#15 the Earl of Aikenberry: a man of character and Naughty by Nature

[Couch Tomato]

Laughn I always thought so but I don't any longer. Some fans made a point to say they wouldn't buy ATDW for whatever reason. They didn't like the songs so would only download the one or two they liked. Some wanted to show that they wouldn't buy any old thing that Clay put out - to show Clive. And some just didn't like it and refused to buy it. I've always bought at least one of everything even if I didn't like it. It's the cost of one lunch normally. I consider it my investment in Clay because I want him to be around for a long time to come. Now when it comes to tours...I buy all those darn tickets for ME because there is nothing better than seeing Clay live.

geesh..on top? yippee

[playbiller]

I think some of the people who would not buy ATDW felt that they were to god to follow someone who would put out a covers album, despite the fact that the majority of albums in thie world are cover albums. (heh I like real folk music! Everything from the 16th, 17th and 18th century is pretty much a cover, not to mention Opera!) They are too good for the tour shows as well, but they do waste their money on broker tickets for them.

Others just didn't like it and some wouldn't buy it becuase it would show RCA!!! It really isn't that many people.

[Ansamcw]

Play BWAH!!!!

that prayer would;ve been great for me when i was on other boards this pass year...

now I am just melllow....

[Scarlett]

especially Waukegan! What? You say we don't have Scarlett's Waukegan? I'm shocked, shocked I tell ya!

And Scarlett, on the PM (since I'm not sure how to send to everybody), I'm will to burn & ship when and where and what you like!

Waukegan? *scoffs* I went back even further than that -- been working hard all day on rendering... ta-da!... JBT Borgata 9/1! But thanks for the burning & shipping. *I'll endure tickling for that & will leave more than 2 pieces of Cheez Doodles next time. I miss you guys. When's the eHP gonna get together again?*

All the mentions of Elvis yesterday made me really desperate because I lost a JBT tape on the morning of July 4th this year while running out of the house at the crack of dawn to go to Frisco. (Ok, it was more like 8am, same difference) Anyway, the Elvis mentions made me determined to find that tape so much that I actually cleaned up my travel things and lo! there it was, right in my passport holder.

So I've been busy but here are a few screencaps to explain why I was so desperate to find it. Who needs Elvis when you've got this...

I believe Clay when he says there are very few consipiracies in this world.

Along with this, I also don't think Clay has made many mistakes or miscalls in his career. From what I see, he has made the most of everything he's been given in life, be it instant fame or peer issues or teaching opportunities. I really can't think of anyone I respect who could have done better. Ok some people would have ran with the instant fame, gone on Oprah to whine about minutiae and whored themselves into instant superstardom and the subsequent instant rehab. Me, I'd rather be with a guy who's in it for the long term.

I do think people involved with his career have made some mistakes, not necesarily because of some nefarious plan to take him down,but mainly (as others have pointed out) from a lack of understanding of Clay & his fans and opposing objectives. Also, working with someone who thinks in terms of decades is probably tough for those whose jobs depend on next quarter's financial report. Unlike others, though, I'm willing to accept that a prototype record (like the Tampa fax) may have existed but simply as what they were -- a record and a fax. It's the amount of things that people have riding on them (eg. tacking on fame and fortune and glory to one prototype and building some sinister plot out of a simple note) that I find absurd. For every fan who sees lost oppportunities in a phantom album, there's probably a record exec who sees lost opportunities in forgoing a Mother's Day '06 album release.

regardless of what his rank on the charts is

I used to depend on travel agents and bank tellers for many of my needs. Haven't seen or heard one in years. I expect to be saying the same about DJ's and records sellers anytime now. Charts of things that are on the way out don't count very much for me. Having said that, though,... in a world where "High School Musical" is the 2nd highest-selling album of its year and family hotels across the country are deserted when High School Musical 2 premieres on the Disney Channel (we didn't notice this because of the Tampa concert but people attest to it), a Clay Aiken album release is the closest to a sure thing anyone can get.

