I Worked For American Idol. Here's The Truth!
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- Опубликовано: 9 июн 2024
- In my former life, I used to write music and jingles for adverts and campaigns. I also write songs for other artists. Here is my story about working for American Idol and the truth about how it all works...it includes thoughts from Dave Grohl, Kid Rock and Morrissey on the subject.
Thank you to @LoudwireMusic for the compilation we sourced those interviews from!
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#AmericanIdol #Music 
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Thanks for reacting to our compilations Justin! We love watching your content ❤
Thanks for making great compilations!!
Thanks for being Justin Hawkins and making great compilations!
@@callumrobinson4137 thanks for thanking Justin for thanking loud wire for their complications
@@backstabbath2690 Well said. Thank YOU Zachary
Loudwire FTW!!
You look like an 80's Vice City era ship captain who moonlights as a painter in Montmartre. I applaud your sartorial elegance.
Ha ha ha classic of an all time classic!
Captain Obvious without the beard.
Gold. I’ve been laughing for the last 5 over this comment, thx hahaha
I still think Love Fist's singer was modeled after justin...
Great song lyrics!!
The whole "X factor & Idol" genre of shows died here in New Zealand almost over night when two judges (Natalia Kills & Willy Moon) attacked and humiliated a contestant. The country was so disgusted and the backlash so huge that the whole talent show genre disappeared altogether.
Was that the incident where the contestant was accused of copying the outfit of one of the judges?
guess you could say she "killed" her career there and then lol
@Muhammad Rifqi yes! She was such a bitch to that poor man. Her husband was ugly anyway
I worked on one of these shows in New Zealand as a production assistant about 15 years ago. We were filming the first episode where 300 contestants turned up and would be whittled down to the final twenty or so. They had all sent in their audition tape which had been watched by the producers but this was the firs time any of them would perform on camera. Our job was to get them to sign the paperwork and then give them cards with their name and contestant number on it, they would then wear this card pinned to their cloths for the day. Some of the cards had a small coloured sticker attached. If anyone asked what the stickers meant we were told to say nothing. Actually the producers had already decided who was to be filmed. the talented performers got a sticker and the truly awful got one too. the mediocre got no sticker. The producers wanted to highlight the talented kids and the embarrassingly awful, no one else mattered. It was all very dperessing watching the contestants come in, all excited, not knowing that the results had already been decided.
Sad, corporate capitalistic bollox.
New Zealand originated the concept in 1999. So blame the kiwis for all these programs.
@@waynesmith2287 true its all our fault, I think the show I worked on was a year or two after the very first NZ idol thing. We are deeply sorry. Luckily we also produced some great music. too much to list here but at the moment Aldous Harding, the Beths, and Alien Weaponry are currently touring. if you check them out and dont like at least one of those names I will eat my hat.
@@grumpyanarchist I'm actually a kiwi. Alien Weaponry are good.
Thank NZ for the Finn brothers. All is forgiven.
When I did The Voice years ago, I learnt a very valuable lesson. I realized I had been so focused on making it, that I had lost my way in the important part, which is connection with my music. I left the show determined to focus only on the creation of art and overcoming the noise in my head that said I had to be famous to matter! X
Good to come to that realisation. Been writing songs for years I don't even perform. Just enjoy the craft of it
You forgot to make the friends along the way.
Lies again? AIA Money True Anal
Yep
I love Tom Petty's savage takedown of Idol and Voice and all them. "In my day if you told people they pick the biggest rock stars on a game shoe you woulda been laughed out of the room"
Lol, game show, not shoe
I was imagining a game of throwing shoes to hit the contestants, like at a county fair, or village fête. The contestant who gets the most hits wins!
@@miaschu8175 Or loses!
I like dat
I love you, it's so fucking cool that we get to see you every day on here! It brightens up my (and many others) day when it can be so very grey!
