JennaZ

I've been able to get in without problems.

Welcome back, CG, Couchie, Ansa, Muski and Kandre! You made my one concert all the more fun! CG, so sorry to hear about your father. My thoughts and prayers are with you. YSRN - Happy Birthday!

Great blog! Now that's what I'd like to concentrate on, rather than the review.

M&G Report from LittleMax1 at CV:

What? You're up this early too, Ansa? I guess we didn't buy enough Bailey's then, huh! As you may initimated from earlier posts, I had a blast last night hanging with Couchie, Claygasm, Muskifest and Ansa. Somehow, I missed running into you, Artquest. How could that have happened? Last night was my only concert, and I must say, it was a joy. There's nothing like hearing his voice live. And he was such a riot, so hilarious and completely comfortable on stage. If there were any fears that he would somehow be intimidated by the venue or the possibilty of industry people in the audience, he put those to rest quickly. I loved it all. Maybe it's because I haven't been to other concerts this summer, and haven't downloaded a lot of Clack, but for me, everything worked--every joke landed, every song brought a smile to my face, every minute reminded me of why I'm still a fan. ETA: Hey KAndre! Great to finally meet you, and thanks again for the wonderful seats! They were sooo... much better than what I originally had! Glad you made it safely to Indio! Say hello to Scarlett!

Here in LA laughing it up with Ansa, Claygasm, Muski, and Couchie. We've all had our drinks and are having a wonderful time. Wish you were here! We'll post more later!

Glad to hear the Ansa, Muski, Couchie, Claygasm and the rest are havin' a blast. Can't wait to meet you all!

I tend to agree, Playbiller. I remember how angry people were when an album wasn't released in 2005. My sense is that his next album is still in its initial stages. Producer found, but not ready to announce. At least one song being considered but not performed for audiences. Seems like he's prepared to find the right material, even if it takes a while. I find it premature to assume that he's had a recent disagreement with the label. Glad to hear that Couchie, Claygasm, Ansa and the rest are having such a ball! I can't wait to meet you!

Thanks for the great recap, KAndre! Sorry to hear about Carrie's loss, Muski.

Congratulations, Muski! Carrie and the team have a lot to celebrate!

Give our best wishes to the girls, muskifest! Yeah, I gotta say, it does worry me, sometime. Occasionally, I've seen such anger directed at Clay by fans who think he's disappointed them in some way. There are few out there who don't seem to have any life outside the fandom, who seem to have invested too much of themselves into his career. And I think we've only seen the tip of the iceberg. All I can say is that it's a good thing he has Jerome around.

LA Peeps: Made reservations at Puran for 4:00 pm. Info about the restaurant here: http://www.puransrestaurant.com/

Karen mentioned a mall... is that Universal City or some such place..where there are a ton of restaurants. Ansa had mentioned it to me but thought it sounded like a tourist trap. Perhaps I'm wrong. Also at the CH there is a link to a ton or restaurants in the area. I like Puran's. It seems small but our group isn't that large. The Universal City Walk is basically an outdoor strip lining the path to Universal Studios. It's got a lot of theme chain restaurants. It's very expensive to park there, and can get very crowded on weekends with very long lines for food. It is touristy, but if you are a tourist, hey! I can look into Puran's. How many people do you think we need to accomodate?

Great story about the BAF's $1 million goal. It's ambitious, but hopefully the Fifth Grader appearance will make a big difference, not just from any money Clay wins, but from the national exposure the show could bring. While it's rare that a television appearance or song use will cause someone to buy a CD, I do think it's common for them to cause people to download songs, either legally or illegally. And eventually, that "taste" can lead to bigger purchases down the road. DOOL may not have lead to a large increase in sales, but it's possible that it did create interest for some who may not have heard him before. And I get why Clack is not really advertising or promotion. While I do think it has helped sell tickets to die-hard fans, it really isn't out there, even on You Tube. My sense is that if it were completely up to him, he'd allow it as long as it wasn't disturbing others. However, every performance has other interested parties as well. Musicians typically get paid to perform on video. Songwriters are supposed to get royalties every time their work is used. Fans are paying them squat for the video. And I doubt that the argument that they should be grateful because it's "promotional," is really persuasive to them. Some venues/orchestras may be stricter about enforcement than others, but the bottom line is that it is their right to prohibit filming. I'm grateful to Clack gatherer for risking their equipment and experience to provide video. However, I can't blame Clay, Jerome, or even the orchestras for the "clackdown." On the whole, I think Clay has actually looked the other way more often than not.

