Couch Tomato Posted July 27, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2005 I think he might find that his problem is more celebrity based than location though, unless he keeps his circle of friends to the ones who knew him before AI. BINGO. I do believe this is the case. All celebrities have their hangers on and people who want to be part of their inner circle because they're famous. The clamor for Clay, the not knowing if people want to be with him because of his celebrity will be with him in L.A. and North Carolina and all points in between. I think Clay has made a start in keeping strong those friendships that mean so much to him from when he was Clayton. He'll have to evaluate all of his "celebrity" friendships and he'll make some mistakes there. If he can manage to keep that privacy - that piece of himself for himself - he'll be better able to handle the rest of the sharks! And if he has a main residence somewhere quieter, I think that will also go a long way to getting that peace of mind he seems to be searching for. Just have to do this... SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE This is gonna be one hell of a fun show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysador Posted July 27, 2005 Report Share Posted July 27, 2005 Thinking? We were supposed to be thinking during the 70's? Why didn't somebody tell me?!?!? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Considering all the brain cells lost in the 60s........I guess maybe the 70s was the thinking generation. Nah! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ansamcw Posted July 27, 2005 Report Share Posted July 27, 2005 The audio clips to the TomsRiver WOBM interveiw is up on the FCA news...scroll down and right click and save Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bottlecap Posted July 27, 2005 Report Share Posted July 27, 2005 In honor of the anniversary of the birth of the lovely, talented, bling-covered, and not-at-all-cruel-to-her-minions KAndre, I plan to be extremely unproductive at work today. And that has nothing to do with my complusive need to keep up with the tumult of Clay news that is rolling in. Well, maybe it does just a little. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Couch Tomato Posted July 27, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2005 Happy Birthday KAndre Wow we forgot to decorate for ya! Where's the sequins and the colorful balloons! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShelleyC Posted July 27, 2005 Report Share Posted July 27, 2005 Happy birthday, KAndre! If I could add rows and rows of dancing bananas for you, I would (even though Ansa and couchtomato might kill me)... hee hee hee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skatejoy Posted July 27, 2005 Report Share Posted July 27, 2005 I feel like we need a royal proclaimation or something on this important day! I hope you are being showered with bling and being allowed to be more of a diva than usual (how DO you pamper a diva anyway?). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ansamcw Posted July 27, 2005 Report Share Posted July 27, 2005 Its the day before the the opening Concert of the JBT....I woke up feeling so much anticipation of this event that I cannot help but feel a bit of apprehension as well. Some comments on what's been happening in the Clay world.... AH and TVG comments: Some fans are now worrying that his comments will make Clay some kind of pariah in the industry. Personally I don't worry about that because in this industry money and talent talks. People are used to working with difficult people because they are dealing with artistic temperaments and as long as Clay is making money for them and continue to grow in his talent he will have people lining up to work with him. I believe there are bigger assholes in the industry who are still working and making money. This is not a popularity contest, I think Clay is just learning he can't always be mister nice guy. I do think he had a tough time getting his way with this album. I bet he won that battle but he probably sustained a few scars. The JBT: I think this tour proves that Clay is totally serious about his career and that he loves to perform. He didn't have to tour this year. He certainly earned enough in the last two years that he could've sat back and taken it easy. But I think he needs to connect with people. I bet he needs this as much as we do... I love the fact that he decided to do a theme show. This is not going to be embraced by the oh so cool critics, but I don't think he did this to get industry cred...I think he did this because he needed to entertain and he loves all kinds of music. So he is going out and giving this his all..unapologetically. He is embracing the cheese and I'm sure he will make us love it. He has nothing to be embarrassed about because there are enough people out there who will love what he does. It won;t make verybody happy but that's okay...I think that woudl be an impssible feat anyway. So I hope Clay simply has fun with this show...that is how I will approach this...FUN! FUN ! FUN! The little bits of music we heard just proves to me Clay can sing anything...he sounded magnificent in the songs we heard...I am so excited...specially to hear the new song he will sing. I do believe he will try to get it ready for GMA. I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!! Finally... HAPPY BIRTHDAY KANDRE...in your honor all Mods will be wearing our glittery boas and stillettos.