Simon Cowell insults on world idol

Peter Evrard defends himself against Cowell's insult, that rock doesn't belong in idol-competition. A long and strong discussion, in which Peter (who did an excellent Kurt Cobain-performance) is defended at the end by the (funny) Polish jury.

[@SuAva]

I love how classy this guy stays about it. What a respect for this man.

[@lindsyhautekeete1410]

he's from belgium ofcourse he stay classy

[@davidfletcher8335]

not sure if you guys gives a shit but if you're stoned like me during the covid times then you can watch pretty much all of the latest movies and series on instaflixxer. Been binge watching with my gf for the last couple of weeks =)

[@stanleyarthur3062]

@David Fletcher Definitely, I have been using instaflixxer for months myself :)

[@galipooh]

Peter was intelligent and articulate, while Simon just seemed to be picking a fight just because he can.

[@MiguelVermeulen]

when i see how peter defends his statement and opinion against Simon i'm proud to be Belgian. It takes guts to do that! respect

[@eurovisionwtf]

It takes guts to not knock simon out.

[@callmemich]

Simon: "I want pop musoc because Rock doesnt sell as big anymore." Thats what he meant.

[@Finallymadeanaccount]

Yeah...Simon lost that argument haha

[@dahmeg7801]

It was all reverse psychology. Peter gave the desired response.

[@recipioct]

They are both correct. Kurt Cobain wouldn't be caught dead on this show. However, if your trying to get your name out there, this is a good platform to do it.

[@Elong.]

He hated being a popular MTV band.. It makes me wonder if that contributed to his death.

[@MrDagren]

@@Elong. And yet Kurt Cobain and his band still knew that the smart thing to do was show up when MTV rings. Just like this guy did when it comes to World Idol.

[@kraknoix0075]

Well curt cobain also died at 27 so what does he know

[@jk4675]

​@@MrDagrennot the same. MTV rang them, not other way round

[@eddiek8179]

@@jk4675 That's exactly what he said. That they would show up when MTV rings. You're just repeating what he said. Why are you confused by this? Reading comprehension not your strong suit?

[@SpeaksYourNames]

Remember this was 2003, the Idol franchise was only about 2 years old at this point. At that time Idol was it, there were no other singing shows to compete with and the show was mostly looked at as 'the search for the next big pop star'. 'Quirky' wasn't a thing yet, AI contestants wouldn't even be allowed to play instruments until S7 (2008), and by then the audience/show were starting to embrace other genres like rock, jazz, folk, etc. Despite World Idol being an absolute mess in execution, we at least got some good performances out of it. But Pete Waterman was full of it, most of those judges were clearly playing a role that night. In the early years, one of the main reasons people watched the show was to see what the 'mean' judge had to say after every performance. They picked the critical 'Simon' judges of each version and brought them together so they could try and outdo each other for one night. Diana Karazon was the only winner to sing her own song and got, imo, one of the best compliments from Simon. He was blunt by saying he didn't think she'd win but he then said she stopped the show from becoming a worldwide karaoke contest and thanked her for that. If only the show was about the music of these winners instead of having them basically compete in a bonus round after winning their season.

[@britishgamingnerdbgn8031]

lol Poland standing up "YOURE BLODDY GOOD MAN!"

[@Mudsville1]

Judge from Britain: SHUT UP!

[@KennyParkz]

wow...WOW this guy OWNED THEM ALL.... intelligent answers.. kept his cool... respect

[@KeithRingo]

I just love Belgium - soon as I can afford it Im back on a plane to the Delerium bar!

[@celibie1]

Dude, u from Melle?

[@IrnBru18]

But American Idol has had a wave of Rock singers years afterwards...

[@franky-fr9ow]

True but in early 2000's it weren't acceptable in a competition.

[@picklesan772]

Music is all about sharing your talents with the world. You can't create music in a locked down room all on your own without anyone around.

