http://www.americanidol.com/news/view/?pid=1180Garrett Haley was asked whether Simon Cowell's comments were over the top, and his answer might surprise you. In fact, he said he found a lot of humor in what Simon said. He's happy with his fair skin and the way he looks, and, while it's possible the comments might have affected viewers, they really didn't bother Garrett at all. Now, his friends and family are another story, as Garrett did say that they were quite upset with Simon for what he said on the show.
Garrett was actually influenced by a lot of former Idols, and says that a big reason for him even trying out was his admiration for Ace Young, Chris Daughtry, and Elliott Yamin. While he didn't get to show much of his musical style, he did say that he likes "alternative pop" the most, but he also likes to infuse a little R & B into his performances. Despite the many comparisons to Leif Garrett and Peter Frampton, Garrett admits he didn't even know who either of them was at the time, and he had to look them up on the internet!If interested, you can read the rest of the article at the link.
I think this kid got a bum ride on the show. He was hardly ever shown before the final 24 and he had a great voice that didn't really get an opportunity to show us too much of it. I hope he keeps up with it! Maybe Ace should be his "big brother" and take him under his wing...