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

[ausdon]

Lots of great discussions here today!

As soon as the article was posted I knew it would not stop there. So many of the other publications which picked up these comments only focused on those few sentences - no surprise there. I think that lots of nju people will read it as his way of saying " mind your own damn business and, paparazzi, don't bother trying to follow me because I will be at home every night by myself with a cup of tea watching CNN". I hope that the "home every night by myself "part isn't strictly true for his sake but of course it's none of my business.......

As for Clay identifying as nerdy, I suppose I also Identify myself that way. I do think it makes Clay seem younger than his years to keep on repeating it. I remember finally feeling like a grown up when I realised that the "Cool Kids" at school had seemed to reach their peak in those years and after school my lack of coolness wasn't a problem in the least and that my nerdy friends, sister and I were having a ball and not giving two hoots about whether we were cool or not. Like I said to my 13 yr old son the other day " Coolness is vastly overrated".

[Kareneh]

What does it say about me that I read muski's "prepositions" as pre-positions and immediately my mind went to foreplay. I kid you not. I need an intervention here!! Someone....anyone? I've been doing a lot of that misreading lately. So, I guess I can't make a well thought out comment on the New York mag article......except that I thought some parts of it were interesting, and some parts of it were down right boring (like the references to LTS), a lot of it seemed like posturing on Levy's part. I liked some of it but she sure as hell ain't the best writer out there by a long shot. I wanted to like an edgy, a little bit out there article about Clay, but she lost me in places and it was hard to get back.....until the last bit about how much he surprised her in Spamalot.....grudging acceptance feels good sometimes. I have a feeling she might have been smoking something, though, since try as I might I cannot get the "sounds like Tootsie" sound to play in my head. A source can have more than one meaning....doesn't matter if you're a journalist or in rehab.

Which brings me to urges, a topic on which I am WELL versed, since last night I bought a ticket to the matinee on the 9th of February. I made a flight reservation and decided to wait a little while until I bought a ticket for the evening show that same day. I tried really hard not to do it and enlisted the aid of a friend to talk me down......HA! She played a very good Thelma to my Louise. John was supposed to be coming home on the 9th but he let me know two days ago that he couldn't come until the 22nd, that meant I get to stay over here until March 1st. I think I shall go nuts looking at these boxes for another month. I am eating off paper plates and my curling iron is packed. ANYWAY, today he tells me he might be home on the 9th after all......Geez, Thelma....er....I mean Louise! It was soooo much fun being a very bad girl last night and planning this whole trip out. I was doing such a quick turn around, I wasn't even getting a hotel. Dang! I REALLY wanted to sit in La Guardia at four in the morning with my iPod to keep me warm.

I'm not sure what I want more.....to see Sir Robin two more times, or get moving.

Dumb question. Ignore me.

muski, are you still claiming a spot on the futon on Monday night? Let me know if we're still on so I can clear a path for you and pick up a bottle of wine. I did not pack the corkscrew. And has anyone in the eHP decided where we are going for dinner on Monday night? I'm wondering if I missed a memo or something along the way.

Thanks Claygasm and 00lsee for these....

broad shoulders

fine, strong back

He hasn’t succumbed to the waves yet and is not likely to. It’s thrilling, really. An exhilarating lift. A dangerous undertow. After the wave, the trough; after the trough, the wave.

Some shriek and clutch

pleasing shape of a certain supple spine and lean hips beneath a clinging, damp shirt and soaked jeans.

Ooooo! I think 00lsee is a close clorn writer!!!

Just makes me want to skip Ticket Dismissal School this weekend and get on a plane.

Marilyon98, great picture! Thanks for sharing it with us.

Well....I got a little tired of stuffing my things into boxes, and then I got some school work done...so when I got the urge to go play with some pix I gave in and ended up back in Los Angeles at the Greek. Brown haired, very playful Clay, he was a cutie....and some of these cracked me up. It had been so long since I looked at them last summer, it was like a brand new batch. I guess there is a good side to being way behind the times. Here's a few just for shits and giggles......

