# 8 My titanium balled, taking his life into his big hands,

[Ansamcw]

(((clayzorback)))...big ouch...I am so glad hubby does all our repairs...it may take some time before he gets to them but it saves us tons for repair.

WORD to your other post too...yup this is something Clay has said over and over again. HAve some of these fans that love to diss this CD ever think that maybe what dampened Clay's enthusiasm for this CD was his own fan's reaction?

[keepingfaith]

The irony of this is that the label liked ATD and Clay was the guy pushing for HYCA == pretty bassackwards from what many assumed to be true! There's that ass-umed word again.

I agree with what KAndre said about the instinctiveness of music appreciation. I like what I like because I like it. I'll not like Clay's favorite songs any more or less than I did before I knew they were his favorite songs.

I really don't like dissing a song because I know someone somewhere loves it and it means a lot to them. The songs I love are so special to me that I know I don't want to hear anybody say, "That sucks!" about them. I take my music very seriously, but realized early on that I'm at odds with the fan conventional wisdom about some of Clay's music. There is one nameless song that seems to be almost sacrosanct among the fans, and the love for it is so great that it's becoming legendary. I literally can't stand the sound of that song, and I guess I'm the cheese standing alone. But I have never felt the urge or the need to tell anyone that I don't care for it. I like to think maybe it sounded better live. But, my point is, I don't know why there's a need to tear down things we don't appreciate, or create imaginary scenarios to rationalize them. I don't really give a ratz if Clive forced Clay to record love song covers, if Clive suggested it and Clay thought it was a good idea, or if Clay was dissatisfied with the original songs they had and asked Clive for help -- what difference could any of this make to me when I think ATDW is a gorgeous album that I've yet to get enough of after obsessive listening for six months. I love the sound of it. I love the way it begins and the way it ends. The first time I heard it I had tears during RHW and EID, and chills for Broken Wings. It hits me, and that's all that matters.

[playbiller]

Gee, keepingfaith, this wouldn't be a certain hand waving song where the voice was not used strongly, would it?

Amazing how some people forgot how they hated it and now it is the best thing since sliced bread.

Edited March 30, 2007 by playbiller

[KAndre]

Yeah, what keepingfaith said. All of it.

[Ansamcw]

Very well said Keepingfaith...Its true...if you like an album...what does it matter how it came to be as long as it is....And if you don;t like it...just move on, Clay will make more CD's . I have some Clay friends that were disappointed with the CD...and their attitude is they still love Clay...will simply wait for the next one and they do not go on and on about what they wish it to be or hate Clive and RCA for it.

What I have realized for some time now, to a lot of fans it seems like we are still on a race, a competition and Clay is their horse. To them...the fact that the CD didn't sell gazillion CD's and didn't propel Clay to that next level that Kelly and Carrie are at...is what ruins the CD, who cares if they liked it or not. They need someone to blame and RCA and Clive is the most convenient thing and in their minds...pretty fixable. They don't want to consider that maybe its Clay's musical direction that is simply not compatible with whats hot today. They want to cling to the noiton that Clay can have something out there that could compete with JT and with Daughtry...that he will be a singer/songwriter like John Mayer and he will be hot and cool and be loved by MTV only if Clive and RCA let it happen.

They don't want to face the reality that Clay loves this kind of music and that maybe he would rather have moderate success singing these songs than sell out to whats popular just to be on radio.

[Divayenta]

Totally OT, but Clayzorback, or should I say "Backy" , I just took a closer gander at your avi and it is gorgeous. I must be really blind because for the longest time I thought it was a pizza.

Yeah, it must have stung for Clay to hear all the negative reactions to his album. I want so badly for him to be proud of it. He did a wonderful job indeed.

Re nicknames: I'm just an incurable cunning linguist who loves wordplay and I make like the Brits when it comes to names. They shorten everything up. Someone once said that if Niagara Falls was in England , it would be called "Niffles" by now!

Hugs cute little Gazzy :F_05BL17blowkiss:

And for the record ldy, I never did get one of those medieval names when I joined the Dreamers of Perilous Visions in the Shire of Monterey! I need one! !

[keepingfaith]

Gee, keepingfaith, this wouldn't be a certain hand waving song where the voice was not used strongly, would it?

Amazing how somepeople forgot hwo they hated it and now it is the best thing since sliced bread.

Hmmm, I have no idea if it was a hand waving song.

[Ansamcw]

Gee, keepingfaith, this wouldn't be a certain hand waving song where the voice was not used strongly, would it?

Amazing how some people forgot how they hated it and now it is the best thing since sliced bread.

Ok what is this...I've been trying to figure it out...hand waving???

