#43: Even more beautiful now, inside and out!

[jmh123]

Now let me get this straight. Clay had some of you up against the wall the other night, and he's right there waiting for me too??

[muskifest]

Now let me get this straight. Clay had some of you up against the wall the other night, and he's right there waiting for me too??

Straight?

jmh123, didn't you get the memo?

[jmh123]

Now let me get this straight. Clay had some of you up against the wall the other night, and he's right there waiting for me too??

Straight?

jmh123, didn't you get the memo?

The sexual preference of my fantasy boyfriend is irrelevant.

[txflwrgrl]

I, too, like the one's where you can see the guitarist's reactions to Clay, us, and the music. For some reason that adds extra to me.

Can someone please tell me which videos show the guitarist? I've downloaded a bunch of different ones and they are all close-ups of Clay and show almost nothing else. Which of course is a good thing, but I also love seeing the reactions that musicians have when Clay is performing and the fans are reacting. Oh boy, there was a LOT of reactions during Everything I Don't Need.

The look on his face during that song puts a big old smile on mine.

[HeidiHo]

That song meant something to Clay to sing it so movingly the way he did. Jaymes suggested it and we don't know why. We also don't know who suggested he sing it slowly that way, but he definitely felt that song

There could literally be thousands of interpretations of why he sang that particular song, why Jaymes suggested it, and why he sang it the way he did. I think it’s safe to say that Jaymes knows him very, very well and that they have a relationship with more depth than we can imagine – if she suggested it and it made him (and everyone else in the room) teary eyed, then that says to me there is likely a lot more to that story. I would KILL to know what it is. <g>

Not to belabor a point...but for him to sing RHW to those of who are still here made no sense to me...why would he be waiting for us when we are still fans? That is why for me, it makes sense that the song was for those who are still struggling or may have walked away. I tend to be rather logical in my thinking...not so much in the abstract.

Could be. That Jaymes suggested it…well, I think that she has been very valuable to him. Maybe it was therapeutic for him as well as some fans, and she knew it would be based on what they have talked about. They have a whole lot of life going on when none of us are looking, and a lot of it (most of it?) is together. She *knows* him. They may be platonic, but I am quite envious of their relationship. It makes me schmoopie. I think she may actually get the best parts of him through that relationship ( <--- this is me being completely NON-shallow). And that’s not even including Parker. Although he’s extremely valuable as well, obviously. <g>

[liney23]

Now let me get this straight. Clay had some of you up against the wall the other night, and he's right there waiting for me too??

Straight?

jmh123, didn't you get the memo?

muski.... BWAH!!!

txflwrgrl... farouche's videos show the guitar player. She only uploaded WIDTL and RHW, tho, but they're fun to watch.

[annabear]

Working, school and prepping to move are kicking my butt this week. Been popping in to read now & then, but not much time to post. My "usual" time during the day (at work) has been taken over by the training classes from hell... I'll leave it at that & rant in the job thread.

Could be. That Jaymes suggested it…well, I think that she has been very valuable to him. Maybe it was therapeutic for him as well as some fans, and she knew it would be based on what they have talked about. They have a whole lot of life going on when none of us are looking, and a lot of it (most of it?) is together. She *knows* him. They may be platonic, but I am quite envious of their relationship. It makes me schmoopie. I think she may actually get the best parts of him through that relationship ( <--- this is me being completely NON-shallow). And that’s not even including Parker. Although he’s extremely valuable as well, obviously. <g>

I quite agree & I love how you put this, Heidi. :F_05BL17blowkiss:

Thanks for sharing some about the Round Table discussion, FromClaygary. I'd love to hear more about it. I had emailed back & forth with Aron a bit in the beginning when I thought I'd be able to attend and it sounded like it was going to a great experience.

[Gibby]

I made a cd of MBlovesClay's mp3's and it is gorgeous. She must have been placed smack dab between the speakers cause the sound is verra verra niiiice! The best so far! I haven't seen all the clack yet, but toni7's is great from the side just a bit. I like hers cause you can see more of Clay, like when he gestures, etc. MB's is very good and pretty close. Jojoct's is VERY close! I understand some more have been added, so my preferences may change.

