jmh123

Promo blurb straight out of Wikipedia.

JennaZ

I agree completely!!

:word:

:word: from me too!

Which is about the time it is for me here, and I'm not in bed yet. Why am I not tired? And why am I in love with this emoticon today?

Scarlett, you've had that Barlow siggy awhile, haven't you?

Some people won't even be able to go one show, and there won't be the kind of clack and cellcerts we have for concerts. Really hard. So I feel really fortunate. And yay, Muski, who doesn't even get one Christmas show--you'll get to see Clay soon after all.

Lilyshine, you have lots of time to make plans. There will be good tickets available for those with a flexible schedule--good ones, and times when NY is cheaper than others. No hurry.

What a day!

March 8, matinee.

You know...our boyfriend really is the best. He posts a press release. He gives good blog. He responds with personal info and a 'love' emoticon about one fan's post in a Spamalot thread, he checks in to his MySpace, and then he joins chat and answers questions about wearing tights.....

sigh.

What a day in Clayland!!!

Awwwwwwwww! *shamefacedly changes siggy....* Yay aikim!!!!! Woohoo!!!!

You've got to stop doing this to me. John Perry Barlow is one of the Grateful Dead's lyricists, and a fascinating person. Never thought of him as a poet, per se, but now I'll have to check out what else he's written besides Dead songs.

Aw, Scarlett, I wanna go to Spamalot with y'all peeps, and I'd love to go to the museums with you too!!!!!!!! But there's this thing about not having a job at the moment. Or for a long time. I'm working on that. I am going to one show, in March. EEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I do have all my pretties unpacked now (and shelves rearranged, and more brought over from my mom's), thanks to your inspiration. (And boxes and bubble rap all over the apartment.) So now I have my own little poor-woman's museum to look at again.

ETA: jmh, yes very. Did you need the answers to your building/sculpture q's right away? I'm in chat with Karen Eh?

Hee! I'm sure y'all have more important things to discuss today. I can wait.

As a frequent play goer. cameras and cell phones are strictly forbidden. It is just not acceptable.

Whoever gathers clack should just be very, very discrete, and make sure that no audience members are disturbed by the process.

Karen Eh?, what is this interesting looking building?

I love this sculpture--can you tell me anything about it?

Fascinating:

Pizza Hat???

My guess is that he already learned the song for his audition. And had to show he could do some moves too.

I would see Clay in a brothel

Where the clientele is awful.

I would see him chant with Buddhists

or (PLEASE GOD) a camp for nudists.

I would travel on a horse,

Motorcycle, boat, or worse.

I would surely go to hell

just to watch him cast his spell.

My lust is constant and it's steady.

Packed my bags and I am ready.

The Big Apple's in my sights

Just to see Clays ass in tights!!

BWAH!!! Good one!

I noticed you didn't say legs in tights.

It's obvious he will sing "crappy" and profuse.

April in NYC would be so very nice...

I am just smirking to myself so hard!

Oh me too!!!!!!!!!!1

Wheeeeeeeee! I'm going to NYC in March! Thanks to cindilu2!

When? Looks like I'm going the weekend of the 8th.

Wonder if the ticket office is in shock as the sales come rolling in!!??

EEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mike Nichols said this about Clay:

Director Mike Nichols said: "Clay Aiken is amazing beyond that glorious voice. Turns out he is an excellent comic actor and a master of character. People will be surprised by his wide ranging talent, since the first impression is of great country charm and a singer to remember. This guy is not only a star, he is a lot more. We are lucky to get him for SPAMALOT."

Hey couchie, I think I've come up with a couple of ideas for our next chat:

1. Cousins: What exactly does it mean to be a cousin?

Are Clay & Jamie 'cousins' in the traditional sense, or contemporary sense?

Are they cousins-with-benefits?

Have you ever had impure thoughts about your cousins?

At what level of consanguinity does the squick factor set in?

Is doin' your cuzzin a regional custom? Is it ok in the south, but not in the west or north?

I was reading fast and thought this was a list of questions for Couchie's cousin.

Someone else actually knows who Christine Lavin is!!!

Welcome PermaSwooned!!

We talked about Christine on another board once, and you ended up finding a concert in CA that very week! And yes, I've even seen her twirl her baton!

But perhaps the part that angers me the most is the statement that as long as he's not gay by Christmas he'll still perform.

As for the Lycos thingie - it's not like not being a drunken, foul-mouthed womanizer is a bad thing. The not gay by Christmas? Sounds like a smart-assed joke. I laughed.

I laughed.

Me too. But I'm the only one who laughed at all those Blender descriptions, aren't I?

I laughed too. I thought it was choice snark on the church. Reminded me of the "Are you gay yet?" skit I wrote once for a hypothetical SNL appearance: "No, Tina Fey, I'm still not gay."

