Clay Aiken likes to tour. Since 2003, he's toured eight times and, in less than a week, is about to embark on his ninth tour:
2003 American Idol Tour
2003 Jingle Bell Balls
2004 Independent Tour
2004 Not a Tour
2004 Joyful Noise Tour
2005 Jukebox Tour
2005 Joyful Noise Tour II
2006 Joyful noise Tour III
2007 Hard Rock and a Soft Place Tour
Clay's a tourin' fool! And why not? His fans love him, he makes a lot of money on tour, he's one of the best live entertainers in the world, and, in his own words, "Singing is the single most joyous thing a person can do".
Before the tour starts, I thought I'd take a look back at Clay's previous tours. Let's take a trip down memory lane.
2003. The American Idol Tour. The excitement in the venues was like this giant ball of energy. As we enjoyed the other performers, it was Clay that we were waiting to see. As it came closer to his first song, the energy started in the back of the venue and rolled forward, gathering momentum from the fans until we were bursting with excitement. It was almost like the venue was rumbling or vibrating. Clay was so excited to be returning home to Raleigh he just about jumped out of his skin. Then that spikey head arose from the floor....
In December, 2003, Clay was a part of the Jingle Ball, a traveling minstrel show of pop stars and wanna-be's. He sang only a few songs to a backing track. Listen to 'Invisible' from Tacoma by Olyrose.....
Clay's very first solo tour, wasn't. It was a co-headlining tour with Kelly Clarkson. When both fandoms heard about it, none were too happy, they wanted their idol to share the stage with no one, but, in the end, it worked out very well. They sold out almost all the venues and each played an hour, alternating who opened and who closed. Clay choose 'Kyrie' to open his portion of the show, and what a freaking entrance it was!
Summer of 2004. Clay's FIRST Solo tour. The fandom named it two different names, The Solitour, combining 'Solitaire', Solo, and Tour, but the one that stuck, and the one that the Official Fan Club used was, 'NaT', ot Not-a-Tour. Why that? A few dates were picked, but Clay's publicist, when asked about a tour, said, this is not a tour, just a few dates. Which turned into a full-fledged tour. Go figure. This is his opening song, U2's 'Where the streets have no Name', courtesy of Aflack and Scarlett.
December, 2004 gave us Clay's first Christmas Tour. He called it the 'Joyfuol Noise' Tour, after that Bible verse, 'Make a joyful noise unto the Lord'. Don't take that literally, I'm not up on the Bible, but you get the picture. This is a partial video by Scarlett of 'Good News'. The Clackgatherers practiced stealth video'ing that tour and trying to find a really good video was very hard, but this is a beautiful close-up of Clay's face. You can really see the reverence he has for this song.
During the Spring of 2005, when we heard that Clay was doing covers through the decades, a lot of us thought the cheese would be melting all over the place, but Clay surprised us. Boy, did he EVER surprise us! What a tour-de-force that concert turned out to be. Song after song after song, most sung in 90-100 degree heat. It was a wall of sound that slapped us upside the head.
The 50's (thanks Tsunamimommy & DiamondJake)
Elvis
The 60's
The 70's
The 80's
The 90's
Current
Stump the Band, part I
Stump the Band, part II
December of 2005 brought us Clay's second Joyful Noise Tour. When he played Raleigh, his 'Papa' was in the audience and Clay sang a song just for him, and, by doing so, gave the fandom this very, very, very special treat. 'Oh, Beautiful Star of Bethlehem'.
In December of 2006, Clay did his Christmas show, but this time, he sang with an orchestra. He grew his hair long, sometimes grew a beard, but he entertained us with the songs and with his stand-up comedy routine. Clay? A comic? What? You don't believe me? Seeing is believing!
So.....what will Clay sing this summer? We don't know. We do know that he is singing with an orchestra, touring his CD, A Thousand Different Ways and it starts on July 4th in Frisco, TX.
All across the nation, through-out the Clay boards, the fans are stirring. There is a palpable energy surging from one message board to the other. Like a game of telephone, we are starting to hear rumblings from the Giant. And it is good. So we wait and we wonder and we speculate. The Giant is awakening from a long slumber and the fans are stirring.
It's going to be a terrific summer of Clay, version 2007.
Thanks to all the Clackgatherers, without whom this fandom would not be what it is.
Related Tags: Clay Aiken, Tour, 2003 American Idol Tour, 2003 Jingle Bell Balls, 2004 Independent Tour, 2004 Not a Tour, 2004 Joyful Noise Tour, 2005 Jukebox Tour, 2005 Joyful Noise Tour II, 2006 Joyful noise Tour III, 2007 Hard Rock and a Soft Place Tour, YouTube
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Kelly Clarkson and Reba McEntire..together at last
I've seen Kelly Clarkson in concert twice, both time when she and Clay Aiken co-headlined for their Independent Tour in Spring of 2004. I loved Kelly on American Idol. I didn't buy her first album and because I heard so much of her on the radio, I didn't buy her second album. I do, however, have her third album, My December, and I'm going to buy Breakaway.Recently, Kelly taped CMT "Crossroads" with Reba McEntire. Read the review at AllYourTV.com. Here are some excerts from the review:
If you're not familiar with the series, "Crossroads" teams up two singers or groups together and encourages them to sing each other's songs.
The evening begins with McEntire and Clarkson dueting on a couple of the young singer's recent hits. While Reba does a solid job of singing songs such as "Since You've Been Gone," it's only modestly entertaining, and as I watched, I was preparing myself to be letdown.
But about ten minutes into the show, the pair find their groove, and the rest of the hour is a real treat for viewers. Clarkson and McEntire are obvious friends, and their all-too-short interview segments provide some real insight into their careers.
There are also some magical performances. Their take on Clarkson's "Because Of You," (which is included on McEntire's new album of duets) is good, but their rendition of McEntire's "The Greatest Man I Never Knew" is jawdropping. It's an emotional song, and both singers singer's subtle performances wring every last drop of sadness and pain from the words.
All too soon, the hour is over. And as if often the case with "Crossroads," I find myself wishing there was a CD of the performances available for viewers.
I'm not a country music fan, although I do like Reba, and I've never seen CMT "Crossroads" but tonight I think I'll watch it. It really sounds fantastic and I'm anxious to hear what both artists do with each other's songs.
This video of their joint effort is from YouTube. It really puts a different spin and meaning to Kelly's song, 'Because of You".
CMT CROSSROADS: KELLY CLARKSON AND REBA McENTIRE premiering Sunday, June 24 at 8:00 p.m., ET/PT.
More air dates:
CMT CROSSROADS: KELLY CLARKSON AND REBA McENTIRE will be retelecast on Sunday, June 24 at 11:00 p.m., ET/PT; Monday, June 25 at 7:00 p.m., ET/PT; Tuesday, June 26 at 6:00 and 10:00 p.m., ET/PT; Thursday, June 28 at 11:00 a.m., ET/PT; Friday, June 29 at 6:00 p.m., ET/PT; Saturday, June 30 at 10 a.m. and 9 p.m., ET/PT; and lastly on Sunday, July 1 at 2:30 p.m., ET/PT.
Related Tags: Kelly Clarkson, Reba McEntire, CMT "Crossroads", American Idol, Clay Aiken, My December, Breakaway, YouTube
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Saturday, June 09, 2007
A Tribute to Rocky
This was posted by RockysMom on Clayversity on June 07, 2007:
Rocky was supposed to be short for "Rock and Roll" because he was born on the night I saw Pink Floyd in concert but my mom hated the name. One day I drove past a baby consignment shop named "Rock-a-Bye Baby" so that became his full name instead. His grandmother's name was "Love Me Tender"
Rock-a-bye Baby
June 3, 1994 ~~~ June 7, 2007
I know I haven't been around lately, not that anyone's missed me. I never really contributed anything much anyway so who cares if I'm gone, right?
Anyway, this is just to let you know that my little Rocky's two-year-long battle with cancer has ended. He pulled through so many times when the vet didn't think he would. He really lived up to his name, he was a tough little fighter, even though he looked like a delicate little powder-puff. For the past seven years he was the only family I had, the one I shared my Thanksgiving dinners with...the one I watched rip open his presents on Christmas morning...the one who snuggled under the blankets with me on chilly nights....the who gave a little "grrrrr" when I nudged him with my foot during the night....the one who somehow managed to drag a package of toilet paper twice his size from the powder room and decorate the living room with it....the one always waiting by the front door when I finally got home from work....the one right beside me while I was planting flowers and weeding my garden....the one sitting next to me while I ate, sharing my ham sandwiches...the one sleeping at my feet while I spent too many hours on the computer.
The only living thing on this planet that truly knew me and loved me,unconditionally.
He used to sit up and wave his little paws and beg for treats.
He used to "dance" underneath this Queen Anne wing chair I have and actually bounce the chair up and down if he didn't get his Milk-Bone right away.
He used to love to sit on the end table in front of the window and watch everything that happened on our street and bark his little fool head off.