Thanks for the recommendation for the audio! There's so much fantastic clack that it's not easy to go through all of it to figure out what's best.

Scarlett's audio is gorgeous, too. I've already downloaded all of her audio to add to my Clay playlists!

annabear, good luck with your week from hell! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

[merrieeee]

I have been watching the gala on Youtube. I love that because you can see them and then decide to d/l.

I found a couple of my fave montages and they are rather poignant now!

[playbiller]

Quick interuption/totally off topic, still not caught up.

Playbills spoken for.

[jmh123]

I, too, like the one's where you can see the guitarist's reactions to Clay, us, and the music. For some reason that adds extra to me.

Can someone please tell me which videos show the guitarist? I've downloaded a bunch of different ones and they are all close-ups of Clay and show almost nothing else. Which of course is a good thing, but I also love seeing the reactions that musicians have when Clay is performing and the fans are reacting. Oh boy, there was a LOT of reactions during Everything I Don't Need.

The look on his face during that song puts a big old smile on mine.

You can see him well in the vids by farouche, and sometimes in those by Thankful4Clay.

[Karma]

Not to belabor a point...but for him to sing RHW to those of who are still here made no sense to me...why would he be waiting for us when we are still fans? That is why for me, it makes sense that the song was for those who are still struggling or may have walked away. I tend to be rather logical in my thinking...not so much in the abstract.

I got an interesting perspective on this that hadn't occurred to me...from my DH. I just had him watch RHW tonight and without saying anything other than it was the last song of the evening and got an emotional response, I asked him to watch and then tell me what he thought.

First thing he said was, that the performance was so real, so authentic. That you could tell it was motivated by something real for Clay, it was not about entertainment. (My DH is a sensitive dude.) Then when I started to suggest my guess at a reason Jaymes chose it, DH interrupted (rather enthusiastically) offering his perspective. He said that he thought that Clay was "flipping it" --that he was singing it not as the subject but the object, or in other words, that he was sorta singing it for us...from us --as though we were singing it to him. Sorta illustrating that he knows that's how those of us standing by him feel. That we're always right here, waiting for him. Truth be told, initially I didn't quite get this perspective, but the more I let it percolate, the more I kinda see it. I found it an interesting take from a male perspective in any case. (FTR, my hubby is a casual fan. Has only been to one concert -Asheville- but he does watch Clack, appreciates Clay's talent and his heart).

Anyhow, just thought I'd share that in case it resonated with anyone.

</karma trying to jump in again> *waves back to Cotton*

[Cotton]

Hi Karma!

I love it!

Flippin' It, makes more sense to me.

Cuz - I'm always Right Here Waiting . . .

for the next tour

for the next tv appearance

for the next cd

for the next Burst of Clay Funny

for the next UNICEF trip

for the next SURPRISE THAT I CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE!

for the next HAIRDO!!!

That's MY "romance"!

ETA:

What the hell am I doing up after 2 am??!!

Reading up on sinus surgery. Trying to decide what to do.

Ack!

I'm going to try to go back to bed, perchance to sleep!

[wandacleo]

For sure, I'm always right there waiting for Clay.

[Couch Tomato]

For sure, I'm always right there waiting for Clay.

AMEN sister.

He's a beautiful beautiful soul. And the message that matters is the one that each of us individually takes into our heart.

And on a seriously off topic note. I love vacations. I could seriously be a woman of leisure and never be bored. Wonder if spooky would adopt me Or winning the lotto would be nice.... casino jackpot. Any of the above works for me.

Night fca

[luckiest1]

Quoting myself from yesterday:

For me, it was first and foremost special because it has always been MY song to HIM when I hear it. I will always be here, where ever he goes and whatever he does. So he flipped it on me, and that made me a blubbering mess.

Hee, yep, sure do understand that perspective. If I was invisible...........

I crashed after House last night, I was so exhausted. Didn't make dinner, either. Bad mom. Hopefully tonight I can get with the program. It's so hard coming out of the Aiken fog!

