Suburbanite Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 Pet Shop Boy Neil Tennant has branded Simon Cowell's view of music too narrow, and thinks The X Factor ignores whole swathes of pop music. The musician, speaking to the Radio Times, said Cowell's talent show was "basically people singing Whitney, Mariah and maybe Elton". "Why don't they have, say, a new-wave week? Or 80s electro week?" he asked. The Pet Shop Boys will collect an outstanding achievement accolade at the Brit Awards on 18 February. "The feeling is that pop has made a big comeback this year, and it's the right time to give us the award," he said. Surprise guests He explained that he watched The X Factor after writing a track for Girls Aloud, and decided to see what Cheryl Cole was like as a judge on the talent search. Tennant added of the show: "If it's not power ballads then it was a narrower version of disco. "I remember on Pop Idol, [judge] Pete Waterman told someone, very sympathetically, 'The thing is, you're more of a Depeche Mode kind of artist.' In other words, 'What are you doing here, pet?' Tennant scotched rumours that he will perform with The Killers at the Brit Awards, saying it was "made up by the papers". "There will be two guests for our performance, but I'd like it to be a surprise," he added. The 54-year-old also said he fully supports the return of Top of the Pops, but says it should not be updated. "It should never have tried to be cool. If it's brought back, it should be the original format - show the records going up the chart, and the number one," he said. Tennant, along with bandmate Chris Lowe, is due to release the first Pet Shop Boys album in three years on 23 March. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7879322.stm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruth Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 I agree with Neil Tennant. But then again, I hate X Factor, so I'm probably biased! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 I think it may be symptomatic of how my brain is wired, but I thought this was going to be a rant from David Tennant! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 I thought this was going to be a rant from David Tennant! I thought that too when I saw the posts title Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephanie2008 Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 I thought that too when I saw the posts title Me too I've never even heard of Neil Tennant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 I agree with Neil Tennant. But then again, I hate X Factor, so I'm probably biased! I think it may be symptomatic of how my brain is wired, but I thought this was going to be a rant from David Tennant! I thought that too when I saw the posts title I'm admitting nothing! I do agree that the X factor is now a generator rather than a spotlight on talent. The choices are far too narrow to really appreciate the actual talent of the singers. It's all very blah! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 I thought it was going to be David Tennant aswell! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexiepiper Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 I thought it was going to be David Tennant aswell! Me too What are we all like Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pipread Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 I think it may be symptomatic of how my brain is wired, but I thought this was going to be a rant from David Tennant! Me too! - Though I did think it odd that DT would be having a go over Xfactor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 Shows my age that I immediately thought Pet Shop Boys - LOL! I agree with him - both about X-Factor and TOTP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceinwenn Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 I immediately thought of the the Pet Shop Boys, too! I'm a huge fan & not a Dr Who fan, so I guess that makes sense. Also agree completely with what he's saying! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mister.g Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 I agree. Neil Tennant has a valid point. No-one can accuse of him being a one trick pony either having worked with (outside of the Pet Shop Boys) producers such as DJ Fresh and Superchumbo (who has - under various guises - provided remixes of various Pet Shop Boys tracks.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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