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?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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

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

Clay Aiken's first album reviews

Reviews for Clay Aiken, in the past, have been all over the place, from Billboard's "Clay Aiken's "Measure of a Man" is the best pop album of 2003" to the New York Daily New's "Not since the heyday of Styx's Dennis DeYoung has pop been tormented by such an adenoidal voice. It's a tinny, nasal whine of a thing". What do I say to the New York Daily News?? Bwahahahaha! Aiken's voice tinny? Whatever the freak planet do they live on?

All the fans wanted from reviews was honesty, not over-the-top praise or criticism based on preconceived perceptions of Clay. It looks as if we finally got that review. The review that is based on the voice and the production, not on the critics prejudices.




This is by Bill Lamb from About.top40.com on Clay's single, 'Without You':

If you are unfamiliar with the song "Without You," you have not been listening to pop radio for the past 35 years. The song, written by Badfinger's Pete Ham and Tom Evans, first appeared as a Badfinger album cut on No Dice released in 1970. Idiosyncratic pop singer Harry Nilsson released a version of the song in 1971 featuring the signature piano intro that would be the standard for future recordings of "Without You." The song became a #1 hit for Nilsson and the biggest pop hit of his career. Mariah Carey took the song back into the pop charts in 1994 with a surprisingly plastic sounding interpretation.

Clay Aiken has chosen the instantly familiar tune as the lead-in for his first proper studio album in 3 years. I count myself as one of the skeptics when I first heard this would be the opening single, but "Without You" is a good choice and will tremendously please his many devoted fans while quite possibly gaining a few new converts.

The pure beauty in Aiken's voice is abundantly showcased here, and the arrangement gives a contemporary twist on the song. The mix is pleasantly propulsive and percussive which will sound great on pop radio. Mainstream pop radio should give this track a chance. It's popularity may surprise more than a few radio programmers.

Simply said, Clay Aiken's "Without You" is a triumphant return. While it would be easy to think that Harry Nilsson and Mariah Carey had wrung all the possibilities from this pop chestnut, there are some fine elements here and a bravura vocal performance.

Pros
The beauty and clarity of Clay Aiken's voice
Very nicely propulsive instrumental arrangement
The emotion is restored to this classic song
Cons
Please, enunciate - We can do without "Without 'ooo"

Then there's this review from shipwreckislandstudio, a website run by two guys in their 20's who like to talk about good music. Check them out!

I was privileged to listen to Clay's album today and I have to say he's got a winner on his hands. I was a bit put off by the idea of another covers album but he's pulled it off nicely. A classic track such as Bryan Adams "Everything I Do" which I felt couldn't be redone properly is completely retooled and sounds amazing. I'd say the best reinvented track has to be the Celine Dion song "Because You Love Me." I didn't care for the original version but Clay sped up the song and added his own flavor to it making it his own. Now when I first heard about this disc the one song that stood out to me was the Bad English song "When I See You Smile." I read some pretty harsh comments from some fans that in a nutshell said that Clay couldn't pull off this classic track. While it's not quite was redone as other songs, Clay's vocals fit perfectly and with a violin backing really allows the song to breath a bit more. To me Clay pulled this track off with no issues at all.

Honestly, I'm shocked over how good this disc turned out. 17 days to go until it's release but I'll have an album review up before it's release. Everyone is in for a real treat with this release. - Tony

So, the reviews begin. I'm not naive enough to think that Clay will get these kind of reviews forever, but these reviews are at least honest, especially the one from shipwreckedislandstudios.com. And honesty is all we ask when reviewers review albums, not sticking their own agenda in where it doesn't belong.

Related Tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, About.com, Shipwreck Island Studios.com, Billboard

Clay's promotional schedule?

Oh, the joy!

Oh, the angst!

Depending on which board you read, or which poster you read, Clay is either being mentioned all over the place or he has the worst promotion in the world. RCA is either out to destroy him, or out to make money off him.

So which is it? Idle-Wandering and ClaySpots decided to keep track of all the Clay mentions in the media that we could, just for fun. Well, it's a LOT more work than we thought it would be because you see, Clay has been all over the freaking media ever since August 01, 2006. here's list of Clay's media mentions, so far:



Clay's Promotional Schedule


07/04/06
ET: America's Favorite Stars, Clay is #5

07/17/06
OFC: Jaymes Foster confirms album title in blog

07/18/06
Oprah: Wildest Dreams episode repeats

07/22/06
Parade: new look, online poll

07/23/06
Variety.com: ATDW release date will be Sept. 19
picked up in various print and on-line sources

07/24/06
"bad bootleg" surfaces of ATD
OFC: Clay blogs about his photo shoot

07/27/06
OFC: UNICEF blog

07/28/06
OFC: Clay quotes WISYS lyrics in blog

07/31/06
OFC: Clay confirms release date in blog
Promosquad: 'ATD' & 'Suzie duet'
New Music Tipsheet: new release date

08/01/06
Promosquad: 'Without You'
ET: promo for photoshoot exclusive

08/02/06
Amazon and Barnes & Noble: ATDW listed; goes to #2 in music on Barnes & Noble
MySpace: Official Clay Aiken MySpace opens
OFC: announces MySpace
ET exclusive: photoshoot and CD

08/03/06
USA Today: front page of entertainment section with photo
hot library photo appears and is everywhere
PR Newswire.com: press release
clayaiken.com: re-done
Amazon and Barnes & Noble: ATDW goes to #1 in music
OFC: video player added

various radio stations mention upcoming CD
25,000 MySpace views

Billboard.com
MTV.com
CharlotteObserver.com
WRAL.com
E!News Online
Access Hollywood online
LiveDaily.com
TV.com
About.com

08/04/06
Regis & Kelly: CD
E! Daily10: CD

print and on-line media pick up CD story, including:
Philly.com
Music.aol.com
Entertainment Weekly Popwatch
Associated Press (Clay-Ruben rematch): this story is picked up by many, many papers and on-line sites

08/05/06
E! News Weekend: CD mention by Ryan Seacrest

news.aol.com
Washington Post
EdmuntonSun.com
The Sun/News-Myrtle Beach Online
BaltimoreSun.com
St. Louis Dispatch Online
New York Times
Soul Shine magazine
and more...