So it's a bit surprising to me to sense a lot of sadness and apprehension nowadays. Apart from the fact that he's not touring right at this moment, Clay is right where I want him to be. I think the climate is ready for a Clay Aiken record. If I were an up-an-coming artist, I'd love to be in Clay's shoes (as well as other articles of clothing, but let's not get distracted here). I really believe he is in a much better position for a long term career than any other time even the days right after Idol. Back then, he was a runner-up of some reality show that people couldn't fit into a niche. Today, he has the admiration and respect of quite a number of people who matter, a 4-year track record, a well-known legion of devoted fans who keep him on every Internet poll whether or not he's currently on a promotion campaign, & w/o his even asking for it (can you imagine how it would go if he actually said "please go to this site for me?") and apparently his own means to do some recording out of his own home. Even if things were to start tumbling down and he had to start from scratch today, what's the worst that can happen to him -- be forced to self-publish? We have a holiday tour, Idol rewind (hopefully on Fox HD), a new album next year and a summer tour after that to look forward to. So things are great. Except that I miss him. I hate spending weekends not watching Clay Aiken concerts. *pouts*

Thanks for the kind mention for Fort Myers, Ansa!

ROTFLMAO, play!! I really ::heart:: your cartoons -- can we collect them someplace?

[Gibby]

AWESOME post, Scarlett! Whew, those screencaps are HAWT!! He was giving you the look - the 4th and 5th pics are especially hawt.

And I love your perspective. I agree that there's so much to look forward to right now. Clay has some great plans in the works!

[bottlecap]

So I've been busy but here are a few screencaps to explain why I was so desperate to find it. Who needs Elvis when you've got this...

What's that? Sell my kidney, cash in my 401K, sell my house and send the proceeds to the BAF? Sure thing!

[jmh123]

Clay Aiken is a remarkable, talented man who has a lot to offer the world. I think that's something we can all agree on! :medium-smiley-070:

You forgot to add that for some reason he can really really just make me smile :F_05BL17blowkiss:

Yup.

Apologies, texwriter, for jumping on your post. I went away and did some other things and came back calmer to find a great discussion, so I hope you are pleased for having prompted that. Others have explained now that some of us (me for sure) tend to be a wee bit sensitive about that word con****acy.

Clay Aiken has the best story ever. Once you fall for the voice, or the smile, or the pants, then any attempt to resist the story of his life is completely futile. Then you have to love him. And then you start traveling.

Love it!!

I just have a feeling he won't be following any expected path.

I agree and nicely said, CG.

Just know this - All opinons are welcomed and respected - as long as they are presented with respect. We aren't all lemmings here. Even though I think a lot of us came here to escape the constant conspiracy theories and lies and RCA/Clive hate etc., we don't all agree on everything about that subject - or any subject except one. We love Clay, And we're girls who just want to have fun, fun, fun loving Clay!<posted by a not-a-mod>

Word to that!!

I do agree that, for better or worse, Clay has not been a passive participant in his career. While he may not have had total control of every aspect, especially early on, I think that he bears some responsibility for where he is now-which IMHO-is NOT a bad place. He may not be all over the radio, selling out arenas, but he's still touring, still getting TV bookings, and perhaps most importantly, he's still sane and apparently happy. If he had focused on his music more than his philanthropic endeavors, if he had sung songs that got radio play but that he didn't enjoy singing, if he had made decisions solely to make himself rich and popular, he might have been on the top of the charts, but he might also be sitting in rehab somewhere.

Clay may not be a superstar, but I think he's in a decent position with a lot of potential to go further.

Well said!