Wow, this is really enlightening. Thanks for the peak behind the curtain and telling us about your experience with Idol. Oh, and that jacket is GLORIOUS!
peak* peek
It’s neither a cap nor a mountain!
People that wonder “why these terrible singers think they can sing so well?!" don’t realize these “terrible singers” passed numerous auditions before they ever got in front of the cameras and TV judges. They were led on and set up for failure and ridicule.
I always wondered about that. I could play guitar and hear myself and think "yeah, I'm not very good at this", why can't some of these awful singers hear themselves recorded and realize they're terrible? Has everyone they've ever known tell them they're great even when they're bad?
Absolutely. As Ricky Gervais commented, shows like Idol & X Factor specialise in showing Millionaires sneering at the bewildered.
But that's part of the "show". It what makes "good TV"…. I laugh just as much at the judges as I do the contestants for then not having a ear for talent...
To be fair, these people self select by showing up. Anyone who's seen these shows knows their a ridicule angle at play so I can't feel too sorry for the terrible singers.
@@gunkulator1 I agree.
Adam Lambert is my favourite to come from Idol.
Knowing now that Justin wrote Music Again.. that makes a hell of a lotta sense.
Bring on more videos! Your videos are phenomenal, hilarious, and witty. I feel like I found a treasure on naughty youtube. Love The Darkness!
One of things I love about music is hearing a song and being able to tell who is singing it because they have such a distinctive voice (or which band is playing it because they have a certain style or sound). With these talent shows the judges weed out anyone who sounds different and you end up with a group of contestants who sound similar to each other. The shows themselves seem very unkind. I watched the first few back in the early 2000s but disliked the shaming. Also, there are a lot of parents who tell their children they have amazing voices and are genuinely shocked when the judges say otherwise. Either they are lying to their children or unable to distinguish between good and bad singing. It is great to build up your children but outright lying doesn't help in these situations and leads to heartbreak.
"Unkind" - you're dead-on there, and it's actually more important than simply being unpleasant to watch young people inexplicably being treated like shit; no one is going to 'Idol'ize someone they watched getting trashed and talked down to, week after week, as if they were a bunch of talentless hacks. I mean, can you imagine the world falling in love with Beyonce after watching a bunch of never-hasbeens berate them for weeks on end? It's just not gonna happen.
On top of that, if anyone displays even the slightest bit of backbone to the judges, they invariably get this stern talking-down to, as if they were disobedient children.
My favorite part, by far, is that the most successful RUclips clips of any of these circus sideshows are, invariably, the people with real personality or the complete walking disasters.
I agree about parents feeding their kids' egos. If the kids are really talented, get them proper training first, then let them get into local talent shows, like their schools. Don't throw them on television where millions of people are watching and judging only to be let down because there are a thousand other contestants that might be a lot better. It's sad for the kids.
Star Search winner Beth Hart was offered to be a judge on a TV singing contest and she turned it down when she saw American Idol belittling the contestants.
It's called social engineering
Wow Justin! You are one of the best guitar players i’ve ever heard. God bless you
I'm going on on tour across North America with The Darkness in March & April - we are playing 33 shows! You can get tickets here if you want to: www.thedarknesslive.com/tour-dates/
You should pin this to the top.
Pin it to win it
Come to Alabama
Justin!!! You make my life better!!! I love your channel!!! Thank you so much!!!!
You wouldnt have Adam Lambert playing with Queen either. However I agree completely with your assessment of these talent shows Justin.
I don't know about that. Star Search winner Beth Hart found a way to perform with people she listened to on the radio and on records without the "fame" of winning on Star Search. Her real big break is when one of her video recorded concerts went viral among the music industry. Even the story behind the concert could be a made for TV movie. Adam could have hooked up with the right people without the show.
You are a man of many talents. Been a fan since the beginning and looking forward to seeing you again in Portland next month. These "talent" shows are all about shock value. Unfortunately, it makes scenes like the "pants on the ground" guy one of the most memorable moments.
