The Eve of your 1st CD release – part 2

This was written just before Clay's first CD, Measure of a Man was released in October, 2003. No one knew how he'd sell, if he'd sell, and what kind of career he would have. Three years later, the interest in Clay is still rabid, still intense, and he's still a pop icon. Clay, I hope your new CD, A Thousand Different Ways, is a success beyond your wildest dreams. You deserve it.
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Hey, Clay,

How're you doing? Yes, it's that time again. Here we are, your internet fans, downloading like crazy. One of the Raleigh stations is playing your CD and we got to hear a lot of the songs a little early. The consensus? Wow, your CD is going to be HUGE! What a terrific collection of songs and what a wonderful vehicle for your amazing voice. It seems the background music is just right, not too loud and not too overpowering. We can't wait until October 14th. Of course, everyone has their different points of view on which song they like the most. One of the internet favorites is The Way. We think that will be a hit, it would certainly make a GREAT song for a movie. Actually, I don't want to talk about the songs on the CD until next week, after the official release date. Just be prepared for all of us to let you know what we think. We always do, you know?

We are also gearing up for all your appearances on TV in the next week.
It's kind of like a feeding frenzy on the boards, everyone is so excited.

The CD Release parties are in their final preparation of planning. The venues are secured, the entertainment is your music, the TVs are all set up to see you on Leno and we've been faxing our phone numbers to JoJo in hopes that we can talk to you live during the parties on his radio show. Come on, Clay, talk to us! We hear that Raleigh is going to have over 2,000 people there. Wow!

A quick re-cap of Time magazine and the reaction it got. By now, we all know that Diane Bubel told you about Operation Vanilla. By now, we all read your e-mailed response that you allowed her to share with us. Yes, we love Diane. Our reaction? First, a collective THANK YOU for FINALLY talking to your internet fans. Second, it's about time, Clay, what the heck took you so long (and how much longer will we have to wait for another e-mail from the exalted one?) Third, we all think that Operation Vanilla was the absolute single most brilliant stunt ever pulled by fans of an entertainer. EVER! It was timely, it was subtle, it was snarky, it was a classy way to get our point across. We also understand that the targeted RCA executives LOVED it, they got it. Let's hope that in the future, their remarks are a little more respectful towards you, because if not, I shudder to think of what would be next in store for them We all bow down in gratitude and awe of the PRoC'ers (that's the People's Republic of Clay) who launched and carried out the greatest come-back in the history of Clay fandom.

The PrimeTime Live interview.
Now, you know we all love Diane, we adore Diane, we worship Diane. Why? Because Diane takes care of you. Diane asks the right questions, she does not hesitate to ask the hard questions, but always in a respectful way. You were terrific on PrimeTime Live, just terrific. We learned some things that we never knew about your family life, and while you lived through some tough times, we think you are stronger for it. We are sad about everything that you've gone through but we especially admire how you seem to handle it and put it in perspective. You've stolen our hearts all over again.

Oh, and just a little side note, we do NOT think you are perfect, far from it. We hear you have a temper (and I bet the KFC person could verify that!) and even though you've used the F word, you don't like people cussing. That's cool. Oh, and the hunt is on for the person who told you that Invisible needed work. We think we know who it was and we hope you took it in the spirit it was meant to be, that the recorded version was very different than the live version. We REALLY liked the live version, but we think it's because we could watch you doing all the WMS (Weapons of Mass Seduction) moves, the clutch, the yank and the tug, combined with the hip shakes. Yeah, that's what we liked...the hip shakes. What the heck does Simon know, anyway?

We are thankful that you care enough to share your vulnerability with us. That's one of the reasons we love you so much, you open yourself up to people. That's a rare quality in a person, so thank you for that. We agree with Diane in that we don't think your skin's so thick, either. You wear your emotions on your sleeve, and that's a good thing. Clay, we think you were courageous to go on national television and speak as candidly as you did about things that are so personal to you and your family.

And we're still waiting for our private rendition of Moon River, what happened to it?
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Monday I am leaving for NYC to attend the NYC CD Release party, then head to Virgin Megastore for a listening party, grab a few hours sleep, then go to Good Morning America. What an eventful two days next week will bring. I can't wait!

Come on, Aiken, bring it on!


The second to last picture credit goes to the lovely Galrow.

Related Tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, CD Release parties, Good Morning America, PrimeTime Live, Jay Leno, Raleigh, NC, Time Magazine, Diane Bubel, Diane Sawyer, Virgin Megastores, Invisible, Moon River