[bottlecap]

A few pic's from last night's stagedoor, via bluenosebythesea at CB:

Green eyes and SIDEBURNS and eyelashes - OH MY!

Seriously, I didn't see the sideburns in the Gala Clack. Was it due to how his hair was styled, or did they grow in 2 days?

[jamar1700]

Hair seems shorter....

[00lsee]

Impudent. Curly. Nape. Hair.

.

.

.

Hi, Karma.

[aikim]

Good Morning Everyone,

I love the pictures from last night; I am not really a fan of the spikes, but I love natural Clay...not sure why he feels the need to "style" his hair when it looks so good natural and without all the goop! I've always been a sideburn girl and I still want to nibble on his neck!

2 Days until Clay is Roasting Matt Lauer!

39 Days until Clay's Golden Birthday!

74 Days until The Closing Night of Spamalot!

96 Days until Golfing For Inclusion!

Everyone have a great day!

Kim

[merrieeee]

What cute pics. He is just gorgeous. I love, love, love his hair short and those cheekbones....well just gah!!!

He has grown into himself very nicely!

Oh and by the way a big thank you to aikim for the calendar. I really like being reminded, every day, about what's coming up.

[FromClaygary]

Thanks for sharing some about the Round Table discussion, FromClaygary. I'd love to hear more about it. I had emailed back & forth with Aron a bit in the beginning when I thought I'd be able to attend and it sounded like it was going to a great experience.

We missed you!

The Round Table discussion~let me see if I can reach through the fog ~ centred mostly on:

1. What the Foundation is currently working on and some discussion of camps and other outreach projects that have taken place (really interesting, there was lots of stuff, I had no idea)

2. Jerry spoke about corporate outreach and the need to cultivate the corporate sponsors, and those corporations that they have reached so far, and how....also interesting, and there is so much to do here!

3. Back to Aron and a few exercises to help us interact with and meet the other people at our table, some questions for discussion; unfortunately, our table had a resident speaker whose monologue took up most of the time so I didn't personally get much from that.

4. Back to Jerry, who fielded some questions from the group re WFI, my question re RCI status in Canada, other things I found interesting but didn't retain (!).

georgiesmybaby and claylove, what have I forgotten? I wish I'd taken more notes.

5. Ben Habib then spoke and we watched his film about his and his family's struggle to include their son Samuel in the day to day world; the film centred not only on Samuel, but on others fighting the struggle and was VERY, VERY well done.

I did purchase a copy for us, and will put the website up for those interested when I've had a chance to unpack and find it!

I got an interesting perspective on this that hadn't occurred to me...from my DH. I just had him watch RHW tonight and without saying anything other than it was the last song of the evening and got an emotional response, I asked him to watch and then tell me what he thought.

First thing he said was, that the performance was so real, so authentic. That you could tell it was motivated by something real for Clay, it was not about entertainment. (My DH is a sensitive dude.) Then when I started to suggest my guess at a reason Jaymes chose it, DH interrupted (rather enthusiastically) offering his perspective. He said that he thought that Clay was "flipping it" --that he was singing it not as the subject but the object, or in other words, that he was sorta singing it for us...from us --as though we were singing it to him. Sorta illustrating that he knows that's how those of us standing by him feel. That we're always right here, waiting for him. Truth be told, initially I didn't quite get this perspective, but the more I let it percolate, the more I kinda see it. I found it an interesting take from a male perspective in any case. (FTR, my hubby is a casual fan. Has only been to one concert -Asheville- but he does watch Clack, appreciates Clay's talent and his heart).

Anyhow, just thought I'd share that in case it resonated with anyone.

I had to think about it a bit as well, but that does make sense, especially in light of his comment about it being a "thank you". Interesting.

I was so caught up in the emotion, to be honest, that I didn't care WHAT it meant~it just burned itself into my heart.

Forgot to add, heidiho, that I couldn't agree with you more about Jaymes' and Clay's relationship; I think it is truly a special one, and I am beyond thrilled that they have found one another.