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diamondjake2001 Posted July 27, 2005 Report Share Posted July 27, 2005 I have that same feeling of anticipation. I love that Clay is standing his ground and insisting on just being himself. I love the fact that Clay speaks his mind even if some might be offended. I would much rather have Clay be real & himself than some character that he (or the record label) thinks the public wants. There are enough of those types already. I don't think this tour will earn Clay any 'cred' but I don't think Clay cares much about that type of 'cred.' I agree that I think Clay needs this tour as much as we do. Live performing energizes Clay. Clay has said he hopes that the popular music industry swings back to what he calls 'organic' music, music with a melody & harmonies. There is so much really great music that he can explore with this tour. My only 'concern' is that once Clay sings a song it ruins the original for me. So we better get some really fantastic audio clack. I have tons of room on my iPod. The more I think about 70+ songs, many of them new from Clay, I get positively giddy! Happy Birthday KAndre! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAndre Posted July 27, 2005 Report Share Posted July 27, 2005 Yeah, y'all are falling down on the job! Lookin' good, though. Boas, stilletos and bling - the universal wardrobe! But...where's my nekkid, high-kickin', grape-peelin' Clay, huh? I vaguely remember something like that in the small print of my contract.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skatejoy Posted July 27, 2005 Report Share Posted July 27, 2005 Sadly, since we only realized your birthday was approaching yesterday, all we could book was a nekkid, heal kicking, grape peeling Justin Guarini. Enjoy! It's a good thing I have some big meetings tomorrow that I HAVE to attend because I'm getting pretty distracted right now about the tour. Set lists, merchandise, upcoming travel plans.... the possibilities for distraction from work seem endless! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzztechie Posted July 27, 2005 Report Share Posted July 27, 2005 Happy B-day KAndre. I put on my flip-flops of doom and a small amount of bling in your honor. Clay in a bean bag chair.... I think I may combust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ansamcw Posted July 27, 2005 Report Share Posted July 27, 2005 Posted at the Clackhouse: WOBM Interview Part 3 During AI, Claymates in Ocean County were calling and e-mailing the station; one woman even brought donuts over to get them to play Clay. Clay laughed and said that he'll let his promo team know that for his next album, it's 'donuts for everyone!' DJ said to make them chocolate glazed, as they're his faves...Clay just laughed. Asked how he handles fame...usual shift-F1 type answer. Used the word 'agoraphobia', so I'm impressed. Asked about AI4...said he visited AI4 once, only watched a little bit as he was out of the country; he missed most of AI4 and was out of the country for the finale. He's very good friends with Kelly, his season, and season 3 people, but doesn't know much about the people from season 4. Asked about specific AI people: Carrie: great, wonderful, won with country sound, represents that demographic Bo: met very briefly, the nicest person ever to come out of AI Fanty: well, she's from NC, so you can't say anything bad about her! Wonderful, distinctive voice Diana: sweet girl, don't know much about her, like Hillary Duff. That's all...nothing new or earth-shattering at all. Hopefully part 4 will have more goodies! WOBM Interview Part 4 "American Idol Superstar Clay Aiken" Asked if he and Ruben still keep in touch: they talked just two weeks ago, Ruben is busy working on his new album. Asked about travel: out of the country with UNICEF, visited Indonesia and Uganda ("horrible situation there")...hopes to talk about it more in the coming months. Asked about GMA: yeah, we're doing it again, we were there two years ago. (really, Clay?) Any parting words for the fans in Ocean County? Wherever I go, the fans get better and better...nothing but appreciation and amazement...astounded by your support...looking forward to seeing the fans soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bottlecap Posted July 28, 2005 Report Share Posted July 28, 2005 Skatejoy, if all you need to fulfill birthday requests for nekkid, high-kickin', grape-peeling Clay is enough lead time, I'll let you know right now that my birthday is in February. That should give you plenty of time to work out the logistics. So, when I was buying tickets in the pre-sale for my concert venue, I panicked, and bought the first set that came up. They were good, but I kept peeking at Ticketmaster. A couple of hours into the regular sale, I had to jump on a set of fourth row tickets when they came up. As a result, I am not only taking my teen-aged niece, I am taking my two older sisters, none of whom really have much of a clue what Clay’s all about. Since the concert is coming up next month, I decided I better start clueing them into what they should expect. Sunday lunches at Mom’s house generally feature more cross-talk then an Aaron Sorkin episode of “The West Wing”, I have to struggle to get my sisters to pay attention. After getting everyone sorted out on the date and the venue, I thought I better bring up the pre-concert fan picnic at the site that I had signed us up for. This is easily accepted once I spin it as allowing us to park close, avoid some of the crowds, and, you know, eat. (Always a popular activity with my family.) I manage not to spit my Diet Dr. Pepper when Sis 1 asks if Clay will be there. I casually mention the prospect of games and raffles. However, I did not quite feel ready to bring up the prospect of pin trading. I am looking at the envelopes of pins scattered around my living room, and wondering how to explain them to people who are completely unfamiliar with the Clay Nation. Some of the pins are easy to understand, like the Ohio Fans pin, since I actually live here, or the pins for websites I visit. Some of the other location pins might be harder to justify, so I have been working on explanations: District of Clay - It’s patriotic!; California Clay Fans - It’s animated!; Maple Leaf Clay, Eh? - Come on, that’s funny! The Lucky Cluppy pins are just cute, and the fact they’re based on a diary written by a fan from Clay’s dog’s perspective isn’t too odd, is it? Although the Clay Dawgs are not related to Raleigh, the concept of a male fan group is pretty straightforward. Why I felt the need to order pins from that group is another matter. Some of the pins based on iconic images in the fandom might be a little difficult. “No, he’s not clutching at his abdomen because he has appendicitis.” “Yes, the boots in that picture are big and shiny.” “I am aware there is probably a medication that could help Clay deal with the obsessive need to line up his milk bottles.” “The line in the song is actually about the ‘Kingdom of Doing’, which got twisted into ‘Do Me’ somewhere along the line. Trust me, it‘s funny to the fans” And then there’s Tsathy and the infamous DO.NOT.TOUCH.BRIDE. directive. How to even begin to explain the origins of that mythological being, and why he thinks of Clay as his bride might be beyond my capabilities. [Tsathy aside: Do you think the demon toad god has been in contact with Tom C. about turning his intended bride into a doe-eyed, compliant zombie? Tsathy might be able to pick up some useful information there. ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ansamcw Posted July 28, 2005 Report Share Posted July 28, 2005 Hee...bottlecap I have a similar experience but this time with my daughters....One of them just asked me what the O pin was about...I just said its an inside joke about an orange...so she asks...what's that got to do with Clay...Nevermind hon just too hard to explain. BTW...we have the full WOBM Toms River interview at theFCA website , scroll down and right click and save. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysador Posted July 28, 2005 Report Share Posted July 28, 2005 I was wondering how to explain the "O" pin. The big O in the medical world is when someone dies..shape of the mouth. I think I will just say it's the big "O". Clay killed us all dead. And if they ask, why does the big "O" have a leaf? Well it reflects the afterlife. I give up...it must have something to do with Orange juice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Couch Tomato Posted July 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2005 Since the concert is coming up next month, I decided I better start clueing them into what they should expect. Sunday lunches at Mom’s house generally feature more cross-talk then an Aaron Sorkin episode of “The West Wing”, I have to struggle to get my sisters to pay attention. After getting everyone sorted out on the date and the venue, I thought I better bring up the pre-concert fan picnic at the site that I had signed us up for. This is easily accepted once I spin it as allowing