John Mayer disses ''American Idol''

Singer-songwriter John Mayer enjoys watching ”American Idol,” but has no respect for its contestants. ”You can’t ever find a true American idol on that show, because a true American idol would have too much [self]-respect to do that show,” the apple-cheeked Mayer, who’s become a teen idol in his own right, told the Associated Press. He added that no real artist would audition for the show: ”I would rather live to be 80 and [have] sold zero records rather than be standing the way someone told me to stand.”

Not every artist shares Mayer’s anti-”Idol” views, however. Fellow singer-songwriter Aimee Mann told EW.com last year that she understands the impulses that drive the show’s contestants. ”I probably would have done something like that. When you’re really young, you want to feel special and important — you want to make something of yourself,” she said. ”You want to have a career, but you don’t understand what that means.” Just ask Frenchie.