#31: The Very Handsome Sir Clay of Aiken

[Clayzorback]

Couchie - glad you're having a good time but I'm sorry your friend had to be exposed to FBM and crew. I wonder what they're going to do with their time when Clay leaves Spam. There have been quite a few reports of them disrupting the show for the people around them with their texting, talking, etc. How embarassing for Clay - I hope he can't hear it!

It's been a verra verra long day. Apparently I've made some enemies. I'm sorry for that. I guess there are different levels of expressing one's opinion that are acceptable and not acceptable.

I'm not argumentative by nature. I come to the internet for Clay - and Clay only! I don't have a hidden agenda and I don't try to cause unrest with my posts.

And on that note - goodnight FCA. Pleasant dreams!

This statement seems to contradict this statement below.

Hi everybody - Iseeme here! I've been a member of SimplyClayonline for several years and was a moderator on that board. With the recent death of our owner and dear friend, Clz4clay, many changes were made to the board. And while I still feel it's home, I've been looking for a board that is all about Clay!!! I was directed here by a dear friend and, after reading your philosophy, thought this would be a great place.

I've gotten in trouble before for supporting only positive comments about Clay...or challenging people who are overly critical. I think you can be less than thrilled about something he says, wears, does but still be respectful in how you express yourself. I also know zippity about the music business, promoting a CD, managing a music career and believe that Clay is an intelligent and talented young man who can certainly make his own business decisions. Doesn't mean I don't like to discuss them - just believe that there is nothing I know or could say that he needs!!!!

My screen name is the last three words in the Rolling Stone article......"what do you see when you look in the mirror!" Clay's response: "I see me!"

I'm looking forward to getting to know the folks here.

I'm going to go see One Republic, for no other reason than Ryan Tedder wrote Clay's single on this new CD. Plus I love the song Apologize and Stop and Stare. Other than that I don't know a thing about them. The ticket is only $35.00. I wouldn't pay the ticket price Clay demands to go see them, though. In fact there are only a couple of artists or groups that I would pay over $100.00 to see in concert.

Couchie I am thrilled that you got to go to Broadway Cares. Too bad about your friends Spamalot show being ruined. I'm surprised some of Clay's fans have not resorted to violence with them by now. I think if it is a real problem then Clay should address it by having them banned from his performances. Why he hasn't by now is a mystery.

I have a 4 day weekend from work. It is going to be a busy one. Planting some bulbs today in the new flowerbed hubby did for me. Some beautiful pink Asian lilies and some purple and yellow gladiolas. Salmon colored Daylilies, some pretty cannas and Dutch Iris. Funeral tomorrow afternoon. Then late afternoon having a cookout here for the kids. My son is now a first time home owner. He and his family are so excited. Then Sunday an early birthday lunch for me at one of my girlfriends house. That means good food and presents. Faye and I almost have a connection. Her birthday is on the 3rd and mine is the 8th. Only I think she is going on a birthday cruise. That's why she won't be doing Clay's closing night performance.

Lots of good things coming up for Clay. As far as CD promotion goes. :F_05BL17blowkiss: I wub him so much. I hope he takes pictures of himself with family and friends, in his back yard with the dogs. Then shares them with us. Does this house have a pool? If so a nice picture of him in a Speedo would do the trick for me. Oh, that reminds me, here is a couple of photoshopped visual aids for you.............I forgot who did these for me. I was joking around with the best story contest he had. That is what these pictures were about. The body in the blue trunks belonged to that Joe Millionaire guy from the first show who wasn't really rich.

This one CMSU...................

[playbiller]

Bringing over my recap from CV, where it appears that I am indexing under a psuedonom. I am FearofH2O using playbiller's computer.

On Wednesday, using the excuse of having to attend my nephew's first communion, my husband and I headed north to NJ to stay with my sister, playbiller. Somehow Thursday evening tickets to Spamalot happened to fall into my hands.

The three of us left for NYC around six in the evening which meant it took us about an hour to maneuver our way through traffic in order to get to the parking garage. Playbiller, who drove, always manages to find $10 parking in the city within walking distance of the theatre. Approaching the Schubert I could see this amazing crowd waiting to get in. It took about 15 minutes to get in unlike any of the other theatres we passed.

