Clay Aiken leaves no room for doubt about how he feels about the American Idol production and puts to rest the gossip from an Idol insider (as told to the National Enquirer) that he wanted to record and tour with Adam Lambert.
On Clay’s Fan Club he answers questions put to him by fans. The following quote is a question asked before the winner was announced last night. Clay answered it later that night.
Clay -You said a while ago that you aren’t a big fan of IDOL anymore….because it isn’t about the unknown person next door kind of contest. Tonight, it is a dead heat between a seasoned performer, Adam Lambert, and the boy next door, Kris Allen. If Kris Allen wins IDOL this year, will your faith in the show have been restored??? Thanks!
05/21/09 Silence Broken
This is just an edited version of an answer I gave to a question on the “Questions” thread.
I spent enough time typing it, I figured it would be easier for you to find here (on his blog).
Now that it’s all over, and for the record…. I couldn’t be happier about the way AI ended this year. I only turn the show on once a season, and only to see what the set looks like each year. This year, I happened to turn it during the minute that Adam Lambert was singing “Ring of Fire” and, at that moment, thought my ears would bleed. Contrived, awful, and slightly frightening! I wasn’t really a fan and found myself surprised whenever folks told me that they liked him. Granted, I never saw another performance (and many folks who I trust said that he was great) but I can’t imagine I would have enjoyed it. Just not my cup of tea at all. To each his own.
I never saw Kris sing on the show, but whether he was good or not is really relative. It’s usually a matter of taste, right? But Idol is not always a matter of musical taste only. It’s about the person you like. From what little I saw, Kris seemed likable. (That’s not to say that Adam isn’t just as likable as anyone.. maybe more so… I don’t know) When Ruben and I were standing next to each other every night (many years ago) you had two equally talented, equally unlikely, equally unpolished contestants…. so it really was a matter of taste as to who was voted for.
While some may argue that one of us was hyped more than the other, I don’t feel that was the case. However, this year, there was an obvious bias. Not even having watched the show, I can tell you that I was WELL aware of the bias from the judges as to who should win. In my opinion, that is awfully unattractive. I don’t think I am alone.
In my opinion, it all often comes down to that last night of voting. Until the finale, folks are voting for the contestant that they want to see continue. But, I believe that on that last night, the dynamic changes.
No longer forced to choose one person that they want to see win, the audience can effectively vote AGAINST the person that they don’t want to see win. In the case of season two this might have happened.
There may have been some folks who voted for myself or Ruben because they didn’t like the other of us. I was the nerdy little girly boy who some didn’t want to see win, so they may have voted for Ruben. I don’t know. .. But again, I feel that Ruben and I were fairly matched.
We both had our detractors and negatives, but I feel we were both very worthy of being on that stage in that moment, and either of us would have been worthy of winning. The show was different then, and folks made it in seasons 1-3 because they were “real” people who happened to sing/entertain well.
But, somewhere along the way, AI stopped being about real people and started being about “fame” and “gloss”; It stopped being about the talented kid-next-door and started being about who was most marketable. (I don’t think anyone would have argued in 2003 that Ruben or I were extremely marketable.)
So, this year it was not like 2003. This year it all came down to two contestants so extremely different and mis-matched…. one that was so obviously the “favorite”… so hyped and polished and “ready for market”; who (accurately or inaccurately) came off to many as arrogant and superior … and one kid who no one thought had a chance and (accurately or inaccurately) came off as humble and real.
In a battle between David and Goliath, my money is on David!
I think many voters got sick of being “told who to vote for”. I think many were turned off by the blatant favoritism shown towards one contestant. Therefore, on that last night, they used their votes against a contestant that they were tired of hearing about and for the contestant who had been written off. And, at the same time, I think they voted AGAINST an American Idol that has, for four years now, been more about the slick productions and polished contestants than it has been about finding the raw talent that it did in its first three seasons.
Those votes for Kris were also votes to return the show to its roots of finding “real” contestants with undiscovered talent and giving them the chance to grow and shine. They were votes that said “we’re tired of seeing contestants who already seem to know it all”.
Will American Idol choose to listen to the resounding and clarion call that those voters gave them?…. “Enough with the pretention. More Rubens, more Clays, more Fantasias and Tamyras and Kellys please.” My faith has always been in the voters.
I think they have gotten it right every year (mine included). It’s now up to American Idol to decide if it will finally REALLY listen to the folks that keep it on the air.