Promotionus interruptus as publicity stunt by "author" intervenes. Great quote from Clay emerges, however:

As a so-called 'celebrity' I have become used to scurrilous allegations and untruths being made about me and my work. I have always taken the path of not reacting to these matters and have accepted them as, somehow, coming with the 'job.' However, I cannot, and will not, stand by when these attacks are made on my family.

numerous on-line, print, and a few TV mentions of lawsuit, many of which also mention ATDW

08/07/06
Insider: response to lawsuit

08/08/06
OFC: hits to Clay's blog pass the 4,000,000 mark

08/09/06
Insider: poll winner

08/10/06
Insider: poll winner

08/11/06
Clay blogs that he won't be doing a Fall tour, but will be prmoting his new CD through the end of the year.

08/12/06
TV Guide and TV Land Present: The 100 Most Memorable TV Moments (repeat)

08/14/06
TV Guide on-line: Supernova blog snark
RollingStone.com blog: pans CD concept
MSNBC.com: mention in conjunction with SYTYCD

08/15/06
Kansas.com: CD
Walmart.com: first sighting of the CD cover
Walmart.com: Clay listed as a SoundCheck participant
InStyle magazine: Clay is sexist singer
American Idol magazine: article about Sandecki's AI5 appearance

08/16/06
'Without You' is confirmed as the first single
'Without You' added to Clay's MySpace

08/18/06
ET Online: Clay is sexiest crooner
The Insider: poll (artist people would most like to have perform at their weddings)
PJ Star.com: CD

08/19/06
Clay Nation Internet Block Party

08/20/06
Time of Northwest Indiana: CD
Daniel Pearson MySpace: posted a Sept. 15 Tonight Show appearance, subsequently removed
clayaiken.com: now playing 'Without You'
iFMagazine.com: snark about SuperNova
AccessAtlanta.com: mention in Kimberley Locke interview
David Foster and Friends: Clay added to performance roster
News & Observer: quotes from LTS & lawsuit filed by J. Holleman

08/21/06
OFC: Clay blogged! The CD is finished, mixed, mastered, and delivered and that he's 'chilling' for a week or so before going back to work.

Winston-Salem Journal: CD
Rueters via Yahoo.music.com: CD
Tv Guide: CD

08/22/06
clayaiken.com: CD cover picture
Sony Music Store: track listing
Insider.tv.yahoo.com: CD mention
A.V.Club.com: mention in a Conan interview
Insider: album photoshoot exclusive

08/23/06
Sony Music Store: 30 second snippets of each song on the CD are made available, later removed
Access Hollywood: poll (Clay won)
USA Today: CD release mention
Fanscape: Street Team e-mail sent to the members
Williamsport Community Center: announced Christmas Concert
Buddy TV.com: interview with Suzie McNeil - 'Without You' mention
Dollymania.net: article about Clay covering Dolly Parton's 'Here You Come Again'
BryanAdams news: paragraph on Clay covering 'Everything I Do'
GameSpot: mention of Clay in conjunction with PS2 game.
West Point Christmas Concert is confirmed
Montreal MIX 96: plays 'Without You' - confirmed by DJ via MySpace message:

(8/26: "....Do you know if your station will played his new song "without you?" "YES!! I can NOT wait! Listen to The MIX for more Clay details!!!")

08/24/06
Chicago Tribune: mention in article about another artist's bookstore appearance
Charlotte Observer: mention in article about famous North Carolina residents
entertainmentworld.us: mention in Benji Schwimmer interview
Official Fanclub: poster made available for printing for the CD Release parties
Sony Sound Advice: 2 Polls (Clay won both)
Orange County Weekly: mention in article about American Idol
Singapore CD Release: confirmation of the Singapore drop date
KISS FM, Austin, TX: DJs discuss Clay while playing 'Without You' in the background

08/25/06
clayaiken.com: confirmation of appearance on The Tonight Show, GMA, Kimmel
Official Fanclub: Second poster made available for printing for the CD Release parties
South Brunswick Post: mention of Clay in interview with young performer
Sony Music Store: offers free magnet along with purchase of ATDW
clayaiken.com: poster added to site
WRAL.com: article on the CD release
Clay's MySpace: announces the Tonight Show, GMA, and Kimmel appearances
Hits Daily Double: publishes Clay's release date
WLNK Charlotte: plays 'Without You'

08/26/06
TMZ.com: Article about the CD release
Raleigh Chronicle: article about the CD release and mentions his upcoming TV appearances
Grand Rapids Symphony: announces Christmas Concert with Clay
Yahoo.music.com: Clay's page updated
StubHub.com: mention of Clay's drawing power at concerts
E!Online.com: Clay is Mr. May in snarky calendar piece
TMZ: CD promo; 'Without You' is linked on page

08/27/06
Fanscape: 'Without You' available on Clay's page
nbc5i.com: poll - Young Celebs Still Famous in 20 Years?
Fort Worth Star Telegram: mentions Clay in conjunction with the announcement of AI series 1-4 syndicated repeats

08/28/06
newspaper/online mentions - to be filled in later

08/29/06
Insider: MySpace fan photo turns up - Clay was at Insider performing on the 24th
newspaper/online mentions - to be filled in later

08/30/06
AOL: ATDW in Fall Music Preview
Walmart: price of ATDW reduced to $9.72

radio: Providence RI DJ reports that WY has been received by lite FM sister station (oldies & new mix)
Fred Bronson: confirms that WY has gone out to radio
eBay: promo single shows up on eBay
Star 105.7: plays 1/2 of Without You, CD, and Grand Rapids Christmas appearance
Singapore: DJ says that Without You will go for adds next week
WSRS Worchester: plays Without You - 5:45 pm today - mentions CD release parties
Mediabase: Without You is listed - ready for spins
AllAccess: Clay listed under cool new music - Hot/Mod/AC
SonyMusicBox: Without You ring tone available

clayaiken.com: buddy icons available

Variety: singles out ATDW as one of the fall albums that could go #1 - describes Aiken v.s. Timberlake as a "superstar mano-a-mano battle"

more newspaper/online mentions - to be filled in later

08/31/06
Insider: poll winner
David Foster Star Search: biography and picture on web pages for gala and finale
UNICEF: Clay's page is updated to include recent fund-raising drive
more newspaper/online mentions - to be filled in later

09/01/06
radio: 'Without You' enters Mediabase combined A/C chart at #474
radio: WSRS becomes the first format starter for 'Without You'
radio: "Coast" 101.3 WHLG in Fort Pierce, Florida plays 'Without You'

FORTHCOMING:

09/05/06
Insider: Clay performs (the hair sings at last)

09/09/06
David Foster's Gala: performing

09/10/06
David Foster Star Search finale: judging

09/14/06
fan club renewal date

09/15/06
Leno

09/18/06
CD release parties: 81 parties scheduled - purchase CDs at midnight - RCA provides posters, prizes, and PR support

09/19/06
GMA

09/22/06
The View

09/26/06
Kimmel

date unknown
Walmart Soundcheck and Spotlight

guest appearances with symphonies:
12/09/06: Williamsport Pa, Community Arts Center
12/14/06: Long Island, NY, Tilles Center for the Performing Arts
12/15/06: West Point, NY, Eisenhower Hall (9/8 - tickets go on sale)
12/16/06: Red Bank, NJ, Count Basie Theater
12/19/06: Grand Rapids, MI, Devos Performance Hall

Thanks to ClayNationNews, Ms Marmalade, notacanuck, CinPA, and any others I may have missed who are keeping track of Clay's media mentions.