We had third row seats although to the right side so I was actually able to see the actor's facial expressions. I had seen Spamalot twice before in late January and had such a good time that I knew I would have to return. Both of those times I had mezzanine seats.

The fish slapping dance was so funny up close, seeing their looks of shock upon getting slapped and then their looks of bewilderment when being told they were in England not Finland. Prior to this we could see Clay hurrying into the tower to get ready for his first scene.

When Clay appeared in the window there were cheers and applause. Lots of Clay fans in the house. With the dirt on his face and the helmet on he definitely looks cherubic in this scene, like a young innocent but oh so bright boy. The conversational tone of Clay's voice in this scene was natural and inquisitive as he played with his helmet straps and gestured with his hands. I loved the nah nah nah voice, which has been described as sing songy, that he used to mock the king.

Its a strange phenomena but sitting up front makes it difficult to hear the rest of the audience's reactions, maybe that was just my ears. Despite that I did hear quite a bit of laughter and applauses for the actors throughout the show.

I saw so many changes from the earlier shows that I had seen although they may have been there all along. Clay's speaking voice seems to be much louder and probably could carry through the theatre without being miked. His singing voice was just fabulous as usual filling every corner of the room with warmth and drama. He definitely uses a different technique than when he sings pop songs. It's Sir Robin singing not Clay.

I also noticed that Clay uses his face much more to express his emotions. His rubbery face now rivals Tom's for getting laughs. I am amazed at the physical change in Clay since I saw him at Krispy Kreme in 2004. Then he was a young boy with a very slender and fragile appearance. Jerome would keep his arm around Clay as if to protect him. Now Clay is a very confident and well built man who is in control and can dominate the stage in a Broadway play.

So now Clay plays the triangle with confidence and appears to be very comfortable dancing and using his body for comedic effect. I can actually see the horse he is riding in several of the scenes. He can hula with the best of them. As the guard I thought he was smelling the ribbon as he ran it under his nose and across his lips. He uses all his senses to study that ribbon. That scene is hillarious.

I am so happy that Clay had the opportunity to be part of this amazing cast and to add his portrayal of Sir Robin as another strong part of the musical. Clay is a treasure and I have no fears of him leaving show business. It is in his blood and could no less do without it than we could as fans do without Clay.

One small thing I noticed, other than Sir Robin, was that there was a substitute for Sir Belvedere. Off in the wings I saw a man with his arms moving wildly as if signing with a level of shouting. Talking about this with playbiller we decided that he was directing Sir Belvedere from the wings.

Also spotlightlover did a good job as the monk and she came out at the finale for a bow. One of the dancers squeezed her hand as if to say good job.

I'll be going to the final show on Sunday. Hopefully there won't be too many tears. hello.gif to toni7babe and AAIT who I said hi to but didn't get a chance to talk with and couchtomato who I was happy to see again. Being with one's spouse is definitely limiting. But I'll be going to the final show Sunday night. I may have to tell those kids taking their first communion to get a move on as we have a show to see.

Mr. Fear really appreciated your kind words couchie. We have been married for thousands of years and he still has me laughing. Despite this he accepts the Clay fandom and enjoyed Spamalot twice. I doubt we would have been together so long if we did not respect each others outside interests. :8: Looking forward to meeting some more FCAers on Sunday.

[Clayzorback]

Nice recap.... Closing night is going to be so much fun. Wish I could be there, but am so thankful I did get to go once.

[Gibby]

Hey, all you FCAers heading to NY for the final weekend - have a WONDERFUL time! Safe travels!

Muski and CG - have a marvelous time together, okay?

Fear, I enjoyed your recap a great deal. I'm gonna miss these daily recaps! *sniff* At least we'll have the album promotion stuff to look forward to for awhile. I don't blame Clay for wanting a summer off at his NC house, and I like the visual of him kicking back in his yard, playing with the dogs. But I agree with the poster above who said that Clay will likely find something to do. I wouldn't be surprised if he does another UNICEF trip.

Clayzorback, that first photohopped pic is kinda yummy, but the second one? EEEEEEK!