[playbiller]

Oh, you know the song - the wone where everyone was waving their darned hands in your face so you really could not see if you werer not near the front row. I guess people don't flick their lighters anymmore since so many people don't smoke anymore maybe we should wave out walkers?

Edited March 31, 2007 by playbiller

[JennaZ]

What I have realized for some time now, to a lot of fans it seems like we are still on a race, a competition and Clay is their horse. To them...the fact that the CD didn't sell gazillion CD's and didn't propel Clay to that next level that Kelly and Carrie are at...is what ruins the CD, who cares if they liked it or not. They need someone to blame and RCA and Clive is the most convenient thing and in their minds...pretty fixable. They don't want to consider that maybe its Clay's musical direction that is simply not compatible with whats hot today. They want to cling to the noiton that Clay can have something out there that could compete with JT and with Daughtry...that he will be a singer/songwriter like John Mayer and he will be hot and cool and be loved by MTV only if Clive and RCA let it happen.

So true. I sometimes wonder if what people really want is for Clay to be "cool" so that being a fan would be "cool."

I've begun to suspect that he sings what he loves, even if it isn't the most commercially current sound out there. It always amazes me how easily people rationalize away Clay's role in the creation of his album. It must have been strange for him to read that the songs he put his heart and soul into were being dismissed as Clive-dictated products he was "obviously" unhappy about.

[atinal]

Ok, bottle, always says Clique often releases information late Friday afternoons. I'm waiting..... Where is bottle by the way?

[muskifest]

So true. I sometimes wonder if what people really want is for Clay to be "cool" so that being a fan would be "cool."

I think this hits it on the head, Jenna. The ole' saying, 'Everybody loves a winner, but when you lose you lose alone' comes to mind. Not that fans who are moaning over the type of song he's CHOOSING to sing are going to flee, but the concept applies.

You know, my hubby and I were just sitting here reading the paper and he suddenly said, "Elliott Yamin!" I looked at him blankly and he added, "He's number 3 in the Bay Area...no, wait. He's number 3 in the country!" I just smiled, said, "uh huh" and went back to the paper. Then he said, "Wow, this is weird, huh? Elliott's #3 and Chris Daughtry's #4. How that girl's CD doing---whats-her-name? Has it come out yet?" With a grin I asked, "McPhee? It's been out for a while but hasn't done all that great." And he just said, "It got shoved down our faces plenty, though."

And I had to hold myself back from going Clay Aiken fan on him---in the sense that I wanted to defend Clay and ATDW and its mediocre showing (relative to DAUGHTRY, etc.). I felt COMPELLED to EXPLAIN why this CD wasn't at the top of the charts. I wanted to vilify the Clive and all the bad management who wouldn't advertise Clay out the wazoo and...

But I didn't. I just went on reading and so did my hubby. Thing is, I too sometimes feel some of the resentment and disappointment that I read about on the boards---that ire that not everybody loves them some Clay Aiken like I do or thinks he has the Voice of a Generation or is destined to become a major entertainer, blah blah. It would be COOL to think that the rest of the world appreciated him like I do.

But it ain't so.

So sometimes I just have to remind myself that that's okay. That Clay seems to think that's okay, too, since he's not contorting himself into whatever the flavor of the month on radio is.

(ooh....that sounds yummy---Clay contorting his flavorful self. )...

And just let him sing to me some more. :TourExcite: :Tour3:

[playbiller]

I think it is a cross between the fans that want Clay away from Idol but compare him to everyone idol and the fans that love him so much they want Clay to have anything anyone ever had.

I describe myself as an unintense fan because I realize my family is more important to me than Clay and that life is a crap shoot and not everyone is lucky and life is not fair. I think Clay is fairly lucky. I kind of like people who are unintense.

I used to think Clay was lucky with his fans, but some how, there is so much intensity in parts of the fandom, it kind of repels and frightens me. Some nutjobs are sneaking in and they are no longer standing out quite as obviously. Who knows which fan will write the next book on other fans (not me) or who will next stalk Clay or turn against him when he does not recognize them at a meet and greet.

[lightmyfire]

jmh123 - TITN remains my favorite Clay recorded track, although EID and RHW KILL ME. Clay is seriously mad talented. Even today, the clack of TITN in his hometown during the AI2 concert series, is the greatest footage of Clay on stage for me. In my opinion, Mac produced a beautiful love song without cheese...and Karlsson's guitar work is fabu. Clay's phrasing is brilliant. The memories associated with TITN ...weeks of a grueling competition and on finale night..yeah...Clay sings his flipping face off! HA! #1 Billboard Hot 100 chart..without SPINS..HAHA! I love TITN.

