Taking Chances Being a Fan of Clay Aiken

I was hoping it wasn't true...

2008-08-08T21:10:00.002-04:00

...and I am very sad. Sorry.

Start spreding the news...I'm leaving today...

2008-02-11T23:43:00.000-05:00

...well...by the time most of you read this I will be heading out with my concert buddy to NYC to catch OMC in SPAMALOT! Yes, Virginia, we have tickets to the Tuesday night show and I was able to score some pretty good front row seats -- how's A101, 102 & 103 sound? I may not be able to wrestle those types of seats away from avid Claymates at Clay's concerts but when it comes to Broadway seats, I KNOW how to get what I want. True, I might lose a little of the downstage business but not having to watch any of the fans watch Clay is exactly what I wanted this time around.

Besides, not may folks know this, but I am a HUGE Monty Python fan and have been since college. That means, I am very familiar with HOLY GRAIL as well as the other movies and TV series. Not something you would expect from me, eh? (NO one expects the Spanish Inquisition...) I have wanted to see this show for the last 5 years and even though I had tickets for the touring company's Rhode Island stop 2 weeks ago, I sold them when I found out Clay would be playing Robin on B'way - for that, I would make the time to get to New York to catch his performance. From what I've read, I know I won't be disappointed.

We'll be heading out early to avoid the snow that's predicted for the afternoon, staying at my friend's daughter's apartment in the city (she'll be coming to the show as well) and getting in some "retail therapy" until dinner and show time. I think we're going to a place called Ruby Foo's for dinner (not my first choice but I love Chinese food) and then off to the theatre. My friend wants to do the stage door thing afterwards so I guess I'll have to go along. If the weather is decent we're going to try to get to the TODAY show in the AM before we head back home. It's a whirlwind 24 hours but it's gonna be fun and I'm really looking forward to it!

Anyway, I'd better get some sleep so I'm ready for this great adventure. One last thing - should I sit in A101 or should I let my friend's daughter have the seat? You'll have to wait until tomorrow night to see how that one plays out. This is gonna be FUN!!!!

Carry on!
J

Another IDOL hits the Great White Way!

2007-10-16T16:16:00.000-04:00

Clay Aiken Joins Broadway's `Spamalot'

1 hour ago

NEW YORK (AP) — Clay Aiken is going from "American Idol" to Eric Idle's "Spamalot."

Aiken will join the Broadway cast of "Monty Python's Spamalot" on Jan. 18, playing one of the leads, Sir Robin, in the Tony Award-winning musical directed by Mike Nichols.

"I really couldn't have asked for a more wonderful group of people to work with," said Aiken, who became a recording and concert star after his appearances on the TV series "American Idol."

"Let's not lie, the chance to work with legendary creative minds like Mike Nichols and Eric Idle is, on its own, a reason to jump at this opportunity."

Aiken will appear in the show, which is based on the film "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," through May 4, 2008. The musical's book is by Idle, an original member of the Python gang, and its score is by Idle and John DuPrez.

"Clay Aiken is amazing beyond that glorious voice," Nichols said. "Turns out he is an excellent comic actor and a master of character."

Maybe Simon was right after all - Clay is perfect for Broadway and the part of Sir Robin will suit him just fine. I guess I'll be embarking on a road trip to NYC in January! Any excuse to go to "the city" is OK with me...

Break a leg, Aiken - I think you'll be a smash!

Getting tired of all the bullsh*t...

2007-10-07T07:27:00.000-04:00

Look, gang, I’m a peaceful blogger who has always tried to support Clay Aiken from an honest, realistic viewpoint. As you may have noticed, my March post regarding the "great" recant has been removed because I forgot to site my source - something I’ve apologized for and will try not to repeat in the future. Twilight Dreamer has every right to want and receive credit for her intellectual property and it was a true oversight on my part not to give it to her. I guess with my hectic real life it just slipped my mind and then months past with not action on it until this weekend. Call me stupid, but that is the truth.

This entire soap opera regarding Clay, JP and a host of others has just gotten waaaay out of hand so I would really like to just step back and let others fight it out. I’m sorry that this drama has caused problems in the Clay Nation but I’m getting so fed up with all the angst and mudslinging that I’m about ready to give up on being a Clayfan altogether. I really like the man but the fandom is just too out of control for me. I’ve always tried to back Clay up and be supportive but I’m not a blind follower and have said things that others have not appreciated - to which I get slammed.

No. Thank. You. I don’t need this. I will remove the last post regarding the recant and will no longer post anything on the subject. I would appreciate no further comments on it as well and will be moderating any and all that come through.

I've had it.

I promise...just one more Manilow moment on this blog...ok?

2007-09-11T15:52:00.000-04:00

This is the Boston Globe's review of Manilow - Music & Passion from Sunday night. It's pretty dead on. Really!

Boston Globe: Amid the Glitz, Manilow Displays Genuine Talent

By Joan Anderman, Globe Staff, September 11, 2007

Concert tickets are overpriced, but thanks to Barry Manilow, who brought his long-running Las Vegas show "Music and Passion" to the TD Banknorth Garden on Sunday, a whole bunch of Bostonians can skip a costly trip to Sin City. Manilow's glitzy production - complete with top-shelf music, countless dinner jackets, and flawless cosmetic work - transformed our humble sports arena into a dazzling nightspot.

In the beginning, the orchestra risers parted like the Red Sea and Manilow materialized from the smoky depths to sing "It's a Miracle." Was he riffing on the wonder of his continued popularity, 30 years post-"Mandy"? Odds are good the biblical metaphor was lost on this audience, which was as pumped as any rock crowd. In the end, Manilow ascended to heaven - a.k.a. "Copacabana," an exceptionally campy and festive place where backup singers sprout monstrous feathered headdresses and everybody dances, ushers included.

In between, Manilow delivered a cavalcade of hits and reminded the one or two skeptics in the house how genuinely talented he is as both songwriter and showman.

A master of connection, he's also one of those rare stars who seems to actually feel (or at least persuasively convey) the gratitude they all blather on about. When he danced onstage with a middle-aged woman during a cover of "Moonlight Serenade," hip-hop star Akon, and his well-publicized hardcore grind with an underage fan, came to mind. Both were rote gestures, but one felt like a gift, the other a theft.

Manilow's mission at 64 is to deliver his contemporaries to a more gracious, innocent time, and to that end he devoted chunks of his set to songs from the '40s, '50s, and '60s, decades that he's memorialized on disc. ("The Greatest Songs of the Seventies" is due Tuesday.) He did Glenn Miller and the big-band era proud before stumbling over the sap of "Love Is a Many Splendored Thing." And neither the Nehru jacket nor the toke off a fake joint made a meaningful bridge between Barry Manilow and Lennon and McCartney.

But really, why bother? Manilow's catalog may not share much aesthetic ground with the Beatles, but it stands on its own as pop craftsmanship. "Weekend in New England," "This One's for You," "Looks Like We Made It," "Could It Be Magic" - all are beautifully built songs, lovely or infectious, with sublimely complex or insanely catchy melodies. Mostly, they're romantic, and even with an obscene quantity of big-money modulations and enough polish to make the concrete gleam, Manilow found the intimacy. Some call that corny. If you forget about what's fashionable, it just sounds good.

Maybe someday Clay will be this well received by all, but remember - it took Barry 30 years to get this much respect.

A evening of Music and Passion -- Here We Go Again!

2007-09-10T22:24:00.000-04:00

Seems I've been away forever

And, oh, my lord, I've missed you so

And now I'm looking at your smiling face

And I can't remember why I wanted to go

I guess I had to do some searchin'

But I've come back - you knew I would

And now I swear I'm feeling so alive

I can promise you this - this is gonna be good (Are you ready?

Are you really ready?

Are you ready?

One more time now)

I can hear the music

I can feel the fire

I can see the lightin'

Gonna take you higher

Made up my mind

We had a good thing going then

So we'll give it a try

And here we go again

(HERE WE GO AGAIN -- sung by Barry Manilow)

I am one happy Fanilow! Not only did I spend an evening with the music god Barry Manilow last night in Boston (ok, I had to share him with 11,000 other fans) I did so from the FREAKIN' FOURTH ROW!!!!!!! YIKES! I had NEVER seen him that up close in the 32 years I've been a fan and may I say it was a might FINE view! I was even more special because when he sat at the piano he was looking out at the audience in my direct line of vision -- how great was THAT? It was like he was singing and playing just for me and I was singing right along with him on every number.

Did you think I didn't know all the words? Foolish kiddies. ;-)

Anyway, I will tell you that while it wasn't the best concert of his that I've attended it was very special because of my vantage point, something I suspect may never happen again. IMO, the best concert of his was during the ONE NIGHT LIVE - ONE MORE TIME tour. Barry played in the round for over two hours with no opening act and it was very touching because he sang quite a few of his lesser known songs. It was quite a tear jerker for me, having grown up listening to his music since I was in high school -in fact, my entire adult life could use mostly Manilow songs for its soundtrack.

Pathetic, eh? Not hardly. It actually would fit me to a T.

Last night was a 100 minute extended version of his Las Vegas act and I think that's why I felt it was a little too "casino slick" even though it was vintage Barry all the way. My concert buddy was looking more for a concert so she wasn't as thrilled as I was (don't worry, Clay -- she thinks your concert this summer was better . At least that's one of us…). It also reminded me of the 2005 Aiken Jukebox Tour, as Barry treated us to songs from the 1940's to the 1970's, with his own hits sprinkled along the way. He even danced with an audience member - the comparisons to Clay are staggering. They must have been separated at birth or something…

Of course, my eyes did well up a few times -- once, during WEEKEND IN NEW ENGLAND (I've sung that song in concert myself and just love the raw emotion of it) and then again during I MADE IT THROUGH THE RAIN (both sets of lyrics mean a great deal to me). Barry may not have the best voice, even though I've always like it, he just has a way of drawing the listener into his musical interpretation and then tugging on every emotion possible. It's all very authentic, however, like he has truly experienced everything he's singing about. That is a gift and he has generously shared it with the world for over 30 years - hopefully we'll get another 30 from him, God willing.

No matter how long or short it was, whether slick or intimate, all my favorite songs or a little of everything, it was one more chance for me to experience "The Greatest Showman of our Generation" and my personal musical idol. Since I'll never get to Vegas (that darn fear of flying…) I don't know if I'll get the chance to hear him live again -- but, we'll always have Boston and Providence. You are very special, Mr Manilow -- thank you for the music, laughter and tears -- and you are loved.

Hey Clay - glad I didn't buy that iPhone in the first wave!

2007-09-06T08:00:00.000-04:00

It figures and I KNEW that would happen.

Apple just slashed the price of the iPhone by $200 and released the iPod Touch which looks and acts much like the aforementioned cellular device. HA! I'm glad I waited and equally happy that someone has hacked the thing so it can work with other carriers. Now, when it comes down in price another $100 and can be used on Verizon, we'll talk...

But, I WANT ONE OF THOSE iPODs!! 3.5 inches and widescreen? I'm there. However, only as high as 16G? Not cool. I have a 30G classic and I'm already half full so I guess I'm waiting there as well. Good thing I'm patient...NOT! ;-)

Also, I have just about recovered from my hard drive crash - thank you Jesus! I lost about 15% of my data and unfortunately it was mostly from work and an IMPORTANT presentation I'll be giving next month. Figures THAT info was in the bad sector of the hard drive and didn't back up at all. Ugh. Good thing I learn from my follies because that will NEVER happen again! I did lose some Clack but when I get around to it I'll simply download it again -- it's those 2000 mp3s that I have to check for damages that has me blurry-eyed. Ah, the joys of technology!

Clay's been awfully quiet since the tour ended so I guess things are back to normal. I won't be renewing my OFC membership this time around so I guess this will be the place to find me making trouble for the boy. Wouldn't have it any other way! I suspect that with AI Rewind showing Season 2 this year that there will be renewed interest in OMC and if used properly, could help him jump start another comeback into the broader public consciousness. I hope Team Clay is up to that challenge.

Well, I'm off to work and this weekend is my long awaiting "date" with Mr. Manilow. I CAN'T WAIT!!!!! Fourth row, baby! I'll be sure to post my review next week -- like, you all care! ;-)

Carry on..."at the copa..."
J

The Crash of 2007

2007-08-18T00:17:00.000-04:00

It finally happened.

I was lucky for 15 years.

I knew I couldn't avoid it forever.

So far, I'm doing OK but it's been rough going.

No, this has NOTHING to do with Clay, but I have lost some of him in the process.

Having a tough time following this? Well, let me put it simply...

MY LAPTOP'S HARD DRIVE CRASHED!!!

Considering I've only had the thing for 11 months and the motherboard crashed in January, I had a sick feeling that something else might go wrong - and it did - 2 days before the start of my 1st vacation in 2 years. That's been my luck of late but I'm thankful we have a desktop as well as my PDA to keep me "hooked up" to the world. Just call me the "Gadget Queen!" ;-)

Anyway, all this drama is to let you know that my online time will be limited this coming week due to this minor glitch and the aforementioned vacation. Those of you who have been with me this past year have some idea of the difficulties I have faced both in my work and at home. I thank God - and my meds - for getting me through it but I am starting to feel physically spent so this coming week should help me recharge a bit. I think the hour ride to and from work is sapping most of my energy or at the very least robbing me of some down time and the older I get, the more I need to balance work and play. However, I don't think anyone has ever accused me of being a dull girl... ;-)

So, if things get a little quiet around here, fear not! Once I'm up and running again I'll be back to my old ways of stirring up trouble and giving everyone my opinions - whether they want them or not! Stay tuned!

Carry on!
J

The Trouble with Aiken, Part 3: "Read 'em and Weep"

2007-08-11T00:27:00.001-04:00

If I could only find the words then I would write it all down,

If I could only find a voice I would speak.

Oh, it's there in my eyes, oh, can't you see me tonight --

Come on and look at me and read 'em and weep

Ok, so I have to use Barry Manilow to frame my final remarks in this three part tome. Sue me. But this is the part where I get to give my $1.98 on what Clay might consider doing to "turn the Titanic around" (yet another song reference) and get on better footing with his career. Others share their opinions, sometimes liberally, so why not join them?

Before I go any further, let me say this: I have been called out as being too judgmental and negative in my comments about Clay. While this is typical treatment for anyone in the fandom who dares to criticize Clay in any way, those of you who have known me since the beginning of all this know that I love Clay's voice and think that he has a promising future as a performer.

He intrigued me with "Always and Forever;"

blew me away with "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me"

and made be believe he had a real chance at stardom with "This is the Night."

I always try to be affirming in my comments but also honest because I believe that there are too many people around Clay who say "yes" all the time - fans included. I'll admit openly that it is really uncomfortable for me to do this in such an open forum. You see, if Mr. Aiken and I were real friends, I would take him out to dinner and discuss this in a non-threatening way over some great meal and wine. I prefer to talk of such things in private because I never want to embarrass anyone or make them feel badly in front of others.

Problem is - I don't know the man and have no way of communicating with him in private so I am left to toss these ideas out into cyberspace and with any luck, he may just hear about them and give them a read. I will understand if it upsets him but I will try to be as gentle and constructive as possible - it's the way I would like to be treated if in the same position. My objective is to share some of my insight being an older and wiser musician myself. While I cannot claim to fully understand the celebrity end of it, it's the human side I'm more interested in.

To put this into some kind of frame work, I'd like to use the article I alluded to in the last installment, the one written by the son of a Claymate, that compared Clay to Barry and was looked upon by more than a few fans as a slam to Clay, which it really wasn't. If you are wearing Claymate glasses, please take them off now because you need to see this through realistic eyes and know that what I say next is meant to be constructive criticism, the kind that helps a person grow.

Note: my comments will be in red -

Presumably Clay has much more control over his live output than he currently does with recordings, and still he has presented himself as an old-fashioned entertainer, the sort who might regularly put out discs like "A Thousand Different Ways" and then embark on a slow-songs-with-orchestra outing like this one. Only during "Measure of a Man" (which got me to clap when his covers didn't) and his co-written but shakily executed song "Lover All Alone" did Clay seize the opportunity to veer into something different – something to suggest he really wants to be contemporary. I don't think Clay himself is certain as to which musical path to wander down but he can sing both classics and contemporary genres well - WHEN his voice is in top form. He was spot on the night I saw him live at Meadowbrook but some of the other clips I have seen and heard have shown a more fragile and tentative performance on more than a one occasion. I have posted my concerns over his voice over the years and so far, what I have predicted is playing itself out - and that pains me to no end.

Otherwise, he behaves like Barry Manilow, the soft-pop icon who has undertaken similar tours in the past – and whose routine now plays best in Vegas. There are MANY similarities between Barry and Clay - so much that it warrants its own separate subject heading. It's a topic I've been meaning to write about and if you look below you'll see that the writer picked up on some of the same ones I was thinking about. Maybe I'll expand on these in a future blog.

Clay invoked Manilow's name twice Saturday to top off self-effacing quips: "Only me and Barry," that's who gives you nights like this. I agree here - both performers know their audience (both are comprised of mostly women) and try to give them what they want. Difference is, Barry has a much tighter show than Clay but that's because Mr. Manilow is a major control freak who needs to have everything as perfect as possible because he believes he owes that to his fans. Clay is still in the experimental stages of performing and he's trying out things constantly to see what works for both him and his fans.

At times, though, it seemed as if he'd been studying Manilow's playbook, incorporating some old tricks into his shtick. His talented, naturally engaging supporting vocalists, for instance – Quiana Parler and Angela Fisher – are not unlike Ladyflash, Manilow's toned-down version of Bette Midler's Harlettes. I noticed that from the beginning and when he had Jacob with him it was reminiscent of when Barry had Billy Kidd with him when he only had two women in back up (one being the very talented Idol singing coach Debra Byrd).

Just as 30 years ago Manilow would detour into his "Very Strange Medley" (a hodgepodge of jingles you'd never have guessed he wrote), so does Clay indulge his TV tribute and "uncool" roundup. I think that's what's bothered me about the medleys - difference is that Barry wrote about half of the jingles and sang the rest for the TV spots so he really OWNED these pieces. Then there is the GONZO medley of Barry's that is a romp through his greatest hits - Clay's no where near that yet.