[Clayzorback]

I know Gibby. That's Bork or whatever his name is..........Gross isn't it? Funny gross to me, though.

Have a good day all.

[luckiest1]

Faye and I almost have a connection. Her birthday is on the 3rd and mine is the 8th. Only I think she is going on a birthday cruise. That's why she won't be doing Clay's closing night performance.

How do people know this stuff? Hee. I can hardly keep up with Clay's schedule!

Lots of good things coming up for Clay. As far as CD promotion goes. :F_05BL17blowkiss: I wub him so much. I hope he takes pictures of himself with family and friends, in his back yard with the dogs. Then shares them with us. Does this house have a pool? If so a nice picture of him in a Speedo would do the trick for me.

I can't imagine Clay having a pool with his fear of water. I imagine he has a large lot with plenty of room for the dogs to run around. ETA: Probably a good thing I have images turned off at work, eh?

This day is probably going to be the longest.day.ever. I've been busy pretending to work but really taking care of some last minute arrangements....got to remember to pick up son's prescriptions after work....make sure other son has a key....help daughter plan her NC get away.....figure out if I can swing a trip to Toronto next weekend for the CD release party.....so much more fun than working!

See everyone in NYC v.v. soon! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

[Clayzorback]

Faye and I almost have a connection. Her birthday is on the 3rd and mine is the 8th. Only I think she is going on a birthday cruise. That's why she won't be doing Clay's closing night performance.

How do people know this stuff? Hee. I can hardly keep up with Clay's schedule!

Lots of good things coming up for Clay. As far as CD promotion goes. :F_05BL17blowkiss: I wub him so much. I hope he takes pictures of himself with family and friends, in his back yard with the dogs. Then shares them with us. Does this house have a pool? If so a nice picture of him in a Speedo would do the trick for me.

I can't imagine Clay having a pool with his fear of water. I imagine he has a large lot with plenty of room for the dogs to run around. ETA: Probably a good thing I have images turned off at work, eh?

This day is probably going to be the longest.day.ever. I've been busy pretending to work but really taking care of some last minute arrangements....got to remember to pick up son's prescriptions after work....make sure other son has a key....help daughter plan her NC get away.....figure out if I can swing a trip to Toronto next weekend for the CD release party.....so much more fun than working!

See everyone in NYC v.v. soon! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

She told me luckiest. That is how I know. I don't go digging around or stalking her, or anyboady else, for information on or about them.

IIRC Clay's home in LA had a pool.............

[luckiest1]

She told me luckiest. That is how I know. I don't go digging around or stalking her, or anyboady else, for information on or about them.

Cool. I didn't suggest you did, I was just joking around. I am a bit giddy today!

IIRC Clay's home in LA had a pool.............

Yep, it did, but only because Kim insisted, IIRC. Since Clay had this house in NC built for him, I would be surprised if he asked for a pool. But I could well be wrong, who knows? Doesn't really matter, maybe his mom likes pools!

[bottlecap]

Raleighwood must have a pond somewhere in the back forty, because Clay told a M&G group last summer about Jamie and him tracking down noisy bullfrogs late one night.

:image13:

Don't know about a pool...

All you lucky chickens that get to go to closing weekend - Enjoy! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

[jmh123]

Ain't no pool. Pools in NC aren't the norm, even with fancy houses. Don't know why. The pond--I think that's just a collection of water in the back, not a real pond. He could have it dug out and so forth and make it a pond. His house is built on swampland, basically. I'm sure the developers did this and that to make it safe from major flooding, but the ground's going to be wet in any low spots. I used to live round there in a trailer park but we were on a ridge.

Yeah--all y'all in NYC this weekend, have a blast. :F_05BL17blowkiss: I look forward to lots of recaps.

[Iseeme]

Good morning. And allow me to thank Clazorback for reintroducing me. Very classy and friendly post!

My friends are in the air at the moment - lucky people! Clayanne, SusanDavis and LoveofMyLife will be going to all 4 shows on the weekend and to parties after the evening shows.

I'm happy for Spot. She's given us hours and hours of enjoyment! Will be looking forward to her recap.

