.

Adam Levine Accuses 'American Idol' of Homophobia

'The Voice' judge says hit show deliberately hides the sexuality of its contestants

August 16, 2011 1:45 PM ET
adam levine idol
Adam Levine
Photo by Rob Kim/FilmMagic

The Voice judge and Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine has fired shots at American Idol, claiming that the massively popular show has gone out of its way to obscure the sexuality of its contestants. "What's always pissed me off about Idol is wanting to mask that, for that to go unspoken," Levine told Out. "You can't be publicly gay? At this point? On a singing competition? Give me a break. You can't hide basic components of these people's lives."

"The fact that The Voice didn't have any qualms about being completely open about it is a great thing," he says. Though he's proud of his show's massive success, he admits that Idol is a "cultural institution." "On The Voice, we just care about a different list of things," he says. "It's for a different type of person, I guess."

Related
Video: Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera "Moves Like Jagger"
Adam Levine on Why 'The Voice' Isn't Reality TV
How 'The Voice' Became a Smash

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

prev
Music Main Next

blog comments powered by Disqus
Daily Newsletter

Get the latest RS news in your inbox.

Sign up to receive the Rolling Stone newsletter and special offers from RS and its
marketing partners.

X

We may use your e-mail address to send you the newsletter and offers that may interest you, on behalf of Rolling Stone and its partners. For more information please read our Privacy Policy.

Song Stories

“All Along the Watchtower”

The Jimi Hendrix Experience | 1968

Jimi Hendrix got hold of Bob Dylan's early John Wesley Harding tapes and in late 1967 recorded a version of "All Along the Watchtower" with the Experience in London. Dissatisfied with that first development, Hendrix brought those tapes with him to New York in early 1968 when he began work on Electric Ladyland. Eddie Kramer, Hendrix's engineer at the time, told Rolling Stone that Hendrix "was still looked upon by his basically white audience as the mammoth black guitar hero. There was a constant fight within him to expand himself." Hendrix's successful take on Dylan's work has long been recognized by the songwriter. "I liked Jimi Hendrix's record of this and ever since he died I've been doing it that way," Dylan wrote in the liner notes to his Biograph box set. "Strange how when I sing it, I always feel it's a tribute to him in some kind of way."

More Song Stories entries »