Jeremy Bradley- We're going to be talking everything Idol, because obviously with the show starting people are wanting to know what to expect this season. Give me two words to sum up the talent this year.

Zack Werner- Uh, two words. Um, I would say musically mature.

JB- Why? What was different this year?

ZW- Well, I think when we opened the gates to people who could play an instrument last year, there was still going to be some hesitancy amongst those people who were very serious musicians in pursuing their own singer-songwriter craft and was hoping that was going to be the avenue to excel. There's still going to be some hesitancy amongst those people who really travelled down far that path and really focused on that end, that road to success, to come to a show where you have to play cover songs as to the avenue toward succeeding. And really, I think, last year we had far more, well, we had people that were playing an instrument, I think it was far more of a matter of those people trying to prove that they just weren't a karaoke singer or a pageant singer, but they could actually play an instrument. I think far more they proved that they couldn't play an instrument, but that's another story entirely. As opposed to what we wanted to be, which was an invitation to those people who used their instrument as a way of arranging songs, as a way of coming up with their own variation on other people's music. That was in some way an integration of their ability to play an instrument and their ability to sing, that these things went hand in glove, just like you think of Sarah McLachlan playing the piano or John Mellencamp playing the guitar, or whatever it is. Those people who are seen as both physical performers integrated with their instrument and musical performance where their ability to play really affects their ability to deliver a song. And I think we got far more . . . we went far deeper this year into those people. We were fortunate. A lot more people have a vision of "How do we interpret a song?"

JB- I was going to ask you about people bringing instruments. Do you think it's easier? Do people feel more comfortable on stage when they have something that they can, well, not hide behind, but something that's up there with them?

ZW- Well, I mean, you know, there's a difference between something that's a crutch and something that's a weapon, or something that's a tool of artistry and something that's a crutch to hide behind. If you're going to play an instrument, you're generally stuck in one spot, especially if you have to sing into a microphone. While it's going to make it a necessity to perfect some kind of stage movement far easier to deal with, it also restricts the number of things that you can do, because it's pretty hard to run around and get back to the microphone again. Unless you're going to put on the Madonna headset, which is generally pretty uncool for somebody who's a serious musician. I don't think that our audience is in any way impressed or swayed by the simple fact that you can strum along. They're still, ultimately, about the choice of song and how it integrates with your voice and their vision of you as an artist. And I don't think that those of us on the judging panel in any way make a decision and say, "Well, let's give it to this guy, 'cause at least he can freaking play the piano."

JB- Did you follow American Idol this season?

ZW- Only very vaguely.

JB- We saw on that show, a lot of the contestants . . . It was a mistake having the instrument during their performance. Is it one of those things where the artist is thinking that they're going to be impressive by playing it? Sometimes it's just easier to sing and not be too flashy. Is that what you're saying?

ZW- No, there's any number of circumstances where people don't know how to play to their strengths, and that can quite often be quite an issue. I mean, I just finished making a record where I'm a really good guitar player, but I happen to play in a band with two guys who are way better than I am, and I almost didn't play guitar on the album, because those things should be left to the person who's best capable of delivering the performance, and you know, if you're going to play along with our band live on the TV show, or you're going to play unplugged, or you're going to play solo by yourself, you're leaving yourself wide open to massive criticism. That is really not the essence of what you are as a performer or an artist in the first place, unless the essence of what you're about is bad guitar playing. So, yeah, no question, you can make a really bad strategic error and really handicap your ability rhythmically and your ability to sit in the pocket and really interpret the song by trying to show off something that you're really not capable of really doing. No question; it can be a really negative thing.

JB- On the show you've got vocal coaches and things like that. Do they advise contestants against doing something like that, if they feel comfortable, or is it completely up to the contestants to do it?

ZW- Ultimately. I mean, I don't work in that circumstance. I'm not there when they're working with the coaches, but I think that there's no question that it would. .  I don't know about advise, but I think that they would get some healthy input that, "This is really not working and you're not doing yourself any favours." Absolutely. Without a doubt, they would get healthy input, but ultimately it's up to the contestants to make their own bed.

JB- Which cities did you go to this year for the auditions?

ZW- Uh, see the whole list. Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Hamilton, Halifax, St. John's and Ottawa.

JB- Something that I always find interesting. The people that come from small towns, they come into the big city for the audition, and I'm sure there are times you see people come in and you think, "Oh hell. This is going to suck." But they really surprise you. Did that happen this year?

ZW- You know, it's surprising over and over again, and not necessarily with regards to people who you ultimately see on the TV show. I mean, it's any number of kids we give tickets to, because we believe in fostering their belief in their talent, and whether it actually takes them to a career or not, it's an issue that this is somebody who sings who should be given, you know, when you can you should reach out to them and say, "You're in this small town, and you may not know that you have it, but you're got something really lovely, and whatever part it's going to play in your life it should be supported." And we try to support those things whenever we can. I try, we try not to judge a book by its cover for the ultimate choice of who . . . at least who's going to get a gold ticket. It's a visual medium, but there's lots of peculiar or non-traditional star looking people that as soon as they open their mouths definitely have something special. It really works, and I'm surprised over and over again, you know? I mean, quite often somebody walks into the room and we say under our breath, "This person is a definite no," and then two seconds later they open their mouths and you're like, "There was jumping to a really wrong conclusion."

JB- So in narrowing down the competition this season, do you feel - and don't give any names - can you pinpoint one person who could take the whole thing already?

ZW- I really think that there are probably are. . . I mean, when we start doing the final selections on people who are going to be judged, we go through it and we point at people's pictures and go, "Could this person possibly win? Could this person win? Could that person win? Could that person win?" And from our perspective, we probably came down to six or seven that we think that could win. Now, hell, I mean, anything could happen.