#25: TONIGHT'S THE KNIGHT! Knock 'em not-quite dead!

[annabear]

From rockys mom at CH.... for those like me, who are prone to look on the schmoopie side of life....

I can't help but wonder if,as he emrges from that stage door tonight,to cheers and screams and flashes popping and playbills being waved in his face for him to autograph.....

I wonder if he thinks about the fact that 5 years ago tonight was the last night he was truly anonymous,that none of "us" had ever heard his name.

That five years ago,for most of us here.....

the number 5230 was just another number

saying "you had me at 'Take' " didn't make any sense yet

Clack didn't exist so of course our vaults didn't either.In fact neither did any of our boards.

we had yet to listen to a cell-cert

we didn't live to "right-click-and-save-target-as"

Waldo was a character in kid's books

a lot of us had never been in a chat room or posted on a message board.Hell,some of us didn't even own a computer.

we had no idea we could take such beautiful pictures or wonderful video and share them with others on the internet.

we didn't know we could write the snarky or the silly or the schmoopie and others would enjoy reading it.

we didn't hate ticketmaster

we didn't know that we'd pick some silly little name to call ourselves and what's even more surprsing is that others would call us by that name as well.....for some of us that name at the left there when we post has become just as much our "real name" as the one we see on our driver's license or our (maxxed out) credit cards.

we didn't dream that we would be jumping in our cars,hopping trains and planes and buses and traveling all over the country because this kid whose voice is going to be making our jaws drop tours almost constantly and we can not get enough of seeing him perform live.

We didn't know that we'd be doing all of that traveling with people we were going to be meeting on internet message boards.If someone had told me five years ago that someone I had never met would offer to drive me to Poughkeepsie NY in the dead of winter and share a hotel room with me....and that I would agree to it without a moment's hesitation I would have asked what they were smoking.

Think of all the people in your life whom you now call your friend.....did you know them 5 years ago today?

Did you think you would ever feel like you were twelve years old again? Did you think you would wait in line for someone young enough to be your son to walk past and touch your hand? Did you think you would jump up and down and squeal when you got his autograph after a Broadway performance?

Did you think the sound of someone's voice would be able to move you to tears?The curve of their lashes or the movement of their fingers make you gasp for breath?

The words "He Blogged" hadn't yetmade your heart skip a beat and your fingers shake until you could log in at the OFC

Our houses were clean,our laundry was folded,our bills paid on time,our bank balances were larger than our credit card bills.....and our lives were about to be turned upside down.

Did any of us realize,five years ago tonight,just how much our lives were about to change?

[merrieeee]

Then we can watch heads explode when Simon says "I always knew you had a place on Broadway" and then they would replay this comments from season 2!

But..but..but then Simon will have been proven right and then he will love Clay and not make any more nasty comments about him and will praise him to the high heavens, cos he just loves to be right and everyone will see what a great guy Simon really is and ..................here endeth the snark lesson for the day!!

Oh I have to print out that from rocky's mom...so true!

[ldyjocelyn]

Claygasm, just so you don't think you're the only one....I've actually had several of your same questions myself.

Regarding Spamalot being a precursor to the album release....I actually think aikim says it best:

Spamalot's affect on CD sales...I think it will have an effect...maybe not a huge effect like some think, but I think it will have some effect.

Bolding mine. I would venture a guess, CG, that this is probably what may concern you -- that some think him appearing in Spamalot will magically erase all sales problems for his CD. I personally think that it's just not that simple. I do think that him being in the show will help give him some new name recognition, especially for those nju who see him during his run, and that will help when he later releases a CD. But there are too many other factors at work as well (such as radio play, and exactly what kinds of songs are on this album) to make me think that it just won't be that easy.

And the touring thing? I honestly don't know about other performers and when they tour. The one thing I can say with certainty is that Clay likes to surprise. Personally, I think that IF the album comes out in May, he'll be busy doing a bunch of promotion for it during that whole month, and even into June. Then, honestly -- I'd really like for him to have a bit of a vacation! He'll deserve it by that point. I know, I know...that takes away a bit of the "strike when the iron is hot" thing, but I also truly don't want the man to burn out either.

But then, I'm known for talking out of my butt. *g*

[Couch Tomato]

well as I mentioned yesterday..to me one or two months is not enough time to promote CD. He can't be in Wisconsin in July if something comes up. He needs to be available even if we see less of him. And yes he needs to rest at some point this year. So I'm actually with you CG on a tour happening some time next year. Now if he forgoes xmas and tours say in sept oct and nov..I'd be all for that...but Clay hasn't texted me lately heee. It's a good problem to have isn't it. This year is going to be off the chain.