He used to bark like crazy when ever he heard a door bell on TV, especially those pizza delivery commercials (I could never hit the mute button fast enough)
He loved those fuzzy stuffed doggie toys. He had one that was a train and it made all sorts of "choo-choo" sounds. He'd push it with his nose to make the sounds over and over until he wore it out and I had to buy him a new one. I kept his toys in a little foam doggie bed he'd out-grown and he'd root through, looking for just the one he wanted to play with that day. He'd even pick the bed up in his mouth and dump everything out and carry it across the living room.
He loved to un-wrap his toys, too. Ever since his first Christmas he just adored ripping off the paper and seeing what new thing he had to play with. He ripped open his last present Tuesday night, a belated birthday gift of a tiny stuffed teddy bear. A few hours later,he started to go downhill, almost as though he was waiting for us to have that last little birthday party together before we had to say good-bye.
We had almost 13 years together....ever since the first time I saw him strutting around that puppy pen carrying a big fuzzy ball bigger than he was. I don't know what I'll do without him...he certainly deserved a better mommy than I was.
How can the absence of one little heart beating and one little body breathing make a house so quiet and so empty?
Clay has an incredible voice
He's developing into an amazing all-around live performer
He gets more handsome by the day
I continue to hope and pray that he is the man I believe him to be....not perfect, but trying his best to be good and make this world a better place.
I hope and pray that someday soon (and hopefully not by his definition) he will once more have a place in my heart....but right now that heart is too broken to hold anything but grief.
To all who love and have loved their furry children:
By the edge of a woods, at the foot of a hill,
Is a lush, green meadow where time stands still.
Where the friends of man and woman do run,
When their time on earth is over and done.
For here, between this world and the next,
Is a place where each beloved creature finds rest.
On this golden land, they wait and they play,
Till the Rainbow Bridge they cross over one day.
No more do they suffer, in pain or in sadness,
For here they are whole, their lives filled with gladness.
Their limbs are restored, their health renewed,
Their bodies have healed, with strength imbued.
They romp through the grass, without even a care,
Until one day they start...and sniff at the air.
All ears prick forward, eyes dart front and back,
Then all of a sudden, one breaks from the pack.
For just at that instant, their eyes have met;
Together again, both person and pet.
So they run to each other, these friends from long past,
The time of their parting is over at last.
The sadness they felt while they were apart,
Has turned into joy once more in each heart.
They embrace with a love that will last forever,
And then, side-by-side, they cross over… together.
My friend is hurting. That means I'm hurting, too.
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Clay Aiken: King of Controversy
It doesn't seem as if Clay can escape that moniker. First it was the tabloid crap, then the Kelly Ripa debacle, now it is a venue where he is scheduled to perform.
Clay is scheduled to perform a Christmas concert at the Central Christian Church in Wichita, KS., on November 26th. The church has a 3,000 seat auditorium with state-of-the-art sound system and video monitors. Steven Curtis Chapman is playing there, also. Clay has often said how he admires Chapman.
At first, the fans thought that having a Christmas concert in a church was OK. That is, until some of them started realizing what that church stands for. You would think that most churches preach tolerance and respect for your fellow humans. I think that most churches do, at least I hope so, but this particular church? In my opinion, this particular church preaches hatred and intolerance and, in fact, has gotten involved in secular law-making. Churches are tax-exempt, but once they start affecting public policy laws, their tax-exempt status should, in my opinion, be revoked.
I'm going to present opinions of the fandom by using quotes found on various message boards. I will do my best to not let my personal opinion of this church interfer with this blog. I will not mention the names of the posters, nor the boards where I found the quotes.
Unfortunately, I can't bring over posts from any boards that are private or require paid membership, but I think you get the drift of what the fandom has been discussing these past few days. I deliberately put the last quote in last place because no matter what your feelings are towards this Church, I think that respecting other's points of view is essential. Not to mention the right thing to do.
I removed two quotes because the poster asked me to.
Clay is scheduled to perform a Christmas concert at the Central Christian Church in Wichita, KS., on November 26th. The church has a 3,000 seat auditorium with state-of-the-art sound system and video monitors. Steven Curtis Chapman is playing there, also. Clay has often said how he admires Chapman.
At first, the fans thought that having a Christmas concert in a church was OK. That is, until some of them started realizing what that church stands for. You would think that most churches preach tolerance and respect for your fellow humans. I think that most churches do, at least I hope so, but this particular church? In my opinion, this particular church preaches hatred and intolerance and, in fact, has gotten involved in secular law-making. Churches are tax-exempt, but once they start affecting public policy laws, their tax-exempt status should, in my opinion, be revoked.
I'm going to present opinions of the fandom by using quotes found on various message boards. I will do my best to not let my personal opinion of this church interfer with this blog. I will not mention the names of the posters, nor the boards where I found the quotes.
I can't even fathom that that WalMart looking building with a big-ass cross strapped to the front of it is considered a "church". WTF? It reminds me of those creepy evangelist shows on Teevee.
I am anti-organized religion - especially of the Loud And Proud And Better Than You variety... but this is just a venue/building with a kick-ass sound system and big-ass jumbotrons. I rather like the thought - as someone put it on another message board - of heathens sitting there enjoying themselves.
Shoot, I am a practicing Christian, but there is no way I would set foot in that church or let alone give it any of my money. Sorry Clay—not even for you. Their sociopolitical thinking is so against everything I believe
Totally respect those people that say they rather skip this concert because they don't want to support this church and their political stance with their money. I say everyone must follow their conscience on this. I also totally respect Clay's right to sing in this Church. One appearance does not define him and his own politics.
This looks like a wonderful place for a Clay Christmas concert! I wish I lived closer--I'd love to try for a ticket. Getting one might be difficult, but if all the people there become new Clay fans, it's all good!
I'm with another fan on this one. It's a bad move for Clay, especially given his beliefs about inclusion. I would imagine that he and/or his people are thinking "it's just a venue," but it's not. If he stands on that "altar" and performs, he is lending that church, and its espoused beliefs, creedence--the legitimacy of his good name--whether he means to or not. That church is a symbol of discrimination and close-mindedness and hate, things Clay says he rejects with every fiber of his being. He should reject them, and this church, now.
I don't have to believe in gambling to see Clay at a casino. I don't have to believe in drinking to see Clay at a venue that serves alcohol. And, I don't have to believe in the values of this church if I want to see Clay at a place close to me.
Anyone who knows me knows I'm not a fan of institutionalized spirituality, regardless of its name. I AM a fan of Clay Aiken and beautiful music, however. Clay's a big boy (heh)and I'll leave it up to him to either agree or refuse to play at any particular venue for whatever reason floats his boat. Just as I'm sure he leaves it up to everyone whether or not to pay money to be there if he does.
I should have clarified what I meant by "this." Obviously, a Christmas concert is about religion. What is not about religion is my reaction to his appearance at CCC. That response is not based on their religion, which they are welcome to, but on the fact that particular church acts as a political and public organization when it takes the lead on public policy that affects all citizens of Kansas regardless of religion. And that, IMO, has nothing to do with celebrating the birth of Jesus.
Abortion and gay marriage are two core issues for me, and I find CCC's stance on them abhorrent. That doesn't mean that I think that each and every person who goes to that church is bad or evil. It does mean, though, that on the whole, I think that church sucks. If they are doing good works that does not negate the damage they are causing by being advocates for an abortion-free, gay-marriage free world. One does not cancel the other. And maybe there are nice people who go to that church who don't subscribe to the hate. To them I would say, "What the fuck?"
Why do I get the feeling that a lot of the "principle"posting on that other board is from people who are not planning on going anyway? It's easy to make a stand when you are not really involved and don't have to be tested. I mean I have issues with blood diamonds and furs and don't buy either. Well the truth is I can't afford one and am allergic to the other but it sounds good
Churches don't make me feel uncomfortable and neither does Clay performing in one. I admit that I don't regularly research the venues I visit, but I'm also fairly sure that the majority of them haven't been in the national spotlight due to their intolerance-centered practices.
If Clay were to sing on the stage at the CCC, you could probably give me a thousand logical reasons to prove that it doesn't mean anything, and rationally I might believe some of them. But that's not going to do anything to stop the pain in my heart that image will cause. Just seeing the original post with his name next to the name of an organization I read so much about was a jab to the heart. If pleasure at seeing Clay is also mixed with pain, I have to decide how it balances out and when it's worth it. Judging by my feelings the past two days, it may no longer be worth it. That will make me sad, but there are other performers I can enjoy without having to deal with that baggage.
While I respect everyone's opinions about whether or not they'd attend a Clay concert in a church that promotes intolerance, I'm just glad that I don't have to make that choice. The round trip tickets are over $400.00. I don't know what I would do if they were reasonably priced. However, Clay is a religious man and I bet he'll love singing in that church.
The church is beautiful and has held many mainstream artist's concerts - it's an awesome venue - great acoustics - no bad seats! Seats 3000
Well, this venue kind of puts the kibosh on his 'lookin' at mah crotch' remarks.
Thinking about this show, though, it really sounds as if it would be a place to reach those teens that were swooning during his brief appearance at the Stephen Curtis Chapman concert in NC. ... and their parents... and their grandparents.