He even repeats the master's stock lines, placating husbands who got dragged to his show by reminding them they might get lucky later that night. That's straight out of Manilow 101 – as is decrying radio with these-kids-today disdain, which Clay did more than once to hearty applause from a largely older and female crowd (a devoted fan base that nonetheless fell far short of filling the Greek). I'm finding out more and more that there are a bigger number of younger Clay fans around that no one accounts for. If he was on more radio playlists this segment would grow by leaps and bounds.

But, see, Manilow can get away with bagging on the new because he once dominated – and still co-rules his domain. He remains a soft-pop maestro, a gifted pianist of considerable variety, and a strong, distinctive vocalist. Clay is just Clay – a nice charmer with an undeniably powerful (albeit hardly to all tastes) voice that is already showing signs of strain and aimlessness when he goes for glory notes these days. Barry IS the superior musician, hands down, yet even he admits that Clay has the better voice. The one thing Barry can do with his voice is use it as an interpretive tool better than anyone I have experienced in all my years as a singer. He is my musical Idol for this reason and I have spent years trying to emulate and perfect that ability in myself. Do I think Clay has the same talent in him? Yes, I do but he has yet to fully develop it. When he finally does and if he can develop a more solid musical foundation, then he will rival Barry as the "greatest showman of his generation."

Clay will never be but a fraction as talented as Manilow, something he surely realizes, - Don't be so sure and don't count him out yet -but you can't deny he's on the right track. He's got a witty way about himself, and banters off-the-cuff exceptionally well. Mind you, he almost talked here as much as he sang – not entirely a bad thing – and his habit of tumbling into and out of songs while chuckling isn't cute so much as unprofessional. This is where his lack of musicianship shows the most. I was taught never to let the music suffer - to always know both my notes and my words and never cheat the audience out of the best I could offer. But I found his asides more appealing than his songs, just as I enjoy his interviews with Jimmy Kimmel more than his performances whenever he's on. Clay needs to pay attention to such critique, unless he wants out of singing and wants more of a non-musical career.

If he'd just settle into this as a career path – and maybe he is – he still has a very promising future as a new sort of Wayne Newton. Only Clay knows the answer here and, then again, maybe this is what he is struggling with. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with a Vegas career unless he really wants to concentrate on television. At some point he will have to choose or he could end up with neither.

So, if I were to advice Clay on what he should do next, this is what I would tell him:

- get out of the public eye for at least a year or more to give all this hoopla a rest - reinventing oneself

has worked for many people, Barry included

- while on hiatus, work on a new sound and hone your craft with professionals - Barry took acting

lessons to help his stage performance and Clay could use some formal music training to help him

feel more comfortable contributing to his overall "sound" instead of relying on someone else's vision

- learn that "no comment" says more than you'd like it to say because it leaves others to fill in the

blanks - defending one's "honor" is still a good thing to do in measured doses

- surround yourself with people who are HONEST with you about everything - you need to "keep it real"

and while stroking is nice, it only leads to a distorted view of life (and you don't need to be a celebrity

to learn that lesson)

I don’t have all the answers. I'm not perfect myself. I have no hidden agenda whatsoever. However, I have and always will believe in Clay and his talent and only want to see it reach it's full potential. That's all.

It's there in my eyes and coming straight from my heart,

It's running silent and angry and deep!

It's there in my eyes, and it's all I can say,

Come on look at me and read 'em . . . and weep!

(READ'EM AND WEEP - Music and lyrics by Jim Steinman - Sung by Barry Manilow)

The Trouble with Aiken, Part 2: "Every little thing he does is…WRONG!"

2007-08-07T23:51:00.001-04:00

It would appear that this FAR SIDE cartoon is a perfect illustration of how Clay's life has been unfolding over the last 18 months. Seems that no matter what he does or doesn't do, no matter what choices he makes or doesn't make and no matter how the public at large hears it, he always seems to make the WRONG decision for his life or career. When those times occur there is an ever-ready posse of folks poised to help make the situation worse - some are "fans" and others are "foes."

Can't this poor soul catch a break? Is this what reality TV has done to the average Joe?

Since Clay burst on to the scene in American Idol 2, he has been one of those performers who seems to polarize individuals - in other words, one either loves him or hates him with no in between. As with all things, zealots live at the extremes of these feelings towards him, using their version of the "facts" to support their positions. Just what ARE the facts about Clay Aiken that get folks all shook up?

Here are some "facts" as we know them -

Name: Clayton Holmes Aiken

Age: 28

Hometown: Raleigh, NC

Education: Graduate of UNC-Charlotte w/degree in Special Education

Claim to fame:

Runner-up American Idol 2

Recording Credits:

This is the Night/Bridge Over Troubled Waters

Measure of a Man

Solitaire/The Way

Merry Christmas with Love

All is Well: Holiday Extras

A Thousand Different Ways

Solo Tours:

Independent (w/Kelly Clarkson)

Not-a Tour

Joyful Noise 1

Jukebox

Joyful Noise 2

Holiday w/Orchestra

Soft Rock/Hard Place

Philanthropic Endeavors:

The Buble/Aiken Foundations - co-founder and Chairman of the Board

UNICEF Ambassador for Education

Presidential Committee for Disabilities

All of the above are documented and indisputable (there are more facts but these are enough to make a point). What frosts my cupcakes, however, is when other things that are passed off as facts really aren't -- yet folks believe them as if they were gospel.

Things like:

Clay initiates fight with woman on airplane

Clay is gay and we have a washcloth to prove it

Clay's charity is mismanaged

Clay has a love child he is not supporting

Clay never shows up for meetings of the presidential commission of which he is a member

My Google alerts are filled with such drivel and after awhile I start to get angry and wonder when all this foolishness will stop. I want to know just what Clay represent or embodies that brings out such polar emotions in people. I haven't got a clue.

While I continue to ponder the above conundrum, let's take a look at the two extremes that are a constant source of concern for Our Man Clay:

The Clay Haters

This group is made up of both former fans who no longer "drink the Kool-aid" (their favorite expression) that keeps them delusional towards him or those who were never fans in the first place or fans of other idols. The basic bottom line is that they have some kind of "beef" with Clay that they just can't or won't let go of. They seem to have taken up residence on a number of message boards and have developed a Community of Hate, communicating to anyone who reads them their gospel that Clay is "fake," that he is not who he appears to be, and that all who believe he is or defend him in any way are they themselves targets for the same type of ridicule and slander.

My question is:

Who died and left them to play God?

No one has the right to make themselves judge and jury over someone else's existence. If you "fall out of like" with a celebrity, or anyone for that matter, you are free to walk away and let them go their merry way. Continuing to churn up the waters until they get total satisfaction that they are in the right or just plain old revenge is morally wrong. Period. However, our society today is so devoid of moral standards and simple social graces that this type of behavior is not only condoned but encouraged by wrapping itself in the flag of "free speech." Gimme a break. I get it that you don't like Clay - just let it go and move on. You must have other things in your life to obsess on. He's just not worth it and, frankly, doesn't deserve it no matter what he's allegedly done.

The Rabid Claymates

This group is comprised of the most zealous and, sometimes, overly lustful group of Clay fans in the Clay Nation whose sole purpose in life, it seems, is to promote, protect and endlessly photograph Mr. Aiken. They will join any website to vote for Clay, trash any writer who makes Clay look bad in the press or online and record every nanosecond of his life on and off stage. They probably mean well but their actions are stalker-ish and their devotion is off the charts. The way they attack others, even those who ARE fans, is mean and selfish. Clay appears to "egg them on" and that only makes matters worse. If they were in the Star Trek universe they would be known as the BORG.

My question is:

Who appointed them Clay's collective Mommy?

May I be frank here? These women are NUTS! I can't wrap my mind around the way these women think and I have been a devoted fan of one Mister Barry Manilow for thirty two years and have NEVER behaved the way these gals do. Most of them are old enough to be Clay's mother (eeewww) and the others don't stand a snowball's chance in hell of ever getting any real time with him. To help prove my point, check out this article that came across my path recently:

Published: Thursday, August 2, 2007 Nashua Telegraph (NH)

Fans protective of star

I’m a Clay Aiken fan. But I know now, I’m by far not the biggest Clay Aiken fan.

My sister, three friends and I bought our tickets for the Clay Aiken concert in Meadowbrook months before we learned the Nashua Symphony Orchestra was playing with him. But when I found out the NSO was playing, I thought it would be a great idea to tell our readers about our hometown symphony playing with a world-famous pop star. OK, that’s half the truth. I was hoping that doing the story would also lead me to meet Clay. Yes, Clay face time. That’s what I was hoping for, and I was so close.

Alas! It was not to be. For a series of reasons that are way too pedestrian to list, I not only didn’t get to meet Clay, I didn’t even get to see the orchestra rehearse. What I did get was permission to take photographs at the foot of the stage for the first two songs of the concerts.

It wasn’t face time, but I would get to take a few photos for the newspaper, as well as have six minutes to get an upfront and underneath view of Clay’s remarkably long and remarkably blond eyelashes.

I, along with real photographers with real cameras, positioned ourselves in front of the stage and readied ourselves for Clay’s and, of course, the Nashua Symphony Orchestra’s appearance.

Meadowbrook’s videographer warned me that when the music started, the fans in the front row would do their best to get us to sit down. I was prepared for some snaky remarks. But I was not prepared for the army of gray-haired women who found it their duty to tell me and the others with cameras not once, not twice, but perhaps 20 times that “the flash hurts Clay’s eyes.”

For a second, I thought of asking them how they know this. I’ve been on Claymate sites. I have been to four Clay Aiken concerts. I didn’t know his eyes hurt. But these women who looked like maniacal grandmothers (I swear one of them had a rolling pin in her hand) fancied themselves Clay’s personal protectors.

Far be it from me to hurt Clayton’s baby blues. I turned off my flash but somehow that didn’t assuage these women, who admonished, “That’s quite enough” after we took three photographs.

The concert was great. The orchestra was great. But I was so freaked out by the Fake Clay Mommies that I didn’t even get time to admire Clay’s eyelashes.

I happened to be at this concert and I know who these women are, too -- they are the same ones I spy sitting in the front rows of EVERY concert I have attended for the last 4 years (and that would be NINE total). Not wanting to get into how much money they are wasting spending on attending multiple concerts of the same tour ( I recently counted that one women had video taped 10 of his last 13 shows on this tour alone) or how much "clack" they view on a daily basis, I am ashamed for them that they could treat others they way they treated this fan in the above article. Just today it was brought to my attention that they are now going after a "negative" reviewer whose mother is an active Claymate because he didn't say what they wanted to hear. I'll use that article in my final installment but I can tell you that what he wrote had a lot of truth in it (I read the article) and in my experience, Claymates "can't handle the truth."

If Clay is who he says he is (and I have no reason yet to believe anything different) then he would not approve or condone this type of treatment, especially when done in his name. But then he'll make comments about having his Claymates beat up people and I want to shake him because some of these gals actually BELIEVE him and feel justified to go out and "obey" the master. This type of fan is NOT , repeat - NOT helping Clay, except to get him more negative press than he needs. They are terrorizing other fans, causing legitimate writers to either pander to them or use Clay as a whipping boy to get hits and making people in the music business look down on Clay even more. They, as the "haters" they detest, need to be muzzled and their power taken away. In my next installment I will give my opinion on how that could be achieved.

Now, I fully expect to have a target on my back with these two extremes and I guess I'm ready for the fallout. But, remember, it's MY OPINION and MY BLOG and if you don't like it, then don't read it and spread it around. It's that simple.

Carry on…but be nice about it…

Now here's something you'll REALLY like...

2007-07-31T15:59:00.000-04:00

This is the kind of press that Clay should be getting instead of that stupid airline stuff...YOU be the judge!

Caregiving: Clay Aiken to expand camps

By ALEX CUKAN

ALBANY, N.Y., July 31 (UPI) -- Long before appearing on Fox's "American Idol" in 2003, Clay Aiken had a dream that did not involve being a pop star.

As a YMCA camp counselor, it saddened him that children with developmental disabilities had to be turned away from not only the fun of camp, but from the experience of being with other children, and he promised himself that this was something he would try to change.

"American Idol," several hit tours and 4.3 million album sales later, the pop star announced earlier this month that his dream is becoming a reality with the goal of raising $1 million to expand the Bubel/Aiken Foundation's "Let ALL Play" initiative so that 100 camps in 2008 would become inclusive to children with special needs.

It's simple concept really, but all too often, special needs children are excluded from everyday activities like swimming, arts and crafts, games, community service and physical fitness programs.

"It's an ambitious goal and it will be a challenge -- 100 camps and $1 million dollars in less than one year -- but we are about 20 percent of the way to that goal," Jerry Aiken, executive director of the Bubel/Aiken Foundation, told UPI's Caregiving. "But we also have a fan base with a tremendous amount of experience and strong passion for this issue -- we have close to 1,000 volunteers -- working with the foundation and we have been listening to them and they have some great ideas."

Jerry Aiken, Clay Aiken's uncle on his mother's side, held senior level positions at Nortel Networks, TRW and Fujitsu Network Communications, before coming to the foundation in May.

"I was told of a parent with a child with special needs and on the first day of camp the parent is coaxing the child to get out of the car and give camp a try, but a couple of days later the child can't wait to get to camp and is running inside -- when you hear these stories you see the value -- the self-worth element -- of inclusion," said Jerry Aiken.

"There was a 8-year-old child with autism, who was diagnosed at age 2 and he attended a YMCA camp this summer -- his vocabulary before the camp was about two words and after attending camp it jumped to 11 words -- that's huge."

There are several things currently in the works to raise funds, including working with a number of companies to gain sponsorship and there will be a celebrity version of the TV show on Fox's "Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader" that may offer us some opportunities as well, according to Jerry Aiken.

In addition, Jerry Aiken, a golfer, is working toward a golf tournament tentatively scheduled in Florida this year or in early 2008.

"I play golf and I've encouraged Clay to take it up, but golf takes a commitment and at the moment he doesn't have the time for golf, but he would be at the golf tournament," Jerry Aiken said.

The foundation is working with established camp programs such as the YMCA or other qualified American Camp Association members by providing financial support plus a detailed camp manual, training and ongoing assistance -- most of the funds that we raise cover training, additional counselors, equipment/supplies as well as a camp scholarships if required, according to Jerry Aiken.

"We stress to the camps they should not significantly change their program; the 'Let's ALL Play' manual and the training is about developing the camp team to provide a typical camp experience."

There is tug of war in pedagogy and psychological circles on how to best challenge the special needs child and the typical child so both experience optional challenges, according to Dr. Larry Lachman, a licensed clinical psychologist at Chapman University in Monterey, Calif.

"If either the special needs child, or the typical child does not get enough stimulation, it won't work," Lachman told UPI's Caregiving.

"Assuming the staff/counselors are trained in special needs, that the design of the program is appropriate and the typical children have the emotional maturity so they do not tease, this can be a highly beneficial experience and broaden the skill sets of both sets of children -- it sets the bar higher for all the children and opens everyone's eye to seeing something from a different point of view."

I saw things from a different point of view after I heard Clay Aiken in an interview several years ago with Diane Sawyer of ABC News. He said what made him passionate about being a special education teacher was the challenge -- the puzzle -- and how to figure out ways to help unlock the world so that a special needs child could connect and function better.

At the time, I was experiencing the "distancing" of friends of mine and friends of my father who treated the news of my father's Alzheimer's disease as if it was leprosy. I never heard from them again.

But thinking about dementia as a challenge, as a puzzle that can be solved, bit by bit, instead of giving up, made a big difference for me. It's certainly not the message I got from traditional healthcare.

So I understand why Clay Aiken's fan base is more than just the usual pop star fan base of teens -- many of his fans are caregivers -- who appreciate the message of inclusion.

In an era when many men in their 20s are only passionate about video games or have nothing else on their minds than perfecting their backhand, Clay Aiken talking about inclusion of those with special needs is enormously attractive to women of all ages, so I can understand why his fans are so devoted and why the foundation has such ambitious plans.

Alex Cukan is an award-winning journalist, but she has also been a caregiver since she was a teenager. UPI welcomes comments and questions about this column.)

(e-mail: parentcaregiving@gmail.com)

Afterthoughts...

2007-07-26T18:13:00.000-04:00

1 - Thank you, B, for agreeing to disagree with some of my review. We need more of that in society today instead of what usually happens when someone goes against the grain.

2 - I'm going to a conference for a few days and may not get a chance to moderate the comments, even though I should be able to get wi-fi with my PDA. Without a regular keyboard it gets a little tricky. Just want you to know this so no one thinks I'm stifling free speech.

3 - That goes for anyone sending me email as well. While I should be able to respond, I may not so please be patient and I'll get to it as soon as I return.

4 - For the record, Clay Aiken is an extremely gifted singer/performer who needs a lot more refinement and who also needs to take a blow torch to both the rumor mill and the rumor mongers. Mainly, he needs to be more proactive than reactive and that takes skill and finesse, something that his team has been reluctant to use - and "no comment" doesn't cut it anymore, sadly. See my forthcoming remarks for an expansion on this theme. He really is a good man who is taking more hits than he should for a celebrity, that's all.

See y'all when I return!

Carry on, nicely!
J

"When the bugs come out..."

2007-07-26T11:13:00.000-04:00

I was going to try and write this review on the way home and post it overnight but I get so motion sick when I try to do anything else but drive in a car that I was only able to get half of it down. It took my concert buddy and I about two and one half hours to make it back home to Rhode Island and I'll admit we were dog tired when we finally rolled in. Was it worth it? The concert definitely was and it was the a bit of a refresher for me as I try to shake off my emotional negativity of late. However, we have decided that if we attend another concert in Gilford, we will STAY IN TOWN OVERNIGHT! The area is full of cute B & B's and it would be better than trying attempting the long drive home when one is exhausted after a long day (remember, I DID work most of the day).

Let's talk about the venue first. Meadowbrook is in a very rural area but not far from the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee (you know, the one they talk about in the popular American Express Commercial? It's a real place, people!). It's not as large as my nearest outdoor venue (Tweeter Center in Norton, MA) but it's very New Hampshire in it's appearance and attitudes. My nineteenth row center seats were just close enough to see very well without opera glasses so that was a plus - especially since I was eager to try out my new digital Canon PowerShot (thanks to the DH for this Xmas gift). I was thankful that it took video because the medications I take make me shake too much to take stills without a tripod. We’ll see how well I did later today when I get a chance to download the clips to my laptop. If nothing else, I should get some great screen shots of Clay in action. This is a venue I would readily come back to again for Clay and others -- it's intimate and user friendly.

