#59: Forget life -- It's CLAY time!

[FearofH2O]

I love pizza and never had deep dish pizza. Enjoy a piece for me ldyj. I'll even take the calories from you.

My husband grew up in Chicago but I've never been there. I hope it's a great concert. I thought that might be why Clay was/is in NYC this week. Or perhaps he'll spend a lot of time talking, another good thing.

I'm looking forward to the Gala even though music is not the most important item in Clay's plans there. I really enjoy the entire thing even when Clay is not on the stage. I'm afraid my traveling may be limited in the future due to Mr Fear's walking problems so I'm glad there are still a few local events to go to.

[shortyjill]

I've never actually been to Chicago either but I've been through it....twice. Because of a Clay concert in Waukegan. I'm only 4 hours away and unable to go, but I know that everyone who is there will have a great time..and have some for me!

I'm not a big fan of Chicago deep dish pizza...I like New York style better. Some of the best pizza I've ever had was in that city.

[keepingfaith]

As a carb watcher, deep dish doesn't do it for me, either. A thin veggie is more to my liking.

Also, why would anyone have thought Clay was in a Starbucks when he doesn't drink coffee?

[aikim]

I live in the Chicago area...only about 45 minutes away and I am not going to the show...just can't justify the expense and too many other things going on. But I do have my Waukegan ticket for March so yay! Hope everyone has a great time.

Kim

[shortyjill]

As a carb watcher, deep dish doesn't do it for me, either. A thin veggie is more to my liking.

Also, why would anyone have thought Clay was in a Starbucks when he doesn't drink coffee?

Because they do sell a nice variety of Tazo Teas And Chai tea too. Unless you're looking at it from the allergy angle. But their baked goods and breakfast sandwiches are really good as well! I love my Starbucks..lol

aikim

[liney23]

As a carb watcher, deep dish doesn't do it for me, either. A thin veggie is more to my liking.

Also, why would anyone have thought Clay was in a Starbucks when he doesn't drink coffee?

I don't drink coffee either, shorty. I LOVE their iced chai tea latte and get it too often!

I watched the Windsor Revival ending again last night and died laughing. Go to 7:30 on Scarlett's video if you don't want to watch the whole thing. Ruben did pretty well ad-libbing on that and of course Clay's quick wit was front and center and his laughing at what happened just makes you join in. My fave after any Footloose!

[cindilu2]

As a carb watcher, deep dish doesn't do it for me, either. A thin veggie is more to my liking.

Also, why would anyone have thought Clay was in a Starbucks when he doesn't drink coffee?

I don't drink coffee either, shorty. I LOVE their iced chai tea latte and get it too often!

I watched the Windsor Revival ending again last night and died laughing. Go to 7:30 on Scarlett's video if you don't want to watch the whole thing. Ruben did pretty well ad-libbing on that and of course Clay's quick wit was front and center and his laughing at what happened just makes you join in. My fave after any Footloose!

My one and only front row concert experience (ever) was at Windsor and I literally thought I was going to pee my pants laughing at that. We could actually hear him telling Ruben what had happened (off mic). They really did handle the whole thing like two pros. Ah, good times, good times.

[jamar1700]

As a carb watcher, deep dish doesn't do it for me, either. A thin veggie is more to my liking.

Also, why would anyone have thought Clay was in a Starbucks when he doesn't drink coffee?

I don't drink coffee either, shorty. I LOVE their iced chai tea latte and get it too often!

I order a soy-chai-latte (hot or cold depending on season) when I go to either Starbucks or Crane Coffee....

& I DO drink coffee

[luckiest1]

Another Starbuck's chai tea latte lover checking in! Just ask my Clay travel buddies about my Starbuck's addiction............and I don't drink coffee.

I've never been to Chicago proper either. Merrillville twice, Hammond once, but no Chicago. So I'm very excited about it! And I haven't had deep dish pizza since I was a teenager but I'm game to try it again!

[00lsee]

Oh, and hey, keepingfaith, didja know they have Starbucks in Target?

[ldyjocelyn]

I get into a Starbucks about 6 times a year. HOWEVER -- my husband and I have an espresso machine, so we make our own! (Save money that way too!)

I love pizza, period. I like New York style (what was the name of that place across the street from Spamalot? That was divine!), but like a bit more crust than they have. Chicago pizza is basically "pizza casserole" but it's sooooooo cheesy! Love it!