[jamar1700]

Just curious because I don't know these things. Is there any usual pattern with other artists as to how soon after an album release they tour?

I suppose there is (as some seem to like to point out and point out and point out *g* ) but IMO the industry is changing and Clay is not and has not been doing things the "usual" way. He seems willing to embrace that he's a different artist in a changing musical world.

So considering his pattern, why are we even expecting him to tour within a month or so of the CDs release?

I'm not sure it's an expectation so much as a desire for a summer tour and hoping it fits in with the album release.

Just my thoughts.

[Couch Tomato]

feature article

NY Magazine..haven't read it yet...but it's long!

[Thankful4Clay]

I think a lot of people are hoping that doing Spamalot is going to earn Clay some respect. Give him some street cred. Maybe it won't actually be cool to like Clay Aiken, but it's a start.

If people can change some of their preconceived notions about Clay, that could open some doors for him. Maybe even radio.

Summer tour: I think people are just used to seeing Clay in the summer and they are hoping for a tour. Because he does his annual Christmas tour, they know that if he doesn't tour in the summer that will push a tour to 2009.

Speculating is fun. I'd love a summer tour. If there isn't one, I guess I'll save some money.

[00lsee]

Well, the best thing I can say about that article is the writer recognizes his talent. The rest? Birdcage liner. Cynical bastard.

*ahem*

I mean, bless his heart.

[merrieeee]

Well the author is a "too cool for school" New Yorker so I didn't expect anything else!

[Claygasm]

feature article

NY Magazine..haven't read it yet...but it's long!

I just opened the page and laughed out loud at the picture! The angle or something makes his head look so HUGE - way too big for his body!!

Off to read the article.

Hi Thankful! Good to see you again since we hung out at Sardi's together!

[JennaZ]

I think Spamalot has the potential to open up a lot of doors for Clay, but whether it, by itself, is enough to "launch" a CD is far from certain. Personally, I've found some of the expectations a bit high, because even if every show is sold out, the exposure is still fairly limited. We're talking thousands, not millions, of viewers, and that doesn't guarantee that even people who go away impressed will necessarily buy his album.

However, I also believe that Spamalot has and will continue to generate media opportunities. True, many were in January, but it's also possible that Idol or one of its satellite shows (Idol Rewind, Idol Extra, Idol Tonight, etc.) will also feature his participation in the show.

And quite frankly, I suspect that simply being in New York will help him a lot of different ways. Not only would he be available for whatever media possibilities might present themselves, but he will be physically close to the label, which might make communications smoother and more efficient. It may be easier for executives to have faith in him if they actually see him more often, not just in person, but on stage, and on buses, posters and signage.

I remain optimistic, but cautiously so. I believe Spamalot is a brilliant move on his part. However, I'm not willing to go so far as to say it alone will send his pop career into the stratosphere.

[00lsee]

Oh, scuze me. Didn't realize Ariel Levy was a woman.

Ahem...Make that cynical bitch.

Gender is important. Apparently sexual stereotyping is, too.

And I LIKED "Tootsie", dammit!

I'm so angry. What has Clay Aiken done to deserve this kind of nasty scorn?

[muskifest]

Whoa. Lot to discuss in that article...but I gotta go now, damnit....

Let's just say that this writer isn't afraid to say what he/she thinks... There's really only one part of the whole article that bothered me and that's only because I think I believe it's true.

He imagines his social life here will be “nonexistent, really. I’m not a nighttime person.” He does not plan on dating, and he is not involved with anyone. “Heck, no,” he says. “My dogs.” He has never had a romantic relationship with anyone, unless you count the girls he took to dances back in high school in Raleigh. “I just don’t have an interest in … any of that at all. I have got too much on my plate,” he says. “I’d rather focus on one thing and do that when I can devote time to it, and right now, I just don’t have any desire.”

But Aiken is 29 years old and he is also a human. Surely he must have needs. Urges. He contemplates this in silence for 20 or 30 seconds. “Ah think maybe I don’t! I mean, not really. I’ve just kind of shut it off, maybe. Is that bad?”

Oh good god.