Hope all the FCA'ers have a great time. It is hard for Spam to come to an end. We've had so many great pictures and stories and recaps. I think Clay has gone above and beyond to make himself accessible to his fans even when tired and not feeling well. Next week we're going to be on Clay overload - a wondrous place to be! Thank God for technology and TIVO!

Is it just a rumor or is it fact that you can download the iTunes CD at midnight Monday night/Tuesday morning?

[bottlecap]

Is it just a rumor or is it fact that you can download the iTunes CD at midnight Monday night/Tuesday morning?

I have read that if you did the iTunes pre-order, they send you an e-mail with a link to download. I'm not sure how soon that arrives on Tuesday.

[luckiest1]

Is it just a rumor or is it fact that you can download the iTunes CD at midnight Monday night/Tuesday morning?

It's true if you didn't pre-order, because I did it last time. But we aren't sure when the pre-orders will be available.

[atinal]

From the CH:

Rodney Ho from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution posted his interview with Clay (interesting stuff)

Quote:

5/2: Clay Aiken interview, ratings update, song choice

By Rodney Ho | Friday, May 2, 2008, 07:51 AM

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Those Clay Aiken fans have been waiting for this since I’ve been teasing it. But his first album of originals since 2003, “On My Way Here” comes out Tuesday. (The Claymate crew will be at Manuel’s Tavern, 602 N. HIghland Ave., Atlanta, at 8;30 p.m. Monday for an album release party.)

Clay is definitely the gabby sort. I had a lengthy list of questions to ask him for my 15 minutes, including several from Clay fans I solicited. But I only got in a handful of my own before the publicist said time was up. We spoke on April 23, a couple of weeks before his final “Spamalot” show on Broadway, which is Sunday.

What’s the coolest part about doing “Spamalot”?

This deal was for 18 weeks. I really thought I was going to hate it by now. [He then compared it to school and how the third quarter is such a drag.] I’m in the third quarter. And I’m not miserable! I’m not! I’m enjoying it. This show is funny. It’s a little different every night. It’s always fresh. At the same time, the people I work with are unreal… I was worried they’d hate me. I came off a reality show! I didn’t pay my dues. i didn’t have to audition. But they’ve been warm and inviting. I’ve been thrilled. I’m not going to say I’ll shed a tear, but I’ll miss it a little bit. I’ll miss the people. I’ve made friends I’ll have for a long time.

What was the toughest part of doing Broadway?

Everything has to be precise. You can’t change anything. But the hardest thing for me the first few weeks was not looking into the audience. I’m so used to playing for the audience and looking at them. At concerts, you have a spotlight on you so you can only see the first two rows. In this show, you can see the first 15 to 20 rows. And for me, it takes energy to be another person. I think I’ve gotten it down.

But it was some work to be able to do that. The reason we did this show versus other because it was work. Most other shows were about singing, no dancing, less acdting. This one was so far out in left field. I had to learn a British accent! It took some training to go from a Southern redneck to proper British!

So do you sing much at all?

It’s comedic. The song that I do is actually a patter song. It’s spoken though they changed it in a couple of places so I sing some notes and do my thing. Still, it was a challenge to do. That’s why we chose it. I wanted to expand myself, something people wouldn’t expect. Maybe that’s why I’m not bored. It’s so different!

I saw you at Chastain last summer and yes, you interacted with the crowd a lot.

I’m constantly doing that. I stop the show to talk to people.

I remember you commenting a lot about the bugs flying around.

Forget bugs. In Asheville. N.C., we had bats! Those are rodents with wings! And the moths were so big, one flew down the tops of one of my background singers. We had a bit of fun with that!

Why has it been so long since you did a full album of originals?

The record label latched on to me doing a Christmas album. It kind of made sense. It worked beautifully for whatever reason. The truth is, we ain’t radio people. Clay Aiken and the radio don’t happen as easily as Kelly Clarkson or Chris Daughtry. They wanted me to do an album with songs they could sell on TV. Radio is like an advertisement for your album. They thought they could sell Clay Aiken songs for commercials. So I did mostly covers. It ended up being a product I liked quite a bit though there was some resistance from the fans. They call me the next Barry Manilow but at least he has his own music. I wanted stuff that was mine whether it gets played on the radio or not. We went at this saying, that’s not a priority. I don’t want to think about doing radio friendly songs.