That church will probably be a really nice venue-looking at the pictures, it seems designed well for acoustics and sightlines. It is actually a similar design to the church I go to (mine's smaller, seats about 550) and we purposely used that sort of design to get the best possible acoustics for sound. I imagine that church in KS probably has lots of parking too, and is handicap accessible-it sounds like it could be a very pleasant place to experience a concert!
I find the Wichita concert venue exciting because of the state of the art sound and video available. Maybe we will get a Christmas Concert DVD out of that one. Hey, I can dream can't I?
Speaking as one who has never been part of any organized religion, I think Clay singing Christmas carols in church will be magical.
Over the years Clay has sung in arenas and high schools; theatres and fairgrounds; symphony halls and casinos; band shells and amusement parks; and even zoos and soccer stadiums. Singing in church? Well hell, why not?
This particular church in Wichita is very clearly anti-choice and I imagine they may be against gay marriage as well. If my money is going to be funneled into any of these causes (or even the cause on their homepage which says they want to connect the "unconnected" to Christ), I wouldn't be able to look myself in the mirror the next morning. And it's not that anyone has to agree with me; I just need to do what I feel is right for my own conscience.
Clay can sing in as many churches as he pleases, but I'll have to pass up each of those opportunities to listen to him. *sigh*
While I wouldn't choose this as a place to worship, I wouldn't have a problem attending a concert there. Clay's performing in their venue, not preaching their beliefs. When I buy a concert ticket, my money is squarely aimed at supporting Clay. In any case, those who don't like the idea of Clay playing there don't have to attend, so it's all good in my book. And the idea of him attracting new fans is always a good one, to me. I liken this to the season subscribers at a symphony hall getting to see him for the first time.
I doubt too much of the income from a Clay concert would be going to those causes (hopefully mostly to the upkeep of the building and other related expenses), but if it were, I have to admit it would give me pause also. So you're not alone in that. I don't have any issues with him singing in a church, but appearing to support this kind of agenda -- or anything this controversial -- would be walking a fine line, that's for sure. I would hope this concert would be separate from any of that.
I only assumed the church would be getting a rental fee. That alone would keep me from attending this concert. They won't get one dime of my money. I found a link to one of their newsletters at the OFC, and it frightened me to no end. I wouldn't want my dime or dollar or whatever being used to spread their message of (IMO) intolerance and hatred.
Clay grew up singing in church. I, for one, think he has probably missed that experience. He loves Christmas, loves singing, loves his church.....I hope he thouroughly enjoys the experience. Those that are offended by his choice....should just find another venue they are more comfortable with.
This looks like an outstanding venue! I love getting news of Christmas concerts this early. It reaffirms that these tours are organized well in advance
I'm sure if Clay was not comfortable performing there....he would not. Why does everything turn so argumentative? geeeesh.
I personally can't take much of the angst about the venues. If people have good reasons for not attending fine. Just don't shove them in my face with 1000 posts about it. I'm trying to be careful because I know some here may not like that particular venue. No problem. But then I'm sure if people did research, there would not be many approved venues. Some will like it. Some will not. *shrug* I hope that those who don't will let the rest of us enjoy the concert and don't go into the tailspin I'm starting to see on a couple of boards.
So it's not bad enough that I'm female, over 40 and somewhat less than svelte, now my Christian cooties are holding Clay back, too? Well, crap...
Sigh..religious and political topics are difficult to discuss without stepping on some toes. That is why I was happy to look at this Church as just another venue.
So, although I don't agree with the politics of the church, I'll likely be there. I'm a Christian, but not a right-winger. I respect those that won't be going to the concert due to concerns about where the money will go, but I'm gonna be selfish if it's the only concert I can go to due to distance.
I will be the first to admit I hardly research who is profiting from each of Clay's concerts, but if I went to a venue's website and found public statements of their views and those views were in direct conflict with my own, as is the case with this church in Kansas, I could not in good faith give them any of my money. Its the same reason I refuse to buy Domino's pizza. This church has a newletter on their site that is filled with IMO so much hate and intolerance its, well, let's just say its not very Christian! And from things Clay has said, I suspect its not his kind of Christianity! If this church were in my own backyard, I would not go to this concert.
I think Clay already has enough far right wing conservative Christian fans. IMHO some of them are too involved in mothering , protecting, and fighting for him. To a point that it is hurting him. So I can't join the camp that thinks it is a good idea to attract more.
I guess I'd have to bow out of this one, too, if that's the kind of religion they practice. Oh well...at least I won't be a pillar of salt after all
To me...Clay is a good example of an open minded Christian. He is a good role model for all kinds of young people. I would hope that by attracting young fans from fundamental Christians and extreme right...he can influence them to be more open to other belief systems and lifestyles.
Compromise - I have learned to live with it.
Unfortunately, I can't bring over posts from any boards that are private or require paid membership, but I think you get the drift of what the fandom has been discussing these past few days. I deliberately put the last quote in last place because no matter what your feelings are towards this Church, I think that respecting other's points of view is essential. Not to mention the right thing to do.
I removed two quotes because the poster asked me to.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Of Clay Aiken and Hair
I remember those early, heady days (tm The ClackHouse) when Clay was on American Idol. He was so baby-faced one wondered if he even shaved yet. It didn't matter that he was 24 years old, he just seemed so young, maybe because he was young in experience, in worldliness, in demeanor. Before American Idol, he had barely left North Carolina. He was a college student in a sheltered college environment. Never did we see even a hint of hair, facial or otherwise.
Then came page 50. People magazine. The bathroom picture.
OMG! Clay has hairy arms! Sexy, hairy arms! OMG! Not only is he cute with a killer voice, he's sexy! Now, some of the fans saw the sexy right away, others, it took a bit, but Page 50 seemed to be THE first sexy picture of Clay.
Summer, 2003. June, 2003. The Rolling Stone cover. Shirt blowing open, buttons unbuttoned at his neck. The shirt tails flapping in the wind and we got hair. This time it wasn't on his arms, it was on his belly. It was nicknamed the cinnamon trail, the treasure trail, but whatever you want to call it, it sure sparked 'interest' by his fans.
His arms were hairy, or furry, like Clay Nation coined them, his chest and stomach had hair. But what about his face? Fast forward to the Fall of 2003 in The Year of Clay. He was on the cover of Entertainment Weekly, on a bike, clean-shaven, of course. Until someone photo-shopped a beard on him. I think that scared 5 years off our collective lives.
In 2004, Clay toured with Kelly Clarkson and got lazy. Either he didn't want to shave or he forgot, but we got scruff. We celebrated the scruff. It wasn't often that we got to see Clay with facial hair but sometimes all the zaprudering we do of Clay paid off. Of course, when my old computer crashed I lost a lot of my early scruff pictures, but you get the picture *g*
Fast forward to 2006. Clay made a surprise appearance on the finale of American Idol 5. What a freaking appearance that was! I remember getting a phone call from one of my friends and we just laughed on the phone for about 15 minutes. We weren't laughing at Clay. Oh, no, we were laughing at the sheer unexpectedness of his new look. At his 'screw you' to AI and the 'Clay Aiken look-alike'. Holy moley, does that guy know how to make an entrance!
In the Fall of 2006, Clay released his second mainstream album, 'A Thousand Different Ways' and he appeared on a lot of TV programs. This picture is from his 09/18/06 GMA appearance and he had hair. Lots and lots of hair. Not on his face but on the top of his head. This new hair style got pretty favorable reviews from his fans. Most loved the longer hair although some did not. However, Clay was still clean-shaven. His fans knew that he could grow facial hair, we've seen it. In fact, Clay's a pretty hairy guy.
Then came Clay's Christmas Tour, 2006. He grew his hair even longer. Most fans loved it. :::FLOVE::: So shoot me, I couldn't pick just one. But I could pick two *g*
In early 2007, there were two events that happened pretty simultaneously, his Gala to raise money for The Bubel/Aiken Foundation and his UNICEF trip to Afghanistan. Behold the beard!
Evidently Clay either didn't like it, or it was too much maintainence, but after these two events, the beard came off. One could hear a collective sigh in the Fandom, whether it was from relief that the beard came off, or despair that the beard came off.
Thus ends the saga of Clay and his hair. When he returned from Afghanistan, he shaved and got his hair cut, evidenced by his Jimmy Kimmel Live! appearance. On a horse. The horse had hair all over. Oh.....and the horse was very 'excited' to see Clay. Must have been a fan.
Related Tags: Clay Aiken, American Idol, People Magazine, Rolling Stone Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, A Thousand Different Ways, Good Morning America, The Bubel/Aiken Foundation, UNICEF, Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Then came page 50. People magazine. The bathroom picture.
OMG! Clay has hairy arms! Sexy, hairy arms! OMG! Not only is he cute with a killer voice, he's sexy! Now, some of the fans saw the sexy right away, others, it took a bit, but Page 50 seemed to be THE first sexy picture of Clay.
Summer, 2003. June, 2003. The Rolling Stone cover. Shirt blowing open, buttons unbuttoned at his neck. The shirt tails flapping in the wind and we got hair. This time it wasn't on his arms, it was on his belly. It was nicknamed the cinnamon trail, the treasure trail, but whatever you want to call it, it sure sparked 'interest' by his fans.
