What is charisma? What is “it”? What is that special thing about a certain person that makes them stand out from everybody else even when silent or still? It has never been explained and simply categorized as an “intangible”.

Well I’m here to make the intangible tangible. I’m about to let the monster out of the bag. I am about to introduce the Frost Score.

In the NFL, when a team is interested in a college player they have scouts break down every possible thing about them and produce pros and cons. It can get extremely detailed. For some reason in the music business it does not seem to exist to this extent, yet there is just as much money involved. Scouts merely have to “guess” which artist will make it big, and have a “feeling” about a certain singer. Let’s get real. Everything can be broken down to it’s core. Excuse me as I get everybody started.

I have always had a very good track record at guessing who will be a superstar. Why me and not somebody else? Instinct maybe? Either way I realized what I had been looking at. It’s the face and the eyes. These are the biggest indicators. Number #3 is energy and presence.

I have created a grading system that is scaled in order of importance. For example, sex appeal is more important than the quality of work when it comes to selling stars, thus sex appeal is out of 20 and quality of work is out of 10. I watch especially close to see if artists are trying too hard and come off as fake, if I can see this I believe many others will have a weird feeling about them as well, thus big points lost.

Many of these can be a mix of each other. Eyes are important for self-belief, movement is important for sex appeal, but none of them are the exact same thing. Think Venn diagram. Before I begin there are a few important things for you to understand.

1. This is a rough score that I will attempt to make as accurate as possible. I am only going off of videos I find online, someone may be way more charismatic in person.
2. The average score is not 5, but 3. I believe the average Joe Shmo will score a 3 in every category. If an artist has a 5 in a certain category it means he is above average in the world population but pretty average amongst other celebrities.
3. The Frost Score calculates star potential in music artists and can be adjusted for actors and general personalities as well. If you are looking simply for charisma, look for high scores in “eyes”, “face”, and “energy/presence”.
4. This is the artist’s present day rating. Certain scores they are born with and can not change. A sudden burst of confidence will increase an artist’s score in other categories. Therefore I will sometimes list an artist’s maximum Frost Score potential.

Eyes

My hunch is that this, along with the face, is the money spot. This is truly the most intangible part about charisma because what I can spot here is not something that I can explain. It is not one specific thing such as pupil dilation, eye jerkiness, strong glare, or unmoving pupils. However it can sometimes be a mix of it or sometimes just one of these may disqualify an artist. Are they in the moment? Are they present? Do their eyes speak to you? Score out of 50

Face

Does NOT refer to physical attractivess, however sometimes certain face movements may make these artists appear more attractive than they really are. I am referring to relaxation of facial muscles, the way certain parts of their face rest or move. do they have a kind face? an evil face? Sometimes the artist’s face may not move in the slightest except the mouth and an extraordinary amount of charisma is still projected. Is the face stiff and lifeless? Can they portray many different emotions? Score out of 50

Energy/Presence

Do they draw people in without saying a word? Do crowds form around them despite them standing around doing nothing? Is everyone constantly looking over at them? Do they have a great vibe? bad vibe? dark, mysterious vibe? How is their energy onstage? Do they have a glow about them? How strong is their presence? Are they in the moment or in their head most of the time? Score out of 40

Self Belief/Confidence

This is the most likely to drastically change over the course of an artist’s career but when it is highest, so is their career. Do they truly buy their own bullshit? If they don’t neither will we. Do they believe in themselves and what they are doing? Does it feel forced? Try hard? Do they doubt themselves? How well do they sell their image? Score out of 30

Marketability

Can you sell this artist to parents and grandparents? Teenagers? Europe? Asia? How mainstream can they be? Do many people hate or resent them? Will they only be attractive to a niche market? Can they be transcendent? Score out of 30

Sex Appeal

Is sex the first thing you think about when you see them? Are your eyes tempted to look down at their crotch? Is their shirt open just a little bit too much? Are they trying too hard? Do they tease the audience? Score out of 20

Movement/Dance

How fast or slow do they move? What characteristics do they project by their movement? Sex? Insecurity? Confidence? How do they stand? How do they dance? Do they have an interesting walk or strut? Score out of 20

Voice/Speech

Do they speak fast or slow? Loud or quiet? Sexy or harsh? Does their singing voice stand out? Is it unique? Is it annoying? Is it refreshing? Score out of 20

Style

What do they wear? What is their image? When people think of them, do they think of them wearing a certain thing? Score out of 20

Looks

A person can be extremely physically attractive yet have zero charisma and even sex appeal. However a person who is very charismatic and has good looks on top of it, will have their charisma rating go up exponentially, thus anyone who has a grade over 60 without looks factored, will have their looks score double. Score out of 10 or 20

Controversy Potential

Can they get people riled up? Can they get people talking or debating? Are they capable of crossing the line? Some people cross the line and nobody cares, but when others do it, its a big deal. Do they have this in them? Score out of 10

Uniqueness

Are they truly original? Or just copying somebody else’s style or personality? Score out of 10

Mainstream Potential of Work

Will the public like their music? Does it fit into normal cliches? Is it too niche? Score out of 10

