Ansamcw

I think its just human nature to like something that agrees with us.

Well...I really like Clay...when I see something he did that I really like and I post on it in the board do you think I am just saying I like it because I really like Clay? Or can I have an honest positive reaction.

I give Sean the benefit of the doubt too. I don't think he necessarily has an agenda...I can believe he truly liked it because that was my reaction.

I truly believe the albany critic didn't like it...I have no problem with that. BUT...to suggest that Clay went the easy route on this tour because he knows the fans will be there???? That is truly giving a nasty spin on this production.

First of all...I do believe it takes more out of Clay to stand there in that little space and be still and be in character than sit down in front of an audience and gab the whole night and sing. So yeah I think for this statement the guy is an idiot. I don't think he is an idiot because he didn't like it...but because he wants to put Clay in the worse light possible. IMO.

Yeah this is going to be a big test for the fandom...

I just hope we don't start going at each other about it cos it would be a long 5 months if that is the case.

There will be people that won't be able to adjust as easily but hopefully the atmosphere in the theater will help people control their usual reaction to Clay.

Well to be honest...I wouldn't put anything about spamalot clack on the boards and I will not encourage anyone to take it. I totally respect Clay making his request or letting his feelings be known about this. BUT I will also not turn against fellow fans that try to get clack. I just hope they will consider what they do and if they choose to do it...be very very discreet in taking and careful about the distribution of the clack.

I just want to go on record now as saying that if any of you Clack Goddesses happen to get Spamalot Clack and happen to PM me with the link for a yousendit file, I'll still respect you in the morning. Just sayin'.

BWAH

OMG this DSIAFCD is very passionate

wonderful

I do understand where Clay is coming from. I know there are other Broadway videos on you tube...but I don;t think any artist on broadway now has a fandom that is very very good at getting videos and that use you tube so much. If he does nto say something now the clack gathering may get out of hand and it will be embarrassing for him with the producers.

Saying this...I really don;t think he can shut down the clack gathering completely...I would be totally surprised if nothing comes out and gets distributed even in the back channels.

At this point I will settle for audio clack.

now I know why I was off last night... because I got my inofrmation from the FCA website calendar... ahem... oh Ansa, did you put up yesterday's concert? heee

oops

Theres a concert tonight???

wow its a good thing everything is all put away and itsjust putting cait to sleep that will be in the way...

hope the reception is better than last night.

YAY finished decorating the house...I looks great!!!

What makes me happiest...my girls did the bulk of the work! Sam took charge of our family room...she rearranges some old ornaments and made popcorn garlands. Tay and I took charge of our tree...putting it up, the lights and the garland...it turned out great. They even helped in clean up!!!

NOW I;m pooped.

As much as I liked MCWL...I do agree that some of the songs can do soe reworking. The arrangements did sound rather boring and old on some of them. I would love for him to do OHN the way he does in concerts...same with WADNYE and TCS and just about everything he is singing right now. MCWL was just his second CD and I don;t think he was very confident in giving his own input on the productions...now he totally knows what he wants.

Play...thanks for bringing those parts of the Albany review...I didn't read it...don;t need the hassle but it does explain why some people were going on about it in other places. I just don't really care anymore if a reviewer didn;t like a show...its part of the territory.

Boy I sure wish I can find some hidden gifts in my closet... I still need to get something for my friend... I still need to do the major gifts for the girls and hubby and to do christmas baking. That will be this coming week.

I just love having Christmas decorations up!!! makes the house look sooo pretty....

WTF is wrong with all you people??? It's madness, I tell ya! Pure madness! Your shopping's done? Your decorations are up? What the hell kind of way is that to celebrate the Christmas season? I'll stick with the good old-fashioned way, thankyewverymuch.....scurrying and scrambling and fighting for the last ham and running to Wally World on Christmas Eve to buy tape and wrapping paper and being generally miserable, cranky and bitchy. Then on Christmas Eve, I snuggle down in a comforter on the couch with DH, exhausted and think "What the fuck" and get drunk. That's the way to observe the Christmas season.

BWAH!!!!

Awww Clayzor your tree looks beautiful!!!!

and as much as I want to send my Christmas cards...the girls' annual school pictures are not in yet so I have to wait....Hopefully I will get it out before the middle of the month.

Ivy...glad Clay is getting you into the Christmas mood. I was in a Christmas mood but I;ve been having this tummy problems that makes it tough for me to eat properly...so I'm really low energy now..and its Decorating DAY!!! I'm just glad my girls are old enough to do a lot of the physical decorating and are pretty enthusiastic about it.