Possibly Related Posts:
- Preview Clay Aiken’s Tried and True Album
- Clay Aiken Notches Another First
- Clay and Ruben Hitting the Road
- Clay Aiken: Sold Out Concert releases additional tickets
- Clay Aiken Guest Starring on Phineas and Ferb
So true mary. “Adam is confident, well spoken, gracious, polite,and truthful.” is hilarious! He is rude and obnoxious. All the time!! I’m sure he can be charming when he chooses to be, but he has definitely proven himself to be pretty annoying and insulting. Wonder if he will ever have the grace to apologize to Susan Boyle for insulting her? Though I’m sure she could care less about his opinion. He will never sell as many albums as she has! trixie(Quote)
“Adam is confident, well spoken, gracious, polite,and truthful.”
this is really hilarious, after all the stupidities Glambert has done all this time this sound even more ridiculous. He has proved beyond doubt that he is none of that, haha. If being rude is called being truthful, oh well,that’s what his fans want to believe, (among many other of his “qualities”) mary(Quote)
This is my first time i visit here. I found so many interesting stuff in your blog, especially its discussion. From the tons of comments on your articles, I guess I am not the only one having all the enjoyment here! Keep up the excellent work. jasminlive(Quote)
“it, just look at Adam’s reaction to Clay’s apology. He didn’t have to be an a$$ about it.”
That’s because Clay’s apology wasn’t an apology. Clay meant what he said and he should have stuck to his guns and not apologized. If his publicist pressured him to apologize then it should have been proper and not so half assed. I don’t respect that.
” yet when Clay sang he was considered too theatrical and too Broadway and was criticized for it. Adam was MUCH more theatrical than Clay ever was. You can’t have it both ways.”
Sara I don’t think your definition of theatrical is the same definition that The judges have.
I always thought Clay sang well; which is to say that his pitch, tone and the clarity of his voice were very good. And yet, I didn’t like any of Clay’s performances, except for Bridge Over Trouble Water.
The reason why I didn’t lile Clay’s performances was because of the theatricality of his voice.
For me Clay lacked finese in the way that he started and ended a note. It’s the equivalent of taking a radio that is off and then turing it on at full volume.
For me, that clipped way of starting and ending notes is a very musical theatre way of singing. I like musical theatre but I don’t want to hear that style of singiing on AI. I want to hear a soul, gospel, blues, rock, folk or pop voice.
Adam’s inital way of emoting was deemed theatrical. Unlike Clay he took the judges advice. Specificaly, Adam applied Kara’s critique and adjusted his voice as well as the way that he emoted from being a style that suited Theatre to a style that suits a broadcast. Adam was able to make that connection and have all of these lovely subleties with his voice when he sang Tears He BRILLANTLY crept up on notes, As Smokey Robinson noted ” he sang it so tenderly ” .And with Mad he he also employed a range of subtleties to his voice to make that perofrmance so haunting and moving. I love the touch he did were he put in vibrato on his false for the line ” I was very nervous” It was a little thing but it was GENIUS.
Youtube Clay’s AI performance of Vincent ( The song that details Van Gough’s mental illness,his families complete lack of understanding of him and subsequent suicide) with Adam’s Tears. These are two beautiful and haunting songs because of their lryics as well as the melody. CLay’s sings it in a robust Broadway manner. His pitch is beyond reproach but the theaticality of his voice prevents it from having the emotional impact that Adam’s Tears has.
That’s the difference between the two. That’s why EVERYONE was googling Adam and talking about Adam and that’s why so many are drinking Hatorade on him now.
Adam is confident, well spoken, gracious, polite and truthful.
Adam takes fashion risks, arrangements risks, performance risks.
Adam isn’t embarassed by photos of him kissing men nor is he embarassed by videos of his overtly sexual perfromances.
I may not always agree with all of his coices but I respect his integgrity, artistry and unapologetic nature.
While I don’t believe in having pop stars & athletes be role models (teachers, law enforcement, fireman and our intelligent and compassionate President are infinitely better choices) I think Adam is as much the guy next door as Kris. He’s as suitable a choice as Kris to be a role model. Laura Holt(Quote)
“Clay just said what everyone else was thinking.”
Sara, not everyone else was thinking that, obviously, hence the negative reaction. Laura Holt(Quote)
MJ,
Hope you don’t mind, but I found another article on this subject, and I would like to share it here also. If you prefer not to have it here, please feel free to delete it; thanks. The URL is:
http://news.lalate.com/2009/05/22/clay-aiken-adam-lambert-blog-post/#comments Bucky1215(Quote)
Thank you MJ for your thoughts and I couldn’t agree with you more. Laura you have completely missed the boat on this one. Clay did not offer a half hearted apology and in my opinion he shouldn’t have had to offer one but he is a class act and did so. His assessment of Adam was spot on and he pretty much said the same thing Simon did when Simon wasn’t busy kissing Adam’s butt. His comment about AI not using talent anymore was spot on as well. I don’t understand what you’re not understanding. Furthermore, there is a HUGE difference between professionals and those simply growing up singing. When you have already worked with Randy Jackson, have come off of Broadway, have opened for big country acts, have been on singing competitions prior, then you have experience. I want to thank MJ for bringing this to light about Carrie. I really don’t get her and feel like she is a dime a dozen-just another country singer who sings through her nose. MJ thank you for being fair as well. And one more thing. I find it funny that Adam was very theatrical and more Broadway and all the judges love him, yet when Clay sang he was considered too theatrical and too Broadway and was criticized for it. Adam was MUCH more theatrical than Clay ever was. You can’t have it both ways.