I never expected Clive Davis to have Clay's best interests at heart. It's not his role at all. Of course, you'd like to think it's not all business and there is some mentoring and nurturing, but c'mon... it's just business. He just wants to make money off the guy. Use him and spit him out. Like Bill Gates wants to do with his finest engineers. It's just how life works. I have no illusions about that. It's why artists hire managers and lawyers and personal publicists. And hang out with mentors outside of their contractual relationships. RCA wants what they want. If Clay doesn't do what he's "hired" to do, he breaks his contractual agreement and they get to seek remuneration. That's the only "force" they have. Well, except the music "mofia"... lol... but they probably won't have to bring out the big guns - heeee. I highly doubt Clay's walking around RCA being a big dick. Having a big dick doesn't count.

I remember saying as much during the great conspiracy debates. When people were saying that Clive must have something personal against Clay cos no label would treat a muti-platinum artist that way its not good business. I said that the label is not run by Clay fans. They will only have a Clay's best interest at heart when it coincides with their goal of a healthy bottom line. If an artist artistic goals are deemed not commercial enough..they will play hardball. They want quick money out of Clay...the quickest way to do that is go for a cover album. I think the one thing the label read wrong is Clay's fanbase.

Yup, to both of you. I've never said Clive Davis was a nice guy--he's not. But I do think he thought the cover album was a good idea. Even the first press release which many disliked so much made one thing clear, and in Clay's words, "...it was Clive's brainchild that we take classic love songs of the last 30 years and pair them with four new songs. He is a man who not only knows music, but really has his finger on the pulse of what listeners want to hear." I'm sure Clay is quoting Clive here, and I'm sure Clive insisted that he knew this album was "what listeners wanted to hear." And, since Clay told some meet-and-greeters that he was given the chance to do another covers album, Clive/RCA must have been satisfied with the cost/profit ratio of the album's sales.

I've said this before, and I do think Clive was probably right that the mythical album that Clay and Jaymes presented wasn't a potential multimillion seller. While not perfect, I think Clive's instincts are good. As Clayzor already said today, and as I've said before, Clive chose the MOAM songs, and, though the production was less than it could have been, those are great songs.

What they misread IMO is our diversity. Also I suspect they were afraid we may not follow Clay if he does veer away too much from his current sound. Now I know I won't mind Clay experimenting cos I usually love alt rock anyway...Clay is my anomaly so I will follow him whatever direction he takes.

I agree with this. I think we are diverse enough, and American tastes are diverse enough, that he could experiment more than they and perhaps even Clay realize. Not every experiment would sell equally well, however, and not every fan would be happy with whatever experiment he might try. That doesn't mean he shouldn't experiment, because no matter what kind of album he makes, not every fan is going to like it. If it were easy to create a multi-million selling album, there'd be more of them out there!

And on a slightly different topic:

Ansa, the tabloidification (I know, not a word) of the so-called legit media is the most disturbing thing I've witnessed in this fandom and I have a freakin' journalism degree. I've always been a skeptic about what I read but good lord, to know that Newsweek and Time and the Wall Street Journal are almost as worthless as the Enquirer and The Star in some cases makes me ill. I really can't get over the fact that internet blogs are quoted as real sources or that nobody has a fact checker. Unfortunately news agencies these days don't have the resources to check facts - all they can do it buy what's available. And we've seen some of those stories about Clay that were poorly written to start with end up being bastardized even further. If it bleeds it leads has always been a creedo. The more titillating the better these days - almost like the days of the penny press. CNN's fascination with Anna Nicole and Paris Hilton was sickening.

It's ridiculous and maddening, isn't it?

WORD to your whole post, Scarlett!!

Edited September 3, 2007 by jmh123

[goldarngirl]

[All the mentions of Elvis yesterday made me really desperate because I lost a JBT tape on the morning of July 4th this year while running out of the house at the crack of dawn to go to Frisco. (Ok, it was more like 8am, same difference) Anyway, the Elvis mentions made me determined to find that tape so much that I actually cleaned up my travel things and lo! there it was, right in my passport holder.

