duckyvee

Such an unexpected treat. Love it! I so clearly remember that day 10 years ago, and never imagined what it would lead to, not only for Clay, but for all of us in so many ways that go beyond the entertainment.

Just stopping by to say hello after not posting for quite a while..... It was great to spend some time with Couchie in DC, to meet ldyjocelyn, and to see cha cha again! Loved the gala, of course. What's not to love?

Enjoy the show, ldyjocelyn! I still laugh out loud when I remember some of his act.

Ok NOW I will cry that there's no recording LOL I need details of nothing but this KAndre!! I'll leave the details to Kandre, but it will say that it was truly magnificent. Truly. Another highlight for me was I Survived You, my favorite song from MOAM, and one that I never before heard Clay sing live. I agree, Kandre, we got more than we paid for by far!

Cagney and I are going to the Gala.

Hope she has fun. You, too!

Same here - until a few minutes after chat when I bought a ticket. Oy. I don't know what I was thinking because I don't know if I can go. It will take a lot of arranging and re-arranging and even then it's doubtful that it wlll work. :8:

Hope you went and that you stopped at Allora to buy a box of chocolates!

Sounds like fun! Too bad it's 3000 miles away.

Congratulations on the raise, Couchie :04: ! Sonoma in 2012? That is unless Clay uses up all of our vacation time :clay: . I wouldn't mind that.

I have an extra ticket to Glenside. Just sayin' I comes free of charge. Just sayin'

Hey, everyone. I haven't been here for a while, but I'm still around. Just wanted to stop by to wish everyone a Happy Holiday Season!

How perfect would that be! I haven't seen a show from the Timeless Tour yet (going on Sunday), and haven't watched much Clack, but from what I've read, I definitely get a Smothers Brothers vibe, with Clay taking on the role that Tommy had in the pair. I hate what happened to the Smothers Brothers' show. I barely remember it, but it seemed like censorship at the time. Of ocurse I was in my rebellious phase, so maybe I misinterpreted things.

Sounds like a great show! Yep, JaMar, I think we need to seriously think about adding Chautauqua.

Song of the Day catch-up: Cryin' - This one has really grown on me. I know I am in a small minority, but I didn't really care for it when I first listened. I'm not into recorded duets, although I like them in musical theater because, well, they make sense in the context of a story. Too often recorded duets by 2 lead singers come off as vocal duels to me. This one is a little different as Clay's voice dominates, it seems to my ear, which makes it a little easier to process. Still though, my first reaction was that I wish Clay were singing it alone. He sounds amazing on it, and that opening is exquisite. Linda Eder has a great voice, of course, but it's the duet thing that gets to me. Now, I don't need all songs to make sense. Some of my favorite songs are either silly or seem to be drug-induced phrases strung together because they sound good ("Can I kiss your dopamine?"). This song is so clearly a story, though, that I hear it that way. And then I think, well, they both still love each other, they said so, and they must hear that because they're singing it to each other, so why don't they just get back together and stop all that cryin'? I got past that after a dozen listens or so and am finally able to appreciate it for the vocal performances. There's a Kind of Hush - This is on my short list. I LOVE it. Such a different treatment from the original, which I liked well enough, but didn't love. I love the cadence in the vocal. Love the band, especially the subtle percussion. I love the way Clay sings 'world.' I can almost hear a smile in his voice, especially in the first "of lovers in love." I hope we get to hear him sing this one live some time. Hoping the idea of a Tried and True tour becomes a reality. Happy Belated Birthday, Couchie!

I love to listen to Clay speak. Yesterday (or was it earlier this week) we got 'reduplicate' Today it's 'zeitgeist.' Such riches! What will tomorrow bring? :clay:

Sigh. If wasn't dearly in love with my "call me" avatar, this would be it. Maybe someone will use it as theirs for me? It's a great picture, isn't it? Makes me smile . I am too lazy to change avis, but if I were inclined to use a Clay avi, I think this would be it. Suspicious Minds - This track is not a favorite, and I skip it most of the time. Clay's vocals sound great, but I've just never really cared for the song or style, and Clay's version didn't change my reaction to it. I don't dislike the track, it just doesn't appeal to me.

It's Impossible - There is so much to love about this track, not the least of which is that the acronym II makes me think of IIT... fun times! But back to the song.... I've always liked it, but never as much as the way Clay sings it, which is sublime. The opening is breathtakingly tender, with each word having a little catch. I love it. Unchained Melody - I don't like the slide. Seriously. I know so many love it, and I've tried, but I just don't, no matter how many times I listen and I've listened incessantly. Seems like a trick to get from one part of the song to another just to show off what he can do. I realize that is my own take and not likely the intention of the arrangement, but it's how I react to it. The two parts of the song don't seem all that connected sonically (TM Clay) to my ear. However, I love what comes before it, and Clay sounds so fabulous on the second part that a few seconds after being jarred by the slide, I'm over it, and enjoy the rest of the song immensely. The guy can just flat out sing. Anything.