Can't wait to see Clay in....heck, 3 weeks! WOW!

[keepingfaith]

As a carb watcher, deep dish doesn't do it for me, either. A thin veggie is more to my liking.

Also, why would anyone have thought Clay was in a Starbucks when he doesn't drink coffee?

Because they do sell a nice variety of Tazo Teas And Chai tea too. Unless you're looking at it from the allergy angle. But their baked goods and breakfast sandwiches are really good as well! I love my Starbucks..lol

aikim

Oh, I'm an admitted addict and Starbucks is the pusher for my drug of choice -- caffeine. I guess Clay could accompany someone to a Starbucks and get the tea. I don't see past coffee -- or a triple venti sugar-free vanilla breve latte (maybe extra-hot, depending on how anxious I am to drink it down) with a low-fat turkey bacon breakfast sandwich (in the good old days before I walked out on bread, and because the low fat with the breve is silly but I prefer the cheese on that sandwich). I wish I were drinking a latte now. I could go to the Starbucks in the grocery store ... but on second thought I'm keyed up enough waiting for Clay to come on my TV tonight. But which TV. I'm stressing over which room to watch it in. Jeeeeez, no coffee for me.

[shortyjill]

As a carb watcher, deep dish doesn't do it for me, either. A thin veggie is more to my liking.

Also, why would anyone have thought Clay was in a Starbucks when he doesn't drink coffee?

I don't drink coffee either, shorty. I LOVE their iced chai tea latte and get it too often!

I order a soy-chai-latte (hot or cold depending on season) when I go to either Starbucks or Crane Coffee....

& I DO drink coffee

See and I'm not a tea drinker OR a coffee drinker but I loooove my espresso. I have several drinks I like to order from there including raspberry and caramel mochas. And I looooove their seasonal drinks like peppermint mochas and pumpkin spice lattes....GAH! I think I'll take that gift card I have in after October first to get one.

[00lsee]

Hee! keepingfaith totally missed my little joke. Bwahaha.

...and they have bathrooms, too.

[Couch Tomato]

Starbucks. The only thing I ordered in there I had to give up when I became a diabetic - the caramel apple cider with whipped cream LOL. Oh the memories.

So somebody changed the radio station at work from easy listening oldies that has a combination of pop and r&B stuff to classic rock. It drove me freaking crazy although it's at a very low buzz. We can listen to our ipods at work but mine has bit the dust! sigh. That moves to the top of the list cuz not being about to listen to Clay or at the very least people who sing songs that Clay also sings I might not survive.

When is the Chicago concert... I hope you all have a good time and I know you will. If there was no concerts next year I'd be a bit sad I guess but there's much to look forward to!

[merrieeee]

I love Ernie! He just let Clay talk and it was so good. Not a lot we didn't already know just a lot more in depth! He said there was one song he will never sing and said his fans know which one and they have tried to get him to sing it many times.

I think it was one of his best interviews ever. He checks Twitter!!

He said he has become comfortable with his life now and doesn't mind it when he gets recognized in public.

[keepingfaith]

Pictures from my TV screen with a cellphone camera ---

[merrieeee]

Omg I loved the end!

[shortyjill]

Good god I love him. Are you working on that transcript yet, kf??

[keepingfaith]

Those were from some of the few moments when he wasn't talking. I've got a job to transcribe this one! He talked about the Idol process and said that he had been cut three times, once in Charlotte, once in Hollywood, and on the final show -- and that at the end he said, "That's it, I'm not losing anymore."

Did he think "that's it" as in "it's all over" when Idol ended? No. He couldn't predict what would happen. I understood him to say he gave it 16 weeks to see if he could have a career before going back to a job. He's not good at predicting, and has never been right about forecasting things in his career.

He thinks since he had a quick rise it took him a while to know what he wanted. At the beginning he was content to let people dictate what to record. He likes to think that after doing what he's been doing for 7 years that he's gained the respect of the people who work around him enough that, in the areas where he has a grasp on things, he's good at saying, "I want to do it this way." He's not a diva, but he's picky. Believes he is more involved in the nuts and bolts of his career than any of his peers.

His goal for every song from here on out is that it's something he loves to do live.

There was a line somewhere in the past 7 years that when he crossed it, things stopped being so GASP (he actually gasped), and became just his life.