Called "Simply Thai," and unfortunately, they don't open for lunch on Saturdays. They are open for dinner, though, and claim to have a big pre-Greek clientele. If you all want to meet earlier, though, do the other options appeal to you?

First time on a first page! Bringing this over from the last thread: I found this report interesting (from Couchie's cousin): This reinforces something I've always believed, that there is no standard playbook as to how an artist should be promoted. So often, fans complain that Ruben got this or Kelly got that, that the label must hate Clay because he didn't get precisely every single promotion that another artist got -- even when Clay received different promotional opportunities. Seems like every artist is promoted differently, so what applies to others may not necessarily apply to Clay. And he is, admittedly, a unique individual with an atypical fanbase. I'm not saying that necessarily excuses RCA for anything, but to me, it may explain the label's difficulty in trying to fashion the ideal marketing strategy for him. They aren't going to promote him like, say, Daughtrey, because guess what? He's NOT DAUGHTREY. Nor should he be. Her statement also makes me wonder how much tangential information gathered by fans is necessarily applicable to Clay's situation. I appreciate that Couchie's cousin is upfront in saying that she doesn't know Clay or RCA, but can only report on her experience. I have a feeling that other "insiders" may not have been as frank (or at least, that their contacts were not).

I found this report interesting (from Couchie's cousin): This reinforces something I've always believed, that there is no standard playbook as to how an artist should be promoted. So often, fans complain that Ruben got this or Kelly got that, that the label must hate Clay because he didn't get precisely every single promotion that another artist got -- even when Clay received different promotional opportunities. Seems like every artist is promoted differently, so what applies to others may not necessarily apply to Clay. And he is, admittedly, a unique individual with an atypical fanbase. I'm not saying that necessarily excuses RCA for anything, but to me, it may explain the label's difficulty in trying to fashion the ideal marketing strategy for him. They aren't going to promote him like, say, Daughtrey, because guess what? He's NOT DAUGHTREY. Nor should he be. Her statement also makes me wonder how much tangential information gathered by fans is necessarily applicable to Clay's situation. I appreciate that Couchie's cousin is upfront in saying that she doesn't know Clay or RCA, but can only report on her experience. I have a feeling that other "insiders" may not have been as frank (or at least, that their contacts were not).

Yes, very interesting report, Couchie. Should we discuss it here or there? And thank for your recap, KAndre. Sounds like quite an adventure. OT: This probably won't mean anything to anyone outside Houston, but I was sad to hear the Marvin Zindler passed away. I grew up watching the guy. An era has ended...

Hey ya'll at YSRN's house! Have a margarita for me! :F_05BL17blowkiss: Fascinating M&G report. Ya gotta love him for this: RCA doesn't control his blogs! Glad he finally said it. So many have been so willing to believe that the label controls everything he does. Beautiful photos, Claygasm!

Sounds like last night was fantastic! He just gets better and better. I'm glad Claygasm had such a great time. I'm looking forward to meeting her and the rest of you later this week.

Actually, while Beverly Hills ain't exactly a bargain hunter's paradise, it's not all high end stores. It has its share of chain retailers like The Gap. It'll be fun. Looking forward to it!

Both!

I can call them tomorrow. Yes, Claygasm, in California, there is ALWAYS a vegetarian option! Usually, many. I'd love to join you in Beverly Hills, if you don't mind. I'm actually much more familiar with that area, as it's close to where I work.

So, if you want to eat somewhere around the Greek, these places come highly recommended, although I haven't been to any of them. Alcove Cafe & Bakery: http://www.alcovecafe.com/ Purans Restaurant: http://www.puransrestaurant.com/ Vinoteca Farfalla: http://www.vinotecafarfalla.com/ Simply Thai: http://www.simplythaiworld.com/ If you want to eat further afield, we can talk about other options. Also, I assume you all will be driving from Pala Saturday morning, but if there's anything you want to see while you're in LA, let me know.

Happy Birthday KAndre! So I'll put my LA Greek findings in the concert thread, OK? ETA: Loved this about the M&G report: I can imagine how exasperating it must be for him to read stuff on the boards that he knows is so flatly wrong. And yeah, why wouldn't he be happy? He's in the middle of a successful tour, he has some television opportunities ahead of him, he has a record in the works. No, he's not "King of the World" yet, but there are many, many artists who are worse off than he is. But, no doubt, many will choose to believe that he's bravely hiding his tears, too noble to express his crushing bitterness and utter despair.