Customer Reviews

Simon Cowell: The Unauthorized Biography

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I have a love hate relationsip with Simon Cowell (loved Pop Idol, hate X Factor) so as a biography connoisseur I picked the book up with an open mind. Well the story is told with warmth and with the childhood pranks, teenage naughtyness and his rise to fame it's like getting to know him properly and he does come across as likeable. The author has a good turn of phrase which made the bits about X Factor tolerable. The early pics were sweet and could have been printed slightly more high quality maybe. 5 stars overall though.

good prezzie for sister in law kept her out of mischief and from round at house so much winner all round

What I loved about this book is that Chas Newkey-Burden explores and weaves together two strands: the personal and the professional Simon Cowell. My view of Simon has always been that he's clever, that he performs a role, but that behind any outward nastiness he is a gentleman, a strong and driven individual. In reading this book, my views on Simon have been strengthened and reading the words, `I've never believed this is going to last forever' have made me like Mr Cowell even more.

Within `Simon Cowell: The Unauthorized Biography', there is the exploring of Simon's childhood and his forming as a strong minded individual. Chas Newkey-Burden looks at Simon's life growing up near Elstree Studios, describing Simon's first ever business, his first ever kiss, his being expelled from school and how he became a runner for Stanley Kubbrick (after Kubbrick bought the Cowell family home). This book shows Simon's strong family roots, his love of the finer things, his intimate relationships and his overcoming of personal trauma.

The other strand looks at Simon Cowell's professional growth. There is no doubt that Mr Cowell has experienced a spectacular rise into stardom. This biography tracks it all, from Pop Stars to X Factor and not forgetting just how Simon Cowell managed to crack America.

I am left with a renewed admiration for Simon Cowell. Chas Newkey-Burden joins Simon's words with interviews given by the people who know Mr Cowell best. I found it compelling and devoured the book within hours.

A must-read for anyone interested in the man behind the persona.

I have read all of Simon's Biographies and none are a good as this one, or as accurate.

It covers his early life and the start of his career as an A&R man, moving on to his initiation in television on Pop Idol. You then begin to feel the journey he made from that early start, to the global phenomenon he has created with his television shows today. There are some good photographs in the book, including some unusual ones, which I'm sure most people wouldn't have seen before. I also like it shows Simon's caring side and the work he does for charities.

To many, Simon is the harsh judge off X Factor or American Idol, but when you read what people who have known him have to say, you realize he is far removed from that off screen. On saying that, his persona on screen isn't an act, he is just being honest and true to himself, which is probably what most people admire him for. I have always felt Simon is a complex man, he displays a great deal of confidence, but at the same time I feel he is plagued privately with self-doubt. Reading this book, I felt even more convinced of those thoughts.

I do hope Chas Newkey-Burden considers writing a sequel covering his recent years, particularly with the launch of his biggest gamble yet with The X Factor USA.

I was hoping for a biography. This book is a review of his TV shows and hardly any biographical information. On top of that it is very badly written and the author repeats whole sections throughout the book. I was very disappointed.

I don't know what book the other reviewers read but I what I read was badly written regurgitated rubbish. Everything this guy writes is available in Simon's autobiography (a much better read) or public domain. There was nothing new and no insights. I could perhaps have forgiven this but the writing was sooo poor. Don't waste your money.

"In your heart, you know he's right," was the campaign slogan of an American presidential candidate in the 1960s. It could also be the mantra of Simon Cowell's legion of fans, as they sit at home watching him deliver another of his candid verdicts to a contestant on one of his many talent shows. How many of us have tuned in to American Idol, The X-Factor or Britain's Got Talent out of morbid fascination for Cowell's stinging remarks? These last few years have seen Simon propelled to extraordinary fame - among huge swathes of the public he is identifiable by his first name alone. As Newkey-Burden writes in this biography, a 2008 children's poll named Cowell "the most famous person in the world."

Chas Newkey-Burden is himself developing quite a following for his celebrity biographies. The Simon Cowell bio follows those of Paris Hilton and Amy Winehouse. His style and prose make his writing highly readable. The Cowell biography is a rip-roaring read and will be loved by Simon's fans. It paints a vivid picture of Cowell's early life, where he struggled to keep a job, to his first taste of success in the music industry in the 1980s, through his subsequent financial problems that forced him to move back in with his parents in his early thirties, and on to his global success with Pop Idol and beyond.

For long-standing Cowell fans, the book throws up many names from the past. Rick Waller, who pulled out of the first series of Pop Idol; the hotly contested final between Will Young and Gareth Gates in 2002; Michelle McManus winning the second series and various other contestants from the television show that gripped the nation. It's all in there. They, and many more, are discussed by Newkey-Burden along with the more recent successes with the X Factor, American Idol and Britain's Got Talent. The biography is bang up to date. For those addicted to watching You Tube videos clips of Susan Boyle from this year's Britain's Got Talent, Newkey-Burden has not left information out of his book about this singer who captured the world's imagination whilst defying the stereotype of how a star performer should look.

But why should someone read this book? More to the point, why did I want to read this book? The answer for me was simple. It is for what Newkey-Burden refers to as the Cowellisms and for what I will refer to as the Simonisms. There are more than enough for the fans including my personal favourite of the put-downs: "When you sing, you remind me of a cod on a fisherman's slab." What I also found out from reading the book is the answer to the question as to whether or not Simon really is Mr. Nasty. If you read this book, which I highly recommend to Simon fans, you will also find the answer.

Truly badly written from the start and should only take you an hour or 2 to read. Nothing particularly new in this book (in fact if the art of writing a book was to read 2 other books on the subject and sit through a few series of reality TV shows this wins the award) although good as a reminder of a couple of things.
First, the relationships between Cowell and the likes of Pete Waterman and Simon Fuller and how they became involved, and uninvolved with each other.
Secondly, Cowell's undeniable guilt at unleashing the likes of Robson & Jerome, Power Rangers and Teletubbies on the music scene!

Brilliant Book - loved it totally.
This is a very well written and easy to read book about the life of Simon Cowell. It is very interesting and gives a brilliant insight into the man and his work. For those of you (like me) that already like Simon, this is a great book to add to your collection. For those of you that sit on the fence about Mr Cowell, this is a great book for you too. I would also recommend his autobiography "I don't mean to be rude but...". Don't criticise the man until you have read these books. The book has an added bonus of a great set of photographs.
A great gift for a Simon fan.
Really recommend it.

This is a xmas present for Brother in Law, so havent read it myself. Am a fan so hoping to get this book too! Looks pretty intresting though. Lots of photos.