Related Tags: Entertainment Tonight, Oprah, Clay Aiken, Parade magazine, Variety magazine, UNICEF, Promosquad, RCA, Sony, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, USA Today, MySpace, Billboard, MTV, WRAL, E!Online, Access Hollywood, LiveDaily.com, ClayNationNews, Regis & Kelly, AOL, Associated Press, Washington Post, Baltimore Sun, Edmunton Sun, New York Times, TV Guide, Walmart, Daniel Pearson, Rueters, Sony Music Store, Bryan Adams, Dolly Parton, KISS FM, Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel, Good Morning America, Hits Daily Double, e-bay, David Foster, The View

Coming to Terms and realizing it's not about me

*Whew*

I'm done. I'm finished. I just needed a day to process that the album that Clay will release on September 19th is not the album that I wanted. But you know what? It's not about me. It's about Clay. It's about Clay and what HE wants to do. It's about Clay and what HE wants to sing. It's about Clay and what HE feels is right for him. My rant was selfish because it was about what I want. And I'm not the boss of Clay Aiken's career.

I just want so much for Clay. I feel that vocally, he is the premiere talent of his generation and I don't want that incredible talent to be shrugged off because people may put labels on what Clay has chosen to do with his career. Maybe I'm just scared that he won't get the critical acclaim that I think he deserves. And, man, oh, man, does he ever deserve it. But again, it's not about me.

This is only Clay's second mainstream album. Maybe he's taking baby steps. Maybe he's experimenting with just what that incredible voice can do. Maybe this CD will be a Tour de Force of vocal beauty. I'm just having trouble with knowing that there's very few, if any uptempo, rock-ish songs on the CD when clearly he does them so well and his fans eat it up with a spoon.

Maybe Clay doesn't think of himself as a rocker. Maybe he thinks his strengths lie in ballads. After all, he sings ballads better than anyone else in the world. As I said, it's Clay's career and I'm either on board or I quietly leave the fandom. And you know what? I ain't going anywhere. I'm here for the long haul. Clay Aiken has the talent and the charisma to keep me glued to my computer, buying his CD's, and attending his concerts forever.

I can sit here and tell myself that he's under contract to RCA and Clive made his do this CD, that Clay wanted to do something different, but you know what? I'll never know. Not unless Clay talks about it sometime in the future and I don't think he ever will. He holds his cards close to his vest and I'll never be an intimate friend of his, so all I can do is either decide to support him or get off this crazy ride that I'm on. I'm supporting Clay Aiken. I'm having too much freaking fun to do otherwise.

So.......now I'm anxious. I'm anxious to hear the CD, I'm anxious to hear what he's done with the arrangements, with his voice and I'm DYING to hear the song that Clay wrote. I don't think there's anything in this world that will make me like that Richard Marx song, even Clay, but what will he do with the Dolly Parton song? Why did he pick that? It's going to be very interesting to hear the arrangement.

And the Susie Song? The fandom calls it 'IWKWLI', or 'I Want to Know What Love Is', that's hard to type out, so, since he duets with Susie McNeil from Rock Star: INXS, I'll just call it The Susie Song. In the snippet that I heard (I heard mostly her part), she kicks all kinds of ass so I can't wait to hear the finished product.

I just needed a day to process the loss of 'Back for More' and I was really hoping to hear 'I Can't Make You Love Me' without all the screaming that happened at the concerts last summer, a studio version of that song, like he did with 'My Grownup Christmas List' on GMA last Christmas. Every time I watch that video, I cry. That song, and what Clay did with, it moves me to tears with the sheer gorgeousness of his vocal interpretation.

Clay Aiken needs to craft his career the way that makes him happy so he keeps singing to me for the rest of my life. I'm cool with that. Although he may not sing that kinds of songs that I would prefer, I can get on board with what he chooses. He hasn't disappointed me yet.

An Open Letter to Clive Davis

I'm going to take a little break from my walk down memory lane. Wouldn't you know it? Clay just had to go and release a new CD. The nerve *g*

Anyway............

Dear Clive,

You Da Man. You found Janis, you discovered Bruce. You brought Whitney to the forefront. Three of THE most influential artists in the past 50 years. Now you're working with Clay Aiken:

WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?????????????

I do not understand how you could waste the talent of the century on songs shot to hell with pabulum like the track listing on A Thousand Different Ways. The greatest voice this generation will ever hear, and you found a way to cut him off at the balls. I just don't understand how one could take a talent as great as Clay and totally screw him over by making him sing warmed-over dreck. Did you not hear him KILL on 'Back For More'? Did you not witness the throngs of people who turned that song into a concert arena anthem? Did you not notice a quarter of a million people who attended The Jukebox Tour rock out with Clay? Did you not notice his song choices, like U2's 'Where the Streets have No Name', Prince's 'When Doves Cry', 'Chain of Fools'? That boy has some green-eyed soul in him and enough rocker to satisfy the most discriminating tastes.

There's a time and a place for ballads, and a Clay CD with 50% ballads would be OK. His middle-aged fans, of which I am one, do not want bland, syrupy songs, we want rocking songs, songs that kick ass, songs that we can groove to, dance to, be on our feet for a 2-1/2 hour concert. After all, we grew up with The Beatles, The Stones, Led Zep, Zappa, Hendrix, Bruce, Bon Jovi, etc, etc, etc. Just because we've aged doesn't mean that we've lost all semblance of our musicality.

Per Clay's press release, about you: He is a man who not only knows music, but really has his finger on the pulse of what listeners want to hear

The pulse just flat-lined.

Respectfully,

A Member of the Vanilla Revolution

Stay tuned, readers. I'll get over my initial disappointment and love the CD, I'm sure, because it's Clay Freaking Aiken singing, the greatest voice I've ever heard. I just need a moment (tm Jemock) or two to digest everything.

Related Tags: Clay Aiken, Clive Davis, A Thousand Different Ways

September, 2003....oh, what a night!

Oh, what a night, late September back in 2003. What a very special time for me, I remember what a night........