Oh yeah and Laura if you want to see some “Hatorade” as you call it, just look at Adam’s reaction to Clay’s apology. He didn’t have to be an a$$ about it. Clay just said what everyone else was thinking. Idol may still be the number one show, but it’s funny how it’s audience is decreasing each year and more and more professionals are on it. Sarah(Quote)
Interesting.
I don’t see AI picking on gay contestants.
I see AI picking on contestants that are caricatures of harmful stereotypes. These stereotypes represent various minority groups.
As an African- American female, I am one of three people that is not a white male on my company’s management team. I am constantly “surprising “my peers because of the way that I speak, debate and for the things that I have accomplished. While I’m sure that my relatively young age can account for some of that surprise I remained convinced that the negative portrayals of African- Americans on TV and in Film are part of the problem.
Since Season 1 American Idol has featured, rather prominently, Black contestants that typify various negative stereotypes (i.e. overly aggressive, “loud-talking”, semi-illiterate)
American Idol exploits immigrants, “trailer trash”, nerds (primarily white males), the moderately to morbidly obese contestants, the mentally ill, the emotionally unstable and the visually odd.
To say that it picks on gay contestants is inaccurate. If you are Black, gay, good looking, intelligent, mentally, emotionally well, and fit then AI treats you well.
If you are excessively flamboyant, ghetto, trashy, ignorant, plagued with “issues” then AI exploits. I don’t think there’s any evidence to suggest it picks on one group more than others.
American Idol is an equal opportunity bigot.
I guess that’s why I haven’t voted since Season 1. There are more things that I dislike about AI then I like.
In fact, there are usually only 6-10 performances a season that actually move/excite or interest me and yet I continue to watch. I suffer through Ryan’s complete lack of social graces and mediocre performances because every once in a while you see greatness and/or originality.
I enjoyed Kris’s “She Works Hard For the Money” & “Heartless”, Lambert’s “Tracks Of My Tears” and “Mad Mad World” “Believe”, Matt G.’s “Georgia”, Anoop’s studio version of “Ooh Baby Baby”, Alison’s Top 36 performance, Sarver, Gokey & Lil’s initial and Hollywood auditions.
In spite of Ryan’s usual rudeness and cultural insensitivities to the visually impaired, the judges contrived arguments and exploitive auditions, those performances made Season 8 worth tolerating Laura Holt(Quote)
Clay has the right to think and say whatever he wants.
We all do.
We have to be prepared for people to have an opinion about it and that the opinion may be negative.
If that’s the way Clay felt and he felt the need to be public about it then he shouldn’t be surprised that some people are going to take what he said as sour grapes.
To issue a half hearted apology is lame.
At least have the courage to stand by your opinion OR if you have had a genuine change of heart then issue a genuine apology.
It is for those reasons that I no longer respect him.
I said it before and I’ll say it again. This argument about him being a seasoned performer is highly subjective. Kris Allen himself, said that he has the same amount of experience as Adam but that it is a different type of experience.
No one can dispute that DESPITE Adam and any of the other “seasoned” contestants experience they were UNABLE to make a name for themselves in the music industry. They needed Idol for that.
The other thing to think about is this, Why should someone with zero or relatively little experience have the opportunity for music stardom because of a hugely popular TV show and hard working singer/musicians like Bo Bice, Melinda Doolittle, Elliott Yamin. Daughtry, David Cook who have EARNED there dues not be allowed the same opportunity on Idol.
Wouldn’t that be setting Idol up to reward people who haven’t really earned it?
We’ve seen the what happens with the majority of people that make it big in a short time period, they have some of the most appalling attitudes. When everything comes easy for you it’s a lot harder to stay humble.
People always have their grumbles. THis person got more air time then me and This person has more experience than me.
The fact of the matter is that Each contestant has the ability to WIN us over with their song choice and performance.
If they can’t do it then they don’t deserve our vote. Laura Holt(Quote)
Damage control. AI has earned itself the reputation of being homophobic with the way the judges treat the gay auditioners, the off color gay jokes between Ryan and Simon and the evidence that an openly gay or possibly gay contestant doesn’t get a fair chance. Now AI can go back to marginalizing future gay auditioners because they have Adam as their token gay. MJ(Quote)