[cindilu2]

It generally takes me days to recover from a Clay experience - I admire those who can jump right online and recap and discuss, but I've never been able to. Heheh, sometimes when I read recaps I wonder if I was even at the same event. All I can say is, it was a wonderous experience and I feel completely lucky to have been there. I love Clay Aiken and all he brings to my life.

I do feel the need to chime in on the Right Here Waiting discussion. I'm really not sure why there is so much question about motive/meaning, because it seems so clear to me. He said exactly why he was singing it:

In introducing the song, Clay said:

It was actually Jaymes' suggestion. You were going to get four and Jaymes added a fifth one, so thank her. <snip> We're going to add one more because Jaymes had a great suggestion that this song would be a nice little.. a nice little thank you to you for all your support both in the last five years, the last five weeks, the last five days, the last five minutes. So she said we, you know we're in a tiny little room so we'll do something a little more intimate.

To me, this is exactly what he was doing - saying thank you (to all the fans) and that he would indeed be right there waiting. Does every line of the lyric say that? No. But his arrangement, delivery, his words certainly did. I don't think that's just an interpretation on my part - he said it, and then he made me believe it.

I only have one other thought about the evening, and that is how very much he and Jaymes mean to each other. To hear him speak about her, their son, their family - if we didn't 'know' the situation, there is nothing to indicate that they are anything but a couple who love each other. Watching his face as he spoke of them, and looked at her - it just made my heart swell.

Just had to add... the mic drop at the end? I'm pretty sure that was just for me. *g*

[luckiest1]

my question re RCI status in Canada

I'd be interested in hearing anything in regards to BAF and Canada. What is RCI?

RL sucks. I much prefer my Aiken fog, so I think I'll stay here just a little bit longer.

[FromClaygary]

It generally takes me days to recover from a Clay experience - I admire those who can jump right online and recap and discuss, but I've never been able to. Heheh, sometimes when I read recaps I wonder if I was even at the same event. All I can say is, it was a wonderous experience and I feel completely lucky to have been there. I love Clay Aiken and all he brings to my life.

I do feel the need to chime in on the Right Here Waiting discussion. I'm really not sure why there is so much question about motive/meaning, because it seems so clear to me. He said exactly why he was singing it:

In introducing the song, Clay said:

It was actually Jaymes' suggestion. You were going to get four and Jaymes added a fifth one, so thank her. <snip> We're going to add one more because Jaymes had a great suggestion that this song would be a nice little.. a nice little thank you to you for all your support both in the last five years, the last five weeks, the last five days, the last five minutes. So she said we, you know we're in a tiny little room so we'll do something a little more intimate.

To me, this is exactly what he was doing - saying thank you (to all the fans) and that he would indeed be right there waiting. Does every line of the lyric say that? No. But his arrangement, delivery, his words certainly did. I don't think that's just an interpretation on my part - he said it, and then he made me believe it.

I only have one other thought about the evening, and that is how very much he and Jaymes mean to each other. To hear him speak about her, their son, their family - if we didn't 'know' the situation, there is nothing to indicate that they are anything but a couple who love each other. Watching his face as he spoke of them, and looked at her - it just made my heart swell.

Oh gosh, cindilu2, I'm glad I'm not the only one! I find it SO difficult to "recap" at any point after the experience; for the first few days I need to just hold it close to my heart and savor it. And then after that Clay-heimers or whatever sets in and it starts to be distorted by all the perspectives I hear and then my memories of it start to fade~and besides, I'm not good at expressing on a message board how deeply some of these things affect me.

I see we are of one mind about his relationship with Jaymes (not that I ever doubted); to me, there is absolutely nothing "unusual" about this family, other than perhaps in this day and age, the depth of their love for one another. Clay makes it abundantly clear that he loves and admires Jaymes. Jaymes looks at him and there is no doubt whatsoever in my mind that she loves him as well. They're thrilled to be able to share their child with one another and the world~isn't that the way it's SUPPOSED to work? The only unusual thing I see is that, sadly, for so many others it's NOT that way. It made me so happy to see, and relieved my (few) fears for him beyond measure.