As the Tour ended, it was with mixed emotions that I said good-bye to AI Clay. I loved AI Clay. LOVED! That’s where I met him, that’s where I got to know him, and that’s where I fell in love with him and that glorious voice, which had the ability to move me to places I’ve never been before. It was like a work of art that one would look at in awe of the talent that produced it. I would miss Clay being in my living room every week, and, during the tour, every night.

So I looked to the future and wondered where Clay’s talent would take him. I wondered, would the world see what I saw, what his fans saw? Would the world see the amazing talent, the down-home decency, the humor, the intelligence? I also wondered how the cut-throat music business would treat Clay. Would it eat him alive, would he adapt to the current practices, or would he define his own terms of success?

The day after the AI Tour ended, Clay appeared on The Jerry Lewis Telethon. Jerry Lewis has been airing his telethon on TV for more than 40 years. I used to watch it with my mother because she liked seeing all her favorites like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Buddy Hackett, Robert Goulet, etc. As I grew up, I watched it less because I had real life obligations, but I still try to catch a bit of it every year. So when Clay was to appear, I was glued in front of my TV set.

Clay was the last guest that of the Telethon. He must have been exhausted after the Tour, but he went on the show. I watched in anticipation with the rest of ClayNation. Jerry’s introduction was amazing, simply amazing.

"We have someone here today, from the smash hit show American Idol, we're thrilled to have him joining us today, because when it was made known that he would appear on this Telethon, the emails and the fan clubs that this young man has have sent us $30,000.00 just at the fact that he was here (applause). And I can honestly say I have never, in all of my life, seen a theatrical groundswell that this kid has motivated, that it makes us all come right back to the bobby sox and Frank. And isn't it nice to live through that magnificence again? Here is Clay Aiken" (rousing applause)!

Clay walked out, no band, just a backing track and sang ‘Bridge over Troubled Water’. It’s an understatement to say ‘he done good’. He looked and sounded amazing. Oh, by the way, the word ‘amazing’ is one that keeps popping up very often when talking about Clay. Forewarned is to be forearmed *g*.

After the song was finished, Clay took a small bow and left the stage to thunderous applause. Then something happened that pretty much astounded me. Jerry called Clay back to the stage. I don’t know where Clay was at that moment, it took him a bit of time to come back out, but he did, he walked up to Jerry and hugged him. Then Jerry started talking about Clay

"Clay Aiken! Take a bow Clay, he's gone. Clay! Take a bow young man! (Clay then comes back out onto stage, walks right over to Jerry Lewis) Jerry then says, "Hi Clay (they hug) and Clay says, "Thank you very much". Then Jerry says, "And (grabbing Clay's arm so he wont walk away) if I may just take a footnote here, you were regaled and thrilled by the loser! (Clay laughs) Cuz this for me was the winner from day one! This man!" (The two hug again) Jerry says, "Thanks Clay." And as Clay walks off stage Jerry says, "What a kid!"

**This verbiage was taken from a Beavers on Idol article by Jackie Ross. Thank you, Jackie, for saving me some time and effort *g*

Let’s take a trip back in time and re-watch this appearance:






Clay also appeared on The Miss America Show in 2003, singing ‘This is the Night’, which, in my opinion, was very apropos for the event. There was a lot of discussion on the message boards over his appearance on that show. It still boggles my mind that these supposedly smart women would parade across the stage dressed in bathing suits and bikini’s, showing, let’s be honest, tits and ass. The Miss America pageant is supposedly a ‘scholarship’ contest, then why are these women asked to parade around as if they were cows in a meat market? Or horseflesh to be looked over? I digress………..

Anyway! For the most part, Clay’s fans loved him on the show. They loved his performance and he looked really good and he sounded amazing. I understand that the contestants also liked Clay. Hee! I remember looking on the MAP site and pondering whether or not to buy a ticket for $40.00 (good seats, too), just to hear one song. In the end, I decided not to, which was fortuitous because of the hurricane that was coming up the coast. I didn’t relish driving three hours in bad weather for one song.

Let’s enjoy that performance again.





Also in September, Clay was on MTV’s TRL, and he was the cover story on Entertainment Weekly as a guilty pleasure. Clay’s been my guilty pleasure for three years and I don’t think it will ever stop. If I recall correctly, this was Clay’s second mainstream magazine cover.

I even got my ‘letter to the editor’ printed. Well, kind of. After looking at this picture I wrote:

"I have never wanted to be a dog, but looking at your pictures of Clay [kissing that puppy]...it's a dog's life for me”. Heh. They printed my name and city. I didn’t like that very much, but what can you do? I remember some other fans had their letters published and we were pretty excited by the reaction.

Clay is did a lot of radio interviews that month. He was also nominated for his first award by the American Music Association. On September 23rd, ‘Invisible’ went for radio adds.

September was an exciting time on the boards for the fans. Not only was Clay breaking away from American Idol and coming into his own, but his first CD, Measure of a Man (or MOAM as the fans dubbed it) was going to be released on October 14th and we were gearing up for the CD Release parties to be held all over the nation.

I was having the time of my life through all this. Who would have ever thought that at my age, let’s just say that I’ll never see 40 again, that I would be having so much freaking fun??? September was the month that I met my very first local Clay fan. We had met on the boards and discovered that we lived about 10-15 minutes away from each other. We decided to meet for lunch and ended up talking over pasta for more than three hours, with another hour of talk in the parking lot! To this day, she is one of my very best friends. Check out her blog, idle-wanderings. Something else that astounds me. The people that I’ve been meeting on the message boards are people that, in real life, I probably never would have met otherwise. Two of my Clay friends live about five minutes away, but we would never have met because we traveled in different circles, knew different people, and I cherish their friendships so much. Clay has always said that he wanted to make a difference. I bet he never thought that one of the ways he’s making a difference is by this fostering of friendships all over the world. Thanks, Clay.

Stay tuned……………..

I want to plug a very good website called Finding Clay Aiken. That site keeps a chronicle, or timeline, of everything Clay has done, his tours, his music, his appearances, his media, plus just links to about every Clay website on the ‘net. Check it out if you get a chance.


Related Tags: Clay Aiken, Jerry Lewis, American Idol, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Buddy Hackett, Robert Goulet, Beavers on Idol, The Miss America Pageant, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, TRL, Finding Clay Aiken, Idle Wanderings

Wow, I lost my internet access for five days due to storms in the northeast. I went crazy not being on-line.

However, after five days and thirteen phone calls to my ISP, I'm finally back up!

I'll try to upate this week-end.

*smoochies* to all ofyou!