His arms were hairy, or furry, like Clay Nation coined them, his chest and stomach had hair. But what about his face? Fast forward to the Fall of 2003 in The Year of Clay. He was on the cover of Entertainment Weekly, on a bike, clean-shaven, of course. Until someone photo-shopped a beard on him. I think that scared 5 years off our collective lives.
In 2004, Clay toured with Kelly Clarkson and got lazy. Either he didn't want to shave or he forgot, but we got scruff. We celebrated the scruff. It wasn't often that we got to see Clay with facial hair but sometimes all the zaprudering we do of Clay paid off. Of course, when my old computer crashed I lost a lot of my early scruff pictures, but you get the picture *g*
Fast forward to 2006. Clay made a surprise appearance on the finale of American Idol 5. What a freaking appearance that was! I remember getting a phone call from one of my friends and we just laughed on the phone for about 15 minutes. We weren't laughing at Clay. Oh, no, we were laughing at the sheer unexpectedness of his new look. At his 'screw you' to AI and the 'Clay Aiken look-alike'. Holy moley, does that guy know how to make an entrance!
In the Fall of 2006, Clay released his second mainstream album, 'A Thousand Different Ways' and he appeared on a lot of TV programs. This picture is from his 09/18/06 GMA appearance and he had hair. Lots and lots of hair. Not on his face but on the top of his head. This new hair style got pretty favorable reviews from his fans. Most loved the longer hair although some did not. However, Clay was still clean-shaven. His fans knew that he could grow facial hair, we've seen it. In fact, Clay's a pretty hairy guy.Then came Clay's Christmas Tour, 2006. He grew his hair even longer. Most fans loved it. :::FLOVE::: So shoot me, I couldn't pick just one. But I could pick two *g*
In early 2007, there were two events that happened pretty simultaneously, his Gala to raise money for The Bubel/Aiken Foundation and his UNICEF trip to Afghanistan. Behold the beard!
Evidently Clay either didn't like it, or it was too much maintainence, but after these two events, the beard came off. One could hear a collective sigh in the Fandom, whether it was from relief that the beard came off, or despair that the beard came off.
Thus ends the saga of Clay and his hair. When he returned from Afghanistan, he shaved and got his hair cut, evidenced by his Jimmy Kimmel Live! appearance. On a horse. The horse had hair all over. Oh.....and the horse was very 'excited' to see Clay. Must have been a fan.Related Tags: Clay Aiken, American Idol, People Magazine, Rolling Stone Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, A Thousand Different Ways, Good Morning America, The Bubel/Aiken Foundation, UNICEF, Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Clay Aiken: Children's Advocacy Award
There was a lot of speculation on why Clay didn't participate in the Idol Gives Back fundraiser on Wednesday, April 25, 2007. Was he asked? Did 'they' diss him? Why won't American Idol acknowledge Clay? 'They' never even mentioned his name. The speculation went on and on.
A A few hours ago, we found out why Clay was not involved on Idol Gives Back.
He had a more pressing commitment.
One Wednesday evening, April 25th, 2007, Clay Aiken was in New York City, participating in and receiving an award from the National Center for Learning Disabilities:
On Wednesday night, they celebrated their 30th Anniversary
Clay Aiken was awarded the Children's Advocacy Award
While American Idol decided to raise money for the world's children in a very loud and self-promoting way while pimping itself for ratings, Clay just quietly went about his business, working on behalf of children the world over and accepting an award for his humanitarian efforts for the past four years.
Thank you, Ambassador Aiken.
Photos are from one of the Bubel/Aiken Foundation's very first fundraisers in Raleigh, NC, around December, 2003.
Related Tags: Clay Aiken, Idol Gives Back, National Center for Learning Disabilities, The Bubel/Aiken Foundation, UNICEF
A A few hours ago, we found out why Clay was not involved on Idol Gives Back.
He had a more pressing commitment.
One Wednesday evening, April 25th, 2007, Clay Aiken was in New York City, participating in and receiving an award from the National Center for Learning Disabilities:
The National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) works to ensure that the nation's 15 million children, adolescents and adults with learning disabilities have every opportunity to succeed in school, work and life.
NCLD provides essential information to parents, professionals and individuals with learning disabilities, promotes research and programs to foster effective learning and advocates for policies to protect and strengthen educational rights and opportunities.
Since its beginning, NCLD has been led by passionate and devoted parents committed to creating better outcomes for children, adolescents and adults with learning disabilities.
Founded in 1977 by Pete and Carrie Rozelle as the Foundation for Children with Learning Disabilities, the organization provided leadership, public awareness and grants to support research and innovative practices in learning disabilities.
In 1989 the organization changed its name to the National Center for Learning Disabilities and expanded its mission and scope of work. Anne Ford assumed the role of Chairman of the Board at the time and led the organization for 12 years.
In 2001, John G. Gantz, Jr., past president of Argonaut Insurance Company, succeeded Mrs. Ford. In 2004 the leadership of NCLD was passed to Fred Poses, Chairman and CEO of American Standard Companies.
Throughout its history, NCLD has been guided by a passionate commitment to promoting the success and dignity of individuals affected by learning disabilities, as defined in our Credo:
NCLD Credo:
Let no children be demeaned,
or have their wonder diminished,
because of our ignorance or inactivity;
Let no adults be deprived of discovery,
because we lack the resources to
discover their learning needs;
Let neither children nor adults – ever –
doubt themselves or their minds because
we are unsure of our commitment.
On Wednesday night, they celebrated their 30th Anniversary
NCLD celebrated its 30th anniversary at its annual benefit dinner, "Voices of our Children, Voices of our Future," Wednesday, April 25, 2007 at New York City's Marriott Marquis.
The dinner honored three outstanding individuals who have championed the needs of children with learning disabilities and have given them a strong public voice. You can read more complete biographies by clicking on the names below.
• Arthur Ryan, Chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial, Inc., received the Spirit of Achievement Award.
• Clay Aiken, pop music star and special education activist, received the Children's Advocacy Award.
• Donald D. Deshler, Ph.D., professor in the School of Education and director of the Center for Research on Learning at the University of Kansas, received the Distinguished Education Achievement Award.
NCLD has raised $1.6 million annually in the past three years; its goal for 2007 is $2 million, which will go towards the organization's programs and services for children, adolescents and adults. The benefit dinner is the largest single national fundraising event in support of the 15 million individuals nationwide with learning disabilities. It also showcases the Anne Ford Scholarship, given to a high school senior with a diagnosed learning disability who plans to go on to a four-year college. This year's Anne Ford Scholarship winner is Ryan Makinson of Greensboro, N.C..
Clay Aiken was awarded the Children's Advocacy Award
Multi-platinum recording artist Clay Aiken's musical success has enabled him to fulfill his lifelong wish to support educational and children's causes. While the accolades that followed his stunningly close second-place finish on the second season of American Idol have validated him in ways that he never could have dreamed of when he was a teacher working with autistic children back in his home state of North Carolina, it is the charitable work that his musical career has enabled him to do that means more to him than anything else these days.The singer created the Bubel/Aiken Foundation in 2003, an organization that promotes and funds educational and recreational programs for children with special needs. He also serves as a United States Fund for UNICEF National Ambassador, helping ensure that children everywhere can receive a primary education. In 2006 Mr. Aiken was appointed to the Presidential Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities.
Mr. Aiken holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in special education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
While American Idol decided to raise money for the world's children in a very loud and self-promoting way while pimping itself for ratings, Clay just quietly went about his business, working on behalf of children the world over and accepting an award for his humanitarian efforts for the past four years.Thank you, Ambassador Aiken.
Photos are from one of the Bubel/Aiken Foundation's very first fundraisers in Raleigh, NC, around December, 2003.
Related Tags: Clay Aiken, Idol Gives Back, National Center for Learning Disabilities, The Bubel/Aiken Foundation, UNICEF
Monday, April 23, 2007
Clay Aiken, UNICEF, and the Power of One
As much as I liked what Lee Iacocca had to say, it's time to go back to Clay.
UNICEF released a statement:
And in an e-mail, I received this:
Along with this:
The Power of One
I remember years ago, watching Jerry Lewis give an interview about Muscular Dystrophy. He said that as important as those huge Corporate donations were, you know the ones I'm talking about, the ones for $7 million, $10 million, $13 million, they still don't replace the $5.00 and $10.00 donations that every day people send in. In fact, he said if it weren't for those $5.00 and $10.00 donations, the MDA wouldn't be where it is today.
The Power of One
I'm going to use this blog tonight as an appeal to anyone who reads it. An appeal for a $5.00 or $10.00 donation to the charity of your choice. For Clay fans, I'm not asking that you do it tonight or tomorrow or this month, or even next month, but sometime this year. Pick a charity and donate just a little bit. Those little bits add up to quite a lot.
The Power of One
I've made a promise to myself. I'm going to go through my house and gather all the old dog collars, leashes, feed bowls, brushes, blankets, anything that I've used on my dogs and don't use anymore and I'm going to donate them to either my local Humane Society or no-kill shelter. And when I put them in my car to drop off, I'm going to stop at the grocery store and pick up a bag of dog food.