[@bettsboy5549]

i know this is old but simon recently mentored a 'rocker' on the way to winning the x- factor,who's the sell out now? I dont think simon expected such an articulate,intelligent and valid argument from a guy in his second language. In Simons mind a real rocker would have just fu##ed him up,ha ha

[@dahmeg7801]

Simon wanted that response. The idol format was relatively new and the audience expected pop singers. So when a rock singer appears on the show a few eyebrows are raised. Keep in mind this was 2003. Since then these shows have spawned many rock singers across the world.

[@Elong.]

A rock and roller makes it from playing in clubs, having a huge following, getting a contract and having a kick a$$ band.

[@GLBizzie]

But that was 2003 and just a few standout rockers made hits. It was mostly rock-pop/indie kinda stuff. It was all about POP Music. U should‘ve seen Simon on AI Season 1 and some rock performances of Nikki McKibben. He was quiet harsh but later on during Top 4 he was even impressed that she found some right songs for herself. He is a selling machine and he was right to go for Pop in 2002/04

[@CarltonLFox]

He sounded so good, I wish I could see the whole performance. They were so RUDE to shoot him down like that.

[@ragnarkisten]

A good musician could perform anywhere. If the consept is not right, the performer is not the one to blame, but the ones who made the concept in the first place. Blame yourself Cowell!

[@joeols90]

Kudos to Peter fot standing up

[@natecuellar4561]

kurk would probably be extremely happy he's blessed with the same voice

[@drebinfrank5364]

kurk kokain

[@bantehayes9973]

I like this guy. He seems respectful and has talent, but Simon has a point. As a die hard nirvana fan since I was a kid, I can say he should've picked a different song.

[@shipleyshipster]

Simon was right that the rock community doesn't want people like him on pop tv shows. But he was wrong in saying it was stupid for him to go on world idol. Peter obviously loves music, and feels like its impossible to make it big in rock due to the music industry, he took the only chance he had.

[@MegaRoodkapje]

when i hear this i'm proud to say i'm from belgium!!! go peter go!!!

[@Chillsaurus]

they weren't there to judge his personality or if he was a fraud or not , they are there to judge singing ability

[@loicome]

The performance wasn't bad; It was AWESOME!! Simon is too used to bubbly pop stars with perfect voices, and can't appreicate a raw, live performance by an artist who doesn't use Auto-tune. All due respect to Mr. Cowell, but it's people like him who make it harder for us aspiring musicians to reach the top, because of the mainstream crap he promotes.

[@Elisjevian]

"No but without a show like this, who's gonna listen to a boy from Belgium?" Hahaha, auwchhhhh

[@surfpersil]

I like this Peter guy. Great talent & very well spoken.

[@Gz082]

@MunisAwesome Finally, like I said, rock and roll epitomises freedom, among various other things. If it is his will to sing a rock song in a commercialized competition, you may call it conformity but I think he just representing what the genre is all about - doing whatever the hell you want, wherever and whenever.

[@brunobliss]

People should know, arguing with the judges is the worst a contestant can do

[@bonkers1990]

Lol@the polish guy at 2.25!

[@SuperSparrow45]

My issue is that, while Simon is right for saying that Nirvana doesn't belong on Idol and it's against Kurt Cobain's beliefs, what gives him the right to say that. This is coming from a guy who sold every speck of musical credibility to make money. It just makes Simon a huge hypocrite. A right hypocrite in this case, but a hypocrite nonetheless. He wants to prevent Nirvana from coming on the show? Stop making these garbage shows. There's gonna be somebody who likes Nirvana and sees the show as a way to show off his voice in his best way, while in his opinion, paying homage to one of his "idols".

[@IrnBru18]

This clip was recorded in 2003. Let's not forget the rock singers American idol have spawned since then: Adam Lambert, David Cook, Chris Daughtry, Bo Bice, Lee DeWyze, Crystal Bowersox etc Simon was just using reverse psychology.

[@SuperSparrow45]

jonnbag06 I wouldn't say that. None of those guys really embrace the anti-establishment, anti-music industry belief that Kurt stood for. Kurt wouldn't be caught dead on Idol.

