Spinner

Tinted Windows Weep for Susan Boyle, Paul Potts and 'American Idol'

It's been a whirlwind week for Tinted Windows, who just released their debut album. The band -- Hanson's Taylor Hanson, Cheap Trick drummer Bun E. Carlos, former Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha and Fountains of Wayne's Adam Schlesinger -- stopped by the Spinner studio to tape an appearance on the Interface, amidst television appearances with David Letterman and Jimmy Fallon, and the conversation turned to one that everyone was talking: Susan Boyle and 'American Idol.'

"It's hard for me to watch those shows personally. It's kind of painful," Hanson tells Spinner. "It sort of hurts me in the gut -- I get kind of an aching pain when I watch them -- because the idea that somebody has a big red button that they're going to push and make you a star is so scary."

Of course, that doesn't mean Hanson and Co. are without sentiment for a moving performance.

"I was weeping uncontrollably," Schlesinger says of Susan Boyle's recent audition on 'Britain's Got Talent,' where the unconventional star-to-be sang 'I Dreamed a Dream' from the musical 'Les Misérables.'

Iha admits, "I actually cried when I watched Paul Potts when he was on 'Britain's Got Talent,' which is the same kind of story. It's amazing."

Schlesinger, like many, still questions the authenticity of Boyle's sudden and surprising break. "I'm sure there was some knowledge beforehand that she was going to be good on somebody's part. You're feeling like it's manipulative ... It was a super moving piece of television, and it's probably really kind of semi-phony on some level. But still, just watching it, it was a great piece of TV."

Check back next week when the Tinted Windows Interface goes live.

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April

It's easy to get caught up in the excitement, I suppose. I do see where you all are coming from. I say this like I'm expecting you to actually read it...

May 01 2009 at 8:25 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to April's comment
Gina

i actually read it. and you're right, it is easy to get caught up in the 'moment' as it were. i mean, AI was never one of my favorite shows but when i HAVE to watch it..lol, kids, other fam members...i do get excited to think that one of those kids' lives will change dramatically...any more though, anyone ON the show that does well tends to do alright for themselves. so just being on a show like that is a huge career booster. so there ya go...people DO read comments! and not complain about the economy, Obama, christian right, liberal left and anything else out there! :) have a great day. :)

May 01 2009 at 11:21 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply