#39: "The little man is healthy, happy, and as loud as his daddy"

[Couch Tomato]

Clay's songs/life/etc. I think Clay is basically a happy man who finds joy in his home and family. I do think there have been lows in the past 5 years and that his celebrity took a toll on him to a certain extent - hence the Paxil. But he's come out on the other side stronger and more comfortable with his celebrity. We can't ever underestimate the transition he went through from being a smallish-town guy to a household name in just about 6 months time. I think he's evolved quite gracifully..........

Hi Scarlett and KAndre! Please - no international scandals, k? :F_05BL17blowkiss:

don't give them any ideas... and well said.

I know where she's coming from because we had a conversation on this topic over the phone. I love both ATDW and OMWH. I'm all about introspective, moody music. I like to think about lyrics and am not that into tempo. Sure, I like some upTEMPO stuff (not to be confused with upBEAT), but it's not where I live in my tastes. ATDW had a moody quality, melancholy in parts, IMO. He even made some covers sound moodier than the originals (SSTBTHW, HYCA), and they were 2 of my favorites. OMWH sounds more hopeful, but I hear a lot of looking for something, yearning. Not in all of the tracks, certainly, but there are themes. Or at least that's what I hear. I love the songs and the emotion Clay brings to them. What cagney and I were wondering about was whether the tone of songs Clay chooses in the future, or the themes might be more joyful with Parker in his life. We've heard Clay sing some very joyful songs, but they don't seem to be what he has chosen to record for the most part.

My turn for a disclaimer (love yours, Bookwhore!):

This is just a thought, not backed up be a full assessment of everything Clay has ever sung or recorded. It is purely subjective and likely to be influenced by a perception I have of Clay that very well might not match who he actually is in his real life, because, dang it, I am not privy to that. If only....

yearning is a good word. I agree with that. I think this latest chapter in his life will have an impact on what he chooses to sing but really don't know how that will manifest itself. I think Clay will always sing "message" songs, for lack of a better word. I can't wait to find out though.

My disclaimer. I don't know shit LOL.

[duckyvee]

I think Clay will always sing "message" songs, for lack of a better word. I can't wait to find out though.

Works for me!

[Lotus]

cha cha trusty I was thinking the same thing, Lotus! I just checked a map, and it turns out Beijing is almost 2,000 km to the north!

Not impossible, but, I'd like to know the answer to that question too!!

I know that the equestrian events are taking place in Hong Kong but that's all I know.

[FromClaygary]

:F_05BL17blowkiss: Waving today from Bangor, ME...not pronounced Banger, as I've been saying it, but Bang-OR, with the emphasis on the OR. Who knew?

The American Folk Festival is on here until tomorrow, and I made plans to go down tonight (the hotel has a shuttle) but apparently someone else had other plans for me, as the shuttle left me behind. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for tomorrow, I'd love to hear some of the acts and eat some of the food, and see some of the crafts.

A demain!!

:013085001176249046:

[jmh123]

When my ex and I were divorced she took sides - mine! She's never liked his second wife and after a few glasses of wine at the holidays will usually say something to that effect - much to my chagrin and my ex's embarassment!

My disclaimer. I don't know shit LOL.

Duckyvee's was impressive too. But I lost the quote. Copy, paste, here it is:

This is just a thought, not backed up by a full assessment of everything Clay has ever sung or recorded. It is purely subjective and likely to be influenced by a perception I have of Clay that very well might not match who he actually is in his real life, because, dang it, I am not privy to that. If only....

Sorry you got left behind, FromClaygary. Sounds like it would've been fun!

[cagney1950]

couch tomato, I was just smiling to myself at how my original question morphed a bit and then you called it. I let out a laugh out loud when I read your comment and my DH asked what was so funny.

Duckyvee did a better job saying what I was trying to say in the beginning.

Really enjoyed reading all of your thoughts. Like duckyvee said, I love a good discussion and Clay is one of my favorite topics.

[strummer6]

Usually a lurker here, but ldyj's topic of favorite interviews and then the mention of radio interviews - well, that's one of my Clay addictions. I have a Shuffle just for these files. So I give my humble recommendations. I'm a little late on the topic, so forgive me, but if you haven't heard these - you should!