OK, let's cut to the chase and ~~rip apart~~ critique this very enjoyable concert from ~~Bugville~~ Gilford, NH. I'm sure you've all heard about the MASSIVE MOTHS that kept dive-bombing the stage. They were huge and annoying to everyone up there, including the orchestra. The bug spray someone threw up on stage turned out to be of little use but it was amusing to watch Clay and the gals try to stay professional and ignore the aerial distractions. Even Jesse had to spray the piano keys at one point. This musician really felt for everyone involved but it didn't severely diminish the performances. However, if Clay thought last night's insect dodge'em was bad, he definitely shouldn't play a concert in NH in June -- that's black fly season and those little critters are WORSE than the moths!

Now, let me state for the record that the VOICE was in very good shape and when the rabid, overly liquored mates would hold their tongues from shouting to get his attention, we could actually enjoy it (more on that later). Sure, there were some glitches but I think we are so attuned to the sanitized studio sound that anything live gives us pause. Being someone who deals with live singers on a daily basis, I'm used to a certain amount of real vocal production, warts and all, but what I heard at the beginning of the tour was different than what I heard last night live. I have a feeling that the more Clay relaxes when he sings or feels comfortable with his material, the better the voice sounds and he can easily produce that VOICE we all fell for four years ago. The zealot detractors will always find fault no matter what he does (and it IS getting a tad boring at this point -- me thinks they dost protest TOO much over someone they say they hate and I'll address that in the next installment of the three part tome) but he still sounds better than most of the drivel that is played on the radio waves these days. You find more stylistic and fad-driven singers on commercial radio rather than the real, pure voices (Clay and Josh Groban come to mind) or singers who know how to write and/or connect emotionally with a song (you know I'm talking about Barry Manilow here!). Those days are, sadly, long gone but happily these type of performers tour and we fans get our "fix" of good music and performing this way.

As for the backup crew - it sounded like Angela had experienced some vocal problems of her own at the last stop but she certainly made up for it last night with a soulful rendition of LISTEN from the movie DREAMGIRLS. New mama Quiana was equally powerful and moving on Faith Hill's WHEN THE LIGHTS GO DOWN and I can see why Clay enjoys not only their singing but their friendships as well. The three of them really know how to play off each other and they take the rest of us along for the ride. Jesse (whose fan club was MORE than annoying but Clay didn't help things much by egging them on all night) is a laid-back conductor but no less talented since his arrangements and direction are spot on. Along with new drummer Sean they provided the usual great backup we have grown accustomed to at an Aiken show.

BTW, about last night's "look" - no, dear, you are NOT getting fat -- you're just starting to fill in as you approach the big 2-9. The stubble, however, is not as attractive as some would have you believe -- especially when your makeup is dripping off it. Clean shaven IS the way to go. But, hey, it's JMHO...

On to the songs themselves -

Best of the bunch:

Everything I Have - my favorite original song on the CD and it sounded great. Thank you for including it on this tour.

SSTBTHW - other than "I told you so" this beautiful song was almost perfect. The screaming meanies in the beginning really ruined the mood but Clay brought it back and it soared by the end. He could probably sing most of the Elton John songbook with ease.

These Open Arms - I believe this was the most vocally commanding song of the night and it, too, was sung without strain. Kudos for Angela's able backup.

Without You -- this one brought tears to my concert buddy's eyes because she loves the song so much. Paired with Clay's voice, she thought it was stellar.

Measure of a Man - another personal favorite of mine and sung with complete conviction. Keep this song in every tour because I don't think we fans ever get sick of it.

Songs we could have done without:

Right Here Waiting - doesn’t it figure that I get the ONE song I won't even put on my iPod because I don't like Clay singing it AT ALL!! My friend, couldn't you have waiting for New Jersey before you added it to the set list? I would have rather heard A Thousand Days any day.

The TV Medley - *crosses her arms back at Clay* Much to your obvious dismay I have NOT changed my opinion on this one now that I've seen it. Something is missing from this grouping that would make it a hit but I can't put my finger on it. Maybe it's the song selection or maybe it needs some "acting out" of the shows. I dunno. All I know it I don’t think it works and I would have rather heard a medley of Clay's AI songs. That is all. ;-)

Sexy Back from the Classics Medley - honey, if you're bringing sexy "back" like that, you need a Sex Ed refresher course. OUCH! NOT a pretty sight or sound. I know it's a joke but it's a bad one.

Pleasant Surprises:

The rest of the Classics Medley - ok, this one has grown on me (with one noted exception). The tractor song is a scream and the background antics are very amusing, which helps me stomach OPP and Baby Got Back. You win this round, Aiken.

The Way You Make Me Feel - while not a fan of the Gloved One, Clay does a good cover of this happy tune. Now, if he could ONLY LEARN THE DAMN WORDS he could do so much more with it. Side note: the Aiken Random Lyric Generator was in high gear last night - this boy would NEVER make it on DON'T FORGET THE LYRICS…

One last rant (and it's my blog and I can if I want to):

I work hard and save my money in order to support the arts and artists that I love. When I attend a concert I am all about sound and stage presence - both have to be equally good and enjoyable. I DO NOT ENJOY fans calling attention to themselves or trying to get the artist's attention by constantly screaming out "I love you" or "Call me" or whatever. This rude and ignorant behavior should not be tolerated by either the venue or the musicians and something needs to be done about it. Please save your "free speech" diatribes - it's MY RIGHT as a paying customer to hear the performance without undo annoyances and childish behavior. Scream at Clay all you want to at the buses or between numbers but once the music starts SHUT THE HELL UP! I apologize for the language but maybe I'll get their attention with it. You "ladies" ruined part of my experience last night and I'm not going to be quiet about it anymore. And Clay, don't overly encourage these fans either - they obviously don't know when to stop (unless it's during Lover All Alone where I was actually tempted to break the mood and let them know how it feels. Not that I would ever do that but it was tempting nonetheless).

All in all, the concert proved to be a good time on a humid summer evening and since Clay will not be returning to the area this Christmas, it was great to see and hear him in 2007.

One last thing - you had to wear the striped socks on a hot night, eh? ;-)

Carry on!
J

PS - if any of you want to take me to task over anything I've said, please be considerate of all who read this blog when you respond - or, if you'd rather chew me out in private, here is my email addy:

J's email

I promise not to use anything or anyone's name in this or any blog and would appreciate your respectful behavior. I understand needing and wanting to be heard.
Thanks!

We're off to see the Aiken, the wonderful Aiken named Clay!

2007-07-25T15:06:00.000-04:00

Well, my concert buddy is picking me up at work and we're off to New Hampshire to hear his Aikenness sing. I promise I'll have a full report for you when I return so stay tuned!

Carry on!
J

How could I be so STUPID!!!!???

2007-07-23T17:14:00.000-04:00

I love YouTube. Really I do.

I can find so many old clips of Barry and my ABSOLUTE favorite one is of a performance in LA in '78 where he sang this great number called HERE WE GO AGAIN. I had only seen it once or twice when I had HBO back then and was elated when I found it recently on YT.

Then, I did a dumb thing.

I posted here on my little blog to share with the 3 readers I have and so I could watch it all the time. Well, lately there have been MORE than 3 readers and I think I got the original poster in trouble because THE VIDEO IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE and I can't find the owner anywhere!

I am SOOO SORRY for both getting this person in trouble and for losing my viewing of this great number. Seems I really like the cheesy ones (and, for the record, I love Clay's BACK FOR MORE -- even if HE doesn't -- and still think it would make a great radio single).

I guess I'll refrain from posting clips and just keep them all in my playlist - which went down from 26 to 17.

That'll teach me...

Carry on while I pout...
J

Sin and Redemption

2007-07-22T23:10:00.000-04:00

Dear Mr. Aiken,
I'm sure you were just caught up in the moment last Monday night when you were introducing the insipidly lame "Classics Medley" and uttered the following :

"They (the orchestra) had no idea what they were going to play tonight. They thought is was going to be, you know, Barry Manilow JUNK, which, essentially, it has been - let's not balk(?)."

Ok.

Let me get this straight because we all know that audio, video and the Internet don't lie...

Did I hear you use the word JUNK in reference to Barry Manilow!!!!???????

Well, young Skywalker, you have committed Cardinal Sin number ONE in my universe -
you have blasphemed against the MAN himself! While you both share similarities in style and personal histories (can you say ''separated at birth?") the greatest showman of our generation is far and away the superior musician. While you may be the heir apparent, he is still the true KING of Pop music and if you play your cards right, you WILL look like him in 30 years (just watch those face lifts, OK?).

However ...

...you have redeemed yourself somewhat by adding Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word to your concert set list and that takes some (not all) of the sting away. BTW - I told you so!

Also, from what I've seen and heard this past week, your voice is starting to get stronger and that now makes me look forward to hearing you Wednesday night in Gilford, NH. I'll be about nineteen rows back and hopefully I should be able to get a good sound balance even though I won't be able to see very well. It's probably better that I'm not too close to the stage in case you get struck by another bout of insanity… ;-)

See you in NH!
J

An update on my current insanity.

2007-07-16T16:07:00.000-04:00

Ok, I spent all that $$$ last Friday on Manilow tickets but I didn't think the seats were too grand. So, I went back to the site this past weekend and they had regular FLOOR SEATS with no added extras on sale for $20 more. My concert buddy suggested I contact the fan club and see if I could exchange my seats and they were very happy to oblige.

What does that mean?

I now have two tickets IN THE FREAKIN' 4TH ROW (they're not center but who cares - I can see him spit from there!)!!!!!!

This may be the closest I ever get to the MAN and I am one very happy camper! That made my month!

And, thus, I am still certifiably insane...but what a way to go!

Carry on!
J

I am now certifiably INSANE...

2007-07-13T13:46:00.000-04:00

...because I just spent TWO HUNDRED & THIRTY hard earned DOLLARS on a BARRY MANILOW ticket for his only New England appearance in September!!!!

In fact, it's only one of two concerts he's giving on the east coast this fall and it wasn't even the MOST expensive ticket! Those were FOUR HUNDRED AND TEN DOLLARS!

Only for Barry, my friends, because he's not getting any younger and this might be my last chance to see him live (it's my ninth, overall).

I wonder if I'll do this much for Clay in 30 years or so...

Carry on while I get carried away in a straight jacket...

J

The Trouble with Aiken: Part 1 - "It's hip to hate Clay..."

2007-07-12T00:00:00.000-04:00

There once was an entertainer who took himself seriously when others did not. He was a professed Christian, didn't have a great sense of style, appeared often on a late night talk show and was thought to be gay. He sang songs that were considered "old fashioned" and came to fame as the result of being on a popular television show. Most folks thought he was a joke and subsequently became the butt of many of them.

His name? Herbert Khaury, aka Tiny Tim.

Sound familiar?

In every generation a performer comes along and, through no fault of his or her own, seems to rub the majority of the people the wrong way. As I write this, it appears to be Clay Aiken's turn as America's whipping boy. On Conan O'Brien's Late Night Show a mere mention of his name sends the audience howling. Even Dan Abrams from MSNBC couldn't resist making him the "Loser of the Day" recently.

My question is - what exactly has Clay done to deserve all of this negative attention?

Or, more exactly, whose ego did he encroach on to warrant a bull's eye on both his career and personal life?

The obvious difference between Clay and Mr. Tim is that Clay HAS legitimate musical talent, when he is using his voice properly. That alone, coupled with his great run on American Idol 2 should have given him a big boost on the way to a music career. In actuality, it did - until January of 2006 when all hell broke loose (that date is significant and I will revisit it in the next installment). Since then the hits to both his private life and performing career just keep on coming, with extremely damaging results. This kid can't seem catch a break right now and something needs to be done to turn this Titanic around or his professional credentials will be worthless.

The general public, knowing no better, seems to have latched on to the premise that it is "hip" to hate Clay. They dismiss any good that he is trying to achieve while not stopping their relentless pursuit to drive him into obscurity. So much hatred turned on to one young man who simply entered a reality TV contest at the urging of others and was able to capture the musical hearts of many. Like that was a crime or something.

Maybe it was.

Maybe he just seemed too good to be true. No one could be that wholesome and self effacing. There had to be a big flaw lurking somewhere.

Whether there really is or not is irrelevant now - the damage is done and his reputation has taken more major blows than it needed to. The question remains - can Clay's professional and private lives be repaired so that he can have a credible and successful career in music or television? Moreover, can the general public accept a "new and improved" Clay Aiken?

Before we can answer those questions, we need to examine the forces in Clay's life that have helped to create this quicksand that he seems to be sunk into. In my next installment, I will put forth my own observations and "conspiracy theories" on the subject while in a third and final installment, make some suggestions on how Clay could rise from the ashes and reinvent himself. He may be down at the present moment, but he is in no way out of this game yet.

BTW, each one of my titles is a take off on a popular song of the past. See if you can figure it out and post your guess. I may not have fabulous prizes for the correct guesser but it should still be fun!

Carry on!
J

Is the man SERIOUS?

2007-07-05T00:05:00.000-04:00

Ok, I just logged on to one of the boards to see what happened tonight at the first concert and this was the set list I saw:

Here You Come Again
I Want to Know What Love Is (w/Quiana)
When I See You Smile

TV Theme Song Medley:
Making Our Dreams Come True (Laverne and Shirley)
Different Strokes (Different Strokes)
Thank You For Being a Friend (Golden Girls)
Welcome Back (Welcome Back Kotter)
Movin' On Up (The Jeffersons)
Those Were The Days (All In The Family)

These Open Arms
When the Lights Go Down (Quiana)
Without You

Energetic Songs Medley:
Like a Virgin
Baby Got Back
1999
Oops I Did It Again
Yeah
Achy Breaky Heart
Sexy Back
Beat It

Lover All Alone
Because You Loved Me
God Bless The U.S.A.

Am I to believe that the above is the official set list for ALL the orchestra concerts? To say that I am in shock is an understatement. The last thing I want to pay good money for is to hear Clay or anybody sing Like a Virgin or Baby Got Back in concert!!!! Has the boy been smoking the wacky weed lately? Clay can do WAAAAAAY better than this selection of songs and I don't have clue one as to what he is trying to accomplish with all this.

Now, I may think differently after seeing some clack but I doubt it. Where is Everything I Have? That is my favorite song on the album and a good orchestral choice. What about Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word? That's another good choice that lends itself to orchestral coloring. Broken Wings would bring down the house and Lonely No More would have them weeping in the aisles.

And what's up with these medleys? I have experience doing a TV themes medley but that was in a cabaret setting - not a concert one with an orchestra! The other medley makes me want to barf -- he won't sing Touch in concert but he'll sing Like a Virgin & Sexy Back? There is something definitely wrong with all this because I can't believe I'm either that old or square in not wanting to waste my time listing to Clay waste his great vocal pipes on this trash. I have tickets to Meadowbrook that I am now seriously thinking of selling on eBay rather than haul my butt 3 hours north to experience this type of concert by someone I believe has more talent and musical brains than what he appears to be using at the present moment.

Am I being a bit harsh and rash here? I dunno but the clack better prove better than the descriptions I read or I will NOT be going to hear Clay this time around. I just wouldn't be able to take him seriously as a performer and that would be sad. Please tell me this was just an aberration or a bad dream.

I realize I've probably just ticked off most of the Clay Nation but I've never minced my words here before nor would I ever say anything here I wouldn't be comfortable saying to Clay personally. I'm initially disappointed with this tour's set list and am hoping that it will change as it rolls along.

J

Producers and iPhones and tours...OH, MY!

2007-06-30T23:05:00.000-04:00

So, I see that Mr. Aiken as decided to blog more in one month than he has since the beginning of the year. Could that have something to do with upcoming membership renewals? I'll resist the temptation to go down that road right now. However, in light of his current commentary, let me throw out a few caveats of my own -

IMHO, the only producer out there that could do wonders for both his career and next CD is the one and only "showman of our generation" BARRY MANILOW! My faithful readers already know (just how many time HAVE I said it?) that I think Mr. Manilow is a musical god and since he has declared many times to all the world that Clay will look like him in 30 years, it would seem to be a natural fit. There are many similarities between the two men and who better to help nurture a career redirection than someone who has reinvented himself a few times over 30+ years? I would be one happy camper if all my conjecture comes true but until then, here's some footage of a very young Barry singing a favorite, yet obscure, song on tour in the late 70's. Anything look familiar, Clay fans?

As for the iPhone, until it comes to Verizon Wireless I'm not buying it. AT+T is a lousy carrier and I've been following the proceedings over the last 36 hours and most of the glitches that are popping up are NOT with the phone itself. I waited until 4G to get my 1st iPod (a mini that my hubby now uses since he bought me a video 5G last year) and I'm glad I waited until most of the bugs were exterminated. Guess it will be the same for this little piece of geek nirvana. Anyway, I had been looking into smartphones earlier this year but opted to keep my technology separate for now, lest one thing break down and render the others useless. So, for now, I'll continue to carry my cell phone, PDA and iPod around with me in big pocketbooks (as well as my digital and video cameras, laptop, etc). They don't call me the "gadget queen" for nothing!

And now for the tour -- uh, I wonder if this "project" has anything to do with taking a stroll down AI memory lane? That would be a treat for those of us who "fell in like" with Clay during that time and would be a sort of "greatest hits" medley. Let's see - Everlasting Love, Buttercup, Unchained Melody, At this Moment, GREASE…ok, I could seriously get into something like that. Did I get this one right? I guess I'll find out soon enough -- see you at Meadowbrook, Clay!

Well, that's all for now. Mom is doing very well for her age and health but I still take things one day at time with her. The job is rolling along but I'm starting to think about writing again. Perhaps it's time for another story …however I'm not sure if I'll share this one on the Web. I'll never say never but for now it's staying under wraps.

Carry on and have a safe, happy 4th of July!
J

I'm still here!

