’s case, looks like all it took was a little desire for publicity. right now, his admissions mean zilch.

nice segueway with the milli vanilli comparison