All I can say is :04:

[Claygasm]

I've rarely been in the first few rows, and while I'll admit it is a thrilling experience, it isn't essential for me. I know it is for some, and I suspect, those people will still pay the broker prices they pay now. However, I would think most of us could live with worse seats if it meant that Clay had more widespread success. Yes, we'd miss those days when it was just us, when venues were smaller and more intimate. But if we want Clay to reach more people, we have to be willing to share him.

I do think Clay has projects in the works, things he's developing that he cannot discuss. I believe he's smarter and more savvy than he ever was before, and that he's learned a lot in the last year or so. I would not be surprised if he reaches a whole new level next year, even if it's in a way not everyone in the fandom expects.

Can I just follow you around saying WORD???

I do believe that for RCA...this was strictly an easy sell. They didn't really use this as an opportunity to expand his fanbase. I have a feeling TC looked at it that way too...I think they are looking forward to the next CD to do this. I hope so anyway.

I have always thought there was more behind the choice of a covers CD than meets the eye. What it is I don't know except that I am sure no one held the pups hostage until he made one! I think both RCA and Clay knew exactly how much it would sell and are happy with the result. I don't think either one thought it would be a blockbuster, break through album.

I guess I see the treatment of Clay as part of the general trend of negativity in the media...tabloid...djs. I listened to these radio talk show once and I didn;t hear them say anything nice at all...about all the celebrities they were talking about. Its tough to be in the public eye nowadays..and the bigger the star is, the bigger the target.

Sad, but true. Clay is not an anomoly is this regard!

JESUS!!!!

especially Waukegan! What? You say we don't have Scarlett's Waukegan? I'm shocked, shocked I tell ya!

And Scarlett, on the PM (since I'm not sure how to send to everybody), I'm will to burn & ship when and where and what you like!

Waukegan? *scoffs* I went back even further than that -- been working hard all day on rendering... ta-da!... JBT Borgata 9/1! But thanks for the burning & shipping. *I'll endure tickling for that & will leave more than 2 pieces of Cheez Doodles next time. I miss you guys. When's the eHP gonna get together again?*

REALLY???? One of my all time favorite concerts ever?????????????? Color me excited!

regardless of what his rank on the charts is

I used to depend on travel agents and bank tellers for many of my needs. Haven't seen or heard one in years.

Scarlett, you said many, many, many wise and wonderful things here - you really did. But I beg to differ here. There is still a need for travel agents in this world. Maybe not for simple airline tickets and hotel reservations, but on more complicated trips or groups or for those not saavy on the internet or for those who would like someone with knowledge to counsel them before they spend their hard earned money - a GOOD travel agent is a necessity.

I actually really only care because being a travel agent myself, I depend on my job to get me my Clay money! And it really is all about meeeeeeeee!! So I HOPE there will be a need for them for a long time to come!

Or at least until I can find another way to support myself!

[wandacleo]

I've really enjoyed reading what everyone has to say. I have little to offer as I have no profound thoughts regarding Clay and am privy to nothing in Clay's life. However, I do want to say that when I read that people are refusing to buy ATDW or won't be a fan IF Clay....[fill in the blank], I say "Good riddance!" The world is chock full of Britney Spears and Justin Timberlakes. Move on.

Leave me and my unconditional devotion alone.

[canuck2010]

Yeah - there's still a place for travel agents but they don't eat well anymore. *g*

We owned a large travel agency for 30 years and the airlines and the internet put us on a new career path! I still remember the day Delta airlines sent us a fax saying that they were no longer paying commissions to travel agents. My DH faxed it back with "FUCK YOU!!!" scribbled across the top!!! He felt better!

Scarlett What an awesome post!!! Wordy McWord to all of it and those "Clelvis" pictures are some of my favourite!! GAH!!! He was so sexy doing that Elvis medley!! Loved, loved, loved it!!! swoon

I bought a ton of ATDW's and gave them out as gifts. I didn't do it to push up his #'s because I bought them in Canada. I did it because I love his voice, I love the album and I wanted to share it with my friends. I think every one of them appreciated it. Or pretended to! *g* I'll do with the next album too and for as long as Clay makes music! Am I weird that I still listen to it every single day????? I really do love it.