2007-05-17T08:58:00.000-04:00

Hello all!
I'm sorry I haven't been my usual blogging self but btw my Mom's illness (she's doing really well now and is back home, thank God!) and this year's extremely disappointing season of American Idol, I have been neglecting all my faithful readers here at Blogger. I promise to be back very soon with more of my unusual insights and crazy antics regarding Mr. Clay Aiken - like, what was that horse all about???

Carry on until I return for good!
J

Who needs IDOL?

2007-02-28T12:35:00.001-05:00

Check out this guy, dudes and dudettes! I'll tell y'all what I think later.

Enjoy!

Welcome, New Visitors!

2007-02-24T09:03:00.000-05:00

It seems that I have been discovered by a new group of folks who found my last entry not to their liking. OK, so the montage has been around for awhile but I had not seen it and thought it was worth posting for my readers to ponder (all 3 of them before 31 new readers showed up). I'm sad that almost all of you didn't read any further than the one post. Next time, take a few moments to check out the rest of the site -- you may be surprised that the content is NOT that of what you consider a typical "old crusty mate" (your words, not mine).

BTW, I ABHORE the term "claymate" -- I don't consider myself one nor do I use it to describe the fandom unless I'm trying to make a point. Please be considerate of that.

Feel free to drop by again and leave a comment -- as long as you play by the rules. I do love an exchange of opinions providing everyone's opinion is respected.

Thanks for visiting!

Carry on!

Setting the Record Straight...Again

2007-02-23T21:32:00.001-05:00

Found this little gem on You Tube and just had to share it with the rest of you. Very thought provoking...

And the hits just keep on coming...

2007-02-14T13:59:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day!
Sorry I don't get back here as often as I should but it IS Idol season...besides, with Mom coming home soon I have lots to do to get her adjusted to her new way of doing things.

My return here was hastened by some information I stumbled upon while surfing. It could help us understand why Clay has attrached such a negative element of late. Check it out:

Anti-Fan Clubs
Anti-fan and hate blogs in the US are relatively new phenomena which has reached a new height with the advent of Computer message board sites and blogs. American Idol added to the stream of Anti-fans with the most popular contestants having the most anti-fans. Anti-fans and hate clubs have been prevalent in Korea (as an example) for many years with the most popular super-stars having the most anti-fans, beginning with Jang Woo Hyuk having the most and TVXQ! a close second.

In Korea a website is created for a new hot celebrity once he debuts and the haters will follow that particular celebrity to the point of stalking - tracking all movements, even joining fan clubs pretending to be fans in order to get the inside scoop to share with their anti fan groups. Their goal is to get others to hate the popular celebrity as much as they do and some are considered not just crazy by the general populace but can be dangerous. They don't just spend hours of their time on a celebrity - but years depicting every flaw, every mistake no matter how minor or irrelevant it is to a career - picking apart and exaggerating everything they read, see or hear about the victim of their hatred.

One young star - Yoon Eun Hye suffered a lot at the hands of the anti's and was terrified of meeting fans up close because she couldn't tell a fan from an anti. One man who pretended to be a fan shot her in the eye with a water pistol filled with vinegar and soy sauce, she was hospitalized and unable to open her eyes for days, as well as traumatized. Most anti-fans probably won't physically harm their victims - but within these groups are hidden the unstable - and they have been known to carry their hatred out to the point of wiping out a life. Some want to end careers, or for the object of their hatred to just disappear and will stop at nothing to make it happen!

Anti- fans will also spread their hatred to the fans of a star as well. Fans are always a positive thing for any celebrity, and if one dislikes them, there are plenty more to like and promote. Why does one waste such a short life on someone they don't know or like with such an unhealthy pursuit? Studies have proceeded in Korea - maybe the US is next?

Sound familiar? The above was borrowed from the comment section of an anti-fan community of Aiken's. Makes sense to me.

This next article comes out of the New York Times. That fact alone tells me that there might be some credence to all of this:

Anti-Fan Club
By ROB WALKER
Published: November 26, 2006

Rachael Ray Haters

Consumer culture, and indeed popular culture, revolve in large part around shared admiration, shared likes: fandom, in a word, is a thing that can bring us together. But what about shared dislikes? Can a community form around that? What is the opposite of a fan club? The answer is the Rachael Ray Sucks Community. Gathering by way of the blogging and social-networking site LiveJournal, this group has more than 1,000 members, who are quite active in posting their latest thoughts and observations about the various shortcomings, flaws and disagreeable traits of Rachael Ray, the television food personality. “This community,” the official explanation reads, “was created for people that hate the untalented twit known as Rachael Ray.” The most important rule for those who wish to join: “You must be anti-Rachael!” As with any community, the key to attracting members is not just a clear core idea but one that can be fulfilled in a variety of ways. Members of the Rachael Ray Sucks Community certainly do this, criticizing her cooking skills, her overreliance on chicken stock, her kitchen hygiene, her smile (often compared to the Joker’s), her voice, her physical mannerisms, her clothes, her penchant for saying “Yum-o” and so on. The general tone is suggested by the community’s name for the object of its united spite: “Raytard.”

The founder of this enterprise is Misty Lane, 32, of Lansing, Mich., who turns out to be not an angry sociopath but an upbeat-sounding woman who punctuates every other sentence with a friendly laugh. In the context of anti-Rachael Rayism, Lane was an early adopter: she founded the group three years ago, when Ray’s “30 Minute Meals” was just another show on the Food Network. A cooking enthusiast who enjoyed picking up tips and inspiration from “true chefs,” Lane complained that Ray trafficked in culinary “common knowledge.” And that she kept waving her arms around. “She just used to drive me crazy,” Lane said, laughing.

Sounds like a good reason to change the channel, but instead Lane started her community and alerted the 40 or so people on her LiveJournal friends list. Only a few joined, and the community remained relatively small until it was mentioned last year (in a pro-Ray essay) in the online magazine Slate. By then, Ray was on her way to becoming the pop-culture juggernaut that she is today, with a couple of Food Network shows, a syndicated talk show, a magazine started a year ago that is expected to top a million in circulation in the next few months, plans for a restaurant and even CDs of her favorite songs for kids and the holidays. Meanwhile, Ray-bashing has flourished, too.

Which raises a curious point: While the community is now mentioned in practically every article about Ray, and new members keep chiming in, it seems to have had no impact on Ray’s rise whatsoever. Ed Keller, C.E.O. of the research-and-consulting firm Keller Fay Group, says that while some brand managers live in fear of negative chatter, what really matters in gauging “talk share” is whether positive talk dominates. “If you’ve got a fan base,” he says, “you can weather negative word of mouth.” (And the anti-Ray sentiment may be a special case, given that many of her fans are almost certainly motivated by an anti-sentiment of their own, against complicated cooking and “foodie” culture.)

Lane has wondered why her particular community has received so much attention. “Most celebrities have anti-sites on the Internet,” she points out, and so do plenty of prominent brands, like Starbucks and Dell. Perhaps the real lesson of communities of disregard is that they’re a sign of brand health: nobody bothers to get together to hate an irrelevant entity. Where would the fun be in that?

And while the tone of the Rachael Ray Sucks Community sometimes seems a little unbalanced, fun is basically the point, Lane maintains, of her “silly hobby.” She spends an hour a day or so on the site, doing basic maintenance, commenting on new posts and, most of all, being entertained. The anti-Ray community is funnier — and far more active — than any Ray fan site she has seen. “It’s nice to find like-minded people,” Lane says. “You think for the longest time that you’re all by yourself, and you’re the crazy one for not liking something. Then you meet other people who dislike the same things you do.

“It’s like a family reunion!” Lane concluded. And then she laughed, quite cheerily.

Let's see what more I can dig up. Tell me what you think of this. It sure answers some questions for me.

Carry on!

Blockbuster - Superbowl 2007 Commercial

2007-02-05T18:27:00.001-05:00

Got to be the BEST Super Bowl Commercial this year! Check it out!

Tom Lowe

2007-01-22T23:41:00.001-05:00

Is this the next American Idol? And why didn't we see him last week in Seattle where he auditioned?

YOU be the judge!

Well, after much thought and little sleep...

2007-01-18T00:53:00.000-05:00

...I've decided to at least open up the blog portion of my IDOL endeavor and hold back the podcast for a few more weeks. That should give me and Mom some more time to get back into a better rhythm with our lives as they are now. So, if you are looking for me and want to talk about AI then you can find me at:

http://stuckinidol.wordpress.com/

I will be back from time to time to talk about Clay but that will depend on how much time he spends watching the grass grow or chasing after Durham. So, come join me at my new place!

Carry on!
J

If you were me...

2007-01-12T21:01:00.000-05:00

...how would you proceed? Here are the facts as they stand today (sometimes they change minute to minute) -

1) My life has been in a literal worldwind since August between my job, my homelife and my Mom's medical needs. To say I don't have two moments to stick together is an undestatement.

2) While things were getting back to "normal" prior to the day after Christmas, I had started to put together a side project of producing a video podcast that I could work on to amuse myself and others. Since Mom's latest recouperation (she's in an extended care facility and is hopefully looking foward to returning home in a few months) I haven't been able to find the time to make this project a reality.

3) Some of you may say -- "that's ok. Just wait a couple more months and then try it!" Well, the subject of my podcast is American Idol and the show cranks up for its new season this coming week. I had planned to begin podcasting this weekend and I am far from ready to try this. Sure, I could make a few crude episodes and see if they float but I'm a perfectionist so I really don't want to put out a totally shoddy product (that's not to say my first attempts are gonna be perfect, but...). If I wait it won't have the same impact and I might not get an audience.

So, what's a gal to do in this case? While I await for my fans' advice, I'm going to continue to try and put episode 1 into the can, IF I can. I have to try and I really do need a diversion. This has to be the hardest time of my life to date and I'm trying to take one day at a time. Somedays I can and the others...well...I admit I fail miserably. Either way, I could really use some sage advice from my 4 or 5 fans out there.

BTW, if it makes the airwaves, my podcast will be called STUCK IN IDOL. Catchy, eh?

Carry on and advise me!
J

Post Christmas Thoughts and another new "normal"

2006-12-28T05:55:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, y'all!

I've had quite an interesting holiday so far --

***Since Christmas fell on a Sunday this year, I worked at the church for 17 hours straight - no kidding! I started at 7:45am on 12/24 and didn't leave until 1:15am 12/25 after directing music at 4 of 5 Masses and playing liturgical traffic cop at the 5th. It was an experience I hope not to repeat for another 7 years. Ugh. Despite the long hours, everything went well for my first year at this parish and it looked like all were pleased, including myself.

***Santa was good to this sometimes naughty broad with the big present being a new digital camera. It's smaller than my old one and also takes video so watch out, Clay! Guess I'll have to bring it along to the next concert so I can take those "nose hair" pictures like everyone else. Sure.

***Someone informed me that a certain Mr. Aiken got me again with his last word of the day. I did a little investigation and it could be true but with the holidays and my post-Christmas excitement I've had little time to come up with an appropriate response. Trust me when I say he may have won this battle but the war is FAR from over... ;-)

***Had a great day with the Mom until...the next morning (12/26) when she accidentally fell at home and broke her hip and shoulder. Guess where I've been spending my last two days off? You're correct -- the HOSPITAL! She had surgery yesterday to repair both breaks and will start therapy today, which the medical types are saying should last about 2-3 MONTHS! Y'know, she did quite well until she turned 84 and she is very discouraged by what has happened to her in the last 5 months (2 falls, 4 hospital visits, 2 surgeries). Me? I'm just plain exhausted by trying to juggle home, work and her but as an only child, I just do it and thank God I still have her here to drive me crazy. Someday I'll write a book about it but for now I just take one day at a time and hope I can keep my job, marriage and sanity through it all!

Seriously, I'm OK - but I was looking forward to seeing DREAMGIRLS this week. Darn.

Hopefully I can get back to work tomorrow and set up yet another new schedule that will allow me to see Mom every other day. I am still going to go through with my new year's plans to start a video podcast so stay tuned for the "o-fficial" announcement of what that will entail.

This is gonna be fun...I hope...

Carry on and wish me luck with it all!
J

"A Clay on Words" December 23rd - Final Entry of Series

2006-12-23T21:19:00.000-05:00

Oh my! Snarky Clay was certainly on stage tonight and the word du jour is proof of that --

Flageolet
The name of a simple recorder with four finger holes popular in the 17th century in England. This is a type of duct flute.

I won't even begin to comment...nope...not me...not touching that with a ten foot pole...won't even tell you that this is also a 2 foot organ pipe...

I want to again acknowledge that all the great definitions came from the Virginia Tech Mulitmedia Music Dictionary www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary/
Gotta love the Internet! ;-)

Well, we certainly got an educlaytion on this Not-a-Christmas-Tour. I'm afraid to wonder what he'll dream up for the next one. Be afraid, be very afraid...

Seriously, it was a good, solid program and the night I heard him in person he was in fine form. I'll be looking forward to the next tour but I HOPE it happens AFTER Easter and not during Lent or Holy Week. That would put a real cramp in my plans and I might not be able to make a show. Darn day job. We'll see, I guess...

I'm not waiting for the next tour, however, to launch a new endeavor. Since AI is just around the corner I have started to develop a VIDEO PODCAST that will use my skills as a reviewer and my love of TV to give me something to do in my spare time (read: I'll be trying to squeeze this in around my day job and probably burning myself out in the process). I'll let you all in on the progress after Christmas so that those of you who have been reading everything I write (yes, all 5 of you) can get your iPods ready to start hearing and SEEING me. Scary, eh? Stay tuned...

Merry Christmas, one and all! And to Clay -- you done good! Rest up!

Carry on in holiday style!
J

"A Clay on Words" for December 22nd"

2006-12-22T22:48:00.000-05:00

Ok, he's really running out of steam here with the word of the day:

Pacato

Calm, quiet.

And I'm definitely running on empty myself due to all the Christmas prep, both at home and at work, so I can't even muster up the energy to come up with a whitty rebutal. Oh well, it has been fun up to now.

There is only one more concert anyway -- you done good, Clay! Enjoy your Christmas and Have a Happy New Year!

Carry on!
J

Let's show some Christmas sprirt here...

2006-12-22T12:01:00.000-05:00

I brought this over from another blog for a few reasons -

1) Sure, this writer doesn't care for Clay's music but he makes some very valid points about the industry in general. I don't agree with some of his conclusions but it does make me stop and think about what kind of "sound" folks want from their music today and whether or not listeners are being manipulated into liking certain types and are being steered away from others that are "less than desirable" to the music hotshots. Hummm...

2) Well meaning fans are going over to the original website this is posted on and slamming the author and THAT'S not the proper thing to do, Christmas or not. Folks, not everyone is out to "get" Clay but there are those that are using this article for their own twisted reasons. The best way to get them to stop is to STOP WRITING TO THEM!! When they get no response to their musings they will go away but if we keep fueling their fire then this will continue ad nauseum. Think about how Clay feels and then decide if taking on the idiots is worth it.

3) Everyone has a right to their opinion and this person wasn't completely adverse to Clay -- if fact, he praises him for his humanitarian efforts. The guy sounds like a metal-head to me so of course they won't like someone who actually can SING! (with the exception of my concert bubby who loves metal AND Clay -- a rare breed indeed!) Read between the lines as well and you'll see that this is a pretty balanced article.

I know I'm taking a chance here but that's what I do --

Carry on, nicely!
J

Treacle or Claymation?
UNCC alum Clay Aiken thrives as America's Sweetheart
By Kevin Keck
Published 12.20.2006

If you're unfamiliar with the milquetoast vocal stylings of Clay Aiken, then I envy the sound-proofed cave you've been living in for the past three years. Even those über-hip underground music aficionados who successfully manage to immerse themselves in artists who are destined for a career in lawn care cannot have entirely avoided the crooning of the UNCC and American Idol alum. If you have dodged Aiken's rise to fame then count your blessings or the cash in your wallet -- Aiken performs with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra for a Christmas Concert on Dec. 22nd at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center.

Criticism of Aiken is nothing new. In fact, it seems part and parcel of success that comes as part of being associated with American Idol. Had Aiken merely relied on his boyish charm and Eisenhower-era musical aesthetics to propel him to the top of the charts, he might still be the curiously androgynous Special Education teacher in Charlotte or Raleigh that he set out to be.

However, thanks to the gloriously mediocre tastes of middle-class Americans who are so poorly educated that they find it a wise economic choice to spend their money on the bread and circus of "voting" for the next American Idol, Aiken has been propelled to stardom. As Hasselhoff is to Germany, so is Aiken to the world's fastest declining superpower. In fact, one could probably not have selected a better poster boy for the decline of western civilization than Aiken. (Then again, his most recent album, A Thousand Different Ways -- which should have been subtitled " ... to Deny Your Sexuality" -- has sold nearly two million fewer copies than his debut, Measure of a Man, which perhaps indicates that Americans are either waking up or demonstrating their usual brief attention spans.)

But perhaps I crack the rhetorical whip a little too harshly upon Clay (though if Frank Zappa were alive today, I've no doubt that the lyrics of "Punky's Whips" would be adjusted to accommodate the revelation of Aiken's appearance in today's rapidly changing world ... ). Despite the fact that his anachronistic style puts him at odds with critics who are actually less musically talented than he (and I'm certainly in that group), Aiken doesn't completely squander his fame.

Along with Charlottean Diane Bubel, Aiken co-founded the Bubel/Aiken Foundation as a way to assist children with special needs to integrate more easily into the world around them. The organization is an outgrowth of Aiken's work while a student at UNCC with Bubel's son Michael, who is autistic. Whatever two-cent critique of Clay's career I might have, it takes a pretty classy guy to continue to work on such noble causes when it would be just as easy to shut the limo door on his modest past. In this regard, Aiken stands out amongst the other former Idol contestants.

It's much more enjoyable, though, to use Aiken as a punching bag for everything that's wrong with the music industry today. And he is a product of an industrial society. There is no pretense of great art behind Aiken; if he is little more than a box of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese rolling off an assembly line, then American Idol is the focus group that mastered the masses' desire for well-designed powdered cheese.