Not related to this topic at all but I just wanted to say that the music you and The Darkness contributed to Katie’s/Grace’s Amazing Machines never fails to make me smile. Love that you did that (and I hope you got paid again when the show changed its name!).
The outfits always so on point! 💖 I wish you could do one day a closet tour or just show some of your fav pieces💖
I love that you do this every day. Makes my day every day
The precise reason I could never watch those shows as an amateur musician it made me feel horrible that they made people with less talent or skill the butt of the joke. It is cruel. thanks for speaking up about it. It is damaging to music in general since it discourages people from trying to attain more knowledge and skills. Music is not a competition and shouldn’t be treated as one.
Great point!
Music is not a competition but the music industry is very competitive
I almost cried when I heard you sing that first song. That gave me goosebumps because I'm so use to your rock style in the Darkness. I wish you would explore singing to music way out of your comfort zone.
Same!
It is all bread and circuses. Though I was always struck by the fact that every time a rock singer turned up the first thing they were asked was whether they could do something else, a question not asked of r'n'b singers or torch singers or pop singers...
That Rage Against The Machine xmas no.1 was one of the greatest music fan moments of my life. I had grown up on RATM amongst other bands, and honestly, it was just an amazing chrimbo started by that. I had not listened to the charts for years prior, and was glued that Sunday evening. I travelled from Yorkshire to Manc on xmas eve to visit family and was blasting RATM all the way.
TRUE❤️🇬🇧
Shame its owned my the same record company. So they still made their money. Just an empty win.
@@derf9465 Thats a myth that has be debunked. Cowel never got a penny.
Lol the same company, who owned the X Factor winner, owned RATM. A pyrrhic victory
You are so down to Earth and cool. I'm crushing hard on you Justin!!!
i remember trying out for Idol around 8 or 9 years ago and the process just wasnt worrth it. Took 7 hours for me to audition for the first round of judges and be told no even though there were groups of people singing to crowds outside the venue and i did and was told id definetly make it through for having such a strong voice. Felt like it was just completely pointless when i can just go out and apply to different clubs and events to sing at and get more out of it at the end of the day.
Never knew you were so involved with American Idol. I've watched a few of them...I too always felt terrible for the ones in audition that had their dreams dashed. This was an eye opener. Nice jacket btw.
Can't wait for Download!
I think the whole Pop Idol thing is a perfect combination of British and American idealism and that's why it's successful. We love an underdog over here, someone who can pull themselves above their station... and in the states they love a dreamer, and they love the idea of a meritocracy. A singing competition where the lowly everyman can achieve the success that these Pop stars have by out singing or out performing everyone else is perfect. Pop and Rock stars were always these idols, and considered far away and detached from the common man. I think now though its popularity is waning a bit because pop stars are more accessible and considered more like "real people" in this age of social media, that and you can make a hit record in your bedroom.
And also, because everybody knows that the dream is a delusion. Finally people are starting to realise that the idealism and the hard-working stuff is largely manufactured bull crap. In the words of George Carlin, it’s called American dream because you have to be asleep to believe it. That’s not something worth cherishing. It’s something worth slashing your wrists about.
That jacket!!!! Love it! Keep on with the great channel and content.....
Would have had no idea - that’s awesome! You should do an episode on your pre Darkness life!
absolutely love your channel justin
Have you ever thought about doing an acoustic album? You have an amazing, soulful voice.
That blazer is top quality. Pls bring this back out of that phantasmagorical closet of yours, Justin
Always love your insight
My friend, you truly have a beautiful voice. Enjoying your channel very much. ✌
Watching Justin's brain stall out for a moment while trying to say phenomenon was my favorite part of this vid. Happens to even the best of us. Lol
The insights into the music biz is great an all, but I want more apple themed content please x
Those shows don’t just affect the contestants, they affect everyone who has fear of singing publicly, who sees the public criticism and thinks that they can’t try because they’ll be humiliated. I wish they’d never been invented
Great stuff as always.