us to park close, avoid some of the crowds, and, you know, eat. (Always a popular activity with my family.) I manage not to spit my Diet Dr. Pepper when Sis 1 asks if Clay will be there. I casually mention the prospect of games and raffles. I loved your post because I could relate SO much. For the IT when my mom got sick my bro in law "Mr. Ruben won so why is Clay everywhere" ended up with her ticket. Now I am totally out everywhere with my Clay obsession and my family also loves Clay but I didn't want him there or any negativity during my concert experience. But he went...and he was clayverted. No, he's not "fangirly" but he walked away seeing that the boy had talent and was a great entertainer and has not had a bad word to say since. He also defended him when one of his buddies had something to say about my Clay t-shirt. What's so funny is that Clay got him right from the start of the concert because they had first row seats on the side....and Clay walked right by them during his fantastic Kyrie entrance. The words that came out of his mouth was "wow, that was good." heee too funny. Anyway, I wish everybody could see concert Clay. Yeah a DVD would be good. I think all of his fans would rush out and buy it and it would do well. But what I would kill for (ok not kill but you know what I mean) is for Clay to have like an HBO concert or something free that gets repeated over and over again on TV. Clay seems to keep concert Clay separate from everything else...I don't know why that is..but it seems almost by design. I'm hoping GMA will be different and he'll really let loose! ETA my sister was looking at all my pins and she wanted to know what 13 1/2was on the CH pin. And even though it's just his "shoe size" I didn't want to say it in front of my bro-in-law LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S.O.L. Posted July 28, 2005 Report Share Posted July 28, 2005 HAPPY BIRTHDAY Kandre!!!! Awww, what are you 27? Girl, you don't look a day over 25. May I age so well. Hope it's been a good day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diamondjake2001 Posted July 28, 2005 Report Share Posted July 28, 2005 Funny, I was just explaining the Tsathy story to my husband and grown sons. They found it amusing but there is no way I'm even going to try to explain the O pin to my sons. (My hubby will find it amusing, I'm sure.) Now, I had decided I didn't have to buy that pin. That took care of it. But then the pin disease took over & somehow I accepted a trade for it. The only concert I have taken friends to was the JNT and that was easy for them. They loved Clay's voice & concert. There's no way I could bring these friends to a regular Clay concert. I don't think they could handle the fans screaming. Fortunately I moved before the pin craze took over because I'm sure these same friends would have me committed if they saw all of the pins I'm collecting or knew how many concerts I'm attending. I'm really fortunate to have a husband that is supportive of my hobby. He has attended 10 Clay or AI concerts with me in the past 2 years. He is definitely not a fan but not a hatah either. He's glad that I now have other friends that will go to these concerts with me because he really doesn't like seeing the same show more than once. So this time he is just going to the last show in AC with me. Couchtomato, I remember when your BIL went to that concert. You really were worried & it was great hearing about his reaction to Clay in concert. It's cool to hear that he defended Clay to his buddy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ansamcw Posted July 28, 2005 Report Share Posted July 28, 2005 ANNOUNCEMENT: We have created seperate threads for every concert. This is where we will put all commentaries, recaps, cellcerts, clack alerts, reviews and articles for a specific concert. Discussions of the tour in general will be done in the General tour discussion. Tomorrow we will be doing a cellcert report from the CH cellstream and we will also pick up cellcert reports from the Clayboard. This will all be done in the Toms River thread. At this time we invite people to join us and give reactions and commentaries on the concert...we will have our first cellcert party...bring whatever drinks or junk food you wish...boas and blings are preferred but not required... We are also putting the video and audio clack we can acquire in the media section. Since we don;t have huge server space we will be relying on "you send it" so these files will be available for 7 days. We have also set up a Jukebox category in the Gallery. Members can upload concert pictures under the concert categories, under specific concerts or they can set up their own member albums. We do require people to give credit to the photographers when they upload pictures. If the photographer is unknown...please indicate the source of the photo...hopefully the photographer will be able to claim their picture in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ansamcw Posted July 28, 2005 Report Share Posted July 28, 2005 Great new article...love it. He sure is reading the boards... pittsburgh post gazette Concert Preview: Clay Aiken fills album gap with pop history revue Thursday, July 28, 2005 By Scott Mervis, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Clay Aiken Where: Chevrolet Amphitheatre, Station Square. When: 8 p.m. Sunday. Tickets: $25-$49.50; 412-323-1919. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On the day we reach Clay Aiken, he's in the middle of damage control, a rare situation for the "American Idol" runner-up and contemporary poster boy for everything good and wholesome. The trouble is a TV Guide cover story in which he admits that the entertainment industry has made him "jaded" and then appears to go on to attack the population of greater Los Angeles, where he now lives. "I said I felt people there put too much emphasis on the outsides and not their insides," Aiken says. "What I meant to say was 'people in the entertainment industry' and I kind of generalized 'entertainment industry' as 'L.A.' and it came out that way. I read it back that way and went, 'Oh, crap,' and it kind of stirred a commotion amongst fans and whatnot, and that's nothing that would ever have happened to me before. "I'm surrounded by people in the entertainment industry, not people that I work closely with, but people in general in this business, who, sometimes I think their priorities are wrong. But I just said it one way and now I look like a jerk, and I didn't mean it that way at all. That's not the kind of thing that would have happened to me as a teacher. I would have said something, people would have realized what I meant and I would have moved on to the next thing." Fortunately, Aiken's little commotion comes on the eve of his next thing, the Jukebox Tour, which makes its fourth stop Sunday at the Chevrolet Amphitheatre. It's a concept show he cooked up to bridge the gap between his 2003 debut, "Measure of a Man," and the follow-up that doesn't seem to be coming along as smoothly as the first. Aiken will start from the '50s and, with liberal use of the medley, will touch on as many as 100 Top 40 songs from then till now, including a few of his own. "A friend of mine was in a show in Charleston that was a revue of music from the '60s," he says. "I thought, that might not be a bad idea, why don't I just pick a decade? But I couldn't really pick a decade, so I thought, why don't we do them all?" Aiken's career as a young adult contemporary singer -- starting when he turned up as a geek and mama's boy from North Carolina on the second year of "American Idol" -- has defied the odds and the predictions of resident "Idol" critic Simon Cowell, who said he was better suited to Broadway. "When I got off the show, I saw something on Broadway, and said, 'That's a compliment because those people can sing,' " Aiken says. "Anybody who can do seven shows a week and just really full-out sing as well as those people do, if that's how good you think I am, thank you. That was kind of a backhanded compliment. That's where some really talented people go, so thanks, Simon." Rather than going to Broadway, Aiken, who was studying to be a teacher and describes himself as "dodgeball bait" when he was in school, went west and rode that "Idol" well. He has enjoyed sales of more than 3.9 million, running just behind Kelly Clarkson as the biggest-selling Idol. It was all beyond his expectations. "I had no faith, to be honest with you," he says. "I'm not a pessimist, but I try to be a realist as much as I can and realize that thousands of people are trying to do the same thing that I'm doing and four people are doing it well -- and I'm not sure that I'm one of them. So, I kind of have to realize that it could honestly end any day. I'm enjoying it while I can. I kind of chalk it up to a good summer camp experience. If it doesn't end up working out for the long term, I have memories that I would never have gotten any other way." One of the keys to his continuing success is the Claymates, a fanatic fan base that follows his every move on fan Web sites and makes sure that any critic who says anything remotely negative about him is deluged with e-mail (this writer got 65 of them once). So, how does Aiken deal with his Claymates and all their high expectations of him? "It's difficult for me to answer that. I think they do have expectations and sometimes, to be completely honest, it's almost, well, I don't want to use the word 'burdensome' ... sometimes it's tough to live up to everyone's expectations because they are so enthusiastic. And some people want my hair to be short, and some people want my hair to be long. And some people want my hair to be blond, and