I wish I could add to the iTunes interview conversation/discussion, but Clay and y'all have said it all..... :F_05BL17blowkiss:

Edited March 31, 2007 by lightmyfire

[muskifest]

On craigslist under "FREE" category: (this is really true)

CLAY! I have more clay than I need (or have room for). It is clean, just needs to be wedged if you're going to throw it.

I refuse to comment on the grounds that it might be too easy.

but just...

BWAH!

[Claygasm]

On craigslist under "FREE" category: (this is really true)

CLAY! I have more clay than I need (or have room for). It is clean, just needs to be wedged if you're going to throw it.

I refuse to comment on the grounds that it might be too easy.

but just...

BWAH!

So muski, did you call about him it??

Completely off topic but important to me: There are cat owners here, right? I need advise. With the latest round of cat food being recalled, the food I have been giving my Waldo is now verbotim. Hill's has recalled ALL their cuts and gravy type foods no matter what the size or date (as well as one of their prescription dry foods that contains wheat gluten). Thankfully my baby shows no signs whatsoever of any ill effects and I am sure the food was ok. They are just erring on the side of caution.

My kitty is a picky eater. He refuses to eat dry food by itself and will only eat wet food by itself if he's starving. And he only seems to like the chunky style foods with gravy - which all have wheat gluten in them! I think the others are too gloppy. So, since I needed food I spent an hour in a pet store tonight reading labels of all the foods left on the shelf. I even spoke with a representative from Nutro who was there. Of course, they claim all the foods left on the shelf is safe - even if they have wheat gluten in them. She said none of the remaining food is made by Menu Foods. But how do we know their wheat gluten is safe?

I looked at Purina Pro Plan. Lots of theirs have sauces or gravy - and all have wheat gluten. According to their website, the only Purina pet food made by Menu Foods was their Mighty Dog in a pouch. But still, they have wheat gluten in them. I finally bought a couple cans of the Science Diet that is still on the shelf - the kind Waldo doesn't like. I guess I was hoping he would like it this time.

He doesn't. So now, what can I feed him?

I talked to my vet - also happens to be one of my closest friends - she didn't know what to tell me! All she knows is to not feed your pets any of the recalled food. She said if it made me feel more comfortable to avoid foods with wheat gluten but as far as they know, if it isn't made by Menu Foods it should be fine.

I guess after all this I have 2 questions. Are any of you or would any of you feed your cats (or dogs for that matter) a food with wheat gluten in it even thought it is not manufactured by Menu Foods? And do any of you have any suggestions of a nutritionally sound food my fussy cat may like? I guess I should just relax and feed him whatever is still on the shelves, wheat gluten or not. But I am paranoid.

After all, we wouldn't want anything to happen to Waldo now, would we!

[muskifest]

After all, we wouldn't want anything to happen to Waldo now, would we!

God, no! Of course, it doesn't surprise me that Waldo is especially discriminating about what he eats.

[jmh123]

Tomorrow night - eeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!

[playbiller]

Most animals have a favorite people food. You can try that in the interim.

I think they said that all food manufacturedafter a certain date was good. You can check with a local large pet store (I don't trust some of the small stores)

When I got my Sadie 17 years ago, all dog food made her ill, so I had to make her homemade chicken soup for the first 6 months of having her with cooked real rice (minute rice causes diarhea) and served it with the chicken and the vegetables (dogs like vegetables). There are probably cat food recipes on line.

[YSRN]

Claygasm, I lost two cats last year (mid-year) to kidney failure. I have searched my mind and heart a few long nights to remember if I fed them any of that food -- they died well before the recall, but you never know and it breaks my heart to think I could have contributed to their illnesses.

That said, I have one cat left - their brother - and he ate the same stuff, so it likely wasn't the food - that's what I want to believe anyway. I changed his food this year to another Nutro type - it's chunks, but not cuts and gravy. I was worried about giving it to him, but it's not on the list and he seems ok with it. I have stopped buying it though and switched to a dry more natural food. He wasn't happy at first, but for a few days I drenched it with the liquid from a can of tuna, or cut up some chicken, and/or mixed in some low sodium chicken broth and he quickly learned to like it. I personally feel better staying away from any wheat gluten for awhile. It's hard to know where these people source their food. But then I'm paranoid too now.

Good luck... I think it's pretty skeery.

Have fun tomorrow night at the gala, ladies. I'll wild ass guess that Clay will sing BYLM.

I think I'll go watch Raleigh AI2 TITN now before bed.

[atinal]

It's been rather slow on the boards tonight, so I just went back to ITunes to listen to the interviews again.

Play, you can count this one as yours if you want, only too happy to take one for the team. Ha.

I've enjoyed the interviews so much, I think part of it is because you don't hear an interviewer and it's easy to put yourself in that place. It just gives the feel of a conversation with Clay Aiken.