Hey Justin! Thanks for posting your experience with these ‘talent’ shows. I was on The Voice Of Germany in 2014. After signing 100 pages contract and weeks of pre-filming auditions, I (apparently) ‘beat’ 30,000 others to secure my slot at a ‘bootcamp’. There I ‘learned’ how to sing from ‘coaches’ who were in truth no different in age and cabaret / working mens clubs experience from myself. Did I mention I was 43 at the time? At least 20 years older than most contestants. After filming tons of behind the scenes footage and interviews with my friend and daughter, I was offered / advised - the chance of a lifetime! I would appear behind a giant shower curtain to surprise not only the judges, but the crowd too. As a result my 15 minutes of fame ended up being around 20 seconds 😅 Yes I made my TV debut… and no one could see me 🤣
Am I bitter? No, I can look back and laugh. Simply by chatting to some of the crew I knew going I barely had a chance to make it the final because of my age. I was too old. But more disappointing than ‘losing’ was the lack of support from the team afterwards. I didn’t expect much, but they offered no advice or assistance whatsoever at the end. Out of sight out of mind - on to the next 🤷♂️
My advice for anyone thinking about auditioning? Go your own way!
Despite my experience I’m still out there doing my thing…
Anyway here’s the shower curtain thing -
ruclips.net/video/Wts_bgrXC9I/видео.html
www.the-voice-of-germany.de/video/41-michael-antony-austin-i-wanna-dance-with-somebody-clip
I watched your video, your singing is very good 👏👍
@@johndicksonkaraoke2554 Thanks John - much appreciated 🤩👍
I've seen a few youtube clips from the voice Germany. And ofc I know the format. In my country it was only on for a year, but I've seen it from other countries. But I have never ever seen a curtain hiding the singer. I thought the meaning of it all was that the coaches wasn't supposed to see the singer until they turned, not until they run behind a curtain. Anyways you got a great voice and I hope you're still doing music- on your own terms.
@@michaelantonyaustin Say Michael, is The Voice Of Germany a German version of The Voice down to the most simple details with the backs to the singer?
@@Thomasmemoryscentral As far as I understand it’s run exactly the same the world over. Why, are you thinking of entering?
Awesome video yet again.
Very interesting.
Keep it up.
I have just subbed . love your knowledge on music . I am just learning the guitar and envy your talent
Thanks again for sharing your views: they're insightful indeed! Reality-TV is not the same as music. If you don't have anything to do with them anymore, well... so much the better!
Great tone on that closing theme - Cheers!
Enjoying these videos 👍😄
"Star Search" with Ed McMahon was the earliest big production TV talent show I can recall . Ran 1983 -1995. A laundry list of contestants went on to become household names.
Very, very few ever made it to any level of popularity
@@christophertaylor9100
Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Christine Aguilera. Alanis Morrisette, Aaliyah, Lean Rhimes, Usher, Beyonce, Sawyer Brown, Dave Chappelle, Rosie O'Donnell, Sinbad, Drew Carey, Martin Lawrence, Kevin Smith, Norm MacDonald, Conan O’brian, Adam Sandler . . .
@@attichatchsound-bobkowal5328 out of how many winners over the years?
@@christophertaylor9100 I said "contestants" not winners.
@@attichatchsound-bobkowal5328 So they are an even smaller percentage then
Only just stumbled across your channel juzza. Keep up the good work
The original demo of "Music Again" is the purest form of the track
I love that you used to do jingles! I remember watching ‘Katie’s Amazing Machines’ with one of my boys and jumping around with excitement after seeing The Darkness in the credits. Just epic! 🤘
Brilliant videos J 🤘
Brilliant! Thanks great video!
I have an American Idol story from 1997, five years before the show first aired in America.