Aiken is a particularly lush target for those who wish to opine about the omniscient tentacles of the Entertainment Machine, as he is deeply entrenched within its evil womb. Since his win on American Idol -- oh wait, he didn't win. He came in second. What happened to the guy who won? You know, that somewhat overweight African-American fellow, Reuben Studdard? I'm only allowed 1,000 words for this piece, and that does not permit me to form a coherent argument about this point, but if you are under the impression that there isn't a bias toward slender, pretty Aryan people in the entertainment industry, then you are most likely white and living in a bubble of delusion so impenetrable that you decided early on in this article that I am a giant douche. Fair enough.

It is not Aiken's fault that his success and Studdard's apparent abduction by aliens (where else could he be?) reveals some bit of nastiness about The Machine and how it works. And the truth of it looms around Aiken like flatulence in a crowded elevator: everyone can sense it, but no one will say a word about it. However, everyone is more than willing to say plenty about his sexuality (or lack thereof). We are a culture obsessed with sex and mediocrity, but not one willing to acknowledge the ugly facts of our prejudices. That's the real lesson learned from American Idol and its "winners," and perhaps that is one reason why Aiken is so reticent to acknowledge which way he swings. (Note to Clay: if you were actually straight, you would have used the phrase, "I love pussy" by now in print. That's what straight men say. We're not that complicated.)

All of this doesn't mean, however, that you can't have a good time with your partner and the kids at Aiken's performance at the Blumenthal Center. In fact, there are probably few things you could do with your family so close to Christmas that would be as well-suited to please every age group. Let us not overlook the fact that Aiken is performing with the Charlotte Symphony, and they are indeed an oft-overlooked treasure of Charlotte. The symphony will perform a set of holiday music before Aiken joins them. It is no easy thing to be a classical musician in this country -- one more or less consents to a life of hard, unappreciated discipline. If Clay Aiken can help bring in an audience who might not otherwise have any interest in the symphony and turn just one of his "Claymates" onto the wonders of what all those musicians can accomplish in unison, well, that might just be a Christmas miracle that makes the rest of his music forgivable.

"A Clay on Words" for December 21st"

2006-12-21T23:34:00.000-05:00

This is a drive by word drop off since I just got home from choir rehearsal and have to get up at the crack of dawn to go back and work half a day tomorrow. Darn Christmas preparations...;-)

Anyway, the word du jour is:

Saltando
Proceeding in leaps or skips. In bowed string playing, a saltando is a technique of bouncing the bow across the strings, producing a rapid, staccato arpeggio.

Now, do you think we MIGHT be able to have a word that isn't associated with the string section of the orchestra before the end of this tour? I'm still looking for him to use semihemidemisemiquaver but I won't hold my breath...much...

I don't have time for anything else but I will give you the answers to the last set of Christmas Carols:

1) The Nutcracker Suite
2) Up on the Housetop
3) The 12 Days of Christmas

Nobody seems to want to play so I won't put up any more. I hate it when that happens...

TTFN!
J

PS -- be looking for something NEW and EXCITING to come from the creative mind of ME in the New Year. More info soon...

DSIAFCD - Hartford, CT

2006-12-21T08:31:00.001-05:00

Need I say more? Enjoy and come back for tonight's "A Clay on words..."

"A Clay on Words" for December 19th"

2006-12-19T21:37:00.000-05:00

Gee, this one is so simple I wish he had thrown this one at me last Tuesday night -- but, then again, we DID have more fun with the more difficult selection. Tonight's word is:

Marcato
Marked, accented, emphatic, stressed. It is a musical articulation which refers to a way of "attacking" a note. The usage differs by context.

Marcato in the context of bowed string instruments is an arco technique for playing such a stringed instrument, such as violin, viola, cello, and the double bass, also called contrabass, bass viol, or upright bass. Using the bow, one begins each note with a new attack, rather than continuing the motion of the bow from one note to the next, which is expression legato, or slurred. Marcato is not, however, staccato, as each note is still played for its entire duration.

The term marcato, as applied to other orchestral instruments, particularly winds, refers to a note articulation which combines the fortepiano or sforzando of the accented note with a note duration reduced to two-thirds of its written value (the other third being occupied by a rest); hence, in big-band jazz circles the ^ symbol for marcato, which appears above the note, is also known as a "jazz staccato." (A true staccato has a steady volume and a duration of half its written value; the other half is occupied by a rest.)

A good example of Marcato is in the H. E. Kayser Op. 20, Thirty-Six Elementary and progressive Studies, For the Violin, page 19 (No. 14).

In the latter half of the twenty-first measure, a style is indicated as marcato assai, which means "very marked". Executing a technique of this nature is simple. Simply lay the sides of the hairs (of the violin bow) onto the violin's strings, and for the first two consecutive notes, stroke them in an accented manner. After that, lift the bow, and begin executing a pizzicato technique. Then perform each note (not indicated with a dot above it) in a style between legato and staccato.

Notice I gave a more complete definition tonight to make up for how simple the word was. May as well be as complete as possible in the interest of educlaytion... ;-)

We had a winner of last night's guess the carol contest at the OFC and nobody played the game on Blogger so I am sad. :-(

First, here are the answer's to yesterday's titles:

1) The Little Dummer Boy
2) Santa Claus is Coming to Town
3) Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer

Let's try again with 3 more carols tonight -- come on, you can't be that busy with all the holiday preparations to not want to play, right?

1) The apartment of 2 psychiatrists.
2) Stepping on the pad cover.
3) 288 Yuletide hours.

Good luck and if you have a dictionary I'll allow you to use it -- not that it will help you much...

Carry on!
J

"A Clay on Words" for December 18th"

2006-12-18T23:03:00.000-05:00

Well, since there was a serious "clackdown" on cellphones and cameras tonight in Detroit it took a little longer for someone to send me today's musical term. I'm happy to report that it is a REAL word and one that I was immediately familiar with. The musical word du jour is:

Scordatura
The practice of tuning the strings of a stringed instrument differently than the standard tuning. Scordatura is generally used to extend an instrument's range, or to make certain passages easier or more possible to perform; it is also used to achieve certain special effects. Scordatura was popular between 1600 and 1750, and is used rarely now.

You could say that this was music's first use of special effects and Mozart was known to use it in some of his orchestrations. Ahead of his time, that Wolfgang... ;-)

Now, since it's getting really close to Christmas and I'm heavy into instrument and choral rehearsals, I would like to test my readers' knowledge of traditional carols. So, instead of my countering Mr. Aiken with another musical term, I will give y'all 3 sentences that discribe the title of a popular Christmas carol. If you know the answer, then use the comment section to give me your guess and I'll have the correct answers for you tomorrow night. It's one way to get a little more interaction here on my blog.

Tonight's offerings are:

1) The lad is a diminutive percussionist.

2) The red-suited pa is due in this burg.

3) Vehicular homicide was committed on Dad's mom by a precipitous darling.

Good luck and carry on!

A little something to tie us over until the next installment of "A Clay with words"

2006-12-18T12:38:00.000-05:00

I just COULDN'T resist...with apologies to the composer of SANTA, BABY...

Aiken, Baby

Your concert tour is quite the thing, you sing,

But this time something's new

Aiken, Baby

Your giving us a "word of the day."

Aiken, Darlin'

You didn't do so well in high school, not cool,

Making up for it now

Aiken, Baby,

By giving us the "word of the day."

All those times in music class

You didn't pay attention, almost didn't pass.

Now you can't understand the words

You thought were only used by music nerds.

Aiken, Cutie

A dictionary's what you need, you've got THREE!

Look the terms up yourself

Aiken, Baby

So you can give the "word of the day."

Teach us all the words you know

Fermata, Ponticello, Allargando

But don't make up a nonsense term

Just to watch your fans all stutter and squirm.

Aiken Baby,

You really need to learn to play fair, don't swear

If someone trumps you good

Aiken Baby

So please give us the "word of the day"

We all like the "word of the day"

It's only 5 more "word of the days."

Can't wait to see what he comes up with tonight...stay tuned!

Carry on in song!
J

"A Clay on Words" for December 16th

2006-12-16T22:48:00.000-05:00

Well, it would seem that "Professor" Aiken is still a bit under the weather because tonight's word is a repeat of Monday night's offering. Too bad. One would think that since he now has not one but TWO music dictionaries he could come up with a suitable word to help educate his audience this evening.

Oh well. I'll let him slide this time. Ear infections are know to play with one's head, literally. ;-)

So, instead of the usual, this would be a good time for me to post a little something I found on the Internet that may explain why Clay did so poorly in his music theory class.

Musical Terms Commonly Misunderstood by Country & Western Musicians with Their Translated "Country" Definitions

12 Tone Scale: The thing the State Police weigh your tractor trailor truck with.
A 440: The highway that runs around Nashville.
Aeolian Mode: How you like Mama's cherry pie.
Altos: Not to be confused with "Tom's toes," "Bubba's toes" or "Dori-toes."
Arpeggio: "Ain't he that storybook kid with the big nose that grows?"
Bach Chorale: The place behind the barn where you keep the horses.
Bass: The things you run around in Softball.
Bassoon: Typical response when asked what you hope to catch and when.
Big Band: When the bar pays enough to bring two banjo players.
Bossa Nova: The car your foreman drives.
Cadenza: The ugly thing your wife always vacuums dog hair off when company comes.
Cello: The proper way to answer the phone.
Clarinet: Name for your second daughter if you've already used Betty Jo.
Clef: What you try to never fall off of.
Bass Clef: Where you wind up if you do fall off.
Conductor: The man who punches your ticket to Birmingham.
Cut Time: Parole.
Cymbal: What they use on deer-crossing signs so you know what to sight-in your pistol with.
Diminished 5th: An empty bottle of Jack Daniels.
1st Inversion: Grandpa's battle group at Normandy.
Major Scale: What you say after chasing wild game up a mountain; "Whew!" That was a major scale!"
Melodic Min.: Loretta Lynn's singing dad.
Minor 3rd: Your approximate age & grade at the completion of formal schooling.
Order of Sharps: What a wimp gets at the bar.
Passing Tone: Frequently heard near the baked beans at family barbecues.
Perfect 5th: A full bottle of Jack Daniels.
Perfect Pitch: The smooth coating on a freshly paved road.
Pianissimo: "Refill this beer bottle."
Portamento: A foreign country you've always wanted to see.
1/4 tone: What most standard pickups can haul.
Relative Major: An uncle in the Marine Corps.
Relative Minor: A girlfriend.
Repeat: What you do until they just expel you.
Ritard: There's one in every family.
Sonata: What you get from a bad cold or hay fever.
Staccato: How you did all your ceilings in your mobile home.
Tempo: Good choice for a used car.
Time Signature: What you need from your boss if your forget to clock in.
Transpositions: Men who wear dresses.
Treble: Women ain't nothin' but.
Tuba: A compound word: "Hey, woman! Fetch me another tuba Bryll Cream!"
Whole Note: What's due after failing to pay the mortgage for a year.

Maybe he should try one of these words Monday night -- betcha no one will have these definitions in their dictionaries... LOL!

Carry on and rest up!
J

PS - in response to a message I received eariler today, let me quote the immortal words of Bugs Bunny -- "of course, you know, this means WAR!" ;-)

"A Clay on Words" for December 15th

2006-12-15T21:51:00.000-05:00

I decided to go to the cellcert tonight to get the musical term of the day and it's a doosy! Check this out:

???????

It would seem that today's word is a TOTAL FAKE! They wanted to stump everyone who brought a dictionary with them. Rats. Believe me, there are many terms out there that will stump even the most experienced musician so there is no need to resort to nonsense words.

Let's play FAIR tomorrow night...

Now, what's this I hear that Mr. Aiken didn't like music theory in high school? Shame, shame, shame. Well, perhaps he is doing penance now for the error of his ways and making up for lost time by learning all these musical terms. Good thing I gave him that dictionary, eh?

Ok, now here's my REAL offering for the evening to help broaden Clay's music vocabulary:

Einschlafen

A directive to a musician to slacken the time and diminish the tempo and the tone, to die away.

Perhaps this music teacher should compile a test at the end of the tour to see how much Clay has retained - and it won't be an open book one, either!

Whatcha gonna do then, Aiken? ;-)

Carry on and I'm glad you're feeling better!

"A Clay on Words" for December 14th

2006-12-15T12:37:00.000-05:00

First of all, I'm so sorry to hear that Clay is "under the weather" but it sounds like he acted like a real professional and kept his performance date. Speaking again from personal experience, it takes even more energy to perform when sick and after listening to the audio clack of the show, the average fan would never suspect a real problem. I wish he had another day off sooner than Sunday but just keep drinking those liquids and stay still between show, darlin' -- works everytime!

Now, after having to download the audio so I could get the word du jour (most boards weren't sure what he was saying and too busy worrying about his health) I am ready to enlighten my readership of all things musical. The word was...

Flutter-tone

Ok, we have a little problem here because there are actual TWO definitions in the music world for this term. The first is what was demostrated at last night's concert by a flute, trumpet, trombone and french horn:

A technique of tonguing where the player rolls an "r" while blowing into an instrument. This technique is usually used on the flute.

Now, in the world of audio sound there is also a definition of this term:

In hi-fi, home theater, and even most recording studios, the parallel wall surfaces are within the range of 15 to 30 feet apart. That means we don't hear flutter echoes but do hear the flutter tones. Flutter tones are sounds that have a low-frequency character, but they are not to be confused with room modes, which also are low frequency in nature. The control of the low frequency flutter tones, as we will soon see, is accomplished with high-frequency type diffusion or absorption. Of course, control of the low frequency of room modes is accomplished only by means of larger-sized bass traps, usually best located in the corners.

The low-frequency flutter tone is a pseudotone - a trick on our hearing system played by the rapid staccato of high-frequency noise pulses. Sometimes a careful listener can become confused as to how a seemingly low-frequency sound can be eliminated by the introduction of a paper thin reflector or fabric, especially when common sense leads us to expect that only those large-sized bass traps should have been needed. In order to eliminate the detection of a flutter echo pseudotone, we need only to break up the flutter echo process. It takes very little scattering or absorption of high-frequency sounds to break up the flutter echo sequence, and thereby eliminate the accompanying impression of the low-frequency sounds of the flutter tone.

I felt the need to include both here because, well, like Clay, we strive to educate and not just entertain! ;-)

Since Mr. Aiken is encoutnering more folks who have stolen my idea of the music dictionary or are concentrating on I-talian words, I will offer a GERMAN musical term for my contribution to higher musical learning:

Schleppend
A directive to perform the indicated passage of a composition in a dragging manner. More commonly, the directive nicht schleppend is seen which means; in a manner that does not drag

I dare Clay to use this fine term in one of his upcoming concerts -- in fact, I wish he would use my very favorite term semihemidemisemiquaver, but that might be just too much to ask.

Let see what happens...

Carry on but do so in good health!
J

The reports of the demise of Clay Aiken's voice have been greatly exaggerated!

2006-12-14T17:09:00.000-05:00

Hey gang!

Well, I've finally gotten a chance to sit down and write my review of Tuesday night's concert in Hartford and I hope you will all find it well worth the wait. As Mr. Aiken has stated in the past, "Perfection takes time, darlin'!" -- so without further chit chat, let's get down to the nitty gritty and discuss Clay's date with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra on December 12th.

First of all, this was the first time the Orchestra was performing in the newly built Connecticut Convention Center (how many times DID he say that during the show?) and the place is just perfect for both sound and sight. Well, maybe I can't speak for those in the back rows because I was at a table seat a mere 5 rows from the stage but with the staging and decor, it hardly looked like a sterile convention center room. We could order food at our table and my concert buddy and I did just that instead of stopping for a bite during out 2 hour ride in from Rhode Island. It was edible but what do you expect in a convention center? I resisted having a glass of spirits because, well, I had to keep my wits about me however the place was so dry I had about 4 glasses of water that evening.

I must say the Symphony was quite good for a local group and they handled their material with spark and energy. I loved the laid back conductor with the dry sense of humor so the whole first half experience was not a chore to sit through at all. I got the sense that others around me felt the same because, and I believe they all knew this, the crowd was more interested in the guest performer. That's sad but that's what happens in these cases.

Seriously, I would go back and listen to that orchestra again without Clay -- they were THAT good.

Anyway, after an intermission that seemed to go on forever, OMC finally arrived on the scene and, as usual, the ever present and by now truly annoying "I love you, Clay" started to ring from the rafters. Permit me to get on my soapbox for just a second -- I don't mind that shouting in an outside environment or in a large civic center-ish place but at a symphonic concert or in a classy concert hall I find it very out of character and not dignified. I did love how Clay handled it toward the end and had everyone say it all at once to get it over with. Ladies, please just be mindful of the place and some others around you who may not appreciate your overtures. That is all.

Now, to say that the man's voice was spot on that evening is an understatement. OK, he did start out a little tentative and, I thought, a little nasal but he quickly settled in and treated us all to some wonderful vocal lines full of emotion with the right amount of tenderness that so befits Christmas songs. I have listened and watched some of his other performances of this Not-a-tour, especially the very first night, and after hearing him in person I can confidently say that what we all might be tuning into as listeners and fans is this --

At 28 years old, his voice is going through its second maturation.

Before you start asking, I am an experience vocal performer and coach so I know from where I speak. That accounts for most of the huskiness some have commented about and the occasional cracking in the high register. I would know how to fix that but I'm not commenting because I haven't been asked nor do I expect to be. All I will say is that when Clay just drops his guard and sings, his voice is as glorious now as it has been in the past and sometimes a little better. In one clip of All is Well I heard for a brief moment the sounds of a classical tenor. Folks need to lighten up when singers have one bad night or one bad note in an otherwise great set. As I've said before, if they can do better then let them get up there and try.

Most folks back down from a challenge like that and rightly so. The ones that don't end up on the first few episodes of American Idol every season...yikes!

My favorite songs of the evening would have to be the last few -- Mary, Did You Know, O Come, O Come Emmanuel (which, btw, is an ADVENT song but since he's not Catholic I'll let him slide on this), My Grown Up Christmas List, Don't Save it All for Christmas Day and All is Well. Speaking of MDYK, it was the first time in a LONG time I heard him get most of the lyrics right! Having sung this one myself, I have to say it is a bit hard to remember which phrases go where but I do have fun pointing out that the "random lyric generator" seems to work overtime on this one. These last five songs showcased Clay at his performing best and I was really blown away when he finished DSIAFCD without amplification. That took guts, my friend, and you pulled in off beautifully. After that, I knew that the ending of AIW would be the icing on the cake and I wasn't disappointed.