Personality

Shockingly low but this is just how the world works. Do they have a sense of humor? Are they witty? Are they pleasant? Are they anti-social? Do they have nothing to say? Are they fake? How do they perform in interviews? Do rely on scripts and never flow? Artists can build fanbases purely from their personality. Score out of 10

Quality of Work

Don’t think this should shock people. Music on the radio is not usually high on quality. How good are they at what they do? Compared to others? What is the quality of their songs? Lyrics? Instrument playing? This is not correlated with mainstream potential. Score out of 10

0-24 – Wallflowers
25-39 – Average Person
40-49 – Popular people, the cool guy in the office, the hot girl in the corner
50-59 – Local personalities, the person everybody knows, the guy who’s had sex with every girl in your area, the girl famous for her dramatic tales
60-69 – Must have a standout talent at minimum, ability to make heads turn
70-79 – Were now reaching a rarer territory. This is the star level
80-89 – Everybody shut up and watch the show. Superstar level
90-99 – Ability to make rooms go silent or apeshit at will. Legend status
100+ – Reserved for the all time greats

Now that I’ve laid down the framework I would like to give two sample ratings. One is a certified charismatic legend and the other is an up and coming question mark. I believe my system is as accurate as it gets. Let’s see what you think.

Note: What I say for “eyes”, “face”, and “energy” may not make sense for some because I have difficulty explaining what I can see. You're going to have to learn to accept this since I go off pure instinct.

Jim Morrison

• Eyes – When he looked at the camera, nobody else in the world existed at that moment except him. His eyes are the absolute prototype of charisma. 50/50
• Face – His face was always extremely relaxed and always seemed to give off a glow. It was hard for people to take their eyes off him. 50/50
• Energy/Presence – May have had the strongest energy of any musical artist ever. Just looking at him can suck you into his world. I have no doubt people felt a feeling of being “high” just by being around him. 40/40
• Self Belief/Confidence – It was all in his eyes. There was never a nervous moment or tic when he was at his peak. He was said to have been nervous when he first began performing but that quickly disappeared. He reached a point where self doubt didn’t exist. People had no idea if he was acting or performing. 30/30
• Marketability – His controversial nature, especially in the 1960s made him a rebel in pop culture’s eyes. To teenagers he was very marketable but to adults he could not be presented. 18/30
• Sex Appeal – One of the strongest sex appeals of any male recording artist. It was in the way he looked, the way he moved, and the way he talked. Nothing about him didn’t scream sex. There are many notorious stories of girls grabbing his crotch on stage. Having sex with fans was routine for him. 20/20
• Movement/Dance – He didn’t walk, he swayed. He had his own unique way of moving that kept all eyes on him even when he was not performing. 20/20
• Voice/Speech – Talked incredibly slow with unpredictable cadence. People hung on to his every word. His singing voice was very unique and untrained. Very easy to recognize. 20/20
• Style – Never had a truly stand out dressing style or image besides the hair. Had his crotch-emphasizing pants but that was not all that rare. 14/20
• Looks – Not the best looking guy but a good looking guy regardless. Points double. 13/10
• Controversy Potential – Are you kidding? Two arrests related to onstage incidents? Always on drugs or drunk? Saying “higher” on television when warned not to. 10/10
• Mainstream Potential of Work – Two #1 singles, including an all time great in “Light My Fire”. The Doors were mainstream but not to the extent of The Beatles or The Beach Boys. 8/10
• Uniqueness – Who was like Jim Morrison before, during, or after? 10/10
• Personality – He always had something to say, and despite it sometimes being gibberish, he made it sound amazing. When he talked, people listened. 10/10
• Quality of Work – Had shining moments but sometimes had work that was not that great. 8/10

Total = 321/340 = 94.4 Frost Score

Look at the scale above to understand where Jim Morrison stands. He is off the charts on the three most important categories. This was a man that was made to be watched. He is one of the true prototypes of musical charisma.

(Based mostly on footage from “When Your Strange” documentary)

Taylor Momsen

17 year old girl making a gutsy move jumping from fashion model/actress on “The Gossip Girls” to rock star chick with the band “The Pretty Reckless”.