Muski and Cg...sorry if it seems like I was saying you were telling him what to do...I am pretty aware that is not what you were doing, but you gave some suggestions and I simply looked at them to see if they indeed would work and I felt not in the context of what he is trying to accomplish right now. I am just continuing the discussion and was not trying to assign any more motivation to what you wrote except that you both seem to be looking for something more from the show. I think this is the consequence of sharing our opinion ...it will elicit other ideas and opinions from others and keep the discussion going.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEE for the spamalot promo!!!!

Pretty cool!!!

wow totally nothing happening here...

is anybody else on CH stream???

this is very soft...did you guys here anything???

Muski and CG...as you give your suggestions in how the show can be different, I can't help but think that he has done that type of show already. He had a Christmas show with a lot of fun and with personal stories of the artist...thats ACAC. Then JNT04 also had the professional look with some movement and variety put in. It may not be your exact vision but he has done things that has movement and fun and funnies and full of his personality in the past...and yet every Christmas show...or every show does get its share of criticism. These pasts shows were called cheesy and somber by different people so its really tough for Clay to get a show concept that everyone would love.

I also believe your suggestions will make this a whole different show...with a different vibe and one that is your vision and not Clay's. He may do that type of show next year...who knows, but this year, its all about the music and the stories. I guess...I have really been enjoying this show very much. I love every clack I have seen and I totally love his stillness and the simplicity of the concept...so being the selfish fan that I am... cos its all about me...I am very happy Clay did this concept.

I understand that if one do not listen carefully to the story...that part can be boring...cos I can hardly understand the stories every night and I kinda blank out at that point, but I still love the songs. The singing and the arrangement are the best I have heard so far in all his concerts, xmas or pop.

eta: oh lucky...I did read that m&g report after I made my post so that pretty much thrilled me. It means he is personally satisfied with what he has accomplished and its the kind of concept he would like to share with a bigger audience.

DIVA...I would love to hear him sing Ave Maria...I am not sure which one is Gounod's...but I know two versions...I have different singers singing both songs on my ipod and I pray that I will hear Clay sing one of them in the future.

Although....I have to say I will have to temper my expectations because he probably won't sing it in a classical way. Now I have heard Ave Maria sang by other pop singers...my own favorite version was Karen Carpenters....but she sang it in a really soft reverential way. I wonder how Clay will interpret that song.

Great discussion!!! and as always I think this comes when different opinions are presented...

I don't think I've ever disagreed as much with CG as to this point...last nights look was soooo not high school nerd Clay...that is a hot college professor...successful business man/diplomat...and totally hot Clay!!!

I think that is the best hairstyle for his glasses...EVAH...and I finally found a new avatar....YUMMMMY!!!!

as to her other points and those of lilyshine and pookle....

> I think I have an issue with people saying I miss Clay and his personality...cos this is SOOOOO Clay too. This is the Clay that goes to Washington and represents UNICEF. This is Clay in his most reverent mode. I see this as Clay the artist. This is part of who Clay is, he is not always the goof ball...he is a professional that can go from fart jokes to a show of such class and professionalism.

>I also disagree about the movement. I think its pretty easy to entertain people with all the bells and whistles of movement and easy jokes, but to entertain by virtue of his voice and the whole visual concept is much more difficult. I think his stillness invites people to look at the big picture to sit back and let the music envelope you. Maybe this is just not the type of show some people need right now...but I do think that if people will just let go of that...other vision they have for this Clay concert and just let the current vision in ...it might work.

I was totally impressed by the physical arrangement of the show...of Clay among the musicians. The beautiful lighting and just the vision of Quiana and Angela...so elegant and beautiful....I do believe this type of show is the one concert I envision for his future PBS special.

>I also know its a matter of taste...but I am totally in love with the way he is singing WTOW and MGUCL. I think he is getting ready for the theater because he is not just singing these songs but he is totally in character, he is acting...in the same way he did with POB. He wants people to listen to the words...the message. I just watch xxx4clay's WTOW from Albany and I really started to cry from the emotions I felt.

>I think its pretty easy to dismiss the stories that have some death in them as maudlin and say they are depressing. Its easy to tune it out that way. I only listened to the dead son story...but I wouldn't call that maudlin. If the story started out as a happy christmas then her son died and she was heartbroken...then yeah it would be depressing. But if people just gives that story a chance and truly listen to the message ...it is very very empowering. This woman didn't find peace and the joy in Christmas because friends cheered her up or she went to parties, she had to actively let the message of Christmas come in and help her find peace after her loss. I thought that was very powerful message of hope.

duckyvee...I think what a lot of people are missing is the feeling that they are part of the show...of the family. I think Clayzor is right...in order for him to expand his fan base...he will need to let go of this comfort zone where he can come out and just do anything to get an applause...because this will not fly when the audience is not predominantly Clay fans. Specially when he goes to spamalot. He needs to be very professional and not rely on being cute and goofy. The part may be so...but it is still a part in a play that relies on rehearsed lines and pacing with his fellow actors. He needs to learn to turn off the need to take attention to himself as part of a big ensemble.

