Simon Cowell has claimed that Bob Dylan would fail an audition for one of his TV talent shows.
The 66-year-old music mogul has confessed that he is “not a fan” of the Blowin’ in the Wind artist and doubts that he would have approved of him on a show such as American Idol because of his “unconventional” voice.
Speaking on the Rolling Stone Music Now podcast, Simon said of Dylan: “When I heard Bob Dylan’s version of that Adele song, Make You Feel My Love, I didn’t know he wrote the song.
“I think if he’d walked in and sang that version, I’m not gonna lie, I would’ve gone, ‘Forget it.’ Seriously. Because I didn’t even know he wrote the song, when I heard his version, I was like, ‘Whoa’. I just don’t think that would have been a great audition.”
Cowell added: “Look, I’m not a fan of Bob Dylan, but if people like him, then they like him, and if you don’t, that’s what I learnt from my career. Everybody has different tastes, whether it’s food, entertainment or whatever.”
It isn’t the first time that the talent show supremo has criticised Dylan, as he claimed back in 2007 that the artist’s music “bored him to tears” and suggested that having performers like him on TV talent shows would be terrible for viewing figures.
Simon said: “I’ve got to tell you, if I had 10 Dylans in the final of American Idol, we would not be getting 30 million viewers a week. I don’t believe the Bob Dylans of this world would make American Idol a better show.”
The music mogul was responsible for launching the career of One Direction on the British version of The X Factor in 2010 and recalled how he knew that band member Harry Styles – who has now established himself as a solo artist – had the “potential” to be a mega star despite a nervous audition.
Cowell explained: “You’re looking for potential. There’s no such thing as the perfect audition. Most people are nervous. They choose the wrong song, or they haven’t had the experience.
“You know, he was very young when he came on the show. He did have tremendous charisma. He came out, he was funny. The audience instantly liked him.
“I didn’t think he was ready to compete as a solo artist that year. So we thought, very quickly, along with some other boys who were in a similar situation, wouldn’t it be better for them to start off in a band?
“What would’ve happened to Harry if he hadn’t come on the show or hadn’t been in One Direction? No one could predict that. He would say the same thing, I think.
“Harry’s smart. I always knew that about him. He understood his audience. And he’s gotten better over the years. That’s the great thing.”