Andy DehnartMore than a year and a half after Mario Vazquez quit American Idol 4, he’s finally telling the world why he left. (The timing of this announcement is rather convenient, as Mario finally released his self-titled debut album yesterday.)
When he quit, Mario cited “personal reasons,” saying, among other things, “It’s just a personal family thing. My family is my top priority.” His family had no idea what the hell he was talking about, and he now says not telling them of his excuse beforehand was a mistake. He says, and I quote, “Oops!” He also tells the Palm Beach Post that the rumor he quit because he didn’t want people to know he was gay was untrue, even though the National Enquirer reported that “it’s an open secret that Mario is gay.”
Mario’s official story now is that he spewed a bunch of bullshit back then, although he doesn’t say why he made up stories instead of just telling the truth. Here’s his new version, with quotations culled from his interview with The Palm Beach Post:
“The public knows about that contract (with the show’s 19 Entertainment company), that it’s hard. … The music they do was not up my alley. They wanted me to do a European-type album, that was not Mario. I wanted to do edgier, grittier stuff, much more street, where I came from. I come from dance, R&B, Motown… But Idol has things down to a science. They do safe pop music. … What scared me was that, with that contract, everything was hired for us. I would have had no control. Basically, the show is plucking people from around the country who never had an opportunity on such a big level. For myself, I really lucked out. We saw the money… But I couldn’t sign it. I’d have been (screwed.) … I started (hearing) that people were interested in meetings and so forth. You gotta be smart. I couldn’t tell anybody. But once I got my lawyer, I was (sure) something was gonna bite.”