And I love him! He ALWAYS makes me smile! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

[Couch Tomato]

So it's a bit surprising to me to sense a lot of sadness and apprehension nowadays. Apart from the fact that he's not touring right at this moment, Clay is right where I want him to be. I think the climate is ready for a Clay Aiken record.

Scarlett, wow, loved your entire post. I'm in such a sweet anticipation mode. These are the good old days IMO.

[Bookwhore]

I have never hung around a bunch of people with as widely mixed tastes as I have in the last few years on these boards. In fact, if I had to try to find a common denominator, besides Clay himself, it would be the fact that there is no other commonality.

This is something I was talking about with my Clay buddies recently. I'm so blessed to be a part of a very tight, loving group of wonderful ladies. Yet we're all so different, ranging in age from late 20's to mid 50's, all walks of life, socio-economic levels, marital status, religions, family situations, career paths..you name it. In my 'real life' (for back of a better term) I know we would never have crossed paths, much less become such good friends. Many of us have absolutely nothing in common, except Clay. Yet when we get together it's like I'm with my sisters - only without the issues.

The internet is a great for leveling the playing field. On a message board or chat room, you have no idea what color someone is, what their body style is, what their hair is like, whether their clothes are from Saks or Goodwill, how big their home is. All you have to go on is how well they communicate and an indication of their intelligence. Therein lies the commonality. I think on the average Clay's fans are probably above-average intelligence, communicate well and enjoy intelligent, thoughtful discourse on a variety of subjects. And Clay, with his sinner/saint, virgin/whore antics gives us plenty of fodder for discourse.

[KAndre]

happily pets the Borgota clack...man, that's some high class stuff!

See, that's why I'm happy to occasionally (very occasionally) wander in the strange little chains like In & Out...Scarlett can be very, very good!

And I'm sure that y'all aren't surprised to find I agree with everything Scarlett - including the analogy of the travel agents - it's like the difference between a home-cooked meal and a restaurant - you use them for special occasions - and the incompetent ones will be gone - but the good ones will prosper.

I really have a hard time worrying about one Clay Aiken. So far, he has had that one in a million career and seems to be doing pretty damn well. Could he do better? Who can't? I was looking at this website listing 25 momental flops, and you know what they list at 25? U2 and the album after "The Joshua Tree" - from 10 million to 1.5 million. Remember Chingy? He was Clay's competion during MOAM - Chingy went from 2.6 million to 600,000 - sound familiar? Green Day's CD between Dookie & American Idiot? Not so good saleswise. As far as I'm concerned, Clay is successsfully running with the big dogs.

[Guest Toots]

Play, ROTFLMAO, what a great cartoon.

[liney23]

eta... does anyone know what to do with a bucketload of concord grapes? I don't want them to go to waste and I can't bear to leave them out there for the birds.

YSRN, I have a recipe for grape pie if you are interested. PM me and I will send it to you.

I have loved the discussions today! I am feeling so optimistic about Clay's future and am really happy that there are others that feel the same way... thanks! The Big Men/Women On Campus that respect him are my clue that regardless of whether he ever gets on the Top 40 charts, he will be in Entertainment. That's all I want, is for him to gloriously continue to entertain me and fullfillingly do his humanitarian pursuits while just flat out being scrumpiously happy with his personal life, too.

Scarlett... Whew! Thanks for my new Clelvis desktop... HAWT!!!

Edited September 3, 2007 by liney23

[bottlecap]

Yet when we get together it's like I'm with my sisters - only without the issues.

And oddly, we all manage to share the same boyfriend, with only minimal hair-pulling and name calling.

[Couch Tomato]

Clay is successsfully running with the big dogs.

thread title??

YSRN, I have a recipe for grape pie if you are interested. PM me and I will send it to you.

