#2 - Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler!

[playbiller]

GeorgiaClay- welcome back.

My heart goes out to you, beenthere, done that - only mine was a minor ruptured blood vessel which kept me in ICU for 7 days because there were not other beds. - no phone, TV or sleep in ICU, people are always screaming in pain or something. I begged them to let me go home, but they made me stay until the Tuberculosis test was completed (even though we all knew that I did not have tuberculosis and I had a ruptured blood vessel).

ER has to be worse with people coming and going all the time. Rest up now that you are home.

Clay? Oh yeah, look at the pictures, they will help you recover.

[bottlecap]

Oh my gosh, georgiaclay, that sounds very rough! I did indeed miss you, and was about ready to track you down via pm. Glad you're back, and hope you feel better quickly.

So, I don't think you missed to much so far this week. Just the three Clay songs tested on promosquad, a feature on Entertainment Tonight on the photoshoot for the album, and today's press release. You know, same old, same old. HA HA!

I did just notice this from the homepage of the OFC:

After less than a few hours of being available for pre-order on Amazon.com, Clay Aiken's forthcoming album,

A Thousand Different Ways

Shot directly to #1!!!!

Yeah us! We're still crazy and ready to spend!

And while I was getting this post together, another notice appeared on the OFC:

New Clay Video Player

Hey Clay fans! There is a new video player for Clay's music videos--"Invisible" and "The Way"!

Click Here to check it out!

It only has "Invisible" and "The Way" so far, but at least there is now video access on the OFC!

:nana:

[bottlecap]

I'm not wild that this article (via eonline) is trying to set up a Ruben / Clay rematch, but I was impressed that it led off the Yahoo news headlines on my home page today. It's in rotation with the ongoing Mel Gibson saga, and in a sad sort of commentary in the state of news reporting today, seems to be more prominently placed than the reporting on the Middle East.

=================================

playbiller, your comments from yesterday have been rolling around in my head for awhile. I certainly think it's true that the "rocker" Clay expectations were set by fans, and not by anything Clay ever said about the new CD. It was the months and months spent reading posts about the kind of music that Clay "should" be recording that I internalized, and that fed into my ideas about what the album would sound like.

I went back and read Clay's 4/25/06 blog, and you know what? The CD he described back then is exactly the CD I'm reading about in yesterday's press release. No promise of rocking out, obscure covers, but simply an album of favorite loves songs, done in a fresh way. Just another reminder to me that the only things I should take to heart are what Clay tells us directly. I need to trust in Clay's vision, and even more importantly, in the power of his voice. And if a few lickable pictures get thrown into the mix every once in a while, so much the better.

Now, how soon will it be before THE HAIR breaks its silence and speaks to us again?

[georgiaclay]

Okay guys and gals,

After getting off the Demerol high and onto a Tylenol high (no comparison what.so.ever.), I can now state (not so wisely) my opinion of THE HAIR and the CD.

LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT..... have I shouted that out enough (LOL).

Love the HAIR, the album (although, I have not heard any cuts from it, just a few songs that I knew from the past and the original singers), and the reaction from the nation and also the public (which I will take with a grain of salt), and I believe everything is positive, but I could still have drugs still lingering in my system.

Hopefully, I have not missed the ET tonight item, but I am sure that if I have , that I can find it on some board, somewhere in the Clay Nation.

Still not 100 percent up to par but getting there. I thought the pictures were going to put me flat on my back again (slaps head silly for thinking such thoughts about NUHAIR and flat on back together) OHHHHHHH. Get your mind out of the gutter Bottle, I know that is where my mind was on a few of the pictures, especially the ones with just the hand shots (OMG, those hands over.......). Okay back to reality.

I am feeling better, still a bit dopey as you can tell from the above comments. Hope I am making some kind of sense. Don't feel like it.

Off to do more snooping and eyeballing and..........more drugs. I hurt myself with the head slap thingy (LOL).

G

p.s. Can you imagine NUHAIR singing LADY in RED. OMG. He should have sang that one and lost the Dolly Parton song.

:club0: :schwirr:

[bottlecap]

Dropping off a couple of things:

A youtube link to the ET photoshoot clip.

And for ldyjocelyn and any other librarians, cotton from Clayversity did a little photoshopping to encourage literacy and whatnot:

======================================

This is georgiaclay.

This is georgiaclay on drugs and Clack.

Any questions?

[ldyjocelyn]

First of all, glad you are feeling better georgia! Aren't drugs the best thing in the world? (Except for Clay, that is. *g*)

I think playbiller is a wise, wise woman. As you've discovered bottlecap, Clay's pretty much told us what this album would be. In my mind, there was a LOT of denial going on, but to me, it was clear as day. I can understand some sadness over the loss of rocker Clay (even though I've always thought that persona was a bit of a myth, myself), but I'm extremely excited to be getting new-to-me music from Clay!

