Simon Cowell and his famous dancing machines.

I am no fan of the X Factor, in fact with a few exceptions I am no fan of any band or artist doing cover versions. Hence the X Factor is not my cup of Tea.

But the X Factor goes deeper than that. If 16 million people do indeed tune into this drivel then the world is in a sad state. There are so few music programmes on TV that promote and play original music, Channel 4 does it's bit as does the Culture Show and Jools Holland, but that, sadly is about it.

The problem is that the influence that the X Factor has on it's audience in accepting musical drivel as entertainment, and worse still going to pubs and clubs and expecting more of the same. I notice that clubs now have X Factor nights, karaoke is in, and a whole generation of teenagers will see this as what entertainment really is. That will be really bloody sad.

RIP Real Music, RIP originality and RIP most sadly the long tried and tested route to market for so many bands and artists, namely gigging. There are so many venues that only ever book tribute and covers bands, many but not by any means all of whom do imitations of the original songs and usually without any passion. Now add to that the X Factor nights and karaoke boom and there are precious few places to play.

Simon Cowell is upset. He says the campaign to get Rage Against The Machines "Killing in the Name of" to the Christmas Number one is stupid, he argues

These three people, who under normal circumstances would find it really hard to get a recording contract, suddenly have got a shot.

as some kind of warped justification for one of the three winners getting a Christmas Number One.

Simon let me fill you in on a few truths, the reason that none of these people would get a sniff of a recording contract is simple, they are simply not good enough. Pete Waterman puts it more succinctly.

I haven't ever seen any of the finalists. I haven't heard them sing. But I can guarantee they all have decent but unremarkable voices, no discernable personalities - and some heart-rending tale to tell about a granny who's died, a distant cousin with a drug habit or some other such sob story.

That from a man who "manufactured" the likes of Rick Astley in the 1980's. He knows how cynical the music industry is and especially how brazenly cynical the X Factor is. Not that every talented and original musician gets the success and fame their work and talent deserve, indeed there are bands out there who will forever stay on the periphery, but most if not all have a loyal if small following, and most persist, hoping for a break, sadly none of these acts would ever get near the X Factor, original music is out, covers by rote is in. How sickening.

I turn to the words of an always original musician, not averse to a few covers, who was a maveric critic of the music industry, that goes some way to explaining why the X Factor is so successful, I give you the words of Frank Zappa RIP.

Some scientists claim that hydrogen, because it is so plentiful, is the basic building block of the universe. I dispute that. I say there is more stupidity than hydrogen, and that is the basic building block of the universe.

and from the same source.

Music is always a commentary on society.

In the last quote lies some semblance of hope, which will be reflected if Rage Against the Machine get a Christmas Number 1.