ETA: Considering that elsewhere in the article the writer describes how Clay arches his eyebrow in that "queenly way of his"....the above excerpt does Clay NO favors whatsoever, IMO. I don't need to know who Clay is with or what he does, but I really don't think this kind of answer just creates opportunities for misquotes and extrapolation and rumor building.

Oh well. He's the one who has to live with his words, so I'll let him decide.

[Couch Tomato]

Interesting article. And I guess I don't write it off totolly as too cool for school. I thought she had him pretty well pegged on some things and I thought she admitted some of her preconceived notions were kinda wrong. I think he probably walked away impressed by Clay..at least least that's my impression. Clay won't crack. That's one thing I know. And she knows it too. Definitely could have done without some of it. I'll be surprised if this article doesn't get some mileage.

Yes Muski, that leaped out at me too. As long as he's happy that's ok. It's not what I want for him but it's his life. I don't get the same impression is you. I don't think shutting that part of him has anything to do with his perceived sexuality. In fact, it's the opposite of what one would expect him to say I think. I've often suspected that Clay wasn't secretly dating (not that this is definitive) and we know he isn't dating publicly. It's been five years since we've known him. I'm surprised he chose to answer it at all but he knew what he was doing. I'm frankly more surprised he spoke so openly about wooing men was one of the reasons he took spamalot. I'll have to read in the morning when I'm more alert.

[00lsee]

Why.

Why is it this woman's business, or anyone's business, how Clay uses his manly parts and with whom? I could just KILL her for presenting him the way she did.

*murderous eyes*

[Thankful4Clay]

That article made me feel like crying.

If he was telling the truth about his relationships, it makes me sad that he doesn't have love in his life. It sounds like he's never had it.

All he does is put himself down. He did himself no favors with that interview.

He did say that he hopes doing Spamalot will make men more open to admitting to being a fan of his. After reading that, most men would be turned off.

I kinda wish I hadn't read it.

Can anyone find anything good in that article to make me feel better?

Oh, that picture is horrible. It's distorted.

[Ansamcw]

Oh, scuze me. Didn't realize Ariel Levy was a woman.

Ahem...Make that cynical bitch.

Gender is important. Apparently sexual stereotyping is, too.

And I LIKED "Tootsie", dammit!

I'm so angry. What has Clay Aiken done to deserve this kind of nasty scorn?

I don;t think its scorn...I just think this person has a very cynical view of people and Clay is hard for her to get. I think this is where Simon is with Clay. He thinks its all schtick...something he developed as a marketing tool.

I think its very eye opening to me to see the many things I admire about this man seen from another perspective. To this person who is so used to people always trying to impress others or want to be cool...she can't see how Clay can be happy with himself identifying as a nerd. TO this person that is so used to celebrities partying and hoping from one relationship to another...Clay's stance of not needing relationships is pretty weird. But to Clay...it makes sense. I also don't think he was about to reveal any relationship to this writer. I think he would rather be thought of as a Eunuch than to open up that part of his life. He is stubborn that way I suppose. I totally admire him for it...and good for him for not trying to pander to the too hip for school New York media.

I feel like she is trying to crack Clay...and he didn't. In the end she did acknowledge that he s pretty good in Spamalot.

hmmm...Clay's stay in New York sure is becoming very interesting...and he is only at his second week. She predicts he won't be able to survive...I bet he will thrive!!!

eta: I don;t mean to imply that he is lying here about relationships, but if he is determined not to have a serious relationship at this point in his life I can see him making sure of that. I also can see him being tongue in cheek or sarcastic as he said this.

I know that article seem to be a buzz kill but I don;t think his career would be affected by this one way or the other.

[Claygasm]

I didn't think the article was bad. I found it rather interesting in fact.

Whoa. Lot to discuss in that article...but I gotta go now, damnit....

Let's just say that this writer isn't afraid to say what he/she thinks... There's really only one part of the whole article that bothered me and that's only because I think I believe it's true.

He imagines his social life here will be “nonexistent, really. I’m not a nighttime person.” He does not plan on dating, and he is not involved with anyone. “Heck, no,” he says. “My dogs.” He has never had a romantic relationship with anyone, unless you count the girls he took to dances back in high school in Raleigh. “I just don’t have an interest in … any of that at all. I have got too much on my plate,” he says. “I’d rather focus on one thing and do that when I can devote time to it, and right now, I just don’t have any desire.”

