On the Eve of your First CD Release

In about ten days, Clay Aiken will release his second mainstream album, 'A Thousand Different Ways'. It is his third album, if you include his Christmas CD, 'Merry Christmas, With Love'. The Clay Nation is gearing up for it by participating in nationwide CD Release parties on the eve of the release, Monday, September 18, 2006. These parties are a grassroots initiative put together soley by the fans of Clay Aiken. Read the press release that was picked up on BusinessWire.com

So, I thought I'd revisit a journal I wrote in October, 2003, about the excitement the Clay Nation felt on the eve of Clay's first CD release.
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The Eve of your 1st CD release – part 1
Hey, Clay,

How's it going? Boy, in the next week or so, you're doing a slew of media appearances, a lot of interviews, a bunch of print articles, a PrimeTime Live special with the lovely Diane. I imagine your life is pretty crazy right about now. And to top everything off, your first CD release is just around the corner.

Are you scared? Apprehensive? Excited? Nervous? I'm all of the above. I think most of your internet fans are all of the above, too. It's not that we doubt you, far from it. It's that we want so much for you.

We want you to have the most successful debut CD release in the history of the music industry. Not too much pressure, huh?

We saw you on Nickelodeon, heck, we not only saw you, we downloaded your performances and discussed them ad naseum. Actually, Clay, not only did we tape your performances, we also taped the commercials you made promoting the event! We came to the conclusion that you looked great, you sounded great, and we loved your outfit. We loved seeing your debut of 'I Will Carry You'. We watched 'Invisible' and we waited to see if you would do a clutch, tug and yank. Nope, you did a mini clutch, but the chillrun were present so you left off the, shall we say, more mature posings of the concert moves. And that was OK. We loved you anyway.

We are waiting with anticipation for PrimeTime Live. We saw the commercials and we all thudded when you brought the rose for Diane. Heck, even Diane thudded. We love Diane. Diane is probably the most trusted reporter on the internet right about now. Certainly, she is the most beloved. We trust Diane to do right by you, even with the hard questions. We all want a private rendition of 'Moon River'. And no, Clay, you are definitely NOT a mistake.

We all read the Billboard interview. We all love Fred Bronson. We all love the fact that he asks you questions pertaining to your music, instead of the stupid interview questions you usually get. 'Angsty'. We loved that you used the word angsty. Why? Because it's an internet word. Even you know there's no such word as angsty. Have you been peeking on these boards? 'Fess up, now. If you think that Amazon.com is upset with the album title changes, you have no idea of how it affected your internet fans! Measure of a Man, no title, Clay Aiken, TBD, Measure of a Man. Geesh! You could call it "Clay Aiken sings the Phone Book' and we'll buy it.

On a serious note, no, Clay, you do not have to be perfect all the time. I know if feels as if you have to, sometimes, by reading how we dissect every little thing you do, but that's because we love you so much. Please don't alter your behavior for us, that's not what we want. We want you to be you. And, yes, we DO want to know how you are and we want the half-an-hour answer, thank you very much. Just give any one of us a call and we will be happy to hear your half-an-hour answer. Better yet, just put it in a letter to Nicmike.

As for Solitaire not being on the album, yes, the word has gotten out and some of your internet fans were upset. How did you know? 'Fess up, Aiken, you do surf these boards, don't you? We're glad your family is handling your fame well. I know you're worried about them, but if the way your mother raised you is any indication of how she raised your siblings, all of you will be just fine.

Time Magazine just published the interview and we all read it on-line. Of course, we all wanted you on the cover, but real life has to rear its ugly head and interfere with our Clay fix. There are just some things in this world that are more important than you. Yes, it's hard for us to believe, but there it is. We don't think that RCA came off too well in that interview. You, on the other hand, came across as a strong man who stands up for what he believes in. Good for you! It's about time you stand up for yourself. We love that. One RCA executive, who insisted on anonymity, cited Idol as proof that "Americans have no taste". Thank you. Clay, for standing up for Americans with no taste. We think we have taste, good taste, after all, we love you, don't we?

"You can't be paralyzed by what the public expects of you........and if you allow the television audience to program your music, you will not be on radio and you won't make mtv. And then where are you? We have to stay ahead of the curve." . Well, let's see, 'This is the Night' did not get a lot of airplay, you didn't have a video out for MTV and where did you end up? How about with the best-selling single of the last five years that went platinum in 37 days. Who does Clive think did that for you? Your television and internet fans, that's who. Yes, your music will have to evolve, every artists' music has to evolve, this is only your first CD, Geesh, Clive, give him a little time, won't you? By the way, most of us bought our CD's at Walmart. Why? Because we value a buck and we can save some money buying them at Walmart, and that was the closest store to my house, and the money saved can just go to buy even more Clay music, that's why. Duh!

The Time reporter said that pop isn't just music, it's the package. Don't they realize that there can be different kinds of packages? That most of the American public is tired of the nudity, the bad songs, the talentless singers, the down and dirty sexual innuendos that comprise music today? That someone like you is a breath of fresh air in the jaded world of music? Don't they get it? I guess not. But they will, on October 14th. "They had me in this tight little vintage T shirt and jeans and a leather jacket," . Yeah, but we liked you in that tight little vintage T shirt, the jeans and the leather jacket.

'Do not—ugh!—don't pretend that the public are a bunch of idiots! Don't pretend that you know what they want and they don't know what they want.' That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my life!" "America has shown them that they don't know what they're talking about." *Sigh* Did I ever tell you you're my hero?

The marketing department now says its strategy is to "let Clay be Clay." I wonder how much the RCA marketing department is being paid to come up with this innovative and unusual strategy, because your internet fans always knew this but did RCA ever ask us? Nooooooo.....oh, I forgot, we're the great unwashed public with no taste.

”They don't understand the reasons that someone as uncool as me is here......it's a revolution." Clay, I'm going to let you go to bed now, it's late and I'm tired, but I will leave you with this one caveat: When you start your own record company, please, oh please, name it Revolution Records


Related Tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, CD Release parties, Measure of a Man, Merry Christmas, With Love, Time, PrimeTime Live, Clive Davis, RCA