Loved Clay's blog! Sounds as if things went well last night. I missed the excitement, but it was fun to read the reports this morning. Thanks for your recap, Kim. I am beyond thrilled to know that In My Life made the DVD cut. Catching up on song of the day...... Misty - Ah, sublime. Beautiful melody, beautifully sung, perfect match of song and singer, nice sax interlude, and Clay's diction..... I could live inside his Ls. "clinging to a cloud" "hopelessly I'm lost" "violins" "glove" "following" And of course... "That's just what I want you to do." Love the way he sings that line! There are so many elements in this song that would typically annoy me - helpless/hopeless/following someone/wanting to be led on- but not in this song. I enjoy every phrase. Gorgeous. Mack the Knife - I have always like this song, and Clay's performance of it on AI was a favorite of mine. He seemed to be at a level all by himself that night. I love the arrangement on the CD, and the big band sound. That Bay-beh and Taw-dry make me take my hands of the wheel to clap when I'm driving. And "down by the river going slow," and "droppin' on down" - love the 'downs,' Yeah, it's about a murder.... ugly mob-like story, which of course is romanticized in a Hollywood treatment sort of way, and Mack comes off as a charmer. I have to laugh at the "line forms on the right" phrase, applying it not to Mack, but to Clay, with the women who are likely to jockey for position when he comes to town. I think I might recognize Lucy Brown.

It's Only Make Believe - Gosh, I love this one! I was only vaguely familiar with this song and the first time I heard it on the CD, I liked it well enough, but over time it has grown on me to the point where it's the one I repeat the most frequently, and if I only have a short time to listen, it's the one I go to first. I love the cadence, love the band, love the progression, and love the style Clay brings to it. I downloaded the Conway Twitty version, not to compare, just for a reference point. It like it quite a lot, too, but wow, how different they are. Nice! Someone upthread commented on the pace of this CD and balance of tempos, or something along those lines. I agree that it's one of its most appealing qualities. It starts with energy and bounce and then it slows down, mellows, giving you time to cool down (and maybe 'mist' a little) before it switches back to an uptempo track, all without being obvious. Keeps things interesting.

What Kind of Fool Am I? (still a day behind, with little potential for catching up ::sigh:: ) I have always liked this song. It's an interesting self-reflection (not to be projected onto Clay, of course). Lovely melody. A singers song. Perfect for Clay, singer of singerly songs (Which article did that come from?). He sounds great, of course, and I love the band. The sax solo is a perfect fit. Nicely done all around! I especially like this line: "What kind of lips are these That lied with every kiss?" Interesting way to express that thought. Lies ususally come from lips (or from the language in someone's brain, through their voice, etc. but eventually through the lips), but through words not action. Not sure I expressed that clearly, but whatever...it strikes me as clever to write about lips lying and mean a kiss not words. Gave me something to think about. And Clay sounds pretty, too. That's what it really comes down to.

I am so behind. Behind in the song discussions which I LOVE, haven't listened to the new interviews, hoping I can stay awake for Chelsey Lately, who I think is pretty amusing most of the time. Too much Clay to keep up with. Well, not that there can be too much Clay.... Better late than never..... CTMEOY (I so want to type CTMYOY. Can't bring myself to put in 2 O's. Why doesn't the word 'eyes' start with a 'y'? Actually, I suppose it should start with an 'i', but that's not what is interesting about this song.) As others have said, I was less than thrilled when I heard that this song was on the track list. I like the song well enough, bought the single as a kid (back in the days of vinly 45s), and played it to death. I didn't think I'd want to ever hear it again, not even for Clay. When I heard the snippets, and even when the track was available before the CD came out, I still just gave it a shoulder shrug. (Cagney, remembering that day we hid in the far corner of Borders surreptitiously listening to clips). But every time I hear it now, I love it more. It is, as KAndre said, so Clay. Perfect for his voice and style. I get the same feeling when I hear it that I got on Billy Joel night on AI when Clay sang Tell Her About It. It started a little sleepy and I thought.... "Oh, no, not another ballad. Come on, Clay." And sure enough, he moved to the chorus (I think that's where it was), whipped out that big voice, and caused me to stand up in my family room and clap (no witnesses, fortunately). It was one of my favorite Clay AI moments. That's how I feel when Clay gets to the first "I love you, baby." Makes me want to clap, even when I'm driving. Cagney.... The Beach Boys? Oy. Talk about a group of whiners (in sound, not personality or song themes). Thinking how much I appreciate that there is no longer an edit counter at FCA. I am not owning up to how many errors I found when I proofread. There are probably still some.

Yay! I finally found a copy of Tried and True in a store today (Sorry, Clay, it was Walmart. Target didn't have it). I downloaded from iTunes and ordered from Amazon, but I like to buy one copy from anphysical store. It feels symbolic to me, in some odd way that I can't really articulate. Whatever. Mission accomplished.