I give thanks every day for my wonderful Yellow Lab, Gracie. I can't imagine her in a shelter, alone, afraid, not knowing the love of a 'master', not being able to run in the sunlight and frolic in the yard, chasing squirrels and birds, playing with the neighborhood kids, sunning herself on a soft patch of grass on a lazy Sunday afternoon. And I'm going to start donating that $5.00 or $10.00 every few months. I wish it could be more, but I'm not a rich person. And as Jerry Lewis said, it's the small donations that add up to power.
The Power of One
That power is in your hands. One dollar at a time.
Related Tags: Clay Aiken, UNICEF, Afghanistan, Humane Shelters, Clay Nation, Muscular Dystrophy
UNICEF released a statement:
Yesterday was the final day of Clay Aiken's ten day appeal for Afghanistan.
Congratulations! We raised $181,783.03 for the kids of Afghanistan during this ten day campaign. That's $80,000+ more than the original goal we set for this campaign!
This total includes all online gifts made online in the U.S. and Canada. We're expecting some checks to come in through the mail and will post a final total next week.
We appreciate your generous support of this appeal. Hundreds of you posted this appeal on your web sites, blogs and boards and forwarded the campaign to your friends.
My colleagues and I will continue to keep you posted on UNICEF's work in Afghanistan and around the world. We'll show you how your gifts are being put to work in the field.
And in an e-mail, I received this:
UNICEF Ambassador Clay Aiken issued an appeal for the children of Afghanistan at the end of his visit there. The U.S. Fund for UNICEF and Aiken hoped to raise $100,000 for Afghanistan in 10 days. UNICEF donors responded quickly generously. The campaign ended yesterday and raised $181,783.03 to support UNICEF's work in Afghanistan.
Aiken's appeal for Afghanistan was picked up in hundreds of blogs, bulletin boards and fan sites. "We are thrilled with the results of this campaign. We thank the many people who helped us spread the word about the children of Afghanistan and their urgent needs," said Christine Squires. "Clay Aiken's appeal for Afghanistan shows how UNICEF supporters can work together to help children survive."
Along with this:
Today marks the end of Clay Aiken's 10-day appeal for the children of Afghanistan and the end of National Volunteer Week.
Both events remind us of the tremendous power of people working together.
As you'll read in this issue of eNews, fans of UNICEF and Clay Aiken raised over $180,000 for the children of Afghanistan in ten days.
And over the past year, thousands of volunteers across the country have raised funds and awareness for UNICEF and the world's children through a variety of activities—from bake sales to writing to Congress to speaking at local schools.
To all of these UNICEF supporters, so generous with their time as well as their money, we extend our sincerest thanks. Together we are saving children's lives.
Sincerely,
Christine Squires
Vice President
U.S. Fund for UNICEF
The Power of One
I remember years ago, watching Jerry Lewis give an interview about Muscular Dystrophy. He said that as important as those huge Corporate donations were, you know the ones I'm talking about, the ones for $7 million, $10 million, $13 million, they still don't replace the $5.00 and $10.00 donations that every day people send in. In fact, he said if it weren't for those $5.00 and $10.00 donations, the MDA wouldn't be where it is today.
The Power of One
I'm going to use this blog tonight as an appeal to anyone who reads it. An appeal for a $5.00 or $10.00 donation to the charity of your choice. For Clay fans, I'm not asking that you do it tonight or tomorrow or this month, or even next month, but sometime this year. Pick a charity and donate just a little bit. Those little bits add up to quite a lot.
The Power of One
I've made a promise to myself. I'm going to go through my house and gather all the old dog collars, leashes, feed bowls, brushes, blankets, anything that I've used on my dogs and don't use anymore and I'm going to donate them to either my local Humane Society or no-kill shelter. And when I put them in my car to drop off, I'm going to stop at the grocery store and pick up a bag of dog food.
I give thanks every day for my wonderful Yellow Lab, Gracie. I can't imagine her in a shelter, alone, afraid, not knowing the love of a 'master', not being able to run in the sunlight and frolic in the yard, chasing squirrels and birds, playing with the neighborhood kids, sunning herself on a soft patch of grass on a lazy Sunday afternoon. And I'm going to start donating that $5.00 or $10.00 every few months. I wish it could be more, but I'm not a rich person. And as Jerry Lewis said, it's the small donations that add up to power.The Power of One
That power is in your hands. One dollar at a time.
Related Tags: Clay Aiken, UNICEF, Afghanistan, Humane Shelters, Clay Nation, Muscular Dystrophy
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Straight Talk about the state of American politics
On the heading of my blog, I said that I'd throw in a 'few things political', so I am. Being a fan of Clay Aiken's has opened my eyes to many things. One thing it has done is make me more politically aware. You see, Clay's fans are smart, very smart. Clay's fans are diverse, very diverse, and Clay's fans are politically aware. Doesn't matter if they are Republicans or Democrats, they are aware. I've read more political sites in the past three years than I have for the past 20 years. Thanks, Clay Nation!
I love straight talking. Don't give me platitudes, sound bites, pandering, pithy phrases, or any kind of moronic posturing, just some straight talk on how, if you're planning on running for Office, how you mean to solve some of the crisis facing America today.
I came across this speech, article, call it whatever, by Lee Iacocca. Yes, he's hawking a book, but what he said really resonated with me.
By Lee Iacocca with Catherine Whitney
---------------------------------------
I Had Enough?
Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder. We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, "Stay the course."
Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America, not the damned Titanic. I'll give you a sound bite: Throw the bums out!
You might think I'm getting senile, that I've gone off my rocker, and maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore. The President of the United States is given a free pass to ignore the Constitution, tap our phones, and lead us to war on a pack of lies. Congress responds to record deficits by passing a huge tax cut for the wealthy (thanks, but I don't need it). The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs. While we're fiddling in Iraq, the Middle East is burning and nobody seems to know what to do. And the press is waving pom-poms instead of asking hard questions. That's not the promise of America my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for. I've had enough. How about you?
I'll go a step further. You can't call yourself a patriot if you're not outraged. This is a fight I'm ready and willing to have.
My friends tell me to calm down. They say, "Lee, you're eighty-two years old. Leave the rage to the young people." I'd love to—as soon as I can pry them away from their iPods for five seconds and get them to pay attention. I'm going to speak up because it's my patriotic duty. I think people will listen to me. They say I have a reputation as a straight shooter. So I'll tell you how I see it, and it's not pretty, but at least it's real. I'm hoping to strike a nerve in those young folks who say they don't vote because they don't trust politicians to represent their interests. Hey, America, wake up. These guys work for us.
Who Are These Guys, Anyway?
Why are we in this mess? How did we end up with this crowd in Washington? Well, we voted for them—or at least some of us did. But I'll tell you what we didn't do. We didn't agree to suspend the Constitution. We didn't agree to stop asking questions or demanding answers. Some of us are sick and tired of people who call free speech treason. Where I come from that's a dictatorship, not a democracy.
And don't tell me it's all the fault of right-wing Republicans or liberal Democrats. That's an intellectually lazy argument, and it's part of the reason we're in this stew. We're not just a nation of factions. We're a people. We share common principles and ideals. And we rise and fall together.
Where are the voices of leaders who can inspire us to action and make us stand taller? What happened to the strong and resolute party of Lincoln? What happened to the courageous, populist party of FDR and Truman? There was a time in this country when the voices of great leaders lifted us up and made us want to do better. Where have all the leaders gone?
The Test of a Leader
I've never been Commander in Chief, but I've been a CEO. I understand a few things about leadership at the top. I've figured out nine points—not ten (I don't want people accusing me of thinking I'm Moses). I call them the "Nine Cs of Leadership." They're not fancy or complicated. Just clear, obvious qualities that every true leader should have. We should look at how the current administration stacks up. Like it or not, this crew is going to be around until January 2009. Maybe we can learn something before we go to the polls in 2008. Then let's be sure we use the leadership test to screen the candidates who say they want to run the country. It's up to us to choose wisely.
So, here's my C list:
A leader has to show CURIOSITY. He has to listen to people outside of the "Yes, sir" crowd in his inner circle. He has to read voraciously, because the world is a big, complicated place. George W. Bush brags about never reading a newspaper. "I just scan the headlines," he says. Am I hearing this right? He's the President of the United States and he never reads a newspaper? Thomas Jefferson once said, "Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate for a moment to prefer the latter." Bush disagrees. As long as he gets his daily hour in the gym, with Fox News piped through the sound system, he's ready to go.
If a leader never steps outside his comfort zone to hear different ideas, he grows stale. If he doesn't put his beliefs to the test, how does he know he's right? The inability to listen is a form of arrogance. It means either you think you already know it all, or you just don't care. Before the 2006 election, George Bush made a big point of saying he didn't listen to the polls. Yeah, that's what they all say when the polls stink. But maybe he should have listened, because 70 percent of the people were saying he was on the wrong track. It took a "thumping" on election day to wake him up, but even then you got the feeling he wasn't listening so much as he was calculating how to do a better job of convincing everyone he was right.