NY Z100, 5/27/03 (Bathroom skit and SNL stuff, like talking about the pastie promo.)

IndyRadioNow93.1_SantaSlam_WankandOBrien12/12/03 (He was sick, but very, very cute. My personal favorite. Plus it has full-on Clay belly laughs. It's 40 minutes long.)

SteveandDC_04/12/04 (Sang I'll Fly Away with one of the DJs)

Matt and Ramona, 08/08/03 (The tug reading from the boards and hmmm, now Parker's birthday!)

WRALFMMix105, 08/06/03

JoanHammond, NY_WOR7, 11/18/2004 (More serious, but she's so darn respectful. The topic is LTS.)

Memphis_Jemock, 11/10/03 (It's just fun now knowing Jemock was a caller.)

My radio folder has 276 files (though some are duplicates when parts were combined to make one big file. And I didn't delete the parts.)

And I'll leave it at that. Yes, most of these are from the early days, but he was having so much fun. Everytime I hear the Indy Santa Slam and he asks, complete with stuffy nose, "Where's BoBo?", talks about the Raleigh Xmas parade ("It was fun!") or his reaction to the favorite fruit question because a fan wanted to create a dessert for him (he said grapes), the fan who flew in from Singapore but told her parents she was going to Canada to see relatives (he offers to give her a note after scolding her for misbehaving) I get all warm and happy inside. These are my cheer-me-uppers. I miss radio interview Clay.

Iseeme - So sorry to hear about your MIL. Sounds like she was a wonderful woman.

Scarlett and KAndre - have a great time. Um ... am I to understand that Scarlett has a hard time keeping her clothes on? Heh. (Though one assumes this will not be an issue at the giant Buddha.)

Upbeat love songs? Oh, there are lots, from early Neil Diamond (Cherry, Cherry), The Beatles (see first three albums), Bowie's Heroes, Clapton's Easy Now, through to alt rock - Alice in Chains Heaven Beside You, Adema's So Fortunate, Beck's Think I'm in Love (great song), mainstream stuff like The Finn Brothers Luckiest Man Alive (the guys from Crowded House), Son's Gonna Rise by Citizen Cope w/Santana ... yes, I could do this all night with an open iTunes. But I won't. I promise.

This post brought to you by the parenthesis.

*waves* to ladyj

Back to lurking. Have a good night, y'all! :clay:

[muskifest]

Hi! Did y'all miss me?

Anyhoo...we got a flat tire before we even got to our first stop! Luckily, we were in the right lane a nd near an exit so we could get off onto a shoulder safely. Hubby and I changed it pretty fast and we were on our way again. So far, so good.

However....I tell you one thing---it's past time to share a hotel room with two teenagers. Oy. The 13 year old wants to watch the Jonas Brothers on tv and the 17 year old won't get out of the bathroom or away from the mirror. THe past two nights we've had to share a room, but from now on we have two rooms--one for the grown ups and another for the rugrats. Yippee!

So glad to know that KAndre and Scarlett finally made it safely to Hong Kong! Whew! Hubby and I were there back in 1988 and had lots of fun, although we were ready to go when we did. Like Tokyo, a little of such busy, crowded, noisy place goes a long way for us.

Oh, and my laptop is sitting in its protective case on my dining room table back home. Shit. Can't believe I forgot it. Wait. Yes, I can. My DH brought his, though, so even though it's a lowly Dell and not my lovely Mac, it'll do in a pinch.

Just wanted to drop in and say "HEY!" and by the way, count me in for a pin, fo' sho'...and I'm with CG--we MUST have another "Doing Clay Aiken" pin! Something like

"Doing Clay on Broadway--AGAIN! (and again and again...heh)"

THat's too many words? oh...okay...well, you get my drift, I'm sure.

TOmorrow the family's going to bop around San Diego--do some touristy things with the kids since it's their first time here. We went to Old Town tonight and had fun at a Mexican restaurant. A couple of guys serenaded Carrie, singing and playing their guitars. She was so cute and embarrassed. I bought a really cute dress --spaghetti straps, beautiful blue---for Alex...I took it in the store and asked the guy if there was a place to try on things. He said no and asked what size I was holding. I said, "It says 'one size'." He looked me over and then said, "Oh, I think you might want to try the 'plus' size."

I said, "It's for HER. I KNOW I'd need a larger size for ME." :italianflick:

I have to admit that on the way back to the motel I got sorta down about it...let it get to me...wished I could go through life without worrying about all that shit....then I thought

I'm on vacation!

Later, friends! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

[atinal]

I'm loving all the disclaimer statements, what a hoot.

Iseeme, sorry to hear about your MIL.

I'm so glad that KAndre and Scarlett made their Hong Kong destination without too much more disruption. Please keep your travel journals coming girls, I really enjoy reading them. While I'm reading along about your adventures, I can't help but shake my head and smile, just thinking of a couple of Clay fans traveling half way around the world together, just because they wanted to. How cool is that?

Keepingfaith, I'll see what I can do about a OMWH keychain

[luckiest1]

I do think the choice of songs is very much influenced by the type of singer Clay is ....with his range and intensity, I think there is a tendency to choose songs that are more intense and emotional.

Yeah, that. I think he takes recording pretty seriously, too. In concert, he is able to goof around more and do things 'just for fun'.

:F_05BL17blowkiss: Waving today from Bangor, ME...not pronounced Banger, as I've been saying it, but Bang-OR, with the emphasis on the OR. Who knew?

Oooh, another place I've always wanted to visit, but never been to (although, apparently I've been pronouncing it right in my head all this time!) Take some pictures for me if you are so inclined!

[aikim]

Good Morning Everyone,

26 Days until "Spam, Wonderful, Spam"

34 Days until Clay is Partying with Paula!

55 Days until The BAF Gala!

Everyone have a great DAY!

Kim

[cagney1950]

Strummer 6, thank you for bringing over all of those interview suggestions. I wish i were more organized. Somewhere on the harddrive of at least three computers now...

I also wanted to mention two other radio/tv interviews and a print one as well.

There was an interview within the last year on the Public Radio station in New York by a Leo somebody where he talked about his Unicef travels...he may have just gotten back from Afganistan...A long, well-conducted interview...loved it.

Also the tv interview in the OMWH promotion from Baltimore. Middle-aged gentlemen. They seemed so genuinely impressed with Clay, I loved it.

The print interview was one from Fly magazine, actually from my hometown in Lancaster, PA. I think this was just before he appeared in Reading for his birthday for the JNT05. The interview opened up with a statement that Clay is the same goofy guy he was three years ago and that there was something comforting about this. This publication focusses more on trendy acts and a young crowd. This was also the interview where clay likened turd stirrers to gnats up his nose. I felt this was one of the more substantive print interviews done with Clay at the time and the tone was respectful.

[keepingfaith]

I'll see what I can do about a OMWH keychain

You are too cool for any skool atinal! Are you going to see The Eagles on this tour? They are playing two blocks from where I work, but I'm going to be out of town exactly then, on a long planned trek to pick up my aged aunt and bring her here to visit my parents. Timing is everything -- or nothing in this case. Pooh.

Now, I have another Walmart confession with a silvery lining somewhat. I go to that God-forsaken place every few weeks to pick up cans of sugar-free whipped cream. Now, I have made every effort to get Randall's and HEB to carry this product, but they sent their regrets, so I'm stuck with WallyWorld. And, I check the CDs as a matter of conditioning at this point. The last time there I was disappointed that there was nothing in front of the Clay Aiken name card; however, I found one ATDW and two OMWHs in the wrong spots in the A's and replaced them. The first thing I noticed yesterday was the entire CD/DVD section was rearranged and there is now only one aisle for CDs. It had been extremely condensed, to say the least. So I was mucho happy to see that Clay's CDs were freshly stocked and there were 2 MOAMs, 2 ATDWs, and 10 OMWHs.

Yes, I bought one, and yes, I needed it.

{{{iseeme}}} I understand your situation with your MIL completely. I was close to my first husband's family and never divorced them. They lived in Dallas, and I was invited to many functions at their home when they called me first so that if I could attend they wouldn't invite their son. The stories are long and mostly hilarious, but my former MIL and I were close until we lost her rather quickly to the ravages of a vicious case of Parkinson's when she was 63.

KAndre and Scarlett -- thinking about you!

[ToldForThis]

Have no idea where my mind was this morning;! :lmaosmiley-1:

Kim

bwah at least you know your countdown is read!! That is too funny.

My idea is that we all rent that bus and take 2 months off from work and follow Clay around on his next tour, maintaining 100 feet distance so we can't be arrested for stalking.

Did I used to think Dirty Dancing was good. Geesh, it's sooooo cheesy..and not the good kind.

Now, that sounds like fun. I may be old, but "I'm Not Dead Yet".

[Bookwhore]

TOmorrow the family's going to bop around San Diego--do some touristy things with the kids since it's their first time here. We went to Old Town tonight and had fun at a Mexican restaurant. A couple of guys serenaded Carrie, singing and playing their guitars. She was so cute and embarrassed. I bought a really cute dress --spaghetti straps, beautiful blue---for Alex...I took it in the store and asked the guy if there was a place to try on things. He said no and asked what size I was holding. I said, "It says 'one size'." He looked me over and then said, "Oh, I think you might want to try the 'plus' size."

I said, "It's for HER. I KNOW I'd need a larger size for ME." :italianflick:

I have to admit that on the way back to the motel I got sorta down about it...let it get to me...wished I could go through life without worrying about all that shit....then I thought

Dang muski, I know this was probably distressing for you, but doggone it's funny in the retelling. A few years back our office hired someone to come in and give free chair massages. I was wearing a loose sundress and the lady looked me over and said, "I'm sorry, we can't give massages to pregnant women." I thought, " :finger: " I didn't know whether to be insulted because she was telling me I was fat, or whether to be flattered that she thought I was young enough to be of childbearing age. At least she didn't say "Aren't you kind of old to be pregnant?"

Have fun in San Diego! It's one of my favorite places to vacation. So much to do and see, and perfect climate to boot.

[aikim]

Have no idea where my mind was this morning;! :lmaosmiley-1:

Kim

bwah at least you know your countdown is read!! That is too funny.

My idea is that we all rent that bus and take 2 months off from work and follow Clay around on his next tour, maintaining 100 feet distance so we can't be arrested for stalking.

Did I used to think Dirty Dancing was good. Geesh, it's sooooo cheesy..and not the good kind.

Now, that sounds like fun. I may be old, but "I'm Not Dead Yet".

Sounds like fun to me too! I post the countdown over at CV and not one person noticed the typo...either they are not reading them or not paying attention!

Kim

[claytonic]

[

Jamar...

I, also, think Clay is a naturally optimistic person, even tho that has been tried tremendously since Idol. He has so much fun on tour and in Spamalot. It must be harder to find happy songs maybe, or they just didn't fit the albums.

I do think there is a lot of hope in many of his song and I remember when he signed his autographs, Love, Happiness, and HOPE. I loved that!

There is no question in my mind that Clay is a very positive person, the glass-half-FULL type of person. Too many people think of children with special needs as "oh dear, they won't be able to do this and that... etc". Rather, Clay said he was excited about what possibilities there were for them, i.e. he didn't dwell about what they couldn't do but what they COULD do. Clay's words had a massive impact on me, not just because he said them but because he LIVED them. He was still a very young man when he worked with special children, including Mike Bubel, and when he founded the BAF. It was Clay's musical talent that first drew me to him, but it was his character and integrity that has made me want to know more about what is inside his head. This is why I wanted so much for Clay to write songs, not for "voyeuristic" reasons but rather to hear more of his gentle wisdom that can live forever in a song. To me, Imagine is the most powerful song ever written because of the lyrics, as idealistic as they are, they hit the core about what's truly important.. It's a timeless song, as are all songs that strike a chord with people who are deep thinkers and who say "why not?", rather than just "why?".