Awwww, bottlecap, thanks for thinking of me. I just had a friend, Betty897X (who is also a librarian), send me this:

I love her touch of adding "The Kite Runner." Hee.

God, I'd love to meet him in the stacks sometime...

[georgiaclay]

Pretty pretty pictures. I woud love to get LOST in the stacks with that man. Do a little filing see: AIK89.2 and let the fingers go over to AIK89.4 and then may be down to AIK94.5 and maybe up again to........ GEEZ, can't get my mind out of the gutter on any topic. Such a sweet sweet Clay high. LOL.

G

anybody want any of these drugs, they sure are good LOL

Edited August 4, 2006 by georgiaclay

[playbiller]

I think Clay has the best and the worst fans ever. For one thing, there is the constant need to know, there are some wild speculations about the ring right now, instead of people just going "nice ring", they have to find out what it is and why he is wearing it and "because I felt like it" is never an option. If no one knows, there are plenty of people to jump in and pretend they know.

Then there are the experts, giving Clay advice on how to sing, what to record and who he should do business with, not to mention how he should conduct his advertising campaigns. I think I am the laziest fan ever, I just want to watch (a lot of fans want to watch, but not neccessarily the same way).

There are the fans who love the Vox and don't really care about the person - pretty normal, I think

There are the fans that love the person, but don't really care about what he sings, they will buy anything with a pretty picture - also normal in fandom.

There are fans who think their buying, converting, etc is resonsible for Clay's success - I think this is common with AI people after all those weeks of voting. When such a person goes over the line, I think this is the crazy fan people are talking about.

What Clay has that I have not seen before is the ex-fan that does not move on. Sometimes it is because he did not recognize what a wonderful person they are and all they did for him at a meet & greet or some charitable event or some other slight where people believe that Clay should notice them as more special than others. This is probably normal. but I have never been as close.

Of course, there are the dilitantes, who aren't really fans, but try and act like one to fit in. I like the way they contradict themselves. Bought the album, didn't buy the album. Some of them troll, others just like the fun, not Clay.

Edited August 5, 2006 by playbiller

[georgiaclay]

Maybe I am just a fan of a man named Clay. I don't care about the ring; I don't care about the hair (pretty, pretty hair) but I am not going to turn away from him because of what it looks like (gone from dark brown to blonde streaks, spikes to normal back to spikes and finally the NuHAIR), I don't care about what he chooses to wear at any particular time (he has some wild choices of clothing), but what I do care about is the person and the voice.

He gives to children, the underpriviledged, the downtrodden, ect. ect.....

So people can think what they want to think, I will think what I want to think, all will be well in the universe.

Personally, I think he is wonderful, just absolutely wonderful.

That is my reply. If it does not make sense then blahhh.

G

And Play, that was very well written.

[bottlecap]

playbiller, have you always been so profound, and was I too dense to see it before? You really cut to the heart of the matter.

Yeah, I'm back to being vegetable cha chaing excited over the release of ATDW. But I still think I might need some of georgiaclay's happy/horny drugs before I listen to the Dolly / Celine covers....

[ldyjocelyn]

bottlecap, I'm actually the most intrigued by the Dolly Parton cover. It's the one song on the list that truly wasn't a ballad the first time -- the arrangement was over-the-top pop, IMO. Catchy as hell, though. For this song to be recast as a ballad I think will be very interesting.

BTW, for a possible take on this song, try Maureen McGovern's take. If the arrangement is like this, my funeral will be two days after hearing the song. Guh.

As for the Celine cover -- IMO he picked one of her better ones. If he had picked "My Heart Will Go On" though, I would have gone after him with a spork.

I'm just grateful that he's not doing "Having My Baby"...I'd go after him with real cutlery if he had.

[playbiller]

A spork? A spork would be too shallow, no, you would have to use a deeper, sharper utensil than that.

I am trying to not listen, not think of any of this until the music is out there. I really think that too much knowledge dos lead to ansting, better not to think about it and to "open my mind".

I have been watching downloads of Solitary? I have them all, Just ask and I will upload them, when not at the beach (on hard drive in house). Most amazing show on will power and the power of religion and other things.

Then I got into The One discussions, and that was interesting, watching Project Runway (not at beach, basic cable there). So many things to do and see not Clay. I have neighbors to talk with at the beach and visitors and The BEACH!!! Then there is the painting of the trailer, upkeep is time consuming. Walking the dog 7 or 8 times a day.(she thinks the trailer is to small - I can tell because she starts to run and then stops because there is no place to go, comes home and then runs up and down the stairs)

[Couch Tomato]

Celine Dion use to be huge huge huge. she was loved and everybody was singing her songs but now I hear her talked about with so much disdain. What the hell happened? I dont' get it. And I ask because like ya'll know i just don't follow popular music. But Celine had even invaded my consciousness a little bit so that's saying something. i thought when she left to have a baby she was riding high.

i want to hear more snippets. when does Amazon usually get snippets of the songs?

