Paul F. Tompkins Quotes

I think American Idol is a great career launcher. A blessing for all of us.

I don't watch 'American Idol,' but I wouldn't call it 'undignified.'

I don't think I could do a reality show, no.

Kids are meant to believe that their stepping stone to massive money is 'The X Factor.'

Everyone's trying to get a reality show, and we're just trying to avoid accidentally being on a reality show.

Personally, I don't get that whole reality show thing. It was much smaller, and it's grown. It's like an epidemic. I'm still rather confused by it.

Look at 'American Idol,' which I don't look at. Those winners haven't become household names except for Jennifer Hudson, and she was a reject. You can't aim to be a household name. You just have to be successful.

The whole 'American Idol' way of looking at things is the antithesis of what I grew up with. There are a whole lot of kids wanting to be famous now, whereas if I'd even mentioned that word to one of my teachers, I would have got into a whole load of trouble.

I think one of the things I was shocked about was how interested the world is in 'American Idol' and how people, writers, they write about 'Idol' all the time, and I guess I didn't expect that.

Kim Kardashian is a major player coming off of a reality show, and nobody can turn a blind eye to what she's accomplished, no matter how you see her.

It will shock many - I've lived a full life and really enjoyed my time as a pop star.

Popstars really draws you in. It's fascinating. It's interesting to watch people thrown together in that kind of a situation. Even if the egos weren't involved and they weren't trying to be world famous. It's the Real World, only better.

I don't want to be a reality retro star.

The press will naturally come and go as it has done with all artists, from David Bowie to Neil Young to U2.

I was a teen star. That's disgusting enough.

The thing that cracks me up is how these reality characters start out thrilled and excited just to be on television, and how they move to thinking they are as big as the Friends.

People have such false perceptions of how stardom really works.

'American Idol' became a juggernaut of epic proportions, but to me it was always like home.

I get why people want to come see me play guitar, but I still don't understand why people want to interview me.

This whole 'X Factor' thing with people assuming I'm going to be a one-hit wonder - that won't happen with me.

It's not my aspiration to appear on a reality show. That's the last thing I need in my life.

I don't want to be a reality TV star - that's not for me.

Ah, reality TV: where opportunists delight in exposing opportunism! It's kind of like the indie music scene.

A lot of these reality-TV shows people go on, they come off, and nothing happens. You never hear from them again. Fifteen seconds of fame is not the name of the game. No matter how big you break, or how many people you break in front of, you still have to slowly build a fan base to have anything loyal and lasting from people.

If you see me as a controversial artist or controversial human being, then I could be cashing in on some reality shows. I am not doing anything like that. That's not my aim.