I do believe that the difference in Hartford was the great symphony orchestra playing with Clay. Both the group and the solo performer were very much in sync and to any musician that is the key to doing one's best work. Clay said as much when he handed them a very heartfelt compliment. That won't happen at every stop but when it does, everyone is in for one very special night and I was certainly glad to be part of that particular one.

Oh, yeah -- one other thing happened that night. If anyone has seen jojoct's banter clack (and who hasn't from what I'm hearing) you do see someone armed with a pocket dictionary and a confident attitude ready to do "battle" with the word-of-the-day. That would be moi! Being a musician and a bit of a ham, I just couldn't resist the opportunity to "play with Clay" -- besides which, a good friend of mine on the West Coast dared me to it so I just HAD to. Good thing I had fast fingers and an idea that it has something to do with a harp (remember, I've been out of music school for over 25 years).

That had to have been the most fun I've had in the last four months of my very chaotic life and I enjoyed the chance to grab me some "15 minutes of fame." I wish some of my witty retort had been captured on film because some of my banter was priceless as well. I actually did think of that funny definition of KARAOKE on the spot but I chose not to say it. Sometimes it pays to be wise, however if you have no idea what I'm talking about just check out the previous blog and you'll see what I mean.

Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. Just name the time and place, Clay and we'll square off. ;-)

Anyway, I'll post the YOU TUBE version of the clack only on my blogger site but I'll try and post some screen caps in both places. Gotta get some mileage out of this while I can!

Oh, Clay -- be sure to check out the inside back over of the dictionary for a special message from me, that is, unless it has already self-destructed...

Well, that's all my news for now. Thanks for a great night of song and laughter, Mr. Aiken -- we must do it again sometime!

Carry on, happily!

Yes, that WAS me...

2006-12-13T01:34:00.000-05:00

...armed and ready with my little pocket music dictionary to make sure someone got the word of the night correct! Gosh, I hadn't heard that term since senior year orchestration class but at least I knew it had something to do with a harp.

In case a few of you missed it, tonight's "A Clay on words..." I-talian musical term was:

Bisbigliando
A soft tremolo performed on a harp by lightly and rapidly moving fingers back and forth across the strings.

Since I shook Mr. Aiken up with my very quick response (ok, I was VERY loud about it as well...) he threw out a few more words and I'm not quite sure he heard my answers. In the interest of education, let me address them now:

Fermata
A notation marking directing the performer or ensemble to sustain the note of a composition affecting all parts and lasting as long as the artistic interpretation of the conductor allows. The fermata is marked above the note or rest to be held.

Allargando
Growing broader, louder and slower. Abbreviated by allarg..

Karaoke

Something Mr. Aiken did BEFORE American Idol! ( I wanted to say that out loud but thought the better of it -- didn't want the Claymates following me out to the parking lot for a rumble after the show)

I'll be back later today with my concert review...stay tuned!

Ciao, bello!
J

The next installment of "A Clay on words..."

2006-12-11T22:28:00.000-05:00

Our I-talian selection this evening is:

Rallentando

A directive to perform a certain passage of a composition with a gradual slowing of the tempo. The abbreviation is rall.

Not bad, but I heard someone used a Italian dictionary tonight to get the answer. I'll go one better tomorrow night and I'll have it with me -- but I'm not telling YOU what IT is. You'll have to wait until I come back from Hartford with my report. Anyway, here's my counter-offering for the evening:

Legato

A directive to perform a certain passage of a composition in a smooth, graceful, connected style, as opposed to staccato. It is often indicated by a slur over the effected notes or as an accent mark with a line over the notes to be performed in this manner.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow night and I just discovered that we get table service (that means food and drink -- goodie!) before the show. So we'll be sitting at Table 2 in Row E right on the center aisle at 6:30pm with no need to get supper before we arrive. That, and the free parking, makes it worth the big $$$ we spent for these tickets.

Look for my concert review sometime on Wednesday -- I promise to be fair and unbiased...or at least fair... ;-)

Carry on!

"Words, words, words..."

2006-12-10T20:57:00.000-05:00

Well, I guess Clay is NOT sick of words because he has graced us with another musical one this evening.

Tonight's word-du-jour is:

Ponticello

The bridge of a stringed instrument.

Ok, so he seems to be facinated with string instruments. With that in mind, let me offer:

A punta d'arco

A directive to string instrument musicans to perform the indicated passage with the tip of the bow.

However, my absolute favorite musical term would have to be --

Semihemidemisemiquaver

The British term for One hundred and twenty-eighth note.

Try saying THAT 3 times fast! Good thing this is the last one in the quaver series because you can't get any more flags on that stem, that's for sure!

Carry on!
J

PS - 2 days to Hartford...

And today's musical word is...

2006-12-10T00:01:00.000-05:00

Col legno

A directive to violin (or a bowed string instrument) musicans to perform a particular passage by striking the strings with the wood of the bow rather than with the hair.

Ok, now let me counter with this little ditty:

Volteggiando

In piano playing, this term refers to the crossing of the hands so that the left hand is playing higher notes than the right hand.

I hear there is going to be a test at the end. Perhaps I need to come up with one of my own. Better brush off those teaching skills...

Carry on!
J

While we await the next lesson...

2006-12-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

...here are some musical terms you won't find Clay using in his nightly music discussion during the current JNaT. These excepts come to us courtesy of choirsinger.com

ChoirSinger.com - Humorous Glossary of Musical Terms

Accent: An unusual manner of pronunciation, e.g. "Y'all sang that real good!"
Accidentals: Wrong notes
Agitato: A string player's state of mind when a peg slips in the middle of a piece.
Agnus dei: A famous female church composer.
Allegro: Leg fertilizer.
Atonality: Disease that many modern composers suffer from. The most prominent symptom is the patient's lacking ability to make decisions.
Augmented fifth: A 36-ounce bottle.
Bar Line: A gathering of people, usually among which may be found a musician or two.
Beat: What music students to do each other with their musical instruments. The down beat is performed on the top of the head, while the up beat is struck under the chin.
Bravo: Literally, "How bold!" or "What nerve!" This is a spontaneous expression of appreciation on the part of the concert goer after a particularly trying performance.
Breve: The way a sustained note sounds when a violinist runs out of bow.
Cadence: When everybody hopes you're going to stop, but you don't.
Chansons de geste: Dirty songs.
Chord: Usually spelled with an "s" on the end, means a particular type of pants, e.g. "He wears chords."
Chromatic Scale: An instrument for weighing that indicates half-pounds.
Clausula: Mrs. Santa.
Coloratura Soprano: A singer who has great trouble finding the proper note, but who has a wild time hunting for it.
Compound Meter: A place to park your car that requires two dimes.
Con Brio: Done with scouring pads and washboards.
Conductor: A musician who is adept at following many people at the same time
Countertenor: A singing waiter.
Crescendo: A reminder to the performer that he has been playing too loudly.
Cut time: When you're going twice as fast as everybody else in the ensemble.
Da capo al fine: I like your hat!
Detache: An indication that the trombones are to play with the slides removed.
Di lasso: Popular with Italian cowboys.
Discord: Not to be confused with Datcord.
Duration: Can be used to describe how long a music teacher can exercise self-control.
Embouchre: The way you look when you've been playing the Krummhorn.
English horn: A woodwind that got its name because it's neither English nor a horn. Not to be confused with French horn, which is German.
Espressivo: Close eyes and play with a wide vibrato.
Estampie: What they put on letters in Quebec
Fermata: A brand of girdle made especially for opera singers.
Fermented fifth: What the percussion players keep behind the tympani, which resolves to a 'distilled fifth', which is what the conductor uses backstage.
Fine: That was great!
Flute: A sophisticated pea shooter with a range of up to 500 yards, blown transversely to confuse the enemy.
Glissando: The musical equivalent of slipping on a banana peel. Also, a technique adopted by string players for difficult runs.
Gregorian chant: A way of singing in unison, invented by monks to hide snoring.
Half Step: The pace used by a cellist when carrying his instrument.
Harmonic Minor: A good music student.
Harmony: A corn-like food eaten by people with accents (see above for definition of accent).
Hemiola: A hereditary blood disease caused by chromatics.
Heroic Tenor: A singer who gets by on sheer nerve and tight clothing.
Interval: How long it takes you to find the right note. There are three kinds: Major Interval: a long time; Minor Interval: a few bars; Inverted Interval: when you have to back one bar and try again.
Intonation: Singing through one's nose. Considered highly desirable in the Middle Ages
Isorhythmic motet: When half of the ensemble got a different photocopy than the other half
Major Triad: The name of the head of the Music Department. (Minor Triad: the name of the wife of the head of the Music Department.)
Mean-Tone Temperament: One's state of mind when everybody's trying to tune at the same time.
Messiah: An oratorio by Handel performed every Christmas by choirs that believe they are good enough, in cooperation with musicians who need the money.
Metronome: A dwarf who lives in the city.
Minnesinger: A boy soprano or Mickey's girlfriend in the opera.
Modulation: "Nothing is bad in modulation."
Musica ficta: When you lose your place and have to bluff till you find it again. Also known as 'faking'.
Neums: Renaissance midgets
Opus: A penguin in Kansas.
Orchestral suites: Naughty women who follow touring orchestras.
Ordo: The hero in Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings".
Pause: A short period in an individual voice in which there should be relative quiet. Useful when turning to the next page in the score, breathing, emptying the horn of salvia, coughing, etc. Is rarely heard in baroque music. Today, the minimum requirements for pauses in individual pieces are those of the Musicians' Union (usually one per bar, or 15 minutes per hour).
Recitative: A disease that Monteverdi had.
Ritornello: An opera by Verdi.
Rota: An early Italian method of teaching music without score or parts.
Rubato: Expression used to describe irregular behaviour in a performer with sensations of angst in the mating period. Especially common amongst tenors.
Sancta: Clausula's husband.
Score: A pile of all the individual orchestral voices, transposed to C so that nobody else can understand anything. This is what conductors follow when they conduct, and it's assumed that they have studied it carefully. Very few conductors can read a score.
Sine proprietate: Cussing in church.
Stops: Something Bach did not have on his organ.
Supertonic: Schweppes.
Tempo: This is where a headache begins.
Tempus perfectum: A good time was had by all.
Tone Cluster: A chordal orgy first discovered by a well-endowed woman pianist leaning forward for a page turn.
Transposition: An advanced recorder technique where you change from alto to soprano fingering (or vice-versa) in the middle of a piece.
Trill: The musical equivalent of an epileptic seizure.
Trotto: An early Italian form of Montezuma's Revenge.
Tutti: A lot of sackbuts.
Vibrato: The singer's equivalent of an epileptic seizure.
Vibrato: Used by singers to hide the fact that they are on the wrong pitch.

I left out the ones that might not make a lot of sense to non-musicians but if you want to see the entire list then go check out the site.

I wonder what term we'll be graced with tonight? Stay tuned!

Carry on musically!
J

Tonight's music lesson...

2006-12-07T23:40:00.000-05:00

...and the word of the night is --

Pizzicato

A directive to a bowed string instrument performer that the indicated notes are to be plucked with the fingers rather than bowed (arco). The abbreviation for this term is pizz.

However, I like my offering just a tad better --

Hemidemisemiquaver

The British term for Sixty-fourth note.

Gotta love a musician's sense of humor ;-)

Carry on!
J

PS -- tomorrow I will move the word of the day to the sidebar so I can comment on other things so please look for it there! Thanks!

Your one-stop musical resource!

2006-12-06T22:11:00.000-05:00

So, Mr. Aiken has decided to have a musical word of the day on this tour-that-isn't-a-tour, eh? Well, since he's throwing these terms around let me be the ever-so-helpful musician and give my adoring and faithful fans (I think there are 4 of you now) the correct definitions. Since my parents spent lots of money to send me to college for music I may as well put that acquired knowledge to good use -- along with a little help from the Virginia Tech Multimedia Music Dictionary.

Tonight's word is -- TREMOLO

The art of performing or singing the same note over and over very quickly, executed most commonly but not exclusively on bowed string instruments. Tremolo may be measured or unmeasured and has the effect of adding motion to the sound.

This term is sometimes confused with VIBRATO

The pulsating or vibrating element of some sounds that is produced by a full, resonant quality of tone. Vibrato is a very slight fluctuation of the pitch of a note; it was known as early as the 16th century, but until the 19th century it was used mainly as ornamentation. Since the 19th century, vibrato has been used almost constantly because of its enhancement of tone.

See -- I can add my own word of the day to his and by the time this month is done y'all will have a basic knowledge of music! Let the games begin...

Carry on!
J

CHARLIE BROWN meets OUTCAST -- the HEY YA SONG

2006-12-05T15:52:00.001-05:00

Let's lighten things up a little and enjoy this little ditty from You Tube!

Been there...done that...and I don't want that T-shirt

2006-12-04T21:31:00.000-05:00

Let me share something with you, gentle readers:

It would seem that Clay and I now share an experience that no singer should ever have to deal with.

You see, I have been where Mr. Aiken has just recently been and believe me it is NOT a pretty place.

Sure, I may not perform on the same professional level as OMC but I have stood on a stage of sorts and completely trashed notes that shouldn't have given me any problems.

And I have the emotional scars to prove it.

My story is a simple one. I had been blessed with what others termed an exceptional singing voice ever since I could talk and everyone that heard me proclaimed I would rise to professional greatness. I majored in music in college with the goal of performing someday on Broadway but met my husband prior to graduation and decided to settle on Plan B -- working as a musician in the Catholic Church.

I sang every day because of my work but still found time to do musicals and cabarets in my spare time. I sang when I was well and still sang when I was sick because, well, the show must go on and I had quite of reputation of being very reliable musically and professionally. I even had the great opportunity to record an album of a friend's church music at the studio that the artist known as Prince built in MN. I was happy and fulfilled, thanking God always for being able to make music and touch others with it.

That is, until I started to have health problems in 1997. Out of seemingly nowhere I began having sore throats and sinus infections. It was discovered I had GERD and other stomach problems that had stuff backing up into my esophagus (I'll spare you the real gory details of that one). I should have curtailed my schedule but I had sung through illness before -- in fact, I had been trained to do so -- so I kept up with all my commitments and eventually developed laryngitis.

But I just kept on singing even when I couldn't talk. I was confident that this, too, would pass. It had before and it would again.

It didn't.

I started to sound worse every time I sang until finally, at a large Mass at a Diocesan Cathedral, I opened my mouth and sang the worst notes I had ever produced in my life. To make a bad situation worse, the event was televised so more than those gathered got to watch me "crash and burn." Needless to say, I started not to be asked to sing at anything and I eventually decided to leave the field and try something I didn't need to use my singing voice for.

I ended up teaching religion in a high school and that made everything a LOT worse. Using my speaking voice 5 hours a day 5 days a week to instruct teenagers compounded my vocal problems because the abuse created vocal nodes -- the one thing singers fear the most. My ENT prescribed total vocal rest for 6 months so the only time I spoke was to teach -- and then I had to use other methods to get my message across other than just with my voice. Once the nodes where gone, I went into vocal rehab to re-learn how to speak and sing but I had done enough psychological damage to myself that it pretty much ended any hope of singing on any stage again. My confidence was completely gone and I was feeling like a failure for misusing the gift I had been given.

How could I ever continue to be a musician if I couldn't sing?

Well, God does give us more gifts than we realize. My inability to sing lead me to develop my other musical gifts of choral conducting and piano playing, allowing me to continue to work in Catholic Church Music. I still struggle with wanting to regain whatever voice I have left and after a summer of lessons with a great vocal coach who specializes in rehabilitation, I hope to return to lessons with this teacher again after the new year (Mom's illness and my current job change left me little time to continue with lesson this fall). The surprise gift from all this was that I discovered an ability to write fiction, something I never thought I could do. I'm not sure where that will lead me but I do enjoy it when I get the chance to create.

Why am I sharing all this?

Because sometimes it's good to know that others have been through similar trials and have worked hard to overcome them. I can't stand when some people, for what ever reason they may have, share their uneducated "opinions" when things like this happen or criticize events they can know nothing about. I challenge anyone who has had the not-so-good-sense to kick Clay while he was down to get up on that stage in front of an orchestra and attempt to entertain a paying audience. It's NOT as easy as it looks! I give this young man a lot of credit to get up there again the next night and do it again, this time with better results. However, he does need to take care of himself and his gift but since he has not asked for my advice on the subject, I will not venture to dispense any wisdom here on my blog.

All I will say is -- do your best, Clay, and put your trust in the One who gave you the gift. He will never forsake you no matter what happens next.

Carry on in style and I'll see you in Hartford!
J

"They say it's your BIRTHDAY..."

2006-11-30T18:16:00.000-05:00

Enjoy the low numbers while you can, my dear! ;-)

Stay safe on the tour and I'll see you in Hartford -- I'm sitting in Row E of the tables seats on the middle aisle (yeah, like he'd really look for me...).

Carry on!
J (somewhere in Rhode Island...)

From where this voice teacher is sitting...

2006-11-26T22:55:00.001-05:00

...this performance sounds much better than the one on R&K earlier that day. Sure, what my trained ear can hear is a heavy breathiness at times and some noticable straining or "reaching" for the higher notes (more like overcompensation than inability to hit the notes) but nothing that even remotely resembles a raspy throat. Medication, exhaustion, allergies -- any of these can be the cause but some immediate vocal rest and daily vocal exercising can clear this up in no time.

Those who have no idea what they are talking about should definitely refrain from commenting even if it is only their opinion...

More later!
J

The best thing about the AMA's tonight was...

2006-11-21T23:00:00.000-05:00

...BARRY MANILOW!!

Sorry, Clay...but he DID sing and it was the best music I heard all night besides Carrie Underwood...

I'm waaaay too tired to comment on anything else that happened today but I will leave y'all with this -- be careful when you assume because you make an ass out of u and me!

We're having some fun now, kids...

Carry on carefully!
J

Isn't It Ironic?

2006-11-21T22:43:00.001-05:00

And the hits just keep on comin'...

It just keeps getting better and better...

2006-11-21T20:12:00.000-05:00

Comments, anyone?

Just play nice, y'all!

Don't touch that dial...I'll be back...

"Here you come again...

2006-11-21T15:11:00.001-05:00

...just when I've about to get myself together..."