A leader has to be CREATIVE, go out on a limb, be willing to try something different. You know, think outside the box. George Bush prides himself on never changing, even as the world around him is spinning out of control. God forbid someone should accuse him of flip-flopping. There's a disturbingly messianic fervor to his certainty. Senator Joe Biden recalled a conversation he had with Bush a few months after our troops marched into Baghdad. Joe was in the Oval Office outlining his concerns to the President—the explosive mix of Shiite and Sunni, the disbanded Iraqi army, the problems securing the oil fields. "The President was serene," Joe recalled. "He told me he was sure that we were on the right course and that all would be well. 'Mr. President,' I finally said, 'how can you be so sure when you don't yet know all the facts?'" Bush then reached over and put a steadying hand on Joe's shoulder. "My instincts," he said. "My instincts." Joe was flabbergasted. He told Bush, "Mr. President, your instincts aren't good enough." Joe Biden sure didn't think the matter was settled. And, as we all know now, it wasn't.
Leadership is all about managing change—whether you're leading a company or leading a country. Things change, and you get creative. You adapt. Maybe Bush was absent the day they covered that at Harvard Business School.
A leader has to COMMUNICATE. I'm not talking about running off at the mouth or spouting sound bites. I'm talking about facing reality and telling the truth. Nobody in the current administration seems to know how to talk straight anymore. Instead, they spend most of their time trying to convince us that things are not really as bad as they seem. I don't know if it's denial or dishonesty, but it can start to drive you crazy after a while. Communication has to start with telling the truth, even when it's painful. The war in Iraq has been, among other things, a grand failure of communication. Bush is like the boy who didn't cry wolf when the wolf was at the door. After years of being told that all is well, even as the casualties and chaos mount, we've stopped listening to him.
A leader has to be a person of CHARACTER. That means knowing the difference between right and wrong and having the guts to do the right thing. Abraham Lincoln once said, "If you want to test a man's character, give him power." George Bush has a lot of power. What does it say about his character? Bush has shown a willingness to take bold action on the world stage because he has the power, but he shows little regard for the grievous consequences. He has sent our troops (not to mention hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi citizens) to their deaths—for what? To build our oil reserves? To avenge his daddy because Saddam Hussein once tried to have him killed? To show his daddy he's tougher? The motivations behind the war in Iraq are questionable, and the execution of the war has been a disaster. A man of character does not ask a single soldier to die for a failed policy.
A leader must have COURAGE. I'm talking about balls. (That even goes for female leaders.) Swagger isn't courage. Tough talk isn't courage. George Bush comes from a blue-blooded Connecticut family, but he likes to talk like a cowboy. You know, My gun is bigger than your gun. Courage in the twenty-first century doesn't mean posturing and bravado. Courage is a commitment to sit down at the negotiating table and talk.
If you're a politician, courage means taking a position even when you know it will cost you votes. Bush can't even make a public appearance unless the audience has been handpicked and sanitized. He did a series of so-called town hall meetings last year, in auditoriums packed with his most devoted fans. The questions were all softballs.
To be a leader you've got to have CONVICTION—a fire in your belly. You've got to have passion. You've got to really want to get something done. How do you measure fire in the belly? Bush has set the all-time record for number of vacation days taken by a U.S. President—four hundred and counting. He'd rather clear brush on his ranch than immerse himself in the business of governing. He even told an interviewer that the high point of his presidency so far was catching a seven-and-a-half-pound perch in his hand-stocked lake.
It's no better on Capitol Hill. Congress was in session only ninety-seven days in 2006. That's eleven days less than the record set in 1948, when President Harry Truman coined the term do-nothing Congress. Most people would expect to be fired if they worked so little and had nothing to show for it. But Congress managed to find the time to vote itself a raise. Now, that's not leadership.
A leader should have CHARISMA. I'm not talking about being flashy. Charisma is the quality that makes people want to follow you. It's the ability to inspire. People follow a leader because they trust him. That's my definition of charisma. Maybe George Bush is a great guy to hang out with at a barbecue or a ball game. But put him at a global summit where the future of our planet is at stake, and he doesn't look very presidential. Those frat-boy pranks and the kidding around he enjoys so much don't go over that well with world leaders. Just ask German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who received an unwelcome shoulder massage from our President at a G-8 Summit. When he came up behind her and started squeezing, I thought she was going to go right through the roof.
A leader has to be COMPETENT. That seems obvious, doesn't it? You've got to know what you're doing. More important than that, you've got to surround yourself with people who know what they're doing. Bush brags about being our first MBA President. Does that make him competent? Well, let's see. Thanks to our first MBA President, we've got the largest deficit in history, Social Security is on life support, and we've run up a half-a-trillion-dollar price tag (so far) in Iraq. And that's just for starters. A leader has to be a problem solver, and the biggest problems we face as a nation seem to be on the back burner.
You can't be a leader if you don't have COMMON SENSE. I call this Charlie Beacham's rule. When I was a young guy just starting out in the car business, one of my first jobs was as Ford's zone manager in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. My boss was a guy named Charlie Beacham, who was the East Coast regional manager. Charlie was a big Southerner, with a warm drawl, a huge smile, and a core of steel. Charlie used to tell me, "Remember, Lee, the only thing you've got going for you as a human being is your ability to reason and your common sense. If you don't know a dip of horseshit from a dip of vanilla ice cream, you'll never make it." George Bush doesn't have common sense. He just has a lot of sound bites. You know—Mr.they'll-welcome-us-as-liberators-no-child-left-behind-heck-of-a-job-Brownie-mission-accomplished Bush.
Former President Bill Clinton once said, "I grew up in an alcoholic home. I spent half my childhood trying to get into the reality-based world—and I like it here."
I think our current President should visit the real world once in a while.
The Biggest C is Crisis
Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis. It's easy to sit there with your feet up on the desk and talk theory. Or send someone else's kids off to war when you've never seen a battlefield yourself. It's another thing to lead when your world comes tumbling down.
On September 11, 2001, we needed a strong leader more than any other time in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out of the ashes. Where was George Bush? He was reading a story about a pet goat to kids in Florida when he heard about the attacks. He kept sitting there for twenty minutes with a baffled look on his face. It's all on tape. You can see it for yourself. Then, instead of taking the quickest route back to Washington and immediately going on the air to reassure the panicked people of this country, he decided it wasn't safe to return to the White House. He basically went into hiding for the day—and he told Vice President Dick Cheney to stay put in his bunker. We were all frozen in front of our TVs, scared out of our wits, waiting for our leaders to tell us that we were going to be okay, and there was nobody home. It took Bush a couple of days to get his bearings and devise the right photo op at Ground Zero.
That was George Bush's moment of truth, and he was paralyzed. And what did he do when he'd regained his composure? He led us down the road to Iraq—a road his own father had considered disastrous when he was President. But Bush didn't listen to Daddy. He listened to a higher father. He prides himself on being faith based, not reality based. If that doesn't scare the crap out of you, I don't know what will.
A Hell of a Mess
So here's where we stand. We're immersed in a bloody war with no plan for winning and no plan for leaving. We're running the biggest deficit in the history of the country. We're losing the manufacturing edge to Asia, while our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs. Gas prices are skyrocketing, and nobody in power has a coherent energy policy. Our schools are in trouble. Our borders are like sieves. The middle class is being squeezed every which way. These are times that cry out for leadership.
But when you look around, you've got to ask: "Where have all the leaders gone?" Where are the curious, creative communicators? Where are the people of character, courage, conviction, competence, and common sense? I may be a sucker for alliteration, but I think you get the point.
Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security than making us take off our shoes in airports and throw away our shampoo? We've spent billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy, and all we know how to do is react to things that have already happened.
Name me one leader who emerged from the crisis of Hurricane Katrina. Congress has yet to spend a single day evaluating the response to the hurricane, or demanding accountability for the decisions that were made in the crucial hours after the storm. Everyone's hunkering down, fingers crossed, hoping it doesn't happen again. Now, that's just crazy. Storms happen. Deal with it. Make a plan. Figure out what you're going to do the next time.
Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we can restore our competitive edge in manufacturing. Who would have believed that there could ever be a time when "the Big Three" referred to Japanese car companies? How did this happen—and more important, what are we going to do about it?
Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying down the debt, or solving the energy crisis, or managing the health care problem. The silence is deafening. But these are the crises that are eating away at our country and milking the middle class dry.
I have news for the gang in Congress. We didn't elect you to sit on your asses and do nothing and remain silent while our democracy is being hijacked and our greatness is being replaced with mediocrity. What is everybody so afraid of? That some bobblehead on Fox News will call them a name? Give me a break. Why don't you guys show some spine for a change?
Had Enough?
Hey, I'm not trying to be the voice of gloom and doom here. I'm trying to light a fire. I'm speaking out because I have hope. I believe in America. In my lifetime I've had the privilege of living through some of America's greatest moments. I've also experienced some of our worst crises—the Great Depression, World War II, the Korean War, the Kennedy assassination, the Vietnam War, the 1970s oil crisis, and the struggles of recent years culminating with 9/11. If I've learned one thing, it's this: You don't get anywhere by standing on the sidelines waiting for somebody else to take action. Whether it's building a better car or building a better future for our children, we all have a role to play. That's the challenge I'm raising in this book. It's a call to action for people who, like me, believe in America. It's not too late, but it's getting pretty close. So let's shake off the horseshit and go to work. Let's tell 'em all we've had enough.