[@IrnBru18]

Simon was using reverse psychology so Peter Evrard (the singer) could give the appropriate response.

[@IrnBru18]

A "pop" talent show just means a Popular Talent Show with a mainstream/family audience, there's gonna be room for Rock singers too.

[@Snagabott]

So in order to win the contest his best option was to not compete. Logic's not your strong side, is it Simon.

[@spannamatronic]

Kudos to Peter for debating so eloquently in a language that isn't his first - I'm fairly fluent in French, but I don't think I could manage a heated situation as well as he did. Simon Cowell was vile throughout this show and running the contestants down to set Kelly Clarkson up for a win. His comments towards Kurt Nilson were completely unacceptable (the Aussie judge was blunt too, but I could see where he was coming from in that some of Kurt's appeal is in that he ISN'T conventionally attractive). Kurt got the last laugh in the end, I remember watching this at the time and I think Kurt beating Kelly is why Simon Cowell never made another World Idol 😄

[@nolifedotcom]

i think peter won the argument, he seemed smart :)

[@fanriktorfs]

I just looked it up, and I still have Peter's performance. I will upload it ASAP, and let you know, when it's online. I think that should be possible on Sunday. In the meantime, lots of KZbin-fun !

[@babyyneekyy]

"shut up" oh god that made me laugh so hard xD

[@mateuszwolanowski7496]

That wasn't even funny

[@MemosaS]

You're right in the sense that I respect your opinion. Everyone is entitled to theirs. I do want to hear Simon's comments, his professional opinion about someone's musical ability or lack of. Everything else feels like cheap personal attacks, to me. That's where I'm coming from. Peace!

[@5punkt5]

Simon is right. Rock stars got famous before without Idol they can fucking do it again! ROCK N' ROLL FOREVER!

[@mhrby1985]

Agree, people always should have the right to defend themselves from those who criticize them. My earlier comment was about those who said that Simon Cowell was out of line, as in those who say so in comments here, not about Peter (the singer in the clip) should not be allowed to defend himself

[@Paellain]

This is not just a Pop contest. You can sing every kind of music and style there. The job of the singer is to sing and show his talent. The job of the judge is to see if the singer has a good voice, a good singing ability etc. It is not a valid point to imagine what Kurt Cobain would do if he see Peter. He is dead. How you could say Kurt would not like Peter for confronting this dirty music industry? This is not fair. I personally think Kurt would be proud of you Peter (:. You have talent.

[@roeltiesmoeltie]

that would be the polish judge.. haha

[@TheHotgrl318]

Lol person behind sayed a different language in the end? "SHUT UP!" Lol!!!! funny.

[@GaryColemanism]

I like how Pete Waterman is trying to voice his opinion on music. Source: 2010 British Eurovision Song Contest entry

[@kuneckid05]

That Polish guy at the back is really funny

[@lindabrown-be8gl]

How dare Simon Cowell say that kurt was ugly.. beauty is in the eye of the beholder. He wants to get a grip of himself. He doesn't know what is coming his way. Karma

[@Antje017]

Allright :) Op zo'n momenten ben ik zo trots dat ik Belgisch ben! ;)

[@jemmabond]

At the time, Simon was judging both American Idol and Pop Idol (the now defunct British version). As Simon was the most influential judge on AI, it made sense for him to appear on the show representing America, while Pete Waterman stood in for the United Kingdom.

[@MunisAwesome]

@CrackinCrew Simon was arguing the point that this would be everything grunge and kurt would be against.Which is true, Whether the contestant's intention was to sell on a popular show that has nothing to do with the whole point of grunge or not.

[@jonafreeman]

question what does simon cowell know about the "rock and roll attitude?"

[@SilverRose09]

American Idol should be called the Cirque of Caligula AKA Simon Cowell

[@robinspaepen4943]

Peter Evrard

[@ProudTarjaholic]

who can say Simon is most right in the end? no one can, cuz Peter is!