Oh, by the way, Clay's fans have raised over $47,000.00 in 24 hours for UNICEF. Way to go, ClayNation! If anyone wants to donate, please copy and paste this URL into your internet browser and it will take you to the ClayNation page (it does not specifically say ClayNation):

http://www.unicefusa.org/site/lookup.asp?c=duLRI8O0H&b=1859535&msource=0706LClay

My Summer of Clay was coming to a close...

During the very last concert of the AI2 tour, I was sitting in front of my computer, reading about the concert from cellcert reports and feeling very sad. At that point, no one really knew what Clay would be doing, except we knew about the Jerry Lewis telethon and I think we knew about the Miss America Pageant. We also knew that the CD would be released, but what about the 6 weeks between the end of the concert and the CD drop date?

I was so used to 'seeing' Clay almost every day, or at least I knew what he was up to, that the next 6 weeks loomed heavy on my mind. Also, I had never been in a fandom before. I never knew that there was anything like it. Here was a kid quite a bit younger than me and I was obsessing over him. Well, that's a strong word, but it was a very strange feeling.

One of the things I learned in this fandom and by being on the message boards was this:

I WAS NOT ALONE!

There were actually others who felt about Clay the same way that I did. Man, that took a load off my mind, I thought I was going crazy, or reverting to my childhood or something. But finding others who were like-minded was so much fun!

Oh, yeah....fun. Let's talk about fun for a minute. I never would have guessed that at my age, I would be having so much freaking FUN!!! I was meeting people, not only across America, but across the world. I was talking on the internet to people with whom I never would have connected with in real life. We were laughing together, swooning together, crying together, celebrating together. We were starting to meet in real life over lunches and coffee and concerts. We were traveling to cities we've never visited before to see the skinny singer from North Carolina. And we were bonding. It was great.

So, there I was, in front of my computer, listening to the cellcert by reading the message boards and I started to get a bit maudlin. I wrote this that night:


Why am I sitting here, crying?

Why am I sitting here crying? Is it just because it's the last concert? Is it because I am going to miss all the reports from all the fans?

With Clay, I feel as if I have made a really good friend, the kind you make in summer camp and you think you will always be the best of friends, but distance makes the memories fade and you end up seeing them maybe once or twice a year after summer camp is over.

That's how I am feeling right now. We have known where Clay was EVERY day this summer. We know what city he was in, we knew what he was doing most of the time, either sleeping, or interviews, or singing, or meet n greets, or traveling on the bus. We were with him every step of the way.

After tonight, summer camp will be over and I find that I don't want to say goodbye to my friend, Clay. I don't want to lose that daily contact that good friends share, you know, those little things that endear a person to you? Things like:

**we always knew what he would do when he got panties thrown at him; pick them up and make a joke.

**We always knew that he did the mic jerk off the mic stand during TITN

**we always knew he would do the tugs, clutches and yanks during Invisible.

**we always knew, during GBTUSA, he put the mike down and soaked up the audience love

**We always knew that he had a special place in his heart for special needs kids and would make sure that they got attention backstage

**We always knew that Clay loves his fans and he went out of his way to be nice to us and wave to us and give autographs and take pics

On an intellectual level, I am very glad that Clay will finally get to have his own place to live, take a break from some of the crazier moments he's experienced during this summer, and even though he will kick into high gear to promote his CD, at least he will be able to have some down time and take care of himself. And I am truly happy for him, I really am.

I guess it's me I'm sad for. I am trying to be positive and realize that Clay is going forward with his life and career and so must we. But I will miss my "Summer of Clay" (thanks, Suziebird)

It's kind of like summer camp, on the last day, where you and your friends sing 'Kum By Ya', and 'I'll Never Walk Alone' and you sit and cry over fading memories and lost friendships, and you know you'll keep in touch through the occasional letter and phone call, but it will never be the same.

I will really, really miss my good friend, Clay.

The continuing saga.......

I apologize that I haven't posted the next chapter. Real life has kicked me in the face. I will try to get a new chapter on-line by the week-end. In the meantime, let's all enjoy some pretty pictures, shall we? All these are from 2003:


I was so proud of Clay when he graduated from college in December of 2003. He didn't have to continue his studies, but he chose to finish what he started, which tells me a lot about his character.




Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, 2003. That is one fine man.




This is one of my favorite pictures of Clay. The joy on his face tells the story of how much he loves performing.




December 21, 2003, Raleigh. Clay and The Bubel-Aiken Foundation held a skate with Clay day for children with and without disabilities.




Crabtree Mall in Raleigh at an appearance, I think, before the AI concert.




Clay did a series of Jingle Ball concerts in December appearing with about 10 other large acts. Every city he hit in northeast America experienced a blackout. Ahhh, the power of The Aiken.






All credit goes to the wonderful Clackgatherers without whom this fandom would be all the poorer.

....as the tour ends

As the Tour wound down and the cast made their way towards California and the last concert, I didn’t know when I would see Clay again. I was used to seeing him every single day through the eyes of the fandom and when he had a day off, we still knew basically where he was. Most of his days off, he spent going to children’s camps, visiting schools, and he even went to Washington, D.C to give a speech and meet with some politicians.

Here is what I wrote at the end of the Tour:

As the Tour ends.....

Clay, your AI Tour is coming to an end on Sunday night. It will probably be the last time you will ever perform with all the finalists, sans Josh, of American Idol 2, all at the same time. It will be a bittersweet moment for you. I ask that you do these two things for yourself.

Take a long, hard look back at how it all began:


Last September, you were just starting your Senior year at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. You probably had NO idea that you would ever audition for AI, much less get picked. You were taking classes and working with the Bubel's, going and getting along with your life.


Then Diane Bubel started to nag you, and nag you, and nag you (God Bless you, Diane Bubel). To shut her up, you agreed to audition and you didn't get picked, so you drove to Atlanta and auditioned, and lo and behold, you got picked! Nigel said he was looking for a personality, you thought you didn't have one yet. What you did have was that magnificent voice. Even Simon couldn't deny that and they decided to send you to Hollywood.


Once there, you practiced and rehearsed, Remember when your group was chosen to go through to the Top 32? Remember the look of utter delight on your face? I do. And it was magical. Then came the results of the infamous Group 2. The top three were you, Ruben, and Kim. Ruben and Kim were chosen, you ended up going home. You
thought your AI experience was over. But you were called back for the Wildcard show. What a performance you gave. The perfect song for the perfect guy. And when Ryan read the results of the popular vote, you sat there, wearing your yammy face for the 10 or so seconds it took Ryan to spit out your name, then you leaned over, and your yammy face became even yammier, if that's a word. And we loved you for it.