Excerpted from Where Have All the Leaders Gone?. Copyright © 2007 by Lee Iacocca. All rights reserved.
Related Tags: Clay Aiken, George Bush, Congress, Constitution, Free Speech, Democracy, Capitol Hill, Angela Merkel, 911, Airport Security, Hurricane Katrina
I love straight talking. Don't give me platitudes, sound bites, pandering, pithy phrases, or any kind of moronic posturing, just some straight talk on how, if you're planning on running for Office, how you mean to solve some of the crisis facing America today.
I came across this speech, article, call it whatever, by Lee Iacocca. Yes, he's hawking a book, but what he said really resonated with me.
By Lee Iacocca with Catherine Whitney
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I Had Enough?
Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder. We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, "Stay the course."Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America, not the damned Titanic. I'll give you a sound bite: Throw the bums out!
You might think I'm getting senile, that I've gone off my rocker, and maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore. The President of the United States is given a free pass to ignore the Constitution, tap our phones, and lead us to war on a pack of lies. Congress responds to record deficits by passing a huge tax cut for the wealthy (thanks, but I don't need it). The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs. While we're fiddling in Iraq, the Middle East is burning and nobody seems to know what to do. And the press is waving pom-poms instead of asking hard questions. That's not the promise of America my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for. I've had enough. How about you?
I'll go a step further. You can't call yourself a patriot if you're not outraged. This is a fight I'm ready and willing to have.
My friends tell me to calm down. They say, "Lee, you're eighty-two years old. Leave the rage to the young people." I'd love to—as soon as I can pry them away from their iPods for five seconds and get them to pay attention. I'm going to speak up because it's my patriotic duty. I think people will listen to me. They say I have a reputation as a straight shooter. So I'll tell you how I see it, and it's not pretty, but at least it's real. I'm hoping to strike a nerve in those young folks who say they don't vote because they don't trust politicians to represent their interests. Hey, America, wake up. These guys work for us.Who Are These Guys, Anyway?
Why are we in this mess? How did we end up with this crowd in Washington? Well, we voted for them—or at least some of us did. But I'll tell you what we didn't do. We didn't agree to suspend the Constitution. We didn't agree to stop asking questions or demanding answers. Some of us are sick and tired of people who call free speech treason. Where I come from that's a dictatorship, not a democracy.
And don't tell me it's all the fault of right-wing Republicans or liberal Democrats. That's an intellectually lazy argument, and it's part of the reason we're in this stew. We're not just a nation of factions. We're a people. We share common principles and ideals. And we rise and fall together.Where are the voices of leaders who can inspire us to action and make us stand taller? What happened to the strong and resolute party of Lincoln? What happened to the courageous, populist party of FDR and Truman? There was a time in this country when the voices of great leaders lifted us up and made us want to do better. Where have all the leaders gone?
The Test of a Leader
I've never been Commander in Chief, but I've been a CEO. I understand a few things about leadership at the top. I've figured out nine points—not ten (I don't want people accusing me of thinking I'm Moses). I call them the "Nine Cs of Leadership." They're not fancy or complicated. Just clear, obvious qualities that every true leader should have. We should look at how the current administration stacks up. Like it or not, this crew is going to be around until January 2009. Maybe we can learn something before we go to the polls in 2008. Then let's be sure we use the leadership test to screen the candidates who say they want to run the country. It's up to us to choose wisely.
So, here's my C list:
A leader has to show CURIOSITY. He has to listen to people outside of the "Yes, sir" crowd in his inner circle. He has to read voraciously, because the world is a big, complicated place. George W. Bush brags about never reading a newspaper. "I just scan the headlines," he says. Am I hearing this right? He's the President of the United States and he never reads a newspaper? Thomas Jefferson once said, "Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate for a moment to prefer the latter." Bush disagrees. As long as he gets his daily hour in the gym, with Fox News piped through the sound system, he's ready to go.
If a leader never steps outside his comfort zone to hear different ideas, he grows stale. If he doesn't put his beliefs to the test, how does he know he's right? The inability to listen is a form of arrogance. It means either you think you already know it all, or you just don't care. Before the 2006 election, George Bush made a big point of saying he didn't listen to the polls. Yeah, that's what they all say when the polls stink. But maybe he should have listened, because 70 percent of the people were saying he was on the wrong track. It took a "thumping" on election day to wake him up, but even then you got the feeling he wasn't listening so much as he was calculating how to do a better job of convincing everyone he was right.A leader has to be CREATIVE, go out on a limb, be willing to try something different. You know, think outside the box. George Bush prides himself on never changing, even as the world around him is spinning out of control. God forbid someone should accuse him of flip-flopping. There's a disturbingly messianic fervor to his certainty. Senator Joe Biden recalled a conversation he had with Bush a few months after our troops marched into Baghdad. Joe was in the Oval Office outlining his concerns to the President—the explosive mix of Shiite and Sunni, the disbanded Iraqi army, the problems securing the oil fields. "The President was serene," Joe recalled. "He told me he was sure that we were on the right course and that all would be well. 'Mr. President,' I finally said, 'how can you be so sure when you don't yet know all the facts?'" Bush then reached over and put a steadying hand on Joe's shoulder. "My instincts," he said. "My instincts." Joe was flabbergasted. He told Bush, "Mr. President, your instincts aren't good enough." Joe Biden sure didn't think the matter was settled. And, as we all know now, it wasn't.
Leadership is all about managing change—whether you're leading a company or leading a country. Things change, and you get creative. You adapt. Maybe Bush was absent the day they covered that at Harvard Business School.
A leader has to COMMUNICATE. I'm not talking about running off at the mouth or spouting sound bites. I'm talking about facing reality and telling the truth. Nobody in the current administration seems to know how to talk straight anymore. Instead, they spend most of their time trying to convince us that things are not really as bad as they seem. I don't know if it's denial or dishonesty, but it can start to drive you crazy after a while. Communication has to start with telling the truth, even when it's painful. The war in Iraq has been, among other things, a grand failure of communication. Bush is like the boy who didn't cry wolf when the wolf was at the door. After years of being told that all is well, even as the casualties and chaos mount, we've stopped listening to him.A leader has to be a person of CHARACTER. That means knowing the difference between right and wrong and having the guts to do the right thing. Abraham Lincoln once said, "If you want to test a man's character, give him power." George Bush has a lot of power. What does it say about his character? Bush has shown a willingness to take bold action on the world stage because he has the power, but he shows little regard for the grievous consequences. He has sent our troops (not to mention hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi citizens) to their deaths—for what? To build our oil reserves? To avenge his daddy because Saddam Hussein once tried to have him killed? To show his daddy he's tougher? The motivations behind the war in Iraq are questionable, and the execution of the war has been a disaster. A man of character does not ask a single soldier to die for a failed policy.
A leader must have COURAGE. I'm talking about balls. (That even goes for female leaders.) Swagger isn't courage. Tough talk isn't courage. George Bush comes from a blue-blooded Connecticut family, but he likes to talk like a cowboy. You know, My gun is bigger than your gun. Courage in the twenty-first century doesn't mean posturing and bravado. Courage is a commitment to sit down at the negotiating table and talk.
If you're a politician, courage means taking a position even when you know it will cost you votes. Bush can't even make a public appearance unless the audience has been handpicked and sanitized. He did a series of so-called town hall meetings last year, in auditoriums packed with his most devoted fans. The questions were all softballs.To be a leader you've got to have CONVICTION—a fire in your belly. You've got to have passion. You've got to really want to get something done. How do you measure fire in the belly? Bush has set the all-time record for number of vacation days taken by a U.S. President—four hundred and counting. He'd rather clear brush on his ranch than immerse himself in the business of governing. He even told an interviewer that the high point of his presidency so far was catching a seven-and-a-half-pound perch in his hand-stocked lake.
It's no better on Capitol Hill. Congress was in session only ninety-seven days in 2006. That's eleven days less than the record set in 1948, when President Harry Truman coined the term do-nothing Congress. Most people would expect to be fired if they worked so little and had nothing to show for it. But Congress managed to find the time to vote itself a raise. Now, that's not leadership.
A leader should have CHARISMA. I'm not talking about being flashy. Charisma is the quality that makes people want to follow you. It's the ability to inspire. People follow a leader because they trust him. That's my definition of charisma. Maybe George Bush is a great guy to hang out with at a barbecue or a ball game. But put him at a global summit where the future of our planet is at stake, and he doesn't look very presidential. Those frat-boy pranks and the kidding around he enjoys so much don't go over that well with world leaders. Just ask German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who received an unwelcome shoulder massage from our President at a G-8 Summit. When he came up behind her and started squeezing, I thought she was going to go right through the roof.A leader has to be COMPETENT. That seems obvious, doesn't it? You've got to know what you're doing. More important than that, you've got to surround yourself with people who know what they're doing. Bush brags about being our first MBA President. Does that make him competent? Well, let's see. Thanks to our first MBA President, we've got the largest deficit in history, Social Security is on life support, and we've run up a half-a-trillion-dollar price tag (so far) in Iraq. And that's just for starters. A leader has to be a problem solver, and the biggest problems we face as a nation seem to be on the back burner.
