The singer celebrated the release of his new album by going all-out curmudgeon in an interview with the British magazine Radio Times. “Songwriters today are pretty awful, which is why everything sounds the same. Contemporary pop isn’t very inspiring,†he said, before explaining why he turned down an offer to judge American Idol.
He is “not a fan†of talent shows, because artists should pay their dues by slumming it at small clubs and shouldn’t put themselves at the mercy of the labels. “I probably wouldn’t have lasted if I’d gone on one,†he added. “Also I don’t want to be on television. It’s become boring, arse-paralysingly brain crippling.â€
It was not all negative. He said he liked Lady Gaga and Amy Winehouse, credited Simon Cowell with finding some decent acts, and called Susan Boyle “an endearing phenomenon†(even though he fears “she might not understand the rigors of show businessâ€).
Songwriters today “pretty awful,†says Elton John [Reuters]
Radio Times magazine 23-29 October 2010 [Radio Times]