Now the competition started in earnest. Each week you came out and you sang your face off. Each week you got more and more votes, each week you got more and more fan mail and STILL, you wore your yammy face every Wednesday night, both for you staying in the competition and for your friends that got voted off. And we loved you for it. I'm not going to run through every song, just a highlight or two.

Neil Sedaka night. The night, you absolutely showed the world that you were no longer a contestant, but a star. That night, YOU became the star of AI, not Simon Cowell. That night, you transcended American Idol.

BeeGees night, you rocked, and even if the judges didn't like 'Grease', your fans LOVED it! We got it. We appreciated it (more to come on that).

Clay's vocals on 'Grease' were spot-on, and even though the judges didn't care for the hip shake, his fans sure did. I'm dying to know what Clay was going to say to Simon after his critique, but Ryan interrupted and we'll never know.



'To Love Somebody' is a well-loved favorite of the Clay Nation.



The Vincident, how you missed your cue and forgot a few words, how well you covered it up, the look on your face for a nano-second before jumping right back into the song, then coming back with the ultimate lounge lizard song and nailing it to perfection. Sheer nirvana.

Clay talks about the missed cue in the song 'Vincent'



Clay kills the audience with 'Mack the Knife'. He out-Bobby Darined, Bobby Darin.




Then came the Finale night. How could you top yourself? You walked out on that stage with so much self confidence, even though you may have been a tad bit nervous inside, you walked past the gospel choir, strolled up to the mike as if it were just another day at the office, and you blew us away! You. Blew. Us. Away.


The next evening is an evening I will never forget. The grace, dignity, and class that you showed on that cheesy TV show is imprinted in my heart forever. Although you may have been crying inside, you showed the world how to act in the face of adversity. You showed us the true measure of a man. And we loved you for it.

Then you did the rounds of TV, radio, and print interviews, and you revealed more about yourself than we learned on AI. We started to like you more and more, we appreciated your sense of humor, your intelligence, your wit, your gabbiness. You never shut up, do you? And your compassion for others? Did I mention how that just slays me? It gets me right in the heart every time. And we love you for it.

We followed you around on the internet, I think we knew where you were before you did. We followed every interview, every utterance, every expression. Because we love you. June 10th rolled around and we bought up as many CD's as we could afford and we watched you go gold, then platinum.

Then the AI Tour started. Yes, again, we followed you around the country, every show, every city, every performance, every word you uttered on stage, we knew about. We brought in signs, cameras, video cameras, homemade tee shirts, red panties, gifts, donations, some of us got coveted backstage passes. Most didn't. Everything we saw and heard pointed out that the AI Tour fast became The Clay Tour. And you delivered, you delivered 110%. From rising up through the floor for This is The Night, to the group numbers (yes, you CAN dance!), to your solos, culminating with the indescribable Invisible, where you gave us clutches, tugs, yanks and hips (thank you, Grease)! Yes, you finally learned how to do the Grease hip shake without being self-conscious. And we loved you for it! We have every performance of Invisible downloaded from every city in every state that you performed in. It eats up our hard drive memory, but we don't care, we love you for it.

Now that the tour is winding down, I will ask you to look ahead, though this will be a lot shorter because no one can predict the future:

For the next six weeks, you are going to be extremely busy with Jerry Lewis, to TRL, to promotional appearances, to the late night talk shows, to Miss America, to, dare we say it, a video of anything?, all culminating on October 14, 2003, the release date of your first full-length CD. Hopefully, your face will be plastered all over the place. You've expressed some doubts as to the sales of your CD. Clay, let me tell you this, just as we watched your single go gold, then platinum, we will also watch your CD go gold, then platinum, then multi-platinum. We have doubted RCA more than once, but we don't doubt you. We don't doubt that you will give us the very best of yourself and we will love you for it. Clay, we've got your back.

Oh, did I forget to mention one minor thing? It's just a little thing. Did I forget to mention The Bubel-Aiken Foundation? Did I forget to mention that you kept your word from all those many months ago, that you wanted to make a difference, and it's not necessarily how you made the difference but you wanted to be sure that you did? THAT little thing? Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention what I consider THE most important thing you've done so far. Sorry! It must have been those hip shakes during Invisible... If no one else has said this to you, Clay, I will. Good job, Clay.

You are going to have a stellar career, Clay. You are going to fly high beyond your wildest dreams. We sincerely hope that you can finally get some rest. We sincerely hope that you find a way to meld your professional life with your private life, that you find love and happiness, that you have a wonderful wife and beautiful little babies. And we will love you, always and forever.

2006: As I look back over my Clay Adventures, I have to marvel at the career he's had, so far. It seems he found a way to meld his professional life with his personal life with his move out of LA and back home to Raleigh. It seems he has found a good balance between the public Clay and the private Clay and although he hasn't yet found love or had his babies, I think his future is so bright he'll be able to achieve anything he wants.


Related Tags: Clay Aiken, American Idol, Kim Locke, Ruben Studdard, The Bubel=Aiken Foundation, Neil Sedaka, The BeeGees, WRAL, Bobby Darin, Raleigh, NC

2003....Our Summer of Clay

That first summer of Clay. What an amazing time that was. Not only were we discovering a new Clay, but Clay was discovering and exploring his new-found fame. I think, I hope that was a summer of wonderment for Clay, a summer of discovery, a summer of realizing that maybe the love that poured over him from all of his fans was something he could start to believe in. I remember seeing his face during the ‘God Bless the USA’ medley in the early concerts. He often took out his earpieces, lowered his mic, stopped singing, and just looked out over the audience. With his yammy face. As if he would never see a crowd reaction again. As if he didn’t believe it. As if absorbing it, in case it ended. He was so young during that summer, young in experience, maybe a bit naïve, and most of his fans just wanted to let him to know how much we loved him. How much we were there for him, how much we would support him.

I wrote this in the summer of 2003, towards the end of the American Idol concert tour. It encapsulates what the fandom went through that summer. Not only was it a summer of wonderment for Clay, it was a summer of wonderment for us, too.

What we did on our Summer Vacation

School was let out on May 21, 2003. That's when we all grew up, just a little. That's what disappointment can do to you, make you a little older, a little wiser. Sometimes it's hard growing up but everyone has to do it.

If you're lucky, growing up can also be a turning point in your life. Look at us. We came to these boards to commiserate with each other and what did we find? We found friends, friends that thought the same way we did, felt the same way we did and we talked, we reveled in our Clay love. We talked to each other about so many things, first and foremost, Clay Aiken, but also about personal things. Some of us became friends off the boards, friends who probably would have never met if not for Clay Aiken. Turning point, indeed.

