Simon Cowell, TV’s golden bad boy, is back
USA WEEKEND Magazine recently caught up with the outspoken Simon Cowell to find out what’s been on his mind as he imports his newest show, The X Factor, stateside. Plenty, as usual.
The X Factor buzz: “You know what it’s like on New Year’s Eve when everyone is really looking forward to it and then you go to the party and it’s the worst party in the world, you dread every moment of it. I’m kind of like that when people ask me how good is the show because if you say ‘It’s going to be great’ even if you think it, it’s always an anticlimax,” says Cowell, 51.
The X-factor: “It’s a term we used to use years ago to describe somebody who was special,” says Cowell, “Obviously Elvis Presley had it, Frank Sinatra had it, Lady Gaga’s got it, even Susan Boyle’s got it. I think you’ve got to be smart. You’ve got to have a real ambition. Michael Jackson is a really good example of that, when he was once asked ‘What are the three things you need to be successful?’ He said, ‘Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse.’ It’s more true today than any other time.”
What you see is what you get: “When I first went on TV years ago, I had a record label and I was on this show where I was judging talent and I thought the idea that I’ve got to dress in a different costume because I’m now on TV when I’m actually doing my day job was sort of ridiculous. I’ve stuck to that. I don’t have a TV persona or the real life persona, I like the two to be the same.”
Paula’s back: “It’s been a very happy reunion. I’ve genuinely have never seen her so happy in the ten years I’ve known her,” says Cowell of his old Idol colleague Paula Abdul, who joins him on The X Factor judging panel. “I think it’s been good for her because we’ve been all over the country and every time we do an audition we’re in front of 4 or 5,000 people, the reaction she gets when she walks into a room is unbelievable. Anybody is going to get a boost from that.”
Under pressure: “There’s a massive amount of pressure,” says Cowell during a conversation about Amy Winehouse’s death. “It’s all about perspective. I’ve seen people complain that the limousine is arriving ten minutes late or the water isn’t cold enough, then you see how other people live their lives and they’re having troubles. You’ve got to stop feeling sorry for yourself because this is something you choose to do and if you do it, you’ve got to enjoy it.”
Not the next Regis? “Terribly, I overslept, I don’t think I ever watched it back,” says Cowell of his one-time gig guest hosting Live with Regis and Kelly. “(Kelly) is one of the nicest people I ever worked with; the decision should be hers.”
Rupert Murdoch’s phone hacking scandal: “He’s been my boss for the last ten years and I have to say he’s been an incredible boss. So, it’s sad when things happen to people like that, particularly when they’ve been decent to you. I can only tell you from my own dealings that he was very fair, very honest, very honorable, very loyal. I don’t know enough to have an opinion [on the phone hacking].”
iTunes love: “I’m a massive fan because it’s so easy; I think it’s the best thing that ever happened to the music business. All these people who are complaining about it, they need their brains tested. It’s so easy, it’s so accessible, it’s addictive. I mean you don’t go on to buy one record, I go on and once I bought one, I buy about twenty and it encourages you to find out new types of music.”