Grape Pie? That is just whacky enough to be the official pie of FCA

bw

And oddly, we all manage to share the same boyfriend, with only minimal hair-pulling and name calling.

bwah

do our thread titles have to be about Clay cuz this would be funny heh.

[beenthinking]

Bottlecap....Scarlett.... thank you both for the beautiful pictures...

[AnAmeraikenInTX]

I've really enjoyed reading what everyone has to say. I have little to offer as I have no profound thoughts regarding Clay and am privy to nothing in Clay's life. However, I do want to say that when I read that people are refusing to buy ATDW or won't be a fan IF Clay....[fill in the blank], I say "Good riddance!" The world is chock full of Britney Spears and Justin Timberlakes. Move on.

Leave me and my unconditional devotion alone.

You ROCK, wandacleo!!! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

Am I weird that I still listen to it every single day????? I really do love it.

And I love him! He ALWAYS makes me smile! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

If you are, I am. It's the CD I keep in my car (well, it's the burned one that includes LAA and IYDKMBN) and I back it up to track #14, BW, and listen to it, IYDKMBN (#15) and LAA (#16) and then fast forward to Track #5 for some or most of SSTBTHW on my drive to work. Just starts my day off nicely. If it was hectic at home, this helps return me to center. Kinda like that cup of coffee (that I get after I'm at the office).

Really, this past week at work I went back to listening to my playlist of ATDW after having listened to the SRHP tour sets constantly. It really sounded wonderful to hear again. LOVE to set it on random and let it go.

Ever since the NAT, I've intended to burn using concert audio, the best version of the MOAM songs. Now, after SRHP, I want to do the same with the ATDW songs Clay sang. I love the studio versions, but I also love how the songs evolve in concert. We are SOOOOO lucky.

So it's a bit surprising to me to sense a lot of sadness and apprehension nowadays. Apart from the fact that he's not touring right at this moment, Clay is right where I want him to be. I think the climate is ready for a Clay Aiken record.

Scarlett, wow, loved your entire post. I'm in such a sweet anticipation mode. These are the good old days IMO.

Agree and WORD to you both.

[Claygasm]

Yeah - there's still a place for travel agents but they don't eat well anymore. *g*

We owned a large travel agency for 30 years and the airlines and the internet put us on a new career path! I still remember the day Delta airlines sent us a fax saying that they were no longer paying commissions to travel agents. My DH faxed it back with "FUCK YOU!!!" scribbled across the top!!! He felt better!

My family owned one for 34 years. Just closed it this June. I was recruited by a neighboring agency that is thriving. They do a lot of groups and have a lot of very wealthy clients.

And I remember that day when we got that fax from Delta! I think your husband did what all of us wanted to do!

(Pssst! Just what is that new career path????)

happily pets the Borgota clack...man, that's some high class stuff!

See, that's why I'm happy to occasionally (very occasionally) wander in the strange little chains like In & Out...Scarlett can be very, very good!

And I'm sure that y'all aren't surprised to find I agree with everything Scarlett - including the analogy of the travel agents - it's like the difference between a home-cooked meal and a restaurant - you use them for special occasions - and the incompetent ones will be gone - but the good ones will prosper.

As long as the good travel agents can prosper - at least until I find a new career! I need my Clay money!!!!

I really have a hard time worrying about one Clay Aiken. So far, he has had that one in a million career and seems to be doing pretty damn well. Could he do better? Who can't? I was looking at this website listing 25 momental flops, and you know what they list at 25? U2 and the album after "The Joshua Tree" - from 10 million to 1.5 million. Remember Chingy? He was Clay's competion during MOAM - Chingy went from 2.6 million to 600,000 - sound familiar? Green Day's CD between Dookie & American Idiot? Not so good saleswise. As far as I'm concerned, Clay is successsfully running with the big dogs.

And this is why I am proud to say I am your minion!

Clay's purdy, y'all!

ETA: Oh dear! Top of the page! Is this a bad omen????