I do believe this is a good show to have before Spamalot because it helps the fans get used to Clay playing a part and reacting to the other actors on stage instead of to them.

I am happy when people feel free to share their honest opinions in the board. I always wish everyone would enjoy their show...but I think that is pretty impossible. There will always be some people that will come out disappointed or not liking something and I really have fun seeing where different people are at. I will tell you something, I am pretty tired of DSIAFCD...and MCWL...I just wish he would drop it...but since he and a lot of other fans love it...I just deal.

Clay really has no say whether the fans can take clack for spamalot...that will be up to the producers and I really don;t think this is an open policy in Theater. I suppose the decision to take the risk of getting clack is up to the clack gatherer.

Now I think it is up to the clack gtherers if they will share it, put it up in the vault or distribute it discreetly. So I don;t think there is no use to get upset with Clay about this.

I used to put clack on DVD's then one day I had to look for something specific and spent hours looking for it. Thats when I realized...I got too much.

At this point buying external hard drive for this is not an option. So now I just depend on the vaults if I need some past specific clack.

First page already!

Don't know if this has been mentioned, but run, don't walk to download xxx4clay's video of Welcome To Our World from New Brunswick...just beautiful! He sings it almost like a lullaby.

Kim

oh this is certainly beautiful!!!

I feel like he is actually getting ready for spamalot because he is getting into the meaning of the songs. Not just singing the songs but telling us the stories ...

Clack...yup I have had to cut down. I think for me it started pretty early...when I realized my HD can't handle it all. Thats when I started to be very particular about the clack I keep.

Right now I will watch something that was different or memorable or if he sounds simply fantastic on a song...but I definitely do not download every piece of clack.

LOVE the IBHFC medley...he is great at covering his mistakes...or at least making a memorable moment out of them.

I am most likely the lone anti-clack voice of the fandom.

Clack Unlimited and the other vaults should fold.

If clack gatherers break the law during the Spamalot run and are snagged at

the Shubert Theatre during the videography process, I hope they are charged

and prosecuted by the DA.

And if convicted, they pay the price of civil penalties.

Clayzor... :F_05BL17blowkiss:

Totally respect this is your POV...but I will disagree. These ladies have given the fandom a lot of joy and I don't ever want anything to happen to them.

Ch cert is coming in and out....

now its clear for Jingle bells...

The thing with clack, for me, is this...it becomes a "it's all about meeeeee" thing for some people. I know not everyone gets to go to a concert...I understand that and appreciate the clackgatherers for their patience and time to video and take pictures. When it comes to people whining (imho and no one here) about taking clack of Spamalot...I kind of have a serious problem with that.

I know, in some sense, it's all illegal but the Spamalot filming really bothers me.

yeah that will really be sticky...although that may be the only way I see it...it really may hurt the show. I don;t know the answer cos I am caught by my desire to see it. I wouldn't be surprised if this is something Clay will be blogging about before Spamalot. Its the biggest problem because it is only in New York and so many fans won;t be able to see it...sigh.

But ultimately ....if this compromises Clay's ability to work with other productions...then that should seriously be considered.

I understand how Simon can have that opinion, he is so cynical...but I do believe he is wrong in thinking Clay knew he was safe. Clay is smart...all the polls and dial idol can never be 100% accurate. ...Clay knows those internet polls just get a small fraction of the viewing public. But I really think Simon simply does not understand Clay at all.

I have wondered clayzor if a lot of these AOL previews of CDs actually hurt sales. The fans that will buy an artists product do not need a sneak peak. But several times..I have been turned off by a full album that had one or two songs I liked. So I do not buy the CD...I just dl it.

When it comes to you tube and clack...as much as clack sells tickets, I also think that as a fandom we are getting more and more used to them that I can see some fans may have been less motivated to see a show since they know clack is available...Its a really huge dilemma.

As someone that only saw 5 concerts in my life...that usually miss most tours because of financial and familial considerations...I shudder at the thought of clack not being available...so I will pray that it will never truly be disallowed.

When it comes to unflattering videos...I would say those are the ones where his voice cracks, he falls down or if he has a wardrobe malfunction...I really hesitate to include any funny faces or just Clay being silly. That is part of Clay's persona that I believe we all should embrace. Some may not like it...but I do believe this is the way he can reach those stubborn male audience.

00lsee said:

he really is a lovely and remorseless killer.

this should be nominated for a thread title!!!!

ALSO......... Diva said it was OK to post the video of her "Ode to Clack Goddesses" on youtube!!

:F_05BL17blowkiss:

BWAH!!!! that was wonderful!!!!

Thanks DIVA and her wonderful chorus!!!!!

Now I have skiiiiiiiip....Skiiiiiiiiip ...going in my head!!!!