Night all!

ausdon, What time is it there now, where you are? Is it possible that someone will be awake at the same time I am once I move? Baku is GMT +4.....which means right now it's 12:48 PM there on Tuesday.

OH....and one more thing. I did a real double take when I opened the third picture and wondered....."What the heck is that in his right hand?"

I DID have my 1.50 magnifiers on instead of the 2.00's but still.....

I need an intervention.

[ausdon]

Kareneh I am in Australia , in the northern half with no daylight saving. It is now 7.51pm Tues 29th Jan. So maybe 5 hours behind Baku?

[aikim]

Good Morning All,

96 Days until the Closing Night of Spamalot!

108-115 Days until The New CD (still keeping fingers and toes crossed!)

Everyone have a great day!

Kim

[FromClaygary]

Another wonderful banner, cindilu2!

[Cotton]

I’ve got my Clay Aiken boogie board. Bring it.

Wheeee, indeed!

Is there a thread title here???

OH....and one more thing. I did a real double take when I opened the third picture and wondered....."What the heck is that in his right hand?"

Uh - I must admit as the picture slowly scrolled up into view I couldn't see the bottle and I wondered . . .

Hmm, Clay, who ya' offering the diaphragm to, huh?!

Oh, Good Morning!!!

[cindilu2]

Thanks to everybody who has been so nice about the pins. I'm SO happy they turned out well. *big big grin* I'm dying to see them myself *squints at stoopid border system*.

I can't wait to go back to NY in March and wear them!

It really is incredible how much interest (for better or for worse) there is in every thing Clay does (or doesn't do. heh). And that is not. just. us.

[luckiest1]

Wheeeee! Love the new banner.

So, today is official re-up day at the OFC. Wonder if we'll get anything new as an incentive? Of course, I don't need no stinkin' incentive, as Clay is enough incentive for me....they already have my money.

Hope Clay had a good 'rest' day yesterday. Do we have any FCAers attending this week? *runs off to check the representin' list*

ETA: Ooooh, I see we have lilyshine attending on Thursday!

6 weeks from today, I'll be halfway to NYC by this time of the morning!

[Cotton]

cindilu2!! LOVE the banner!!!

I reupped on the first day without any problem.

Wonder when he'll do the first blog of the new year?!

[ldyjocelyn]

I’ve got my Clay Aiken boogie board. Bring it.

Wheeee, indeed!

Is there a thread title here???

Oh, fur sure dudettes! 00lsee, that was a great post.

*dons itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini*

*throws on five robes on top to cover all the cellulite*

Thanks to everybody who has been so nice about the pins. I'm SO happy they turned out well. *big big grin* I'm dying to see them myself *squints at stoopid border system*.

No, thank YOU cindi. I too received my pins yesterday (no postage due either) and I love them. The think the Spamalot color one is my favorite; it just fits, you know?

Great banner too. I like motion. Motion is good.

It really is incredible how much interest (for better or for worse) there is in every thing Clay does (or doesn't do. heh). And that is not. just. us.

I think, more than anything else, I have to laugh at all the reactions to this article, both from the fans (we certainly are a Clay Nation of independent thinkers) and the media. It's very interesting the way this article has been picked up, and how it has been reported...most have been focusing on the "urges" thing (yeah, whatever), and yet People magazine focused on the "I'm not cool" aspect of the article. I think that's very interesting -- it used to be that People was much more of a tabloid, and yet, with Clay, they've (pretty much) stayed above the fray. Anyway, my point is similar to cindi's....he's a media magnet, to be sure.

Did my OFC renewal this morning. WHEE!

[Cotton]

I know one thing - he's a COTTON magnet!

43 days till I leave for NYC!!!

Surf's UUUUUUP!!!

[ldyjocelyn]

Damn, I knew I forgot something....

Maryilon, great picture! EEEEEEEEE for you!