[bottlecap]

Couchie, I guess in my mind Celine is in the same kind of schmaltz-heavy territory that Barry Manilow occupies, only with a ton of over-dramatic bombast thrown in. Thus, I personally cringe a bit at Clay venturing in that direction. That said, Celine and Barry are both currently fantastically successful in Vegas. One of the casinos built a special theater for Celine, and I think I read somewhere that Barry is being paid $60 million a year (and that ain't a joke) for his show. So obviously, both are well-loved and popular, but are just not my cuppa tea.

That library-leaning dude, on the other hand, is right up my alley. I haven't had a Clay background on my desktop for a long time, but so many gorgeous wall-papers have been posted using the new picture that I caved last night and loaded one up. I've haven't gotten used to it yet. I just turned on my computer this afternoon, and I was looking at a magazine for a moment while it booted up. I literally gasped when I looked up and saw the screen. Holy Moly, indeed.

[georgiaclay]

Wow Bottle,

My drug induced brain had not even gone there. I have to follow your lead and put that one up on my desk top. Currently on my desk top is the one with Clay sleeping in the sen. office. It's so cute, but so outdated with the NUhair of today.

So off to gather that information and install a NuHair picture to gaze at.

G

I am feeling better with those two units of blood in my system. I am almost back to normal, except for the brain cells that require the extra oxygenination that I don't think I have.

[bottlecap]

I've been thinking about the limited number of pictures we have of THE HAIR from earlier this year. One of the CV'ers put the March 2006 Retirement Hair and the August 2006 Library Lean picture side by side in her blog. Holy Smokes - no way would you even think it was the same guy! :o

Edited August 5, 2006 by bottlecap

[ldyjocelyn]

Just wanted to come in here and test my pretty new avatar, thanks to brandi.

Isn't it pretty?

*sigh*

Carry on.

[georgiaclay]

All I can say Lady is THUD!!!!!!

G

:04: :laola0:

[bottlecap]

Nice pants in that avi, ldyjocelyn.

I love the library lean picture with a burning passion, but I have to wonder if it will be the album cover or not. It seems like it might be a little too "busy", what with the books, and the angle of the window and whatnot. I'm too lazy to actually get up and look at my CD collection, but it seems like Clay's face against at more plan background might be more the norm. Besides, it would be a crying shame to have to crop the jeans out of that picture, or to put writing across that face. I'm hoping it is just the first of many gems that we will be seeing from that photoshoot.

I messed around with my existing promosquad account last week when the Clay hysteria hit, but even though I changed my zipcode, it didn't give me the option to change my radio station selection. I gave up and opened another account, and happily rated the Clay songs. I went back to my old account today, and for some reason, it asked me for my radio station preferences - new week I guess. I made a switch, and the first song I got was an awful remake of "Who'll Stop the Rain" by Rod Stewart. I snapped out of my near-coma right quick when the next song that played was a kickin' duet of "I Want to Know What Love is" by a couple of unnamed singers. Holy Moly! That particular juxtaposition of Rod and then Clay really made it clear just how freakin' great Clay's voice really is. The Nick Lachey / Jesse McCartney / Daniel Powter types ought to be shaking in their shoes at the thought of their voices having to be compared to Clay's.

Edited August 7, 2006 by bottlecap

[Ansamcw]

I want to test my new avatar...

Thanks Brandi...she is so good at this.

[Ansamcw]

Awwww Clay thanked us for putting ATDW to #1 in Amazon.

hee...he must be feeling pretty anxious right now.

Oh and you heard about the Holleman woman suing Clay for not endorsing her book!!!! GAH!!! Hopefully this silly suit will just give Clay more publicity and let everyone know that he has a CD coming out.

[bottlecap]

Hee. The Clay Nation, always at the ready to cause online havoc at a moment's notice! Yeah us! Of course, it's all due to that AMAZING man that inspires such passion.

:laola0: :laola0:

I'm wondering if this will be the week that sees the end of THE SILENCE OF THE HAIR, or if Clay won't start doing interviews until closer to the release date. You know Diane Sawyer has to be dying at the thought of getting her hands on Clay - er, I mean, getting the big, indepth interview. Fingers crossed and whatnot....

Edited August 7, 2006 by bottlecap

[Ansamcw]

I am hoping so too Bottlecap...I want to hear the Hair Speak...does it still have an accent...will it giggle...will is say whatnot...will it snark?

sigh...I want more!!!!

[brensmemaw]

Awwww Clay thanked us for putting ATDW to #1 in Amazon.

hee...he must be feeling pretty anxious right now.

Oh and you heard about the Holleman woman suing Clay for not endorsing her book!!!! GAH!!! Hopefully this silly suit will just give Clay more publicity and let everyone know that he has a CD coming out.

Where did you hear about this law suit. I'd really like to read what's going on there as I read and enjoyed the book very much. I'd sure appreciate a link to that story. Thanks.

[bottlecap]

Here's a link. Elicts a big "YAWN" from me.