Well, that's a long way around in trying to agree that Clay is most definitely a shining light of hope. Nothing angers me more than to read some of the trash that is written about him, yet the way I get over it is to feel compassion for these people who must truly be very unhappy people, because people with a happy heart don't fabricate hurtful gossip. They are too busy spreading their happiness.

ETA: annabear, that second pic of your cat is an absolute HOOT! LOVE IT!

[luckiest1]

I treated myself to Rachel Ray, the most recent Leno and the most recent Kimmel interviews this morning. Man, I love to listen to him talk. I'd love it if he did some interviews for the next installment of Spamalot. Speaking of which, luckiestdaughter went to see the London West End version of the show last week. They sat front row centre, and ld raved about the king, played by Sanjeev Bhaskar. He naturally has a British accent, but at one point in the play (she can't remember the exact scene) he put on an Indian accent and cracked not only himself but other members of the cast up, as well. She felt that other than him, the characters, for the most part, just said their lines straight, almost as if they were reading a script, with none of the playfulness, exaggeration and ad-libbing that we got used to seeing in NYC. She thought the LOTL character was too old for the part. She also felt that Sir Robin was nowhere close to Clay's level of acting, but she admits, she could be biased.

So, is it Sept 19th yet? I can't wait!

[keepingfaith]

I love the Prime Time Live interview with Diane Sawyer. And, it's always stayed with me that Clay said he was not an optimist in that interview. He's a realist. To me, he's a passionate person who can be a silly prankster while committedly serious about the things he values.

Now for my favorite YouTube right now, the Stay At Home Dad Rap:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8wCmrnAyXA

[FromClaygary]

:F_05BL17blowkiss: Waving today from Bangor, ME...not pronounced Banger, as I've been saying it, but Bang-OR, with the emphasis on the OR. Who knew?

Oooh, another place I've always wanted to visit, but never been to (although, apparently I've been pronouncing it right in my head all this time!) Take some pictures for me if you are so inclined!

Oh, you know me better than that! The more appropriate question might be, would you be able to STOP me from taking pictures and showing them to everyone?

Anything in particular?

[

Jamar...

I, also, think Clay is a naturally optimistic person, even tho that has been tried tremendously since Idol. He has so much fun on tour and in Spamalot. It must be harder to find happy songs maybe, or they just didn't fit the albums.

I do think there is a lot of hope in many of his song and I remember when he signed his autographs, Love, Happiness, and HOPE. I loved that!

There is no question in my mind that Clay is a very positive person, the glass-half-FULL type of person. Too many people think of children with special needs as "oh dear, they won't be able to do this and that... etc". Rather, Clay said he was excited about what possibilities there were for them, i.e. he didn't dwell about what they couldn't do but what they COULD do. Clay's words had a massive impact on me, not just because he said them but because he LIVED them. He was still a very young man when he worked with special children, including Mike Bubel, and when he founded the BAF. It was Clay's musical talent that first drew me to him, but it was his character and integrity that has made me want to know more about what is inside his head. This is why I wanted so much for Clay to write songs, not for "voyeuristic" reasons but rather to hear more of his gentle wisdom that can live forever in a song. To me, Imagine is the most powerful song ever written because of the lyrics, as idealistic as they are, they hit the core about what's truly important.. It's a timeless song, as are all songs that strike a chord with people who are deep thinkers and who say "why not?", rather than just "why?".

Claytonic, I absolutely agree with you, and beautifully put!!

I'm off to try again for the Folk Festival shuttle in 15 minutes or so....wish me luck!

[HeidiHo]

Sorry to hear about your MIL, Iseeme. Sounds like she had a long, full life.

Favorite Clay interview? I can't pick anything "favorite" when it comes to Clay. I love what I like and I'm just meh about stuff that I don't love. <g> If that makes any sense at all.

[claytonic]

I love the Prime Time Live interview with Diane Sawyer. And, it's always stayed with me that Clay said he was not an optimist in that interview. He's a realist. To me, he's a passionate person who can be a silly prankster while committedly serious about the things he values.

