Chimp-in-a-suit crooner Will Young has taken the somewhat bizarre move of labelling X Factor "unhealthy."
Bizarre? Why? Because Young shot to fame as the winner of TV contest Pop Idol - a show format that X Factor didn’t so much emulate as breed a genetic copy in some hellish light-entertainment cloning lab.
He then went on to wholeheartedly dismiss the idea that X Factor victor Shane Ward – he of the soul-sappingly forgettable ‘ballad’ That’s My Goal and family history ripped straight out of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre – poses any sort of competition.
hecklerspray would like to take this opportunity to say: Will, we believe you. Just – whatever you do – please don’t attempt to test this out by holding a direct contest with Shane.
We’re not quite sure that the universe could handle two creatures of such utter blandness being within a few feet of each other. This could well tear a gash in the fabric of reality, hurtling the human race into a realm of nightmarish mediocrity where we all have to star in an endless episode of Cold Feet 24 hours a day.
Possibly.
Anyway. On with Will Young’s (CDs) problems.
Will’s problems lie with the fact that X Factor is:
"all about fame … the message that fame and money will make the contestants better people."
Whereas – obviously – Pop Idol revolved around the wannabee superstars’ pursuit of intelligence, enlightenment and spiritual satisfaction. Or just shitloads of pies, in Michelle MacManus‘s case.
Will also elaborated that:
"When I did Pop Idol it was about seeing who could sing … this show will change your life and you’ll be a better person."
This certainly is an odd state of affairs. There’s only so much cultural reflexology that hecklerspray can take. To our ever-so-tired eyes, this X Factor/Pop Idol rivalry is a distinct pot-versus-kettle situation – kind of like debating whether stepping in raw sewage is ‘better’ than eating it.
Maybe we’re just not ‘keyed in’ enough. Maybe our music tastes are just a little too refined for us to care less. Maybe we need a bunch of snivelling get-in-line cultural simpletons to explain things to us. You know the sort – people who don’t really have a clue and will buy anything given the requisite amount of hype and Sunday Mirror write-ups.
Any Arctic Monkeys fans listening?
Read More:
Will: X Factor is Unhealthy - Breaking News
[story by C J Davies]
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
As usual only snippets of an article have been posted and written in a way the twist Wills whole interview!!
Here is what he said EXACTLY and it was NOT in a derogatory way… Will is no hypocrite!!
“Are there too many talent shows on TV?
There have always been talent shows but they’re increasingly intertwined with profit-making and maximising audiences. The new thing, which wasn’t in Pop Idol four years ago, is the emphasis on ‘This show will change your life and you’ll be a better person’. A lot of people on those shows are really nice but there’s the message that fame and money will make them better people – and that’s so unhealthy. It’s saying: ‘Change your life, you’re useless and will become much better if you’re famous.’ When I did Pop Idol, it was about seeing who could sing. There wasn’t so much of the ‘This guy was a waiter at university but that was sh*t and now he’s going to get a record contract’. It’s a shame. I watched X Factor a couple of times and saw this guy who was a bin man who had an amazing voice and who seemed like a great person but everyone was like: ‘Gasp – but he’s a bin man.’ It’s really patronising.
”
“People are saying X Factor winner Shayne Ward is the new Will Young. Are you worried?
I haven’t heard anyone say that. That’s what happens, though. Any new male solo singer gets compared to others who are around already. I’m not worried.
The X Factor gives the message that fame and money will make these people better – and that’s so unhealthy
“
So you read these comments about Will in the press, that is.. the British Daily Nationals, and you believe them? Sad…
Facts…
Will doesn’t do ‘bad comments’ about other artists
Will isn’t bland (you obviously don’t listen to his music or his many live performances)
I take exception to your take on Michelle McManus … whatever your take on her weight problems, she really can sing
Oh, and one last thing.. Arctic Monkeys… next year no one will remember who they are…
I totally agree with the replies already posted – all this is journalistic licence taking everything out of context. Have you asked other “Reality Show” contestants their opinions? Why pick on Will Young just because he is SUCCESSFUL?
Yet again Will Young has been misrepresented,the only hypocrisy I can see is the continued “lazy journalism” and nastiness employed by the media. Why is success so unacceptable to the british press? it’s like a nasty virus that spreads.