Edited September 3, 2007 by Claygasm

[jmh123]

THirty years from now when I'm pumping my fist to BFM in the home, heh, I hope to have a mind alert enough to be able to account for his career every step of the damn way.

This mental image made me spit mah sweet tea all over mah monitor! Couchie, we need to look into this. There must be someway to start now establishing a old folks home for Claymates specifically. We could have glow sticks in the cafeteria, do shirt tugs (or chenille bathrobe tugs) and have Clay's sweet voice piped through the PA system to lullabye us to sleep every night, prompty at 8:00. Maybe he'd even make a guest appearance and dance with us in our wheelchairs.

And wide-screen televisions in the community room to watch clack together all day. The Clayfan retirement home is my fantasy for my "golden years."

I really have a hard time worrying about one Clay Aiken. So far, he has had that one in a million career and seems to be doing pretty damn well. Could he do better? Who can't? I was looking at this website listing 25 momental flops, and you know what they list at 25? U2 and the album after "The Joshua Tree" - from 10 million to 1.5 million. Remember Chingy? He was Clay's competion during MOAM - Chingy went from 2.6 million to 600,000 - sound familiar? Green Day's CD between Dookie & American Idiot? Not so good saleswise. As far as I'm concerned, Clay is successsfully running with the big dogs.

Great find, KAndre! When I see legends like Sting, Clapton, and Elton John selling just OK, it, like this link, puts Clay's sales in perspective. So does the press release put out by the Evil Ones (snark) that stated

It is Clay's third consecutive debut inside the top five. Measure of a Man entered at No. 1 and Merry Christmas With Love bowed at No. 4.

Clay is the 4th artist ever to have his first 3 albums debut Top 5 and scan over 200,000 in the first week.

because I think they see the significance of this. (I'd still love to know who the other three are.) Lots of people sell well. A whole lot fewer continue to sell well album after album after album. I think Clay will have another multi-million seller, without a doubt.

[keepingfaith]

I went back even further than that -- been working hard all day on rendering... ta-da!... JBT Borgata 9/1! But thanks for the burning & shipping. *I'll endure tickling for that & will leave more than 2 pieces of Cheez Doodles next time. I miss you guys. When's the eHP gonna get together again?*

OMG. Heart be still. Scarlett, is there a chance, any chance at all, that you have any remaining JBT Motown that has not been rendered? If any is lost or misplaced I hereby volunteer my services for a search party. I'll bring Cheez Doodles .... somehow. Give it to me straight.

Charts of things that are on the way out don't count very much for me. Having said that, though,... in a world where "High School Musical" is the 2nd highest-selling album of its year and family hotels across the country are deserted when High School Musical 2 premieres on the Disney Channel (we didn't notice this because of the Tampa concert but people attest to it), a Clay Aiken album release is the closest to a sure thing anyone can get.

I loved your entire post, and I totally concur with this. I think there's too much stock being put in yesterday's methods and technologies. It's all in a state of change. And having a solid, devoted fan base that isn't going to "outgrow" Clay has to be worth a lot.

Clay is successsfully running with the big dogs.

thread title??

Well, we certainly know he's capable of pissing in the tall grass! *g*

Edited September 3, 2007 by keepingfaith

[canuck2010]

I will not type "we were not incompetent" I will not type "we were not incompetent"I will not type "we were not incompetent" I will not type "we were not incompetent"I will not type "we were not incompetent"I will not type "we were not incompetent"I will not type "we were not incompetent" I will not type "we were not incompetent".........

though we weren't......

So, what's truckin?????

[Couch Tomato]

bwah..working on the song lyrics from the Classics medley for FCA and really, Clay should have sung this part of Baby Got Back:

Cause I'm long, and I'm strong

And I'm down to get the friction on

So, ladies! {Yeah!} Ladies! {Yeah}

If you wanna role in my Mercedes {Yeah!}

Then turn around! Stick it out!

Even white boys got to shout

Baby got back!