I Don't Mean to be Rude, But...: The Truth About Fame, Fortune and My Life in Music (Paperback)

by Simon Cowell (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
'Zesty account of his life - it's got all the fun stuff', Heat .'It's impossible not to be engrossed - he comes across as you'd expect - arrogant, egotistical, opinionated and totally magnetic', Daily Mirror .'An engrossing read. Simon is a very interesting bloke, so we suggest you give this a quick squiz', Star Magazine .'Fans and enemies of Simon Cowell will be engrossed in this inspiring story of his rocky road to fame', OK magazine .'Love him or hate him, you've got to admire the high-trousered one. And this autobiog is actually pretty damn compelling', Heat

Product Description
No one can deny the impact that Pop Idol judge Simon Cowell has made. His acerbic put-downs and witty one-liners have sparked international debate whilst at the same time earning him a legion of admirers. Cowell's own story has all the brutal honesty you'd expect. I Don't Mean to be Rude, But...is as compulsive, entertaining and hard-hitting as his trademark insults. With tips and advice on becoming a star from the man who knows how to make it happen, this book is the ultimate through-the-keyhole view inside the music industry. But it wouldn't be complete without setting the record straight about those trousers, and the truth about the women in his life. In the fully updated paperback edition of I Don't Mean to be Rude, But...Simon predicts the future for the Pop Idol winners. He dishes the dirt on American Idol and takes you behind the scenes of World Idol. It's a complusive read and as compelling as the man himself.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Ebury Press (April 29, 2004)
• ISBN-10: 0091898285
• ISBN-13: 978-0091898281
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #614,467 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I don't mean to be rude either, March 2, 2006

By	Elmota "SHUT" (Amman, Jordan) - See all my reviews

The book is quite different than what I expected, I always enjoyed Simon's comments and the way he put down those wanabees, even though it sometimes was a bit rough, I bought the book hopeing for more of his cynical arguments, but instead, he started by talking about his childhood days, how he grew up, and where he started his career, and I found that even more amazing, and interesting. It kind of gets you thinking about the options you have in life, Simon says he put off his education for a while, and he never enrolled in higher education... it was all interesting to read about.

When moving towards the last chapters and into his Idol career, it gets a bit uninteresting, at least for me, I was never a great fan of American Idol, and Simon describes in a lot of details the top stars of each season and how they got there, so I was getting less interested.

Overall, great read, and lot of fun stuff, as expected from Simon.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It never hurts to read about success - from those who succeed., May 26, 2008

By	J. Lee "imajeel" (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you're an idol fan you probably wait to hear what Simon says... and normally agree (latest season excluded, in my opinion). His story reminds me that with perserverance and confidence in your chosen field - the sky's the limit here in the U.S. It is without a question a story of someone who knows who they are, what they believe and scrapped their way to that top --- that alone makes it worth reading. Regularly reviled in the U.K. and sometimes here (though with a lot of underlying admiration for summing up what noone else wants to say), this is the story of an entrepeneur at heart - who, with a lot of work, found his gold mine in the U.S, and has a few pearls of wisdom to part despite or because of the large ego. It's well worth a read!

And if you like "I Came to America, the land of opportunity" success stories- in the melting pot which we live- I also recommend Be the Pack Leader: Use Cesar's Way to Transform Your Dog . . . and Your Life. Very similiar, in the sense they both used their skills and US TV to succeed and show the world who they are.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent advice and informative, June 2, 2008

By	Rochelle E. Fischer "Rochelle" (Hueytown AL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I really enjoyed this book. I respect Simon's opinions and he certainly knows the music business in and out. If you plan on auditioning or going into the music business this information would be very helpful to you. You should absorb every single criticism and word of encouragement that comes out of his mouth and then you may just succeed.
I mainly wanted to read the book because I have such great respect for Simon as a no nonsense type of guy who arrived at his trade the hard way, all the time knowing exactly nothing but the TOP would be good enough for him. He never quit he just kept right on forging ahead. I admit that I found out way more about the music business than I cared to know but the book was a good read. I have to give him such respect for suffering through all of those auditions which obviously were very painful. He is absolutely right! Having watched the auditions myself on tv. For each one who can sing and has talent worth pursuing there are hundreds and thousands which are completely deluded and fooling themselves or else they think it's funny to make complete fools of themselves before the whole world. Or maybe they just want to be on TV. I suggest they just sit on top of their own and forget the rest.