Claygasm, I hope you find a food that you feel comfortable feeding your cat. It's been many years since I have had cats but I loved them, just as I love my dog now. Our pets are family and we want to keep them safe. This morning we had thunderstorms here, thunder really scares my dog. My husband got up early to go to work and the dog was outside our bedroom door, and just like a child who was afraid of the storm or who had a nightmare, he came right to us for protection. He slept the rest of the morning in bed with me. I hope they have all of this stuff off of the shelves now and that you and every other pet owner can start feeling safe with pet foods again. You know we all only want the best for Waldo.

[cha cha trusty]

Thanks YSRN and everyone - I found the little arrow on itunes and made my podcast playlist!

"Gazzy" heee - I was wondering what concert it was that Jerome gave Clay a big bear hug?

I think I missed that clack!! Touch is one of my fave songs too!! Have you seen this video

I did that was 2 years in the making!!??

Clazorback - I can sympathize on plumbing problems... we had to have a new pump installed

in the bottom of our well before Christmas. It was boookooo bucks!

BWAH on the 'pizza' avatar! I can't remember when that RCA logo showed up, but I also made my

own version of it............ feel free to try it out if you'd like to!

Is it July yet??

:Tour3: :F_05BL17blowkiss:

[Ansamcw]

Quick post...for those who are interested...

Six degrees is now accepting paypal donations that will make it possible for non US residents to donate.

oops I forgot to add....another thing I learned from the boards this morning...

CH is setting up the cellstream too...EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

so we will chat and I will report from the CH if it comes through.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!!

[djs111]

I adopted my two Siamese about a year or so ago, they were five years old. The original owner (they were in a foster home) had noted that the cats threw up a lot, and was rubbing some sort of cortisone or something on their ears.

I don't do that, but have found that Friskies loaf (as opposedto slices in gravy) canned food suits them just fine, they have gained a bit of much-needed weight, and only throw up occasionally. If I try anything else they decorate the house with it, canned or dry.

(I think they pukle the dry stuff just to make a point).

So you might want to try the Friskies loaf stuff, it is not on the list. I get big boxes of it at Sam's Club or Costco.

Aside from being my marketing consultants, all they do is sleep, skulk, shamelessly beg for attention, and eat, so the food is v. important!

Nice Clay mention in my Google alert this morning:

Facts about Don LaFontaine (announcer guy)

Q: What does he do when he's not working?

A: LaFontaine's hobby is cutting video, including a piece featuring Clay Aiken, Ben Vereen and other stars for the sweet 16 birthday party of his daughter, Skye.

Soooo, how long until someone emails Don and asks for the Clack?????

I love the "and other stars" part!

I don't know why it is posited that any and all nice mentions of Clay are the result of just one new PR person, as if no one would ever mention him if they were not told to do so, but if there is a brilliant new person, they should have also sussed out the ipod stuff, I would think.

If they were working directly with Clay, wouldn't they know about it? So, IMO, either non-existant, or not so good after all, especially since those things have been there for quite some time.

And the Houston Symphony traditionally has been very adept at promotion.

Heeeee.....some of the contortions the new stuff is being put through in order to make it fit this or that theory reminds me of Procrustes:

Procrustes myth

Procrustes was a host who adjusted his guests to their bed. Procrustes, whose name means "he who stretches", was arguably the most interesting of Theseus's challenges on the way to becoming a hero. He kept a house by the side of the road where he offered hospitality to passing strangers, who were invited in for a pleasant meal and a night's rest in his very special bed. Procrustes described it as having the unique property that its length exactly matched whomsoever lay down upon it. What Procrustes didn't volunteer was the method by which this "one-size-fits-all" was achieved, namely as soon as the guest lay down Procrustes went to work upon him, stretching him on the rack if he was too short for the bed and chopping off his legs if he was too long. Theseus turned the tables on Procrustes, fatally adjusting him to fit his own bed.

And "mythical" is such a perfect word!

Edited March 31, 2007 by djs111

[ldyjocelyn]

CG, I'm sorry I can't help you with Waldo (that sounds really smutty, doesn't it?). Our two cats were brought up on Science Diet dry food (the vet says it's much better for their teeth for them to eat dry). We used to give them wet food on the weekends as a treat, but it got too costly. I hope you make the decision, though, that is best for you and Waldo. (And aren't kitties adorable? I love my furballs.)

Clayzorback, sorry about your sucky day yesterday. Plumbing problems are a drain (probably didn't make you laugh there, did I?).

I'm staying away from the boards most of the day, until about 7:30 or so CDT this evening. However, I'm thrilled for all those attending, and can't wait to hear the reports! jmh is calling me this evening once the gala is over.....