We talked about what we were going to do this summer, for Clay, for ourselves. We pretty much agreed that we needed to watch every TV appearance and listen to every radio interview. After all, it's Clay! We agreed that when his first single was released, we would buy multiple copies and push him to #1. We did. Then Clay went to London and we missed him. We had no Clay for two weeks; it was like going through withdrawal. But we did have something to look forward to, the concerts.

July 08, 2003 was the REAL beginning of our summer vacation. St. Paul, MN, the public unveiling of Invisible, the first jersey, the first jersey tug, the first concert reports describing how he rose from the floor for This is the Night, the audience reaction, the solos of the other Idols, the group numbers, Clay's solo on To Love Somebody and Can You Feel The Love Tonight, and the indescribable Invisible. God Bless The USA, Clay holding the mic out, pulling out his ear piece to absorb the crowd as if it was his last time ever seeing this outpouring of love for him, the yammy face, the meet n greets, the backstage passes and the buses. Lord, that first concert was priceless.

So, this is my take on what we did on our summer vacation; The Year of our First Clay Concerts, sub-titled OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, what WAS that move:

Did you go to the concert, what seat do you have, I have nosebleeds, I upgraded to floor, I got first row, you're sitting near me, let's meet up at a restaurant, what are you wearing, did you make a shirt, what should my sign say, I don't know if you can take signs, can you take cameras, I'm sneaking my camera in, should we wear red, I'm wearing red shoes, do you have glowsticks, I have extra glowsticks, should we toss panties, Clay asked us to toss panties, I don't think it's a good idea, I did it! I tossed them, where are the concert reviewers, they should have been back by now, I just got back! they were awesome, Charles was really good, Ricky rocked, Julia was better than I thought, Carmen lost the wobble, Carmen got the wobble back, Caldwell was meh, Trenyce wowed the audience, Kimberley brought the house down, Ruben sounded good but not great, new song did not go over well, the screams for Clay were deafening, he rose from the floor, did you see the mic yank, he showed so much emotion, he bent his knees, he yanked, tugged and clutched! "Ruben, I got panties", Clay=Female Viagra, he winked at me, he looked right at me, he read my sign, he so knows.

I got into the meet n greet, Clay is so adorable, his freckles are wonderful, he's so cute in person, Natural!Clay!, I got his autograph, I got a picture taken with him, he hugged me, I got backstage passes, I sent Clay a gift, I sent a letter, I sent a check, he talked to everyone, who's that big guy, that's Jerome, boy did Jerome whisk Clay out of there so fast, we waved at the buses, Clay came up the hill to touch everyone's hand, I touched Clay.

Do you have pics, where are the pics, I took lots of pics, how do I get them on the computer, I uploaded my pics, all I see is a box with a red X, I wanna see the pics, OMG, those pics are great, a concert video? we have a video, must.see.video., where is the video, Gonzo & VelcroBaby can host the video, it's at the secret site, it's sideways, I got a crick in my neck watching it, someone fixed it, it's a video of Clay singing Invisible, can someone e-mail me the video, it's going to take 4 hours to download the video, @#$% dial-up, Neurox never works for me, Dot!Clay! Clay unbuttoned his shirt? OMG, we BETTER have that video.

So that's what we did on our summer vacation, we attended every single Clay concert in every city he performed it in, whether we were there or not, we still got to 'see' Clay in concert. Some of us traveled hours, some, days, some, many, many miles. We held cell-certs and loved them, we watched Clay in Raleigh on the Webcam, refreshing our screens all night and seeing nothing but a tiny dot. But we were there, watching history in the making!

That's what we did on our Summer Vacation


Picture credit belongs to the fabulous Buzztechie.

Related Tags: Clay Aiken, American Idol, Ruben Studdard, Kim Locke

The American Idol Tour....Part 1

How to describe that summer? That’s a hard one so I have to do it in two parts. Part one will be personal to me and part two will reflect what ClayNation went through. After the first concert in St. Paul, MN, we heard that a fan got video. We waited up most of the night to watch it. It was possibly two minutes long, in three parts, and it was sideways. We didn’t care. It was Clay. He sang a song called ‘Invisible’. It rocked. It was completely different Clay than any of us had seen. He wasn’t ballad-boy any more, he was Rock!Star!Clay! A lot of us watched that video with our heads cricked to the side and some turned their monitors on their side to watch. That video made me want to see Clay. You see, I had not bought a ticket in the spring, when they went on sale. I hadn’t been to a concert in 20 years. But that video. Oh, my God, that video! It made me want to see Clay in person. Really, really badly.

The very first video of Clay in concert, the three parts strung together. The very first piece of Clack. The 'OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! What WAS that move?' Watch the smile on his face after the song is over. It's priceless.



All the fans on the boards reported their concert recaps back to the message boards. As each performance was written about, each Clay sighting drooled over, the excitement kept building and building and building on the boards. We all wanted to see Clay in person. Remember, before this, we only saw him on our TV sets; now we got the chance to see him live. The guy that I invited into my living room for 14 weeks, twice each week. I loved him, I adored him, he had the best voice I had ever heard and he was so freaking cute!

As the tour progressed, the recaps got better and better and better. Two days before the Wilkes-Barre concert on 07/16/03, I casually logged onto TicketMaster.

Ticketmaster. I had never bought a ticket on-line before. This was a new experience. I was learning all sorts of new things because of Clay. What I’ve learned from Clay, so far:

• How to navigate a message board
• How to save pictures
• How to download media players
• How to download video
• How to use PayPal
• How to shop e-bay

Well, TicketMaster came through for me. I scored two second row tickets. So I took a friend and prepared for the concert.

This is my very first re-cap from my very first time seeing Clay in concert in Wilkes-Barre, PA., July 17, 2003. I was what the fandom considers an ‘angel-winger’ at the time, so the post is a bit ‘gushy’ or ‘fan-girly’, if you will.


OK, we left at 5:00 and thought it would take 1-1/2 hours, but we took the long way and we got there at 7:30. Line moved pretty quickly to get in the venue. Headed straight towards the bathroom, then to buy a program and a t-shirt. Got down to our seats just as they turned the lights off. The show started about 2 minutes later.

Charles Grigsby was amazing. He was so good and very personable and the crowd loved him. I made eye contact with him several time and we waved at each other.

Actually I made eye-contact with Charles, Ricky, Trenyce several times, and Julia, and I think, Clay, but he was looking all around!