I'd just finished recording an album in Hollywood, and had just received the first run of CDs when Nick Menza of Megadeth invited me to the "Concrete Convention" in Burbank. It's basically a music industry gathering, kind of like NAMM, but with minimal focus on gear. Jackson Guitars was there. Rush was there, sans Peart, to receive a 30-year lifetime achievement.
There was this one room where they promised to listen to demos and give pro industry critique! I pushed into the room where there was a table with a boombox and 3 people sitting behind the table. Simon Cowell was one of those people and I didn't know who he was. They had a box on the table where people would throw their CDs. Because I didn't get in very fast, my CD was close to the top.
They pick the first CD and play ten seconds of it, before Simon stands up and says, "Who is responsible for this?" The guy who owned the CD stands up, and Cowell proceeds to rip him a new one. It was so bad that I was thinking "Don't pick mine!" the entire time. But eventually, he DID pick my CD and played about 20 seconds of it.
He says, "It is painfully obvious that money was no object, because you have the best studio musicians available." He was correct, as I had hired Steve Caton from Tori Amos and the late Bobby Birch from Elton John.
Then he asked me, "What's the name of the band?" I tell him that it was just me and the singer. And then, he said THE MOST ironic and weird thing, given the fact that American Idol is all about singers with no band.
He said, "IF YOU HAVE NO BAND, THEN WHAT'S THE POINT?" I replied, saying something about how we wanted a top-notch product to attract top talent. He accepted that and let me off the hook. As luck would have it, I bumped into him in the parking lot, and he apologized for being so rough.
Based on this experience, I am convinced that I participated in an early test to see if the American Idol idea was viable.
I don't like Simon Cowell. He gets pleasure from publicly humiliating people for trying to do something he can't do himself, and making money out of it.
Dude. Music Again is a great song. I’d love to hear a Darkness (or solo) version.
Great video as always
Thank you for sharing!! I hate those talent shows and knew there is not substitute for good old fashioned hard work to get there. That is such a scam though for them to exploit people in that way.
A thoughtful video, thank you. I feel that one of the greatest battles in our world right now is real vs. fake. Authentic vs. phony. Technology has given a huge push to the tide of phoniness that seems to pervade everything these days. What makes these kinds of shows so dangerous is how they are fake to their very core. The selection process, the judges' reactions and emotions, the illusion of there being any meaning to any of the evaluation or competition - it's nothing but phony from start to finish. To watch such shows is to spend time in a complete state of phoniness - eyes, ears, mind, spirit. It's so corrosive to the survival of art, or any cultural priorities that provide an ecosystem for art. It's why I fell in love with The Darkness from the first time hearing them, but can't spend a minute listening to the superficially similar bands who are either satires of the genre or direly humorless soundalike products of the grunge era. The real thing is exciting to those who can still tell the difference.
That poor bloody apple. If times are that hard I’ll buy you a fresh one. It’s been in 4 episodes now and it’s gone brown.
I was thinking the same! 😂
Yes. I think it's intentional.
Justin Hawkins Eats... an apple.
@@danieljillings8183
Definitely, it's because so many people are telling him off about it. What's your first response when someone tells you what to do?
It's obvious he doesn't want a fresh apple, he's just doing it to p*ss off the naysayers.
These behind the he scenes type videos are really interesting, thank you
Best part of my day every day
That is a fine jacket sir, I salute you and your great channel 👍 👏.
I had considered that the contestants had songs written for them. Not a fan of the format anyway, but just singing for fun is really underrated in my view. I went though my whole childhood being told I couldn't sing. Much later I joined a classical choir as an alto and really enjoyed it. A few years later I did a performing arts course with singing and passed it. I got compliments from one of the Inspiral Carpets, which seemed genuine (though he did say "you made it your own 😂). More recently I sang with a more informal university choir and it was really fun. More people should sing for fun 😊
I love 'As Long As You Love Me' both Caleb's version and the Mark Haze version are great. Sound like you on guitar for both versions too
2:19 This is entertainment gold. Justin... Don't ever change.