[@big45don]

i couldnt understand what he said but by the sound of the cheers he defended himself spot on

[@MunisAwesome]

@CrackinCrew He was attacking the contestant for singing a grunge song on a pop idol where grunge is against conforming and commercializing youself, Again whether the contestant's intention was to sell on a popular show (In which is against the point of grunge) or not, Simon still pointed out the irony in what the contestant was doing and it WOULD indeed be Kurt's worst nightmare.

[@Emotivism]

YOU'RE BLOODY GOOD MAN! YOU'RE BLOODY GOOD!

[@whb786]

Cowell got ripped to shreds. Well done rocker dude

[@00senses00]

This guy recently started making music again,he's in a band called TenRogue! Go them out!!!

[@MunisAwesome]

@CrackinCrew Whether you like it or not, Idol is a COMMERCIAL show. Whether you like it or not, Idol is a pop show. Whether you like it or not, Playing a grunge or punk rock song on a show that supports everything punk rock and grunge song is against is usually a sign of conforming.

[@punkpop101]

He destroyed them and their mainstream pop agenda. And the cheery on top of the cake was Kurt Nilsen winning. Both amazing voices. Well on a second thought Simon is not that wrong. Rock/Metal elitists are the worst when it comes to gate keeping and hating other musical styles or more popular music.

[@wicaco]

Why are people arguing with something that Simon said almost a decade ago? Simon was there when Bo Bice came in second place in American Idol Season 4, and when David Cook won in Season 7. He's clearly changed his mind since this moment.

[@joarRov]

I really like this performance. And he got third place

[@IrnBru18]

Simon was just using reverse psychology and challenging old-skool beliefs of "selling-out" and being "rock n roll" to provoke a reaction from Peter Evrard. And Peter defended himself like a gent, he made his point. =)

[@sheltonproduction100]

Dude that was go !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@jehera]

go peter, you fucking rock

[@RedHotG33k]

Simon reminds me of Mel Gibson in the movie "The Beaver" when he speaks with British accent

[@waxonwaxoff520]

2:00 to the right of Simon you can see Nigel from So You Think You Can Dance!

[@Ze8us]

I'm on the fence on this one. On one hand I hate music being turned into competition and business but as the guy said, it's one way of breaking through.

[@samsong24]

The two British judges are just being grumpy old men.

[@clumsy123]

I thought it was Simons`s job to judge his performance, not to judge whether or not what he`s doing is being true to his roots or not.

[@RonAnecdotes]

trying to complete the last sentence I wrote, when he says they are completely useless he is not saying that as human beings they are completely useless, he is saying that as singers they are, and if you appreciate your ears, you must admit a lot of people can turn the best song into a nightmare when trying to sing it (including me in case you wanted to know)

[@genicsnoah]

yes Kurt is still fresh in the memory :)

[@RonAnecdotes]

Not insults, just crude criticism, which is better than someone telling you "you are doing that fine" and no help you in any way until when is too late and tells you "you should've know better"

[@shyngo]

"Who are you to judge me for not being real?" YES! STING! That guys got balls. No matter how you make your way in the world, people are going to judge you. At the end of the day if you've accomplished your goal, what reason have you to care? Simon's just mad he's not a androgenous velvet-voice crooning N'Sync songs.

[@lukefictitious]

I would agree with the rocker for the most part. But Simon is right when he said "you sold youself cheap" The show dosn't pay anything to the contestants but pays hugely to the judges and producers of course EVERYONE else gets paid soda pop sellers, dancers, lighting people, camera people, ushers, cleaners and the people who put together these shows own you and your performance for zero.

[@findingusernamesux11]

@infesticon Finally you come up with something that make sense!!

[@roflin101]

OH, Lucy. So anyone can be a judge then, OK now i know.

[@stickmaster546]

Simon should open his goddamn eyes and realize that poppy mainstream shit is not the way to go. Rock and metal rules!!!

[@Gz082]

@MunisAwesome Thirdly, Nirvana did use MTV to perform. No pop competition was needed to showcase their talents as in the 90s, Rock was still fairly prevalent and mainstream.