I'd go see Clay if he were giving a concert in hell.

I have no standards.

Not only would I, I think I may have already done so.

I have a guy best friend, and I'm sure people who didn't know us would think we're a couple to look at us. Once upon a time Kristy lived with Clay, traveled with him, and went out socially with him--pretty much the same way Jamie does now. Heck, Kristy even went to Europe with him and ended up in photos on the OFC. Perhaps he and Kristy were an item, and now they're not--it happens--and now he and Jamie are an item. Or maybe they are just good friends. He's had very close friendships with women going as far back as college, has had women as roommates, companions, best friends, but never stated that any of those were romantic relationships. He did back in the beginning mention romantic relationships with women in very general terms, he mentioned girlfriends and crushes in interviews and in LTS, and they weren't the same women who were his roommates or best buddies. For instance, he had a serious relationship that ended about the same time as he started his American Idol journey--he mentioned this a couple of times in early interviews--but at that time his roommate was Amy, who continued to be one of his supporters throughout AI2, and we still hear about her from time to time. Another good friend who's been a constant is Suzanne, who worked at the "Y" with him. He had a couple of other constant female friends at that time--the Trinity--I wasn't around for that so someone else would have to fill in the details. There's often been some ambiguity as far as perceptions of these relationships goes, once he became a public figure--with Kim Locke, for example, although he always said it was just a friendship, there was also a feeling among some people that there was something more to it. If there was, it didn't last. Whatever is the case, I'm one who appreciates that he keeps these things to himself and doesn't conduct his private relationships in the limelight of the "entertainment" media and that he keeps the "true story" of these relationships off the fandom's radar too. I guess we'll never really know what's going on in his private life until the day he gets married (if we even know about that - LOL). I think it's pretty funny that so many people who only vaguely know of him are convinced he's gay, while the fans who really follow his life are always wondering what his true relationship is with the women he's always going out with. (Something the media almost never seems to notice.)

Eeep - almost forgot to wish a slightly late happy birthday to laughn!!

:bday:

My friend told this story at the OFC, which reminded me: Ruben said when he first heard his Idol song [coronation song--but he didn't call it that] he didn't like it at all. So he whined that his song wasn't any good and Clay was singing BOTW and had a choir, and he told them, Clay's got a choir, I don't have a choir, and my song is lame, so they brought in, I'm not 100% sure, but I thought he said Babyface, and he rearranged Ruben's song and now it's Ruben's favorite and he always sings it.

Oh, and she also reminded me that he said when he first saw Clay with all those women he said, "Who's that red-headed guy with all those women around him?"

Not Clay related, but before Ruben sang, "I Need an Angel," he said he was going to make a Christmas album but Clive said, and he imitated him, "Let's forget the Christmas album and do a gospel album," and so Ruben made the album, but he was very so-so about it. He started off to tour with it, he'd been somewhere and had a gig the next day and the day after that and it was Thanksgiving and he was moving so slow, and he kept saying he was fine, just let him be, but his brother finally said, "You haven't been this white since you were 10," and took him to the hospital, where they admitted him, and he found out he had pneumonia. Said he'd gotten to think he didn't need angels anymore, because he'd made the big time, and in that hospital he realized he still needed an angel.

His banter was good--not laugh out loud crazy funny like Clay's, but he gave a nice context to some of the songs with some nice stories. He acknowledged the audience and NC and really connected with people. He talked about how he was in the area doing that program in Durham last year and everybody was so good to him, he especially mentioned the people at Whole Foods and how good they were to him. He talked about going to church four times a week when he was a kid and didn't understand why he had to go so much--and then quoted an aphorism I can't remember about how these things become a part of who you are. He talked about education and how important it is--stay in school. A little boy right in front of us and his teenaged sister knew all the songs and hooted and hollered throughout the concert. The little boy could barely contain himself he was so excited to be seeing Ruben.

OK, I went. My friend said she was going whether I went or not, so I said what the heck. I got to stare at Clay's back from a distance for a long time. He kept playing with his iPhone and talking to everyone. No dancing like he did for Kim's show, but he did stand up throughout "Flying Without Wings". My friend got to see him drive away--I hung back. I saw the car, but couldn't see through the crowd that had obviously gathered waiting for that moment. 5 State Police on foot escorted his car from the arena to the fair exit. I'm glad they take good care of him.

Faye was there with a gang of women who looked like a bunch of Clay fans--at least one or two looked very familiar. Does she socialize with Clay fans often?

Ethel was there, and went up to the stage to touch Ruben's hand, as did a dozen or so women throughout the concert. A whole group went up to the stage once, but security made them go sit down again. It was an enthusiastic crowd--not a lot of people.

Ruben talked about Clay a lot, and American Idol a lot.