Look-I’m not top 40. I’m not cool enough to be on there. If you walk into a nightclub and they put on Clay Aiken music, I hope they’ll run out.

How about soft rock stations?

The “lite” stations? We might have a shot there. We are trying to do AC [adult contemporary] stations. I spent five years trying to be a politician. That’s stupid. We obviously have sold enough, I’m able to be comfortable to do what we want to do. We’re fortunate to have people come to concerts without airplay. Let’s do what feels right. That’s really all that matters.

Do you think your first single “On My Way Here” can do well on radio?

The label thinks so. We never tired to find a single. We used to try to do that. We tried and tried. Nothing worked. We do things that are good for me, that sounds believable. If you saw the show the last time, I did a bit of “Sexyback.” It was totally a joke, totally tongue in cheek. If I tried to sing those songs sincerely and put it on the radio, that’d be a caricature. I know that. Give me a cool song. I start singing it, it’s not cool anymore.

What’s different about this vs. your first album?

I used to not care about lyrics. I could have sung about watermelons as long as it’s pretty. This is the first time we looked at lyrics. I wanted every single song to connect with me lyrically. Some of them are songs that don’t necessarily connect with me directly but a majority of people will experience.

We produced a very diverse sounding album. If some of these songs were sung by someone else, they might end up on Q100… Lyrically, it’s all connected.

I have time for one more question. I just saw you on ‘American Idol Rewind,’ the week you did “Grease” in that red leather jacket. Good memory or bad?

[He laughed.] That’s the one week I’ve wiped out of my memory completely! I remembered “To Love Somebody.” That was great! The truth is, the little hip thing I did. [He did a hip thrust during “Grease.”]. That’s a really good connection about what we were just talking about. That was not cool.

About the jacket - we always went shopping with a stylist and we had a budget. We can spend so much money each week. I wanted to wear stuff that looked good but not too edgy. I’m not edgy. You can’t make me look like Justin Timberlake. The stylist kept pushing me. That week, I gave in. I bought this red leather jacket. I had never spent money on clothes. I was really cheap. So I had some money stored. I spent $2,000 on that jacket and wore it. It didn’t work.

--------------

I love him.

[KAndre]

I love him so frickin' MUCH!

I'm almost sad he has matured more musically than I - I'm still just at the "sing pretty" stage.

And I'm glad he said he liked ATWD, despite "fan resistance".

"Was really cheap"? HA!

[lilyshine]

They thought they could sell Clay Aiken songs for commercials.

I find this fascinating. Don't quite know what to make of it. Maybe that's why Clive/RCA were happy with 500K. verry, verry interesting.

[Ansamcw]

LOVE CLAY!!!

great interview!!!

very interesting answers. explains ATDW a lot!!!

I love the part...I was acting like a politician the past 5 years...so I guess this means trying to pander to what everyone wants except what he wants and thats over for now...hee love that!!! So not more listening to what the fans, label and media think...just what he thinks.

And I love his reason for wanting this album...its not that he has anything against covers...he just wants to build his own body of work...

And he was pleased with ATDW but its the fans that were resistant...hee

LOVE!!!

He is his own man...totally soooo Cool!!!

[Iseeme]

What a great interview. Wow - lots of stuff came out of that one! Commercials?

So I did mostly covers. It ended up being a product I liked quite a bit though there was some resistance from the fans. They call me the next Barry Manilow but at least he has his own music. I wanted stuff that was mine whether it gets played on the radio or not. We went at this saying, that’s not a priority. I don’t want to think about doing radio friendly songs.

Whoooeeeee - I bet there are some eyes rolling elsewhere with this quote!!!!

He's really evolved into being his own person! I'm happy with that. Don't know if anyone else sees this but it seems like Clay isn't too worried or concerned about $$$. I thought he sounded like he was very happy doing what he's doing and doesn't want to be the politician anymore. You have to respect that! He knows he can make money touring. He knows he can dance and act now and I bet Broadway approaches him in the future! He's given up alot of his personal life for celebrity and now he's going to do it his way and make himself happy. That makes me smile! It also makes me think there's hope he'll be around for a long time! This is a weird analogy but remember in Learning to Sing when he said something about finally just not trying to fit in and relaxing and being himself and not worrying about it (taking mucho literary license with that paraphrasing...eep!) and that things changed for him? Maybe that's what he's doing with his career!