Talked about being at the Apple store with a friend waiting in line, and he told his friend, "Look at this" and went on Twitter on his iPhone and sure enough there was a Tweet that said, "I'm standing in line next to Clay Aiken at the Apple store."

He thinks he's now the "original me." Everything is shed, he's more comfortable being himself, and saying what he wants. He has no pretense. He walked to that interview in his pajamas -- he walked right down the street in his Cinnamon Toast Crunch t-shirt. He had little pretense before, now he has none. People say aren't you going to comb your hair when he goes out.

Last words, "I am me."

That's what I remember most, but I'll get the details later. Man, he talked a lot and fast!

[shortyjill]

Last words, "I am me."

He stole that from my OFC bio!

I love that he's so comfortable with himself now. I love that he wants to be really involved with his music as well (but if only he'd write some!). Those are my favorite kind of artists. I asked some friends if they'd like to split the membership with me so I can see this interview now rather than later. It sounds like a great one!

Now...where's that pic of him in his pajamas??

[keepingfaith]

His mother always said that he was singing at 18 months. She swears by it. It didn't seem like a big deal until he had Parker who is "almost two" and is barely talking. He thinks he got his musical talent "biologically." There aren't a lot of 4 year olds who are great talents, but also aren't a lot of 4 year olds who are willing to stand up and sing for people anytime. He always loved it.

Having a child changes everything. He can't just think about himself. He has to think about how his actions affect his son. It changes most of his decisions in everything he does.

Most people who are picky in their regular jobs are called "Type A" -- in his business they are called "divas." He considers himself Type A because he is a micro-manager and likes to have control. And he's picky. He never pretends to know things he doesn't. He's quick to defer to others when it's not his expertise.

He wasn't passionate about Idol until the wild card spot and that's when he decided he really wanted it.

Ernie: Is there a time when you worry that Clay Aiken is no longer yours.

Clay: I worry about that. .... It's something that I'm aware of, and I'm aware that when I go out I still am me. So I don't know if Clay Aiken has been lost but I don't get to be off.

Choosing songs is easy for him. He chuckles when people ask him "how do you get yourself in that place to ..." and he says, "I don't know, I went and listened to my iPod and picked some songs I liked. Either that cheapens me or makes me brilliant."

Clay: There's a song on my first album I've never been comfortable with and never performed. I didn't like it and didn't like the way it was produced.

Ernie: Your fans are going to want to know which ...

Clay: Oh they are well aware of which one.

[treenuts]

He thinks he's now the "original me." Everything is shed, he's more comfortable being himself, and saying what he wants. He has no pretense. He walked to that interview in his pajamas -- he walked right down the street in his Cinnamon Toast Crunch t-shirt. He had little pretense before, now he has none. People say aren't you going to comb your hair when he goes out.

Last words, "I am me."

THIS is a big part of what I love about Clay. I know it's common practice in this fandom to kvetch about the hair and clothing choices at times.....ok, most of the time...heh....but I have never understood it because this^^is a part of him that both fascinates me and endears him to me.

Clay: There's a song on my first album I've never been comfortable with and never performed. I didn't like it and didn't like the way it was produced.

Ernie: Your fans are going to want to know which ...

Clay: Oh they are well aware of which one.

I still don't get what he's so bugged about Touch.

He has sung far more suggestive songs than that on stage as well as suggestive dancing and kissing Casey.Hmmm... So what the heck is it other than the production of the recording? Which wouldn't have anything to do with a live performance. Especially since he would just have it arranged differently anyway.

So now I have a bad cold and I guess I'll go to bed early (for me ). Even though I just spent most of my day in bed already. I feel like complete crap. Good night all and sweet dreams....about a certain sweet, talkative, sometimes unkempt and damn sexy man

[shortyjill]

Don't ask why I'm still up at an ungodly hour, but I am...but I just finished a small(ish) project and got some old-new stuff up and I'd hate to have my hard work go unseen...so here's a few wallpapers I made a couple years ago (except the Christmas one. I did that just this last year): http://shortyicons.livejournal.com/6360.html

treenuts hope you feel better soon.

I'm off to bed now too. I'm going to regret being up this late when I wake up.

[bottlecap]

Pepsi Refresh Project Link

http://www.refresheverything.com/nationalinclusionproject

From your mobile phone:

Text* 102308 to

Pepsi (73774)