It just keeps getting more curious by the nanosecond!

Stay tuned for even more...

It's getting a little crowded on the Grassy Noll...

2006-11-20T22:02:00.000-05:00

Well I don't know why I came here tonight,

I got the feeling that something ain't right,

I'm so scared in case I fall off my chair,

And I'm wondering how I'll get down the stairs,

Clowns to the left of me,

Jokers to the right, here I am,

Stuck in the middle with you.

Ask anyone and they'll tell you that I've never believed in coincidence. Never. Everything is connected in one way or another.

So, imagine a year of watching what I've come to call "the systematic destruction of Clay Aiken" and thinking "why isn't anyone else seeing what I'm seeing?" Isn't it obvious that there is more than one person who would benefit from Clay being run out of the music business?

With apologies to Jemock (only one of the greatest writers in the ClayNation -- next to me, that is!), let me put forth a few questions and see if anyone else out there might be able connect the dots like I have:

Isn't it interesting that Clay was first booked on R&K as a guest and then, within the last few weeks, was bumped up to co-host status?

Doesn't Regis also work for that British Judge on a show called "America's Got Talent?"

Kelly has never really liked Clay -- isn't in interesting that all of a sudden she would agree to have him co-host her show?

What if Kelly was instructed to antagonize Clay and he was told to "be like Regis?" Wouldn't that make him not really act like himself?

Could Clay have been lead to believe that a lot was riding on the success of Friday's show while behind the scenes it actually was a set up to make him look like he couldn't handle the format?

Was today's ranting on R&K preplanned even before anything transpired last Friday? Was Regis' defense of Clay just another way to drive the point home that Clay is too inexperienced to handle a show of his own?

Could all of this have been amplified by someone sending Kelly all their blog comments from over the weekend, along with other posts from fan boards?

Isn't it interesting that Friday's show was almost a year to the day of the Council Bluffs IA concert and that all this stuff has been evolving since that day?

Interesting stuff, eh?

Trying to make some sense of it all,
But I can see that it makes no sense at all,
Is it cool to go to sleep on the floor,
'Cause I don't think that I can take anymore
Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right,
Here I am, stuck in the middle with you.

Now, here's a few more tidbits I've been picking up on the internet lately -- one never knows what one will find lying around...

Psychopathic Loon said...

The show that the AI5 contestants were on that was edited to hold Clay in a negative light was Accent Hollywood. They are always in AI's hip pocket, it seems. Must have a contract with them to carry their water.

Out of curiosity, on what show did Simon call Clay an idiot after Clay divulged he was having panic attacks?

That was a set-up by AI. Clay had had too successful a day the day before with Virgin/Kimmel.

AI had to diminish that by diverting attention, something they do all the time. Remember after AI2 when everyone was screaming for a recount, including music critics and network executives? AI changed the vote differential from 1,300+ to 130,000+ to put it outside of the margin of error and then said Clay saw the card. End of recount discussion. That was Simon's job after Virgin/Kimmel - to call Clay an idiot. AI is trying to dump on his career because he's leaving RCA at the first opportunity and they want his fanbase back in the fold. They've referred to him as an idiot, a diva and gay, all to diminish his career, so that his next label would have to rehabilitate him.

When the fans didn't go running back to the fold after a certain desperate famewhore just happened to come on the scene (yeah, right!) saying he met Clay for sex, they had to claim that Clay was trolling on the internet, had unprotected sex, may be spreading STD's, was mean and manipulative, didn't care about his fans, etc. ANYTHING to get the fans to drop him.

RCA only pressed 500,000 CD's and put out piss poor promotion to limit his earning potential. All promotion was second tier and geared towards a middle-aged demographic to give the impression that Clay was not desirable demo-wise. This was the message they were sending to the industry (which knows what's really going on) and prospective new fans. They had no plans to increase his fan base, only to try to peel off as many as they could for their new idols while they still had Clay under RCA's control. They didn't want to turn him into a superstar because he would far outshine their winners, so they've been containing him for three years. Under another label, that could happen and it would be out of their control. They want Clay on their terms - AC easy listening - and not to interfere with their other idols' marketing. Otherwise, they want him out of the business.

That desperate famewhore failed porn actor was no fluke, nor was his timing just coincidental.

Well you started out with nothing,
And you're proud that you're a self made man,
And your friends, they all come crawlin,
Slap you on the back and say,
Please.... Please.....

There is way too much stuff out there to say that all of it is just a coincidence. This all can't be the work of one person with an ax to grind. It smacks of a well thought out plan of attack that was set in motion to drive Clay out of the business.

And I don't like it one little bit.

But what can I do? I'm just a nobody fan and not a "mover or shaker" that could make a difference.

I do have this blog but with only 3 readers it's not much of a help.

Or is it...?

Stay tuned.

Well I don't know why I came here tonight,
I got the feeling that something ain't right,
I'm so scared in case I fall off my chair,
And I'm wondering how I'll get down the stairs,
Clowns to the left of me,
Jokers to the right, here I am,
Stuck in the middle with you,
Yes I'm stuck in the middle with you,
Stuck in the middle with you.

Another country heard from...

2006-11-19T10:59:00.000-05:00

Dear readers (all 3 of you - and stop stealing my lines, Clay! ;-) ),

I've brought this over from another blog to show that I'm obviously not the only one calling for an end to this Not-So-Silent War that has been dogging the ClayNation this past year. Nice to know I'm not alone...

John and Claymates. Thought I would address this to both since you are working together to bring Clay down. It's true, you are working together. Between the two of you Clay doesn't have a chance in hell of making it through this mess. One of you knows this and the rest are to stupid to see it.

John, you are a sly one, crazy like a fox. You are using the mates to bring Clay down. You instigate, antagonize, threaten and do whatever you feel you need to do to get them to attack you and then you blame them. Either way you get to go after Clay.

Claymates, you know which ones, the ones with the nasty mouths, hateful attitudes, the ones that go after every critic, dj, and whoever says one negative thing about Clay and you go after Clay. I know you do, I read it on the boards. Don't you realize you are being baited by John? Sad thing is you run and take the bait.You give John exactly what he wants and then he runs with it to hurt Clay.

Everytime you say something hateful to anyone, everytime you threaten,

you make an ass out of Clay. No one wants to deal with him because of all of you. You are showing a complete lack of respect for him, how selfish of you. You think you are defending him, well you aren't, you are hurting him. You think when Clay tells people you will beat them up it's a compliment? No it isn't. Think about it.

I get so sick of seeing how you love Clay unconditionally, that is plain BS. You say how you trust Clay but yet you interfere and make his job and his teams job that much harder. I want to know why you can't leave well enough alone. Why can't you mind your own business? Why don't you listen when people try to explain to you that you are a big part of the problem? I just don't get it.

Your job as a fan is to purchase the CD's if you like the music. Go to a concert if it is in your area and purchase Clay's merchandise if you like it. That is all a fan should do. That is proper respect and support for him.

The more you run over here and attack the more John will bait you. John knows what he is doing and enjoys the reaction. John is using you, you are helping John destroy Clay.

Between John and the mates Clay has no safe place to be. He can't even catch his breath. All Clay wants to do is sing. He doesn't need thousands of mothers, he has one. He doesn't need thousands of people telling him everything he does is wrong, he knows what to do and he is still learning. This young man is being ripped to shreds every single day.

You want him to keep singing then back off. When his contract is up with RCA he can either sign with someone else or walk away. It is his choice and I wouldn't blame him one bit if he walks away. Personally I am hoping he signs with David Foster. I feel that man can bring out the best in Clay and would work with Clay to make him the best he can possibly be. He already proved he could. He wrote the music and Clay wrote the song and a darn good one.

Can't any of you just back off and let Clay start to heal and get back on track? He has had more than enough during his life, I don't know how he is still standing. Don't you realize that some of the way he is, is because he was born that way. You are attacking him for who he is, he can't help it. He needs to get therapy for the depression or bi-polar, ocd etc. These are all genetic he can't help it.

I am so angry and tired with all of this and I say congratulations to both of you for working so well together to bring this kid down. Hope you all are proud of what you are doing and proud of yourselves. You must be one miserable needy bunch of people to do this to one person. One day it may just happen to you, see how long you can stand up to the pressure. I wonder what happened in your lives to make you so cruel.

Can you say that this is a no-win situation? I fell really bad for Clay. No amount of celebrity is worth this.

Carry on!
J

Truth...and Consequences?

2006-11-17T11:28:00.000-05:00

Hello all!

I have been tempted numerous times in the past year to talk openly about the whole debacle between Clay and JP and each time I have resisted -- until now. You see, I have quietly monitored JP's blog and everything that he and his followers have thrown out about and at Clay and while that in itself has disgusted me to no end, the response from the "Claymates" has been equally, if not more so, distasteful and down-right vile. I know I'm once again living up to my blog title of taking chances but I want to register my opinions now because I think it's about time to "put up and shut up" about this entire episode before the ClayNation in cyberspace comes completely unglued.

Whether or not JP has been telling the truth these past 11 months is, in my view, immaterial at this juncture. What IS true is that the internet-based fans are being pulled apart at the seams by all of the stuff they are reading. Tell me, either side, was it TRULY NECESSARY that personal information was used against people in order to hurt them? What real points did anyone score by posting names, addies, work site and numbers or pictures of folks when there are many unscrupulous types in cyberspace who would love to steal their identities? Also, what was accomplished by sending hate mail and other strange things to JP? (catalogues? come on now...) And JP, why are you closing one blog and opening another that will basically continue all of this nonsense?

DOES ANYONE HERE HAVE A REAL JOB AND A REAL LIFE? Methinks some folks are spending WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too much time on the computer and NOT doing their work!

If someone dares to answer YES to the above, then I want them to teach me how to do it because, as you can clearly see, I don't seem to have the same time to devote to my blogs as some do. In fact, I'm at work writing this while I have 10 major things on my To Do list that need to get done by 4pm today. I'll kick myself for it later but I need to continue this installment.

Nothing -- I repeat -- NOTHING good is going to come from all this fighting. The Internet is not some private club but, rather, a VERY public place for all to see and read. I've learned to think long and hard before I push a send or publish or post button because I know the potential of words and how they can hurt and destroy. As has been demonstrated, IP addresses can be captured and traced (I have a meter on my blog so I know). If anyone is a Googlemanic like me, then you know that anyone can find anyone else out there in three clicks or less. It boggles my mind that a lot of folks still think that what they throw out there is private. Just try a little site called The Wayback Machine which can recreate any webpage on any date in at least the last 6 years and that should prove my point.

It's just sad that some folks are willing to risk their private lives and careers on nonsense like this. Being someone's fan does not give you rights to defend him at all costs because we all are "stupid humans" and Clay is no better or worse than anyone else. Being someone nemesis does not give you rights to systematically destroy them and their fans so you can be vindicated for something that may or may not have happened in private. Have we as a species decided to throw away all the progress we've made in evolution just to return to our base roots and emotions?

As I'd say to my high school students -- "time to grow up, kiddies. As that old sage Mick the Jagger would say; 'you can't always get what you want!'"

I think it is high time Clay's fans stop treating him like the Messiah and start just appreciating him for the talented singer and compassionate humanitarian that he has proven to be. Sure, he's probably stubborn, controlling, calculating and a diva but aren't ALL celebrities that way at one time or another in their career? Heck, aren't we ALL that way at some point or another in our own lives? I know I have been and continue to be some of the above myself but time on this earth nurtures wisdom and contentment with one's true self IF one is a seeker, which I believe Clay is.

I also think it's time for some of our more zealous mates to back away from the computer and get reacquainted with the non-technological, non-celebrity world in an attempt to regain some perspective. Look, it's only MHO but I feel that what is happening with all this is really hurting Clay more than any of us really know and that's NOT what any fan intends to have happen. Continue to buy the CD's, attend a concert (why anyone would want to see more than one of the same show is beyond me) watch or TiVo all of his TV appearances and support any of his charitable ventures but stay away from the type of "over-the-top" rabid behavior that reflects not just on the fans but on the Man himself.

JP, I don't know you from Adam and I won't comment on whether or not I believe what you've purported but I will say that YOU believe it and have stood by it for almost a year. If you really mean what you are currently saying, then close up your blog, DON'T start the other one and get on with whatever you plan on doing with your life. It's really easy on the web to get a high from all the fans that read you (and I should know) but this type of thing is fleeting at best and addictive and debilitating at worse. Keeping it up will hurt no one else but you from now on and I think you are intelligent enough to realize that.

Clay, I have said before that I applaud you for sticking to your guns regarding your private life but I think you need to simply speak up and put this matter to rest once and for all.

Would I stop being a fan if you "came out of the closet?"

Absolutely not.

But I would be disappointed simply because of all the hurt this has caused on all sides knowing that you could have prevented some of it before this point. I completely understand wanting to protect loved ones but just reading some of the crap that has been slung around would tell me that the silence hasn't worked.

Do I personally think you are gay?

Nope.

But I have been wrong before and I am a realist. However, as I have said, it would not stop me from being a supporter of you and your music. I also believe that experimentation is a by-product of growing up and in today's world, can be more dangerous than it used to be due to the instant access of information. What was done in private is no longer possible, no matter if you are famous or not.

Then why make a statement?

Because people ARE listening and reading too much into everything. A definitive statement puts it all out there and then folks can believe what they like but at least you've said it out loud for all the world to hear. After that, it's in God's hands.

In fact, it's always been in God's hands. I think you 've known that from the start but our limited capacity to understand God's will is what makes us not trust in Him or His love for us. Pick up any edition of the Bible and you can read how others have been in similar situations. We're not the first and certainly won't be the last.

Ok, I've said my piece. All I ask is that any comments be productive and NOT destructive. If you disagree and can't say it nicely then simply walk away and say nothing. Your silence will speak, trust me!

Carry on!
J

Will the Real Clay Aiken please get back to the chat room pronto?

2006-11-12T20:47:00.000-05:00

Well!
It seems that I shouldn't stray too far away from Clayland these days! It seems that the boy wonder actually visited his own chat room at the O-fficial Fan Club on Friday night and set many a heart a flutter. Too bad I missed it.

Then again, maybe not.

I've never been a big fan of chat rooms because the action moves waaay too fast and I prefer to talk to people one on one. Besides, I go into the chat room at the OFC occasionally and level of conversation has been less than thrilling. I have a habit of stumbling into either teenage angst or depressed middle agers.

Not my idea of a good time.

It also didn't surprise me that someone would try to impersonate Mr. Aiken in order to make him look bad. I'm glad to hear that no one took him seriously and I truly hope that TPTB find out who did it and take appropriate action. Neither Clay nor his fans need that kind of mud slinging in their own "house." There are plently of other places on the 'net where that kind of activity is a daily occurence (and I know that for a fact, Jack!).

In any case, I think the OFC chat room is going to be a VERY POPULAR place for some time to come. Maybe I'll pop in to see if the boy strolls in there again -- not like he'd want to talk to me for any reason...

...but then again, maybe not... ;-)

Carry on!
J

PS -- Clay wanted us to post his blog from last night so that he can get the word out about what REALLY happened in the chat room Saturday night and I will happily honor his request:

11/12/06 : Apology!

I really don't know what to say.
I have very little information about what may or may not have happened in the fansite chat room tonight.
I received an email from my mother this evening after returning from an event tonight at UNC Charlotte. It sort of outlined what happened on this site this evening.
I haven't actually seen the "transcript" yet, but I SINCERELY apologize to anyone who was upset, hurt, or offended by what was said.
I wish I had more information. Unfortunately, it's 3AM here in Raleigh and I have no way of addressing the issue tonight.
Rest assured that I will make sure that someone investigates fully to find out if there are any glitches in the security of the site.
For those of you who I chatted with on Friday night, it was nice to talk to you. Hopefully I can pop in and do it again sometime.
For those of you who were in the chat room tonight. I can assure you that it was not me.
I apologize again.
I can only hope that we can secure my screenname so I can continue to blog and chat on here more.
I'll let you know when I know something more.
(Please feel free to copy this blog to other message boards so that as many can see this as possible! ... go ahead... copy it... it will be our little secret! )

c

Without You

2006-11-09T09:52:00.001-05:00

Here's a little entertainment while I get my next blog ready -- enjoy!

J

Random Thoughts of Recent Events

2006-11-07T21:11:00.000-05:00

I couldn't decide what topic to use today for my entry so I'm going to comment on a few of them and see where that takes us. I have a feeling that my views are not going to be popular with my fellow fans but, hey, that what taking chances is all about. Please feel free to add your own thoughts to my observations because I love a healthy discussion but remember to play fairly, OK?

***Clay's recent blog made a lot of fans happy but left me shaking my head a little. Don't get me wrong -- I'm happy to hear from the boy and equally happy that he's apologized for not keeping up with his posts but unless he gets on some type of schedule with his writing, he will fall into the same cycle again and again (no blog for weeks -- blog w/apology -- no blog for weeks). If I were him I'd either build the time into my week for what has been promised to those who paid to be in the fan club or stop advertising a weekly blog as an incentive to joining.

***Speaking of the O-fficial Fan Club, I was a little less than impressed with my membership kit -- in fact I could have done without it. Last year's t-shirt was far superior to this year's offering, the picture is NOT a very flattering one and I don't much care for those rubber bracelets. The letter and the membership card were fine but thirty dollars is waaay too much for just that. As for the site itself, I do like some of the changes but two things are bothersome to me: 1) I like chat rooms and this one is a high tech wonder HOWEVER there is too much childish behavior there for me to want to stay more than 3 minutes at any given time and 2) I think having only FIVE updated blogs showing at a time is cutting down on the chance for folks to catch up on their favorites. Depending on the time of day, those five spots change very quickly and unless you've added a member as a friend (because the search engine is still useless), you have a hard time finding them and their updated blog. There has to be a better way but I don't have one. All I know is that my readership is down and I suspect that this is part of the problem (it can't be that I'm no longer interesting...can it?).