But Aiken is 29 years old and he is also a human. Surely he must have needs. Urges. He contemplates this in silence for 20 or 30 seconds. “Ah think maybe I don’t! I mean, not really. I’ve just kind of shut it off, maybe. Is that bad?”

Oh good god.

See, I don't find this sad. I kind of get it because that has been me so many times in my life. He is only 29 and let's face it - he's a late bloomer, especially socially. And I would be willing to bet since this whirlwind has started he may have met a woman or two to whom he was attracted but between his crazy public life, his anxiety attacks etc, he likely felt it wouldn't be fair to her.

Reading those words tough do kind of remind me of the lyrics to LAA.....

And you know, you can be happy - very haooy - without being involved in a romantic relationship. Especially when you have the life Clay does!

Interesting article. And I guess I don't write it off totolly as too cool for school. I thought she had him pretty well pegged on some things and I thought she admitted some of her preconceived notions were kinda wrong. I think he probably walked away impressed by Clay..at least least that's my impression. Clay won't crack. That's one thing I know. And he knows it too. Definitely could have done without some of it. I'll be surprised if this article doesn't get some mileage.

Yes Muski, that leaped out at me too. As long as he's happy that's ok. It's not what I want for him but it's his life. I don't get the same impression is you. I don't think shutting that part of him has anything to do with his perceived sexuality. In fact, it's the opposite of what one would expect him to say I think. I've often suspected that Clay wasn't secretly dating (not that this is definitive) and we know he isn't dating publicly. It's been five years since we've known him. I'm surprised he chose to answer it at all but he knew what he was doing. I'm frankly more surprised he spoke so openly about wooing men was one of the reasons he took spamalot. I'll have to read in the morning when I'm more alert.

I agree couchie. I don't think it has anything to do with his sexuality. Never thought it until I read reactions here. I think sometimes this fandom is s super-sensitive to the sexuality thing that we see things the NJU types never would.

I do think its interesting that he spoke so freely about wooing the men. I think he knows he can't sustain a long career with just the same 3000 middle-aged women!

ETA: I always felt like the nerd narrative had become schtick too - and the family-friendly bit too. I for one was getting tired of hearing it and after hearing it for so long it was beginning to sound disingenuous to me. IT was cute in the beginning but its been 5 years already!

[JennaZ]

I don't really find that article that bad. I think the interviewer sees him as someone who uses self-deprecating humor as a defense mechanism, and while some comments may be less than fawning, on the whole, she seems to recognize that he's a smart guy and a talented performer.

There were some very interesting revelations. For example, it was interesting to see that Clay recognizes the "chasm" between him and many men, and his hope that Spamalot will change some minds. If reports are to believe, it has. To me, this shows him to be a fairly shrewd individual.

As for his personal life, I can believe that he's not as obsessed with it as many of his fans are. I can also imagine that this is something he would not want to discuss in an interview, anyway. I don't worry about him, one, because he seems pretty happy, and two, he seems to get along well with the cast. He may have worried about living alone when he first moved to the city, but like so many others, I think he can deal with it.

To me, there really are no shockers in this piece. It's not the typical PR fluff piece, but it's not a hatchet job, either.

[ldyjocelyn]

I think this article, to me, explains so much of how some people will just. not. get. Clay. Aiken. And you know what? That's OK. As Ansa said, the writer finds his self-deprication to be schtick. Guess what? I've seen that written on fan boards for Clay Aiken. And I totally agree with CT here:

See, I don't find this sad. I kind of get it because that has been me so many times in my life. He is only 29 and let's face it - he's a late bloomer, especially socially. And I would be willing to bet since this whirlwind has started he may have met a woman or two to whom he was attracted but between his crazy public life, his anxiety attacks etc, he likely felt it wouldn't be fair to her.

Reading those words tough do kind of remind me of the lyrics to LAA.....

And you know, you can be happy - very happy - without being involved in a romantic relationship. Especially when you have the life Clay does!

I get it too, because in my late 20's and early 30's, I was busy with my career, didn't have time for dating. Sure, sometimes I hated the fact that I didn't have a special someone, but I dealt with it. I can see Clay being very similar in this regard.

Anyway, I think there's some interesting insight here to the man. It's an uncomfortable insight to some, I'm sure -- maybe even to Clay (when he reads the article). But I'm OK with it.

Thankful, take these words out of this article: "smart." "well-informed." I really liked reading that.

Or, I could just follow Jenna around and say WORD.

