Supernova Has Their Fill of Phil

Zayra should be breathing a sigh of relief, because instead of sending her home, the guys from Supernova sent Phil Ritchie packing on last week's Rock Star. The 28-year-old frontman of Lennex tried to save himself with a rockin' rendition of a Failure song, "Smoking Umbrellas." But his attitude failed to impress Tommy and the boys — they questioned his commitment to the band. TVGuide.com caught up with Phil after his ouster to find out what was behind their decision.

TVGuide.com: I'm pretty surprised that you were the one to go home. How are you feeling about it?
Phil Ritchie: I'm pretty calm.

TVGuide.com: You aren't angry?
Phil: Nah, I'm not mad. Everything happens for a reason.

TVGuide.com: Your final performance of that Failure song seemed to me to be a lot better than a certain other someone in the bottom three.
Phil: I'm glad you said that. Thank you.

TVGuide.com: Do you know what Supernova was thinking?
Phil: Well they questioned my commitment to the project and the reason that they questioned it was because I made a comment in the public that got back to them and they weren't happy about it. So they let me know.

TVGuide.com: Would that be your comment to a reporter about how you didn't really like their music?
Phil: I don't even remember what I said.

TVGuide.com: Were you committed? Did you want to be in Supernova?
Phil: Absolutely, man. I'm not going to do something if I don't want to do it. I'm not going to come out here if I don't potentially want to get the prize.

TVGuide.com: But do you think you would have meshed with their style?
Phil: I think I could have totally. My music that I write is not too far off. It wasn't the same, but I could shimmy over a little for it. The thing that frustrated me was that the songs that they gave us to sing didn't really represent everybody. I was definitely a victim of that.

TVGuide.com: Right, anyone would have trouble making "One Headlight" rock.
Phil: Exactly. It's a great song, but you aren't going to see Jason Newsted playing it.

TVGuide.com: How'd you discover Failure?
Phil: They actually had a single back in '96, a song called "Stuck on You." You might recognize it if you heard it. My guitar player gave me [their] album and to this day it is my favorite album. It is like indie rock, but with this real amazing cool vibe to it that you don't hear too often.

TVGuide.com: I’m sure they'll be happy with the extra exposure of you singing their song on national TV.
Phil: Yeah. When that song cleared I was so excited.

TVGuide.com: How much time do you get with the band?
Phil: We only get two half-hour rehearsals, so you've got to be pretty well prepared. You get the song the day before and have rehearsal the next day. In real life you have as much time as you want.

TVGuide.com: What do you hope to get from this experience? Do you think something will come out of this?
Phil: I would hope so. At this point I am just hoping that the exposure will help my career. I'm still going for it. I'm going to go home and play with my band [Lennex] that I've been in for 10 years. We were showcasing labels before this and we're going to hopefully continue doing that. We've got a new album coming out in about a month.

TVGuide.com: Where is the name Lennex from?
Phil: Actually, it is a summer camp that Andy Kaufman went to when he was a boy.

TVGuide.com: Are you rooting for anyone in particular to win?
Phil: I'm rooting for everybody. I'm rooting for the boys more because it is boys against girls. I've got to see a bro go all the way. I think Lukas is going to win, but that is not to say that if it was a different band, any single one of those people could win. It depends on what they are auditioning for. Not everybody is perfect for this particular band. Lukas is probably the most obvious choice.

TVGuide.com: You've been in a band for a long time. Were you prepared to leave your band for this?
Phil: It was a big struggle deciding if I wanted to do it or not, but I went through that struggle and I was prepared. I wouldn't have come and done it if I wasn't prepared to not go back.

TVGuide.com: Do you think maybe all your experience made you very set in your ways?
Phil: Definitely. I've been developing my style for 10 years. It is not going to change in three months.

TVGuide.com: Are you done with reality TV?
Phil: I think I am.

TVGuide.com: So we won't see you on theAmazing Race next season?
Phil: Well, that'd be cool. Or if there was a "Rock Star: Survivor" maybe? I don't know. I'm not going to go on American Idol, if that is what you were thinking.

TVGuide.com: Anyone you think maybe shouldn't be around on the show?
Phil: I don't know… everybody is so talented. Not everybody is right for this, but I don't want to say that anybody doesn't deserve to win.