[Gibby]

Great picture, Marilyon!

And Kareneh, I love all of the pics you posted, but especially this one. The glint in his eye is wonderful!

[claytonic]

If you click on someone's name next to their latest post above their avatar, should they have one, a drop down table appears and you can find someones old posts in reverse posting order. I find it useful if I want to find an old post by someone or if I may have missed a post somewhere down the line and people are talking about something I can't find.

Thanks Playbiller, I had no idea about that feature. I also had no idea the reason I couldn't see the full dropdown menu was because I wasn't logged in. I shifted my brain into a higher gear and then I saw the light!

Thanks, to think I've been searching and searching the OLD manual way all this time....

[luckiest1]

16 User(s) are reading this topic (15 Guests and 1 Anonymous Users)

Hey people, come on out and play!

[muskifest]

I did a real double take when I opened the third picture and wondered....."What the heck is that in his right hand?"

Well, at first I thought it was an unrolled condom but then I smacked myself on the forehead and said, "Duh! It's too small for THAT!"

KarenEh, my darling, yes...I'm still scouting for a pallet on the floor for Monday night! And yeah, eHP! What's for dinner?

[playbiller]

Yay, Got my pins! Now, I have to book another show. I am so bad, I didn't geta ticket to the last show and now only lousy seats are left.

So, pin collectors, how many boards did Spamalot pins?

[Marilyon98]

Where is he looking?

[Cotton]

Has anyone here read How Starbucks Saved My Life by Michael Gates Gill?

I've been reading it and there's a chapter in which he encountered Jackie Kennedy. It was the move to save Grand Central Station. Gill's father said of Jackie,

"She has an uncanny ability to manage her own iconography. She is very wise about only committing her great popular appeal to a few causes she really believes in. Fortunately, New York is a place she really feels passionate about."

I believe the bolded part speaks to Clay and the way he manages his "fame".

He really is wise for one so young, isn't he?

[keepingfaith]

And yeah, eHP! What's for dinner?

Reminds me of "What's for supper, Grandpa?"

Well, we got:

Chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes

Buttermilk biscuits with chicken gravy

Collard greens

Stewed okra and tomatoes

Crowder peas seasoned with ham hock

and Grandma’s fresh-baked blackberry pie.

Yum Yum

[Cotton]

Oops!

How'd that happen?! The editor wouldn't load! I was trying to add this to my previous post!

Oh, yeah, the first thing I thought when I saw that /\ pic . . .

"Whatcha lookin' at, Clay?!!"

EATA:

Ooh! Yum! What time may I show up for eats??!!

[Lotus]

Morning all. In a few minutes I'm off to the new gym and pool which has a great water slide. I had never been on a water slide in my life til this one and I tell you, this gramma is having so much fun zooming down it. Relevance to Clay? I don't think I would be so disciplined as to go to the gym regularly if it weren't for Clay. I wonder what the total poundage lost in Clayland has been

I am writing this on my new laptop with Vista and just lost a paragraph. Damn!

There's not much I can add to the discussion of the NY magazine article except to say that I do get very upset by the fallout from the article. I haven't had the years of experience of dealing with it that so many of you have. Channel surfing last nite I came across Chelsea somebody's show in which the whole gay thing was joked about. Right pissed me off! |Only positive thing was that one of the beautiful AP photos was prominent during her dissing.

Gotta fly out of here.

[ldyjocelyn]

Kareneh, I love all your pictures. Thank you for posting them.

As for where he's looking in that one picture...probably some lint on her shirt.

He really is wise for one so young, isn't he?

I've thought that pretty much since the day I first laid eyes on the man. While I do think he's spoken more than a few times before engaging in his brain, he's always seemed to me to have his s*** in gear regarding what is important in his life, knowing what to say when, etc. Heck, I'd love to be half as wise as he is, and he's 17 years younger than me!

And yeah, eHP! What's for dinner?