[playbiller]

Well, the announcement of Clay in Spamalot was mocked pretty badly by this magazine before, I wished I had a subscription so I could cancel it, when I saw that little blurb. So.... I am not surprised that this person did not get Clay, I DO believe it is that the author feels she has to be too cool. This is NewYork Magazine after all! The definer of all things cool in NYC. Also, she does not get it. I cancelled my subscription so many years ago when the magazine went off the deep end and stopped helping the normal people with the secret below the street maps and where all the secret discount stares are and and all sorts of information that made being in NYC more pleasant and went off into the expensive "sex in the city" stores for $600 shoes and where to buy the best wines by the case on sale and all that crap.

I cannot believe they had a photoshoot and this was the best picture they could get of him, we have far too many talented amatuers who get better pictures. Waste of Clay's time to sit for a shoot like that.

As to his personal life, I think he likes to keep it personal and I would not put it past him to misstate something. We know he does know people in NYC and he knows his fellow cast mates and right now, he knows Jerome, but being celibate is not impossible, lots of people do it.

There does seem to be a galling error in this article however - it would be that Clay voted for Jesse Helms. I believe that jesse Helms' last election would have been just before Clay was able to vote legally.

[Couch Tomato]

I am convinced this city is going to crack Clay Aiken like an egg. Then I see him on Broadway.

I had forgotten: Between Eighth Avenue and Broadway, there's a little patch of regular America, right in the center of Manhattan. Regular America loves Clay Aiken exactly the way he is. (They voted for him.) "Watch out," says the guy at the box office who hands me my tickets for Spamalot. "Those Clay Aiken fans are insane. They scream like teenagers, but they're middle-aged women!" Everyone manages to keep her underwear on during the performance I see, but they do make a joyful noise every time Aiken appears onstage in the role originated by David Hyde Pierce.

In a Broadway musical, Aiken is perfect—he can throw that cheesy, octave-spanning man-voice of his around all he wants and hit all those honky gospel notes. It sounds great! He can slowly, slowly raise his arms in the air as he holds a note for 45 minutes. He can make his corny, cartoony facial expressions, and onstage, they're utterly appropriate. Also, musical theater takes place in a land only slightly more erotically charged than Smurf Village, so here Aiken's suppressed, indeterminate sexuality seems logical, usual, male. And he doesn't seem hick. Partly because the twang is replaced by an equally theatrical Cockney and partly because he's in a funny show. (The theme of his big number is "You won't succeed on Broadway if you don't have any Jews.") Every joke gets a roar. "When I'm up here onstage, I'll be the idol of my age," he sings, and the women go crazy. You can almost feel them sucked toward him by some unholy mix of maternal yearning and abject horniness.

I liked this part of the article. She thought he would crack. And then she saw him on Broadway. The last line cracked me up. Clay is one strong dude ..I think she gets that if nothing else.

Now the picture, somebody needs to be horsewhipped.

Play, I agree with you that he likes to keep his personal life private. And of course she could have totally misquoted him. But it seemed to me she said he paused before answering. Right now I tend to think it wasn't subterfuge although I'm surprised he answered it. And I know it's tough for those in a relationship to understand that you can live and be perfectly happy without a significant other. But you really can. And I can see his worldwind of a life adding and sudden fame making it hard for him to get a handle on his private life.

[ToldForThis]

My mom swears by the "envelope method" (sounds like a form of birth control, doesn't it?) but I'm not sure it is the best method for me. I'm anxious to not even start fighting with my husband about making a change in the way we handle our finances, but his seat-of-the-pants-method just ain't working. I've learned over the past couple of years that I am more of a logical thinker than I ever suspected. Self-discovery is always nice, but I find where money is concerned, I need a PLAN!!!

Well, I had to laugh when you mentioned your mom and the "envelope" method. I thought I was the only one that did that. It has worked for me for years.

[ivy]

I think the author wanted to play up Clay Aiken the "hick". It was her angle for the story.

[Claygasm]

It occurs to me that this author may "get" Clay more than this fandom would like to think.

Not everything, but there was a lot in that article that struck me as most likely true.

I could have done without the reminders that he is widely thought of as gay and all that - but then again, that is true too. But I think she hit on a lot of points that may be right on the nose. I also think by the end of the article she sees him a bit differently than she did when she first sat down to interview him. She may not turn into a fangirl, but I think got the impression she ended up more impressed with him than she was when she started out.

That is something in and of itself.