The Stranglers put Cowell off rock music
SIMON COWELL was put off rock music for life after seeing THE STRANGLERS perform when he was a teenager - because he was disgusted when the bandmembers "spat" at the audience.
The music mogul made his name as a record executive by signing pop artists and novelty acts, and now heads up mainstream TV singing shows including American Idol and The X Factor.
And Cowell admits he will always be a pop devotee - after the punk era of his youth made him wary of rock acts.
He tells NME, "When I'd just left school you were either into disco or punk. I went to a very, very small Stranglers gig in this horrific venue and literally everyone was gobbing (spitting) at each other. That's all they did, the minute you walked in they spat at you. I remember thinking I couldn't think of a worse way to spend a night. One girl I was with got spat on by the bass player and was like, 'Oh my God, this is fantastic, I won't wash for a month.' That made me realise this is not for me."