[@rustydevilll]

@nforcer2 he isn't being rude or ignorant or anything....... he's honest and whats what the world needs.... there is WAY to many people who are on tv who just lie and be nice to look good. he doesn't care if he looks the bad guy he's being HONEST.

[@OmEgAlOmAnIaCx]

So this is why we never heard of him again.

[@MrSilentDoubleA]

@ennylekalb Are you trying to imply that people like Roy Khan, Tommy Karevik or Michael Kiske sounds like this?

[@thenaabstrshow]

he is, he lives in the same small village as me :D

[@hoaries]

to fill you in: Peter (who knows everything better than anyone else) made a few cd's with "his" music - a mixture of rock and alternative something, can't describe it.. haven't heard from him for a long while now - maybe he has some followers but he can't convince the big crowd

[@thenaabstrshow]

this guy, peter evrard, lives in the same village as me xD

[@terrybaker8156]

Naab Fred I work with his cousin Angela

[@franky-fr9ow]

At one point the contestant said Simon were right when mentioned a rocker being a fraud on a show like this hmmm 🤔

[@AJ.429]

Simon has softened up because he has a kid? Opinion? Conspiracy theory? Nope, he said it himself just Google it. He also wouldn't be able to get away with this sort of commentery nowadays. I believe it was a lot harsher but it's been edited by KZbin. Cowell was like a sportsman Jim Davidson type of character with a racing post or doing football commentery or being involved in Snooker or the grand Prix. Very Harry from The I'm a celebrity jungle and Bet Victor, now he's all changed. His professional boss look has turned into a perz Hilton showbiz character with his fame and horse teeth. That's why now he's playing dumb. Give him his own mag and he would probably write gossip like an old woman and he would get away with it because it's marketed as gossip.

[@EterPuralis]

@Stofke72 Yeah, my sarcasm reflex tends to flex whenever i write a youtube comment. I don't know why xP

[@stalk8r]

*hears Nirvana on world idol* *facepalms*

[@chocomocha]

@lamogand; Exactly why he is on the show, to play rock.. not to sterotype.. which is what simon is doing! well said!

[@stynosen]

Meanwhile, he ended 3rd, the winner sang a U2 song and the 4rd place was an Aeromith song...

[@ashketchum1377]

I def see what Simon was saying about rock n roll and conforming but i thnk he took it too far

[@mystery1745]

Trying to win a discussion in your own language is absolutely low and pathetic.

[@cartoonanimefan2123]

No, I am actually good at math. I was hypothetically speaking. Tell me? Did he have to say "You are completely and utterly useless?" Did he have to say it like that to get the point that this man has no chance of ever becoming a singer/dancer? He could have said something like "That audition was unappealing, I am sorry but I think you should try something else, as singing/dancing is something you do not excel in." See gets the point across, and says something positive.

[@kalakalachuchu]

i guess he meant that the performance he gave was not a WOW factor to be on that stage

[@eldiabllo1989]

LOL loving kuba and heas sense of humor (lol your bloody good man) hehe :)

[@tasteofmyscythe66]

I agree with Simon Cowell on that Peter Evrard is selling out doing a show like this, but it's not up to him to judge him about that, what does that got to do with the singing contest. He should judge on vocal abilities.

[@DTshortproductions]

fuck the judges this guy is good ! and i think .. he's gonna be famous

[@mavericksf16]

Haha Peter Waterman is really cool.

[@tomandgabe]

@TheCreativeism you are completely right. simon doesn't know what he's on about half the time anyway, he just wants to insult people

[@MissKenapy]

Simon is right, all the rock fans out there would never take this guy seriously after singing like that on a stage like that with a cliché attitude like that.

[@lovethebeatbox]

i think the rock community would love it because they would look at it like..."finaly something good on this pop show" i look at this show as any style of music goes its just the they would get more votes for people singning their favourite song which is mostly pop music.

[@TenaciousC21]

Ouch...Simon just got his balls handed to him =).