You can't be a leader if you don't have COMMON SENSE. I call this Charlie Beacham's rule. When I was a young guy just starting out in the car business, one of my first jobs was as Ford's zone manager in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. My boss was a guy named Charlie Beacham, who was the East Coast regional manager. Charlie was a big Southerner, with a warm drawl, a huge smile, and a core of steel. Charlie used to tell me, "Remember, Lee, the only thing you've got going for you as a human being is your ability to reason and your common sense. If you don't know a dip of horseshit from a dip of vanilla ice cream, you'll never make it." George Bush doesn't have common sense. He just has a lot of sound bites. You know—Mr.they'll-welcome-us-as-liberators-no-child-left-behind-heck-of-a-job-Brownie-mission-accomplished Bush.
Former President Bill Clinton once said, "I grew up in an alcoholic home. I spent half my childhood trying to get into the reality-based world—and I like it here."
I think our current President should visit the real world once in a while.
The Biggest C is Crisis
Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis. It's easy to sit there with your feet up on the desk and talk theory. Or send someone else's kids off to war when you've never seen a battlefield yourself. It's another thing to lead when your world comes tumbling down.
On September 11, 2001, we needed a strong leader more than any other time in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out of the ashes. Where was George Bush? He was reading a story about a pet goat to kids in Florida when he heard about the attacks. He kept sitting there for twenty minutes with a baffled look on his face. It's all on tape. You can see it for yourself. Then, instead of taking the quickest route back to Washington and immediately going on the air to reassure the panicked people of this country, he decided it wasn't safe to return to the White House. He basically went into hiding for the day—and he told Vice President Dick Cheney to stay put in his bunker. We were all frozen in front of our TVs, scared out of our wits, waiting for our leaders to tell us that we were going to be okay, and there was nobody home. It took Bush a couple of days to get his bearings and devise the right photo op at Ground Zero.That was George Bush's moment of truth, and he was paralyzed. And what did he do when he'd regained his composure? He led us down the road to Iraq—a road his own father had considered disastrous when he was President. But Bush didn't listen to Daddy. He listened to a higher father. He prides himself on being faith based, not reality based. If that doesn't scare the crap out of you, I don't know what will.
A Hell of a Mess
So here's where we stand. We're immersed in a bloody war with no plan for winning and no plan for leaving. We're running the biggest deficit in the history of the country. We're losing the manufacturing edge to Asia, while our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs. Gas prices are skyrocketing, and nobody in power has a coherent energy policy. Our schools are in trouble. Our borders are like sieves. The middle class is being squeezed every which way. These are times that cry out for leadership.
But when you look around, you've got to ask: "Where have all the leaders gone?" Where are the curious, creative communicators? Where are the people of character, courage, conviction, competence, and common sense? I may be a sucker for alliteration, but I think you get the point.
Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security than making us take off our shoes in airports and throw away our shampoo? We've spent billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy, and all we know how to do is react to things that have already happened.Name me one leader who emerged from the crisis of Hurricane Katrina. Congress has yet to spend a single day evaluating the response to the hurricane, or demanding accountability for the decisions that were made in the crucial hours after the storm. Everyone's hunkering down, fingers crossed, hoping it doesn't happen again. Now, that's just crazy. Storms happen. Deal with it. Make a plan. Figure out what you're going to do the next time.
Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we can restore our competitive edge in manufacturing. Who would have believed that there could ever be a time when "the Big Three" referred to Japanese car companies? How did this happen—and more important, what are we going to do about it?
Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying down the debt, or solving the energy crisis, or managing the health care problem. The silence is deafening. But these are the crises that are eating away at our country and milking the middle class dry.
I have news for the gang in Congress. We didn't elect you to sit on your asses and do nothing and remain silent while our democracy is being hijacked and our greatness is being replaced with mediocrity. What is everybody so afraid of? That some bobblehead on Fox News will call them a name? Give me a break. Why don't you guys show some spine for a change?
Had Enough?
Hey, I'm not trying to be the voice of gloom and doom here. I'm trying to light a fire. I'm speaking out because I have hope. I believe in America. In my lifetime I've had the privilege of living through some of America's greatest moments. I've also experienced some of our worst crises—the Great Depression, World War II, the Korean War, the Kennedy assassination, the Vietnam War, the 1970s oil crisis, and the struggles of recent years culminating with 9/11. If I've learned one thing, it's this: You don't get anywhere by standing on the sidelines waiting for somebody else to take action. Whether it's building a better car or building a better future for our children, we all have a role to play. That's the challenge I'm raising in this book. It's a call to action for people who, like me, believe in America. It's not too late, but it's getting pretty close. So let's shake off the horseshit and go to work. Let's tell 'em all we've had enough.
Excerpted from Where Have All the Leaders Gone?. Copyright © 2007 by Lee Iacocca. All rights reserved.
Related Tags: Clay Aiken, George Bush, Congress, Constitution, Free Speech, Democracy, Capitol Hill, Angela Merkel, 911, Airport Security, Hurricane Katrina
Monday, April 16, 2007
Clay Aiken's UNICEF FieldNotes
UNICEF Ambassador Clay Aiken wrote this blog post for Fieldnotes, reflecting on his visit to UNICEF field sites in Afghanistan.
Posted by Clay Aiken, UNICEF USA on April 16, 2007 4:48 PM
If you can find it in your heart to help these children who have never even dared to dream of the educational riches that American children take for granted, please click on Clay's UNICEF page. A $5.00 or $10.00 donation will improve their lives in ways we, as Americans, can't imagine.
Related Tags: Clay Aiken, UNICEF, Afghanistan
It's not that fun being wrong.
Fortunately for me, I don't have to do it very often! HA HA!
Okay... I'm kidding. I spend plenty of my time on the side of inaccuracy. But, few of my misdirections or misconceptions could possibly compare to how far off of the mark I was in my assumptions about my trip to Afghanistan.
I doubt it would come as a surprise that my mother was none too thrilled when I told her I would be traveling with UNICEF to a country that many consider to be one of the most dangerous in the world for Americans. My brother had just returned from his second tour as a U.S. Marine in Iraq when I let my mother know, so her blood pressure probably stayed high even after my return. I wasn't so at ease about it myself. Hostage takings, suicide bombings, and insurgent attacks are all seemingly daily occurrences in many parts of the country. At least that's what we see on TV and read in papers and magazines.I couldn't have been more wrong about Afghanistan. And I couldn't have been farther off target about the Afghan people. With the exception of maybe my grandparent's house, I have never felt more welcomed. The Afghan people are some of the most gracious and inviting people on Earth.
After centuries of having their land filled with travelers and explorers, I guess they have hospitality down to an instinctive science. Everywhere we traveled we were greeted with warmth and welcome. Even on the streets of Kabul and the rugged hills of Bamyan. But nowhere as gracious as the schools and UNICEF programs that we visited. Despite the most meager accommodations, we were always invited in and shown every simple resource with the utmost of pride.And, why shouldn't they be proud. Until a few years ago, most of these students were forbidden by the Taliban regime from going to school. And now?.... Now over 6 million children are piling into broken down buildings and UNICEF tents everyday to catch up on the lessons that they have missed out on for years. That's if they are lucky. Many, if not most, haven't even the luxury of a tent. Just a dusty ground outside in one of the world's most beautifully scenic landscapes. And still, they come to class. Many walk for miles; for hours.
With frankness I'll tell you, there is little to show off at these schools. The schools I visited had such limited resources that most made the average American 3 year-old's bedroom look like a learning lab. I can remember my own collection of books as a 2nd grader, and it looked liked the Library of Congress compared to the school library I saw at a school for over 2000 students. (And, I doubt I ever read half of them.)
Yet, the hunger and desire to read and to learn is so strong that, despite no enforced laws making schools compulsory in Afghanistan, children are clamoring to go to schools.As I saw on my trip, UNICEF is there. UNICEF is providing tents so children can study away from the elements. UNICEF is struggling to provide school supplies to every young boy and girl in Afghanistan who wants to learn. UNICEF is providing literacy courses for women who have been forbidden far too long from a right of education that so many of us take for granted. But there is so much more that needs to be done.
Afghanistan is so far from the "lost cause" that I had expected to find in the rugged hills of south Asia. It is, I believe, one of the world's countries with the most potential. The people are perhaps it's most valuable natural resource. They are determined to break through the years of oppression they have endured. They are sponges for knowledge, and poised for success.
Winter is over in Afghanistan. It's time to get ready for amazing growth in Afghanistan's spring.
The people... make that the COUNTRY of Afghanistan showed me and my fellow travelers such AMAZING hospitality despite meager means.
As a people of substantially more means... we can help UNICEF return the favor.
Posted by Clay Aiken, UNICEF USA on April 16, 2007 4:48 PM
If you can find it in your heart to help these children who have never even dared to dream of the educational riches that American children take for granted, please click on Clay's UNICEF page. A $5.00 or $10.00 donation will improve their lives in ways we, as Americans, can't imagine.
Related Tags: Clay Aiken, UNICEF, Afghanistan
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