• Eyes – Has a glare of a girl much older than she is. There is a maturity and jadedness in her eyes as if she’s already seen everything at her young age. Her eyes look through the camera. 40/50
• Face – Too stiff and lifeless at times. However there something about it. A certain maturity. 32.5/50
• Energy/Presence – Her major weak spot. Her energy isn’t boring, but it’s not very big either. It doesn’t extend out much farther than herself. If she had a great, upbeat energy she would be a superstar. 20/40
• Self-Belief/Confidence – She is a very good looking girl and has been on camera for years now, however she seems understandably a little self-conscious with her new rock image. It may not show very strongly on camera but I see it. She doesn’t strut her stuff like she should. This is very fixable. I expect her to be in the 25-30 range within 1-2 years. 18/30
• Marketability – Gorgeous face with modeling experience. Is signed up to model fashion and perfume lines. With her new image she can be the face of many different underground industries as well as represent the rock chick genre for the mainstream. 30/30
• Sex Appeal – A little young but she’s got it. She still holds back a little bit and is not 100% comfortable yet, but in that 1-2 year range she’ll be a solid 20. 17/20
• Movement/Dance – Watch her walk in the alley in the “Make Me Wanna Die” video. Her slow walk is very congruent with her voice. No doubt catwalk experienced has helped. 15/20
• Voice/Speech – Actually a very interesting singing voice. A mature voice. She will have rock cred in a few years. 16/20
• Style – Her look really stands out amongst all the pop teen girls. You remember her. 20/20
• Looks – Gorgeous girl but she hides her face with all that rock make-up. This stops her from getting a full grade. Plus score doubles. 18/10
• Controversy Potential – Gossip Girl turned hardcore rocker? She’s 17? She’s stripping in her first music video? 10/10
• Mainstream Potential of Work – This is an issue but she has transcendent talent. Plus her rock band has a mainstream hard rock sound if there is one. 7/10
• Uniqueness – Teen stars don’t do what she’s doing at her age. This is pretty much unprecedented. Everyone’s curious how this will turn out. 10/10
• Personality – Laid back voice, very down to earth. Interesting girl but not very interesting speaking voice. 7.5/10
• Quality of Work – Her first single is better than I thought it would be. 7/10

Total = 268/340 = 78.82 Frost Score

That’s a very high score for a brand new artist, especially one outside a mainstream genre. Big expectations here. Her potential Frost Score is around 83.8. She can be a very big and marketable star very soon.

(Based on brand new “Make Me Wanna Die” video & “This Morning” interview) 

Source: Music Hunch

Coinciding with the theatrical release of Tom DiCillo’s well received documentary, When You’re Strange, Idea Generation and Morrison Hotel Gallery recently showcased the insightful photography of Bobby Klein, Henry Diltz, Joel Brodsky and Ken Regan covering The Doors and their enigmatic lead singer Jim Morrison; from their first, self-titled, album in 1966 until 1970’s Morrison Hotel.

The Doors, formed in 1965, captured the rawness and energy of California’s baby boom generation. The psychedelic movement’s liberal attitude towards sex and drugs quickly caught the attention of the police, rallied by public concern over the ‘corruption of the youth’. This and The Doors’ controversial music and performances saw them targeted; promoters would avoid them and venues declined them, despite their appeal.

Visitors to the exhibition were greeted by Joel Brodsky’s renowned ‘Young Lion’ (1967) photos. Brodsky captures a shirtless, drunken Morrison full of youthful ardour and messianic grandeur. Brodsky and Morrison’s best known picture, featured on the cover of the 1985 The Best of The Doors, defines the cult of Jim Morrison that exploded following his 1971 death. Subsequent merchandising has seen the defining image regularly reproduced.

Jim Morrison, NYC 1967 I, Joel Brodsky

There really hasn’t been a major male sex symbol since James Dean died and Marlon Brando got a paunch. Dylan is more of a cerebral heart throb and The Beatles have always been too cute to be deeply sexy. Now comes along Jim Morrison of The Doors. If my antennae are right, he could be the biggest thing to grab the mass libido in a very long time. I have never seen such an animalistic response from so many different kinds of women.

—Howard Smith, Village Voice, 1969

Bobby Klein, The Doors’ first professionally hired photographer, shot the band’s early publicity shots across California. The iconic Bronson Caves, Redwood forests, San Francisco Bay and Venice beach inspire the folk ascetic the band promoted as they and their listeners searched for something new to inspire them.

Life Preservers, 1967, Henry Diltz

Each generation wants new symbols, new people, new names. They want to divorce themselves from their predecessors.

—Jim Morrison

Henry Diltz profound photos are a result of his involvement in the psychedelic era that defined 1960s California. As a founding member of the Modern Folk Quartet, Diltz was easily submerged in the world of music and his friendship with The Doors provided intimate candid shots. Despite Diltz lack of formal training his documentary-style photos effectively penetrate the band’s characters as they honestly interact with their surroundings.

The Doors, Los Angeles, CA 1969, Henry Diltz

We went into the bar and had a beer and started talking to the local guys. Jim really liked to hear them talk about their life story because he was a writer and a poet and he was very interested in hearing people. I always use the work “bemused”. Jim was bemused. He was quiet; as an observer and a poet, he would drink it all in.

—Henry Diltz

The Doors: When You’re Strange showed well-known and beautiful prints of one of the world’s most iconic bands alongside lesser known archives and previously unseen contact sheets taken over the decade the band were together. Both Diltz and Brodsky capture the band at their most intimate. 

Source: Culture Wars

I bought a book recently called: The Contact Sheet. These photos are some of the outtakes from Jim Morrison and Pamela Courson's 1969 photoshoot at the Bronson Caves in the Hollywood Hills. At first, the photographer (Edmund Teske) was photographing Jim and his girlfriend Pam, at the singer's apartment nearby. They eventually moved to the caves for a more natural setting. Teske liked the idea of Jim moving out from the dark caves and into the light. He viewed Morrison as more of a poet, than a rockstar, and that was the inspiration behind the shoot.

Source: Child of the Moon