some people want my hair to be brown. It's hard to please everyone, but in general, they do kind of help keep me sane, because they are so enthusiastic and I'm constantly wondering why the heck people like me. I don't even get it. I get confused every time I see a fan site, I just laugh. I think sometimes they think I'm better than I am. It's tough to live up to their standards, but it's a good challenge for myself." Which brings us to the long-awaited follow-up to "Measure of a Man," which was scheduled for the fall but is looking more like early spring. Aiken is working with producer Jaymes Foster-Levy, and the challenge is to find 11 or 12 songs he can really get excited about. "We're not going to rush it this time," he says. Does that mean he wasn't happy with the first one? "I wouldn't say that," he says. "I was new. We walk off the stage of 'Idol,' and two days later, I was handed my songs by the label: 'Here you go.' Fortunately, I liked them all. I think they did a halfway decent job of picking songs that I sound good on. But a lot of the songs were angst-driven. 'I Survived You' and 'No More Sad Songs' -- it's not necessarily any emotion I wanted to express. There were definitely elements that I thought were good, the songs were good. I was thrilled to work with the producers I got to work with. But this time, I want this one to be everything I want. You kind of have to fail on your own. If I don't have a full stake in it and it flops, I have an opportunity to blame someone else. If I put this together and it flops, at least I can say it flopped on my terms." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bottlecap Posted July 28, 2005 Report Share Posted July 28, 2005 According to weather.com, the evening forecast for Toms River, NJ is for temperatures in the mid-70's, with a 30% chance of showers, and a 100% probability of excessive EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEing. Can't wait to follow along with "Name that Tune" - I hope I don't wear out the Refresh icon, because I'm sure I'll be hitting it frequently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ansamcw Posted July 28, 2005 Report Share Posted July 28, 2005 Hee...I am glad we don;t have as big a traffic as CH...I fear for their server tonight... keep our fingers crossed that everything goes well for us too. So excited. And of course Clay gives us a late present in the form of the Pittsburgh article. Totally love that article, except for the fact that he felt he had to explain his LA statement of course...but I thought that was a great article and made him sound really intelligent and mature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skatejoy Posted July 28, 2005 Report Share Posted July 28, 2005 Hee...I am glad we don;t have as big a traffic as CH...I fear for their server tonight... Does this mean I can't push the limits of human abilities, clicking refresh more than 100 times a minute? Sigh. It's going to be quite a party tonight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ansamcw Posted July 28, 2005 Report Share Posted July 28, 2005 Weekend Hotlist Pittsburgh Post gazette Clay Aiken, caught between albums, arrives at the Chevrolet Amphitheatre, Station Square, running through the history of pop music from the '50s on up. To the Claymates, he can do no wrong. But can he pull off Elvis? The Beatles? Will he, like Paul Anka, dare to try Nirvana? Find out at the Chevy at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25-$49.50; 412-323-1919. Concerts & Clubs Stamford Advocate Clay Aiken, Mohegan Sun, 8 p.m. tomorrow "American Idol" has set popular music back in ways we may not yet even realize. And the fact that kids will be plead with their parents to spend this kind of cash to see this geek is disgusting. Even disposable pop stars used to have to earn a career, not place second in a nationwide karaoke contest and be immediately propelled into one. The Idol-ism of America makes 1980s mall acts like Tiffany look like troubadours. On this tour, Aiken will preview songs from an upcoming album, but mainly stick to pop standards. Aren't you supposed to wait until you're Rod Stewart's age to do that? $40 and $50. Mohegan Sun Arena, Mohegan Sun, Uncasville. (888) 332-5600. Just Idoling TheDay.com Aiken's stop at Mohegan Sun will be his second concert on a tour focusing on cover versions of songs from the 1950s through the '90s. Which can't be all that different from Aiken's other concerts, can it? It's not like he has a huge catalogue of original songs. This time, the hits he plunders were originally recorded by Sam Cooke and Elvis, Goo Goo Dolls and doo-woppers. You can expect, too, some tunes from Aiken's “Measure of a Man” and his follow-up CD, whic h he's recording in the fall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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