Simon Cowell has lashed out at a campaign to get rap metal dons Rage Against The Machine to Christmas number one.
The Christmas number one slot is one of the most coveted achievements in British pop music. In the past such artists as Slade, The Beatles, Band Aid and more have scored memorable hits which have become ingrained in the public’s consciousness.
However the recent boom in reality TV shows have provided the industry with a grip on the position. Last year Alexandra Burke scored the top spot with her version of ‘Hallelujah’ amid a hail of protests.
This year an online pressure campaign has emerged to get incendiary rap metal dons Rage Against The Machine to number one. The band reformed in 2007, memorably performing at T In The Park last summer.
The band’s track ‘Killing In The Name Of’ is at the centre of the campaign, which has gathered over 550,000 supporters to a Facebook campaign group.
Now in a press conference X Factor baron Simon Cowell has claimed that the campaign is “stupid” and “cynical”.
“If there’s a campaign, and I think the campaign’s aimed directly at me, it’s stupid,” he said in a press conference. The Independent reports that the music industry mogul went on to state that the campaign wouldn’t actually harm him.
“Me having a Number One record at Christmas is not going to change my life particularly,” he said. “It does however change these guys’ lives and we put this opportunity there so that the winner of The X Factor gets the chance of having a big hit record.”
“I think it’s quite a cynical campaign geared at me which is actually going to spoil the party for these three (contestants). I also think it’s incredibly dismissive of the people who watch and enjoy the show… to treat our audiences as if they’re stupid and I don’t like that.”