Now for my favorite YouTube right now, the Stay At Home Dad Rap:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8wCmrnAyXA

Well, I'd say he's an optimistic realist... because I doubt he'd bring a child into this troubled world unless he felt optimistic about the future. Most people don't think about the state of the world when they have children, but I don't think Clay would be so blase about such an important decision.

[Gibby]

I love the Prime Time Live interview with Diane Sawyer. And, it's always stayed with me that Clay said he was not an optimist in that interview. He's a realist. To me, he's a passionate person who can be a silly prankster while committedly serious about the things he values.

Now for my favorite YouTube right now, the Stay At Home Dad Rap:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8wCmrnAyXA

What a great rap! Hopefully a lot of stay at home Dads will see this and take pride in what they're doing!

[Bookwhore]

My favorite Clay interview was the Shoewhore interview. He'd gone back to Raleigh towards the end of AI2 and was being interviewed on the radio. They asked him how HOllywood had changed him and he was saying that when he left NC he had two pairs of shoes - brown and black. Since he'd been in California he'd bought 12 or 13 pairs of shoes and said, "I've become a shoewhore". And he whispered it like it was a dirty word and asked if he could say that on the radio. They all were laughing and teasing him. It just makes me grin to hear it.

Um, can you guess where the idea for my screen name came from?

ETA: Well crap. Can someone fix my tags? I can never make the tags work on this board.

fixed... (couchie)

[Couch Tomato]

I'm a new auntie!! My sister and her famly got puppy which is just the cutest little thing. I went over their all blase but man did she turn me around. I'm most worried for my mom who went from no we can't keep her cuz we aren't allowed pets to ooh we can kieep her, she's so quiet, you bringing her over tomorrow. And the kids have never been so quiet, just staring at her every move. wonder how long before it turns to IT'S HIS TURN TO FEED HER. lol

I can't believe that NBC shows beach vollyball in prmetime while I have to stay up until 1:30 to watch the USA and Spain in a very highly competitive (where's my pepto) and fun gold medal basketball game. Go USA! Whoo hooo. It took me 20 years but I finally bought into everybody else is sending their professional players so it's fine that we send ours. I can't believe it mattered to me that they win..hell for half of these olympics I was rooting for Korea to hear OMWH hee.

Back to lurking. Have a good night, y'all! :clay:

waves to Strummer. Nice to see you. I have all of Clay's interviews on my ipod.... I absolutely adore listening to him speak.

TOmorrow the family's going to bop around San Diego--do some touristy things with the kids since it's their first time here. We went to Old Town tonight and had fun at a Mexican restaurant. A couple of guys serenaded Carrie, singing and playing their guitars. She was so cute and embarrassed. I bought a really cute dress --spaghetti straps, beautiful blue---for Alex...I took it in the store and asked the guy if there was a place to try on things. He said no and asked what size I was holding. I said, "It says 'one size'." He looked me over and then said, "Oh, I think you might want to try the 'plus' size."

I said, "It's for HER. I KNOW I'd need a larger size for ME." :italianflick:

bwahA!

And I can't believe you left your laptop at home. And smart move giving the girls their own room. My neice and nephew own the tv when they come over here and if I never see Sponge again it will be too soon. But yeah Sponge AND Hannah are way more tolerable than the Jonas Brothers.

I'm loving all the disclaimer statements, what a hoot.

me too

Everyone have a great DAY!

Kim

whew! heee

There was an interview within the last year on the Public Radio station in New York by a Leo somebody where he talked about his Unicef travels...he may have just gotten back from Afganistan...A long, well-conducted interview...loved it.

oooh yeah I remember that. I think I may need to add the few later interviews that he's done

"I'm sorry, we can't give massages to pregnant women." I thought, " :finger: " I didn't know whether to be insulted because she was telling me I was fat, or whether to be flattered that she thought I was young enough to be of childbearing age.

heee yeah I've had that a time or two..mostly from kids who you can't kill.

ETA: I love the commercial they show of the men's basketball team with Marvin Gaye singing the national anthem. I remember clearly to this day watching him sing it before the Laker game and getting chills. I love his version!