Julia rose from understage and did excellent on 'Beautiful'. Ricky really worked the crown, got us clapping and dancing. Carmen worked the crowd, did well, (had some kick-a$$ shoes) but she doesn't have the charisma that Charlie had. She looked awesome, though. Kim Caldwell did OK. Trenyce knocked it out of the ballpark with Proud Mary.

Kim Locke was incredible! What a voice! The audience loved her! After she was finished she said something like, "you know what's next" and the audience just erupted!

Clay (be still my heart) rose from the floor to do TITN and the crowd went wild! That's when the audience rose to their feet and this tidal wave of noise just reverberated in the building! I had my red glowstick, but since I was in the second row, I didn't see very many.



Listen to the crowd. It was freaking amazxing, the emotion in that room, that night!





After seeing Clay, the rest of the concert went by in a haze. I know I was dancing and clapping and yelling, pumping my fist.

Then Clay talked a little bit, but it was hard to understand him with the crowd screaming and the sound system. Then he introduced Ruben singing Superstar.

Ruben sounded GREAT! I was very happy with the ovation and the yelling for Ruben, he really deserved it. Then they took a 20 minute intermission.

I had noticed there were 2 security guys sitting RIGHT in front of me and I was scared to throw the panties for fear I'd get kicked out, so during intermission, I went up to this bald (and really cute) security guy and said, "Look, there's this bet on Clay's message board about throwing panties and I was dared. I have this beany baby with the panties attached and a check made out to Clay's charity, could I throw them without getting into trouble?" He said, "You have to check with the guys in the suit jackets. They're Clay's personal security".

So I waited all intermission, but it seemed like Clay's personal security (I love saying that) were backstage with Clay. Just at the end of the intermission (about 5-8 minutes left), I see the bald security guy talking to Clay's personal security guy and pointing at me!

So Clay's personal security guy comes over and I tell him, "Look, there's this bet about throwing panties at Clay and since I'm no longer young and good-looking, I attached a check made out to Clay's charity. Could I toss it to him?" The security guy takes the bear, undies and check and looks at the check and says to me, "Stay right there" and leaves. He comes back about 5 minutes later and says, "Here, take these and at the end of the concert go where the security guards tell you".

YES! I got backstage passes!

OMG OMG OMG! I surprised myself and didn't flip out! I calmly put them in my purse and zippered it up and went back to enjoy the show!

They did a lot of group numbers, the Lady is a Tramp/Bootylicious was cute, the BeeGees were awesome. Clay sang To Love Somebody and he was wow, really, really good! Then some more group numbers until "Can you Feel the Love tonight. I think Clay really felt the love in that auditorium!

Then some more group numbers.

Now, the panty throwing part. I saw one pair fly from about the middle of the stage. Clay looked and giggled. Then, while he was singing, I saw about 3 or 4 more go flying. Clay's personal security had this VERY stone-faced look and started walking towards the middle, but I guess he saw that they were harmless.

Watch Clay singing 'Invisible' and be sure to listen to his audience banter!



After the song was over, Clay picked up one pair and looked at them and started giggling like a banshee! Then he looked around the floor and saw the rest and that's when he said, "I have more panties up here then you do in your drawers"! Then he picked up the Depends and carried that around for a while.

Ladies, He LOVED, absolutely LOVED the panties!

Then Ruben sang his new song and it had a good beat (Hey, I'm on Dick Clark's American Bandstand!). The crowd was into it, but no where near the way they were for Clay. The he did Flying Without Wings and got a really good response. He sounded great! He really is a good singer

Kim sang Somewhere over the Rainbow and blew the roof off the place!

Clay did Invisible and I knew all the words and was singing right along with him. It seemed a little slower than the video we all saw, he did move around the stage, but not as much as in the video. He wore a button down shirt (I think), no jersey. The crowd went CRAZY!

Then they did Imagine and GBTUSA. Clay got his 'yammy' face on during the song. During both Imagine and GBTUSA, he just held his mike down and looked out at the crowd with said yammy face and just sucked it all in! I really think he had not yet processed all the love that is out there for him!

After the show, they had about 50 of us and sent us to this room. Ricky, Charles, Kim, Kim, Julia came in a signed some autographs.

Then Clay came in. Here's the pisser part. His security only let him stay for about 3-1/2 minutes. They asked all the kids to get in front of the table and he signed autographs for them and some older people, but then they whisked him out! I was about 2 feet away and got some really good pics of him close up.



Gush part. He has the most gorgeous skin I've ever seen. It's luminous! I could see all his freckles and let me tell you, if I could have kissed everyone of them, I'd still be there! I still can't get over how beautiful his facial skin is. We did make eye contact and he smiled at me, but that's all, no Clay up close and personal for me, he only did that for the kids. I was REALLY hoping he would say something like "Where's the lady who wrote the check", but he didn't.

However, since that check went backstage to him, he does have my name, my address, and my telephone number (and my checking account number). So I console myself that he took the check off the panties and put it in his wallet to give to his Mom. Or maybe he just gave it to his 'people' to handle, but I prefer to think that my check is in his pants pocket!

I'm expecting a phone call or a nice thank you note! After all he does have my name, my address, and my phone number!

It's so nice to say that Clay has my name, my address and my phone number!

Clay has my phone number! WooHOO!

It was a great evening. You guys that are going, just have a BLAST!

I took 4 rolls of pics, but I have to get them developed so it will be a few days before I can post them. I don't know how to do it, someone tell me! I will have them put on a CD so I need help from there! And I got about 4 of Clay from 2 feet away, but I was using 800 speed film, so they may be blurry.

That's all, folks. I hope you enjoyed my story!

What I wrote that summer couldn’t capture the mood in the venues just before Clay made his first appearance. As the finalists sang their songs, one after the other, the anticipation for Clay kept growing and growing. The applause would get a little louder, our feet started to stamp on the floor a little longer, the air was filled with electricity. Once Kim Locke finished her song, the audience was about to jump out of their skin. The screams erupted, the yelling was so loud that you couldn’t hear yourself think. Then the music started. Up rose Clay on a lift from underneath the floor as the opening strains to ‘This is the Night’ began. The moment of actually seeing Clay live was an emotional experience for a lot of us. For some, it was just fun, but never in my life have I experienced anything like that. Ever. It was freaking amazing. Wonderful. Crazy. Joyous. Unreal. That first glimpse, the first time ever I saw his face, live, is indelibly etched in my mind and I feel so fortunate to have participated in the very beginning of the Clay phenomenon.

Stay tuned……………..



Related Tags: Clay Aiken, American Idol, Ruben Studdard, Kim Locke, Invisible, This is the Night, Clack, TicketMaster, PayPal, The Bubel-Aiken Foundation