Yesterday after reading that crappy People review I thought about how many people in the entertainment industry DO like him and appreciate his talent. He isn't cool and he isn't hip to the shallow media......so be it!

[luckiest1]

Another interview:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?.../PKG410D6EM.DTL

POP QUIZ: Clay Aiken

Aidin Vaziri

Friday, May 2, 2008

We realize that Clay Aiken is not everyone's favorite "American Idol" runner-up. But the 29-year-old North Carolina native is the only one who sells millions of records, stars in a major Broadway show, gets to sell stuff on QVC, runs a foundation for children with disabilities and inspires fans to make homemade T-shirts that read "Clay shakes my ovaries a thousand different ways." This week, Aiken releases "On My Way Here," his first album of original material since his 2003 double-platinum debut, "Measure of a Man." We spoke to him by phone from New York a few days before he wrapped up his five-month stint in the Tony award-winning musical comedy "Spamalot."

[Iseeme]

Sitting here a little amazed. SFGate has been nothing but rude to Clay since AI. This was a pretty decent interview. But wait until they review the CD!

Clay must have been in interviews non-stop the last couple of weeks. At least we're getting some different questions and some good answers.

[bottlecap]

Q: Why do so many people hate you?

A: I have no idea why they hate me, and I sure don't have any idea why they love me. I'm completely clueless all the way around. In some ways, I'm sure, to a lot of people I represent that dorky kid in high school and middle school that everybody thought was a loser. And now there are plenty of people in the world who are bitter because that dorky kid became successful and they did not. It's kind of threatening when that nerdy guy you've been making fun of for all those years has somehow become famous.

Q: You've obviously given this some thought.

A: I've been thinking about it for a long time.

Q: Does it make you sad?

A: Ah, I don't care. Whatever. I've been around people who are too cool for me for almost 30 years now. I don't know. I don't think I'm very threatening, but I do threaten the notion that you must be good-looking and athletic and cool in order to be successful. I kind of screwed that up for some people who thought they were going to fly by.

I may be paraphrasing, but I think Clay just told the hatahs they can bite him because he's laughing all the way to the bank while they hunch over their computer screens in their tiny cubicles and their mom's basement and spew bile.

You go, Dork Boy!!! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

[ldyjocelyn]

You go, Dork Boy!!!

Thread title?

Really gotta run, but I love all these interviews! I love reading his take on a few years ago, and I love reading his take on what's going on now.

I love him.

ETA: Can someone please post the link to the Atlanta Journal Constitution article? Thanx.

[merrieeee]

Atlanta Journal

http://www.accessatlanta.com/blogs/content...ay_aiken_i.html

SFGate

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?.../PKG410D6EM.DTL

Hey 00lsee....yes I think it should!

[00lsee]

I tend to email quick kudos to journalists/writers who ask Clay original, interesting questions and who present thoughtful, intelligent interviews.

Shouldn't respectful media behavior be rewarded?

[Ansamcw]

Another interview:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?.../PKG410D6EM.DTL

POP QUIZ: Clay Aiken

Aidin Vaziri

Friday, May 2, 2008

We realize that Clay Aiken is not everyone's favorite "American Idol" runner-up. But the 29-year-old North Carolina native is the only one who sells millions of records, stars in a major Broadway show, gets to sell stuff on QVC, runs a foundation for children with disabilities and inspires fans to make homemade T-shirts that read "Clay shakes my ovaries a thousand different ways." This week, Aiken releases "On My Way Here," his first album of original material since his 2003 double-platinum debut, "Measure of a Man." We spoke to him by phone from New York a few days before he wrapped up his five-month stint in the Tony award-winning musical comedy "Spamalot."

LOOOOOVE this interview...very interesting questions...why do so many people hate you and the answer is spot on!!!!

I think that is the main difference with Clay and Buble. Clay started out looking all geeky and he is a self proclaimed geek. MB came to public attention and he already had this ratpack persona that is retro cool so people didn't start out with that image of him.