Reminds me of "What's for supper, Grandpa?"

Well, we got:

Chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes

Buttermilk biscuits with chicken gravy

Collard greens

Stewed okra and tomatoes

Crowder peas seasoned with ham hock

and Grandma’s fresh-baked blackberry pie.

Yum Yum

That is sooooooooo not fair, especially an hour before lunch and my stomach is growling.

*eyes my yogurt and cereal and cries*

[claytonic]

The other day, I was thinking of Cliff Richard, and guess who he reminded me of?

Believe it or not, Cliff Richard is now 67 years old!!

Here's a snippet from his Wikipedia site:

Cliff Richard's protracted chart success undermines radio stations' claims that he does not enjoy the support of their target audiences. Cliff believes he is "the most radical rock star there has ever been".[11] Richard's premise is that his decision not to adopt the "sex, drugs and alcohol" image expected of rock stars, then and now, was the truly avant-garde choice.

[underthespell]

cindilu, the banner is so beautiful. I love those pictures and Clay looks so mighty fiiiiiine !

The media coverage from something like this is just amazing, isn’t it? World wars, elections, global warming…and Clay Aiken's urges?! Unreal.

As upset as I was earlier, I’ve come to see this article as just another wave in Clay’s vast ocean. Swelling recklessly, it will inevitably rise, crest, and disperse, rolling away from those impervious broad shoulders…as waves do. Even as this surf surges suddenly against his fine, strong back, I'm finding myself more and more inclined to laugh. He may be leery of the water, but look, he’s braving it anyway, taking “us” with him. He hasn’t succumbed to the waves yet and is not likely to. It’s thrilling, really. An exhilarating lift. A dangerous undertow. After the wave, the trough; after the trough, the wave. Always that mysterious energy buoying him, and “us”, along.

Wiping salty foam from my eyes and sputtering indignantly, I have to laugh.

I mean, really. Wheeee!!!

Naturally, Clay’s detractors are delighted to have fresh material and, oh, boy, the media salivates when he is the hot topic. But I have no control over anything Clay says or over anything said about him. What practical difference can it make to me if any of Levy’s so-called "insights" happen to brush against reality (or just a nerve)? There is more entertainment value in the writer and her zany, sex-centric ideas and perplexing self-expression. There is some prime snark to be mined here! I've been having fun with absurd one-liners all day. Shaking my head over queeny, arched eyebrows and man-voiced happy hicks suppressing the urge to sing honky gospel notes. Weird photograph? Smurf Village? Laughable. So, I laugh.

Ticket sales? Reviews? New album? More challenges? Some may dread the tides and become alarmed when a wave seems threatening. Some shriek and clutch and panic or rage at the wind. Others analyze and calculate wave amplitude and acceleration. A few…well, a few simply savor the pleasing shape of a certain supple spine and lean hips beneath a clinging, damp shirt and soaked jeans. heh

I certainly take perceived insults or damage to Clay very much to heart. Can’t help it. You may have noticed I could not hide my exasperation and outrage last night. But…one thing I admire and enjoy about Clay fans is "our" resilience. That way "we" have of turning the critics’ words back onto them and laughing at the joke they unknowingly present. Of claiming and repackaging and exploiting the critics' hilariously bloated sense of self-importance. Of reducing a noisome, boiling pot of fat-clawed crabs and stinging jellyfish into a tepid, lumpy stew.

Clay's way has ever been one of humor, even about some (to me) very unfunny things. I admit I don't completely enjoy his tendency for deflection in some situations, but laughter can be a useful and appropriate tool.

So, really.

Here’s another wave.

So what.

I’ve got my Clay Aiken boogie board. Bring it.

OOlsee, what a great post ! You have a gift with words. You know, I used to get so upset with the media coverage that our BF has to endure. But not anymore. It is like something I expected after reading the NY magazine article, like clock work, they pounced on it. I loved your entire post.

I see Clay 2 months from today !!! I can't wait !!