That song just got a sub.
Dunning Kruger effect.
Plus Ben Elton has a brilliant novel that de-constructs the whole process.
Moon Walker reaction video would be great. I found out about them through your videos actually haha. Someone recommended them, now I love them. I guess they're another band you've put me onto
Always love your outfits
fun stuff I do pop by some time well music is the hardest thing to get in too I am with you on this one nice to see you doing this stuff all the best Nash
awesome shit Justin! your channel is great
Love the channel dude! Just moved to Nashville. Packed up everything and went. Just gonna grind and put out music until goals are reached. I’m About to release my first album. Fan of your music and channel. We have strikingly similar musical taste.
Cheers!!
Ricky Conelley. Good luck in Nashville, seriously. I read somewhere though that the guy who serves you coffee is way better than you.
I tend to believe that TV viewers taking pleasure in someone else's disappointment and failure is a form of therapy; it permits people to anonymously and safely 'rehearse' the process of failure, and it strengthens their coping abilities when it actually does happen to them in their lives. But I'm no doctor :o) Love your channel!
Another BANGER of an outfit, Justin. I demand you name your sources! I need that jacket!
Love the channel! Great outfit!
When Adam's FYE album was on its way, a handful of song titles were leaked, one of which was Suburban Decay. It's been 13 years and I still feel cheated. I love your This Urban Decay demo of the song! :D
This content is stellar.
such a smart guy glad I got to know your contributions
Love the jacket!
Can't wait to see the mighty Darkness in Dublin Sunday night!!!
Hey, your apple’s getting bigger!! Justin, you’re quickly becoming my favorite way to take a break. I think I’m just going to cancel my regular TV!
I've always been slightly unnerved at the amount of people willing to make more effort to vote for someone on these shows than politicians!
Whatever episode it was when you did the "Justin hawkins rides again" an octave higher, I did a shit. And I bloody loved it. X
Can't wait for the download festival
nice threads, keep up the good work.
A former co worker of mine was on American Idol twice. He didn't make it too far but he told all about his experiences. I am a semi pro local musician in my area and I'm glad I have an indie rock voice so I would never consider going on a show like that because of what he told me.
Justin is the best front man in the business and an excellent guitar player.
Wow. Life.
Honestly I've never paid a lot of attention to such music "venues" sort to speak cause I don't watch TV at all, but of what little I heard of them I always got the sense that bad performers were an integral part of the show. Some talent comes up here and there and the non-TV watching musicians and music enthusiasts hear about them, but it's like 5 people or something out of hundreds that have participated in these type shows.
Much love to you Mr. Hawkins!
So brilliantly stated.
Came here because of a recommendation by @501chorusecho (Tom Bukovac aka Uncle Larry aka Little Tommy aka the Session Man). Needed a few of your videos to digest and get used to. But now I‘m hooked. Thanks for the content.
Love it!!!
What a cool speaking voice. Enjoyed video very much
I still love the IKEA advert jingle that you wrote 😎
This clip was immensely enjoyable.
I want more of these behind the scenes stories - show us IKEA - show us everything!!!!!!!!!!
Love your wallpaper.
Haven't owned a television since about 2010. Every time I get around one, I remember why I choose not to own one at all. They're annoying.
Can’t wait for the stories about your work with American Ninja Warriors.
The biggest shock here is Kid Rock with an intelligent thought.
Max Goldberg Liu before Webster Hall! That is all!
Opportunity knocks Justin. This contrived shit goes back a long way.
My 2nd cousin tried out for The Voice a couple times but didn’t get through, even though they always complimented her …
I told her she was better off on the DIY circuit…
She met a boy and became a gigging married couple and is much happier
Ooh, I like this intro!
That RATM campaign was great. They played Download Festival the following summer and it was biblical. Never forget that air raid siren before they began playing.
I managed to bag a ticket for the free show they played in London off the back of that campaign it was absolutely brilliant