Ruben's story was that he saw Clay sitting with a group of attractive women--forget the term he used--and realized that he and Clay had a lot in common. So he went up to the table and Clay invited him to join them. They exchanged phone numbers that day and have been friends ever since. His imitation of Clay's accent was right on--very funny.

It was a good concert--I liked the covers best, lots of old style R&B.

I'm big on scarves that cover my neck and ears and part of my face if I want them too. And hoodies. If it's cold enough, I'll do a hat, any kind, and won't care what it looks like or what it does to my hair. Vanity goes right out the window when it's cold.

<---- I hope this is a sooper-dooper industrial strength emoticon, because I see the potential for it's getting a lot of use if Clay is/isn't at Ruben's concert, if he does/doesn't get enough face time at Sedaka, if they do/don't edit him well on 5th Grader, if he does/doesn't sign on for Spamalot, if a CD drops in 'early' 2008, if it drops in late 2008, if it doesn't drop in 2008, if he tours next summer, but not in the right cities , if he sings traditional songs for the Christmas tour, if he sings contemporary songs for the Christmas tour, if if if if if.......

It's oh so true. We can get a lot of use out of that one.

JMH..I hope you go..just in case Clay joins him for a song.

I dunno. The fair is a huge hassle. If only I knew I would see him. I'm not sure a possible sighting is big enough incentive. The traffic will be outrageous for the fair from the direction I am coming from. And there's no way around it--the back road will be just as bad. If I were already at my mom's, or went there early enough in the day, maybe, but I'm not sure I want to do that. As for going just because Clay wants me to, to support Ruben? I'm impervious to that one. Sawwy Clay.

My local concert buddy asked me if I wanted to go to see Ruben. I'm still trying to decide. Fair traffic is a bitch! I felt pretty guilty sitting at Kim Locke's show watching Clay. (Couchie, once I realized he was right in front of me, I was like KLo who. Sorry.) On the other hand, to have a chance to see him.....and if he were to get up and sing with Ruben and I could've been there.....

OT, sorta. Yesterday a comment at TwoP reminded me of an old friend who used to play and sing for her friends when we were kids, and her name popped into my head so I googled her. How wonderful to see she's had a successful career as an indie musician! She even has a "new" album (2006) and look, she's in Clay's back seat: Mockingbird. I found her website -- SallySpring.com and there was a link for a mailing list, so I e-mailed to be added and got an e-mail back from her this morning! I'm not sure she really remembers me, but she pretended to anyway.

On the way to and from my mom's yesterday I was listening to a couple of albums on my iPod by the Horse Flies. I became a fan of theirs when they played at a folk festival up north a long time ago. Several years ago I got on their mailing list and realized I'd forgotten to send them a new e-mail address--so I e-mailed last night and got a note from Judy Hyman this morning as well. She's such an amazing fiddler and composes scores for films and documentaries, as well as playing with the Horse Flies and other groups: judyhyman.com. The Horse Flies music isn't for everyone--I guess you'd call it folk with an edge--but I love it: The Horse Flies. For years, before net commerce was the norm, I tried to find one of their albums after I heard them perform, and finally found one in a remainder bin in a record shop in Kobe, Japan!!

So, to bring it back to Clay, maybe this is why I don't worry about him. I'm a fan of some other long-lasting indie artists too, like Aztec Two-Step, Zen for Primates, and Christine Lavin. These folks have been around for decades, performing and sellling albums, even before the internet made keeping up with them easy. They're not superstars, but they're survivors. It's not that I imagine Clay becoming this kind of performer or songwriter, but I believe he can easily find a way to sustain a career doing the things he enjoys doing.

And to the music snobs out there we're always hearing from who love to diss Clay for not writing his songs--these folks and thousands like them are the real singer (or fiddler)-songwriters, not the pop superstars who pretend they write. I can't respect the opinion of those critics who are so stupid that they honestly believe Avril or Ashlee really write anything, and I can't respect the opinions of people who are able to be swayed by media hype. And this is one of the reasons I respect Clay, for refusing to pretend to be anything other than who he is, even when he might be able to become a huge superstar if only he'd allow them to "shape" his image the way I'm sure they want to.

Anyway just popping in to say thank you to everyone who has posted or PM'ed me with well wishes for my husband. :F_05BL17blowkiss:

I try to pop in and read and catch up, but can't post and play right now. Maybe when things settle down.

zena, I an sorry to hear about your friend. I know how you must feel. Good luck to her.

Clayzor, I guess I'm just not paying good attention--I didn't know your husband needed well wishes, but you've got 'em, and then some. Huge hugs to you both!!

And to zena, what a hard thing for your friend and for you.

YAY!! So glad to hear that you have your driveway (and your peaceful home life) back, and that your sister and niece have their home back too.

Dunno what happened, but here's the link: Golfing for Inclusion. Thanks so much for letting us know about that aikim!

No issues with the image, but that banner is LETHAL!!!