***I've NEVER liked the term claymate as applied to Mr. Aiken's fanbase but I am developing a growing distaste for how the women of the ClayNation are being described by those who would like to systematically take down Clay and his fans. Before anyone casts a stone at us, they need to take a look at themselves and their behavior. Yes, I'll admit that some members have shown poor judgement and bad taste in some of their actions but to call us hateful names and describe us in crude terms is taking this game of "cat and mouse" just a bit too far. I am personally offended by such behavior and while I know that freedom of speech is an American right, I believe that the way one uses that priviledge shows the true character of the person. So far, I'm not very impressed with what I've witnessed but I will not stoop to that level in retaliation. All I will say is that all of the hoopla is a waste of time and energy and it's a shame that Clay has to endure such trial because of his celebrity. No one in the public eye deserves that.

I'm not going to be a popular person in either the ClayNation or anywhere else after this but these are my opinions and I have the right to express them. Hey, it's MY blog, after all...

Carry on!
J

Pardon me while I keep remodeling...

2006-11-06T23:25:00.001-05:00

Hey gang!
I'm still trying to get a handle on what features I'll be offering on my blog for your reading pleasure. If you see something you like and want more of it, then let me know. If something bombs terribly, be gentle but let me know that as well. I do have a "day job" that keeps me busy but if I'm organized and know what I'm doing, I'm confident I can keep up with everything...maybe... ;-)

Since tomorrow is my 1st day off in 6 days I'll try to get something more exciting posted. I've got some interesting observations to share so stick around.

Tomorrow is also Election Day so get out and vote -- you DO make a difference and it is a right that we should never take for granted.

BTW, the results of the first poll was 60% in favor of Clay hosting a talk/variety show. I'm still not giving up on the variety show idea but I'm glad to see that folks do want him back on TV regularly. Good thing to know...

Carry on and catch you tomorrow!
J

Let's All Take Meghan's Quiz!

2006-11-03T15:36:00.000-05:00

Hola, Peeps!

Well, since Clay gave us more insight into his life, perhaps it is time for us fans to let him know a little bit more about ourselves (like he's really interested in what makes us 'tick').

So, without further ado, here are my honest(and slightly snarky) answers to Meghan's Q's --

What's your name? : exClaymations (if I told you my real name, I'd have to kill you)

What's in your iPod (or CD player)? : everything from Aiken to Zepplin

What is "your song" at karaoke? : Humm...that's a tough one...I'll go with COPACABANA or LOVE WILL KEEP US TOGETHER

What's your favorite time of day? : around midnight -- I'm a night owl

What book are you reading right now? : The Bishop Goes to THE University by Andrew Greeley (it's a Catholic "whodunit")

What's your favorite website? : GOOGLE or eBay

What's your favorite old movie (DVD)? : The Sound of Music

What's your favorite current movie? : Take the Lead with Antonio Banderias

What is set on your television DVR? : ER, Boston Legal, Dancing with the Stars, American Idol Rewind, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

If you weren't in show business or, in our case, doing what we're doing now,, what other career would you consider? : It would have to be something with music and writing in it -- like, writing for a musical variety show, perhaps?

What is the strangest job you've ever held? : Customer Service Phone Bank for Sears

What was the exact moment you became an adult? : no comment

If you could trade places with one person for just ten minutes, who would it be? : Barry Manilow because I'd want to see what it's really like to posess that much musical talent and perform in front of adoring fans

What was your last purchase? : My laptop

What's in your carry-on bag? : Enough makeup to spackle every woman's face in Rhode Island

What's under your bed? : a few garment bags, a flashlight and the ever-present dust bunnies

What's your guilty pleasure? : This blog :-)

Now it's your turn, dear readers. I invite you to answer these provocative and meaningless questions so that Clay can better know and love his fans (yeah, right...like he reads MY blog...)

Carry on!
J

Barry Manilow

2006-11-02T19:20:00.001-05:00

A commercial moment...

We Interrupt this blog for a Manilow Moment!

2006-11-02T18:57:00.000-05:00

Ok, so from time to time I'll be posting a few things regarding my original American Idol -- Barry Manilow. (I hope you don't mind but it IS my blog…)

Did you know he just released yet ANOTHER CD this year? (Listen up, Aiken!)

Gotta love it if you're a FANILOW like me! Now, this is a COVER album and the 1st one he released this year (Greatest Songs of the 50's) went #1 the first week! This one has a good chance of repeating that feat, due by and large to the loyal fans Barry as cultivated over the 30+ years he has been performing. I bought the QVC set that had another 7 tracks on a 2nd CD and I should have them in my hot little iPod by week's end.

What does this have to do with Clay?

3 things:
1) Cover CD are really created for the loyal fan but they do draw others to an artist if they happened to be a fan of a particular song. Clay's debuted at #2 its 1st week -- not so shabby for someone who has only been in the limelight for 3+ years. The nay-sayers are ready to bellow that the decline of sales in recent weeks is a sign that Clay is washed up as a musical artist. NOT SO! What other artist could sell as much without airplay and little promotion from their label? There IS an audience out there for Clay's musical showmanship and RCA should be appreciative of that.

2) Fans of Barry have had to endure many MANY years of harsh and often cruel reviews, comments and jokes about their favorite entertainer yet he always seems to bounce back and prove the critics wrong. Both men have similar backgrounds and dispositions so Clay can at least see that if he sticks to his guns for the long haul, his many fans will remain loyal and continue to support his career.

3) Clive Davis must know what he's doing because all his major talent are releasing cover CD's this year. The country seems to be getting nostalgic for songs with real meaningful lyrics and melodies they can hum in the shower. On TV, they are looking for entertainment that the whole family can sit together and watch (live or TiVoed). Clay's career is blooming at the right time for a performer of his type but there are those in the industry who don't want their "15 minutes of fame" to be over and continue to bombard the air waves (both radio and TV) with the crap they claim is art. The shift is happening and Clay is right in the middle of it. We fans have to stay clam and continue to support Clay in a rational and mature manner. There may be tougher times ahead (somehow I don't want to believe that after this last year but I am a realist) but as long as Mr. Aiken shares his God-given voice with us, I will be listening and supporting him as a performer just as I have Mr. Manilow.

BTW, I'm STILL waiting for a Barry and Clay duet -- How about it, guys? ;-)

Carry on!
J

Clay Aiken - Build Me Up Buttercup

2006-11-01T23:22:00.001-05:00

One of my all-time favorite AI clips -- I just LOVE Clay singing this song! Just another feature I'm trying out -- if I find anything out there worth a look or a listen I'll be sure to post it here.

You just never know what I'll find... ;-)

I Wish I Had More Time to Play...

2006-11-01T23:02:00.000-05:00

...but whatever time I can find I'm busy learning how to make this blog more fun, informative and user-friendly. Let me know what you think of my additions and, if you'd like, add me to your blog links. I could certainly use more fans because the 3 that have been faithfully reading me might need some company!

Carry on, gang!
J

Ch...ch...ch...ch...changes....

2006-10-31T08:37:00.000-05:00

Welcome, all!
I have been bouncing around for months what I wanted this blog to focus on and after surfing through many different parts of the Internet I finally decided just come out and admit my status in the ClayNation. If I could be a loyal fan of the "greatest entertainer of this generation" - one Mister Barry Manilow -- for 30 years then I could also show my support for the "heir apparent."

But let's get a few things straight -
***I am a loyal fan - NOT a Manic or a Mate or a Fanatic
***I am a realist and fully grasp the concept that all people, celebrities and non, have their good points and bad ones
***God is the only One I worship -- I admire the gifts of others such as Barry and Clay

I will be taking chances with what I say about my reactions to what is going on with Clay and his "15 minutes of fame." Some of you will agree with me but many of you will take issue with what I express. All I ask is that any discussion be civil and polite without falling into name calling and finger pointing. I'm being honest here and all I ask that others do the same without hurting Clay, me or each other.

I've reposted some of my posts from the O-ffical Fan Club to start the ball rolling (see below) and then I'll see where things go from there. Thanks for reading and carry on -- carefully...

Current reposts from the OFC

2006-10-04T10:31:00.000-04:00

09/20/06 : Taking Chances - Part 1

Hola, friends!
Everyone reaches a point where stepping out of one's comfort zone is necessary for growth. I'm going to take a "step out in faith" with the first edition of my next two blogs and put a few things out there that I need to say and do b/c, well, it's about time I do so. I've been through a month of changes in my life that in and of themselves would not amount to much but bundled together have caused me to take a good, hard look at myself. Don't worry, gang – I will try to STILL be as humorous as possible! Let's proceed...

Ok, can we talk about Clay's interview this AM on GMA? I, for one, have grown more than a little weary over all the speculation and hype (not by ABC but by others) as to the contents of the piece. So the HUGE revelation this AM was that Clay is taking Paxil for depression -- big effin’ whoop! Join the club, honey -- there are many of us, myself included, who need to be on a "happy pill" to help deal with daily life when our own bodies cannot produce the correct amount of serotonin to get the job done. For me, an early menopause was the culprit and I resisted taking anything like this for quite awhile until I knew inside that I needed to so something to stop the violent mood swings that I could no longer control. I won't have to be on this forever and Clay may not need to be either but there is no longer a stigma attached to taking such medication (in fact, in LA it's probably the norm!). In any case, if that little detail is the BIG NEWS we've been waiting for, then a lot of folks are going to be very disappointed -- particularly those Vegas betting places that are giving odds on something else that might "come out" from the interview with Diane. I sincerely hope that they all end up with egg on their faces for that one!

I've talked about my month from hell in a previous blog so I won't bore you with those details again. I will say that I'm into the second week of my new position as Pastoral Assistant/Director of Music Ministries at a central Massachusetts Catholic parish and these folks seem to be the real deal. Everyone has been so welcoming and wanting to get started that I can’t believe I’ve been called to work here! With any luck and if it is God’s plan I’ll be here for a good long while but that doesn’t take away my desire to follow a dream of mine that is a long time coming. You see, even though my biggest dream was to perform, I’ve always wanted to do so on television. I have been extremely fascinated with the medium since I was old enough to reach the dials (yes, I’m that old!) and hoped that one day I’d get a chance to work in that business either in front of or behind the cameras. However, since I live in the wrong part of the country I thought that dream had little chance of becoming a reality.

But then along came the Internet and maybe there still could be a chance. I was told that a lot of business is now done online and through net conferences so I could still live in one place even if my work is in another. That appeals to this gal who can’t get on an airplane anymore unless she wants to be the next woman in the headlines who ends of having a panic attack and is arrested by the air marshals – not good publicity for someone in a new church job!

Back to the predicament -- I’ve done some research, along with consulting a friend who was in the business but has since retired and I think I may have a great premise for a TV show. The problem is I don’t know how to shop it around myself. I missed an opportunity last month to get someone else to do it for me at an arts conference b/c of my Mom’s illness so now after all that work I’m back to square one. I’ve learned through my dealings with Touched By An Angel that I can’t send something to a production company unsolicited b/c it then becomes their property and I would lose all rights to it. From the few folks who have seen the treatment, I have been encouraged to continue developing the idea (I’ve been told its different and might “have legs”) until I can get a chance to pitch it to someone through the proper channels but I’ll admit I’m becoming frustrated. I keep taking it to prayer but if anyone out there has any concrete suggestions I’m all ears.

Sorry I can’t tell you the exact premise but, as you know, the Internet is very unforgiving about such things. Also, this may be the most unprofessional way to get the word out about my project but I can’t seem to think of any other way to get more help with it. I seem to be limited in my options at the moment.

Well, that ends part one of thoughts. Be watching for part two when I take a BIG chance here in Clayland and review the new album! If you’re looking for the usual Clay-is-great-and-can-do-no-wrong types of rendering then don’t drop by b/c I can only tell it like it is (which means that some of you won’t like what I have to say!) I will also continue to comment on all the hype surrounding the boy’s interviews during his CD promotion week. Ought to be both fun and a bit wacky (just like me)!

Carry on!

09/22/06 : Clarification of Part 1

I learned two things yesterday–

1) NEVER compose a blog entry after 10pm at night even when you swear you’re thinking clearly at that hour

2) ALWAYS send above entry to your best friend to proof-read/edit.

So my friend read Tuesday night’s edition yesterday morning and said to me “gee, you made it sound like your TV idea was part of your new job – that’s not the truth!!”

After I looked at it again I had to agree (I do so hate it when she’s right!).

So, in the interest of getting things right and being clear but still without giving away too much let me clarify what I was trying to say late Tuesday evening:

1) I have come up with a brilliant idea for a NATIONAL TV show.

2) I lost an opportunity for someone to shop it for me at a west coast conference last month.

3) I can’t send it unsolicited to a production company b/c I will lose my rights to it.

4) The genre of said show is a VARIETY format with a twist and I’ll admit that I fashioned it around that Aiken kid but since he really wants to do a talk show I guess I might have to find another star to hang my dream on.

5) I’m still trying to figure out how best to pitch this idea and to whom.

Now, does that clear things up regarding my intentions? I sure hope so.

It may not get me any closer to my goal but at least I won’t have my fans (all three of you) wondering what in the world I’m referring to anymore.

That is all – album review still to come!

Carry on!

09/27/06 : Taking Chances, Part 2 -- The CD Review!

Sorry this took a little longer than expected to post but when one begins a new job, unforeseen events pop up out of nowhere. The good thing about the delay was that it gave me a chance to listen to the CD more than once (ok, at least a dozen times) and to download the extra track from iTunes so I could include my opinions on that as well.

Remember, I will call it as I hear it but I will try to be gentle…

Without further ado, here's my take on Aiken's latest audio endeavor:

Right Here Waiting - this track is vocally good but I'm really partial to the slower, more longing version by Richard Marx. Even though this is definitely a personal preference I feel that the orchestration really detracted from the true angst of the piece and gave it too much of a happy pop sound. Unfortunately my least favorite cut on the album.

Lonely No More -- Now this is much better! A classic Aiken sound coupled with a decent tune and complete with an equally classic Barry Manilow modulation. I just love it and hope it might be considered for radio airplay. Leaves me wanting to hear more of his Clayness's co-writing efforts.

Without You -- classy and classic cover of a song that's been over-covered through the years. As Randy would say, "you worked it out, Dawg!" Now, tell me, why can’t this track get enough airplay so others can enjoy it? Hummmmm?

Every Time You Go Away -- I can't seem to warm up to this one at all. Other than the looooong held notes, there is nothing else that distinguishes this one from all the other covers I've heard. It's just "awiiiight!"

Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word -- Clay's high and clear vocal tone just makes this melody line shine and I love the acoustic feel with the guitar. The overall tempo is slightly faster giving it a sense of urgency and that works very well with what the lyrics are trying to convey. Clay seems to be able to cover Sir Elton's catalogue of songs well so I'll be looking forward to hearing his rendition of THE BITCH IS BACK very soon! (Seriously, I'd kill to hear SOMEONE SAVED MY LIFE TONIGHT on a future CD or tour -- think about it)

When I See You Smile -- This might be an Aiken favorite but the arrangement is a little too busy for my taste and slightly overwhelms the vocal, IMHO. I usually pass this one up along with the 1st track.

A Thousand Days -- Confession time: I really didn't like this song on tour last year but this final version has certainly grown on me of late. There's a much more powerful punch to it and nicely showcases Aiken's soaring vocals. Might be radio play material here. Come on, Clive -- let the boy show off his rocker side, OK?

Everything I Do -- I just love the Celtic feel of the arrangement but the high vocal works better for Clay on the slower numbers than is does on one that moves a little more. I don't pass this one up all the time but I need to be in the mood to hear it. Another "awiiiight" one.

Because You Loved Me -- Wasn't sure I would like Clay singing this but it turned out to be an honest and endearing rendition and waay less screechy than Celine! I like it a lot!

I Want to Know What Love Is -- Suzie MacNeil was one of my favorites on ROCKSTAR last season and she is a great vocal complement to Clay on this song. I worried about the balance when I heard a "leaked" version but the final cut evens the vocals out. What are the chances she could open for Clay on tour this winter? I'd love to see and hear that!

These Open Arms -- Bon Jovi strikes again with a solid rocker tune that Aiken hits out of the park. This one could be another possible radio selection. Love it, love it, love it!

Here You Come Again -- Frankly, I worried a bit when this one was included because all I could hear was the drippily happy Dolly rendition but I was pleasantly surprised at what became of it in Clay's hands. I like the 21st century angst feel to it and definitely prefer it to the original. Good job on not "bottoming out" those low notes, kiddo -- I know how hard it is for a tenor (or soprano) to sing "in the cellar" without sounding anemic. Bravo!

Everything I Have -- 6 words: I want to sing this one! It's just a beautiful song and it moved me to tears. I must have the sheet music to this one. NOW!!! Absolutely stunning! (Did I say I LOVE this one?) It's my favorite cut on this CD and I've played it more than any other (SORRY is a close second).

Broken Wings -- Very avant-garde and, quite frankly, a vocal feast between Clay and Morgan Grace. Losing the 80's pop feel really brings out what I think is the true meaning of the piece. The addition of the poem just drives home a sense of longing for redemption and peace. Artistically the best track on the CD.

Lover All Alone -- Talk about your bonus tracks! Another co-writing effort that reveals more of Mr. Aiken's inner thoughts and emotions. Couple that with a heartfelt vocal and we have another great original song. Glad I downloaded the CD from iTunes as well as purchased a copy from Amazon.com.

The bottom line is…

If you couldn't tell from the above, I much preferred the original songs to most of the covers. I know Clive wanted Clay to do this album but I don't feel it was the best use of his talents. I see this whole exercise as just another CD of oldies that most of the "standard singers" are producing to cash in on the current nostalgia trend started by American Idol. I realize that Clay is the best interpreter of these songs and Jaymes did a great job of producing a quality product but after seeing him in concert with his own material -- most particularly the absent BACK FOR MORE that SHOULD have been the first single off this sophomore effort -- I believe that he can do even better with new material written for his best vocal qualities. However, Clay and RCA will make tons of money from ATDW because it is a good, solid production but I WILL be looking forward to the next one, which can't come about soon enough for me. Hopefully the kid and his crew have saved all the tracks they recorded from the aborted effort and will get around to refining them quickly. Either that, or he could record that album of Bulgarian hymns he spoke about and he'd STILL get folks to buy them… ;-)

Be on the lookout for Part 3 (this got longer than I expected) where I take a chance and talk about all the media hoopla of the past few weeks. Now THAT should prove to be even more interesting…

Carry on!

0/28/06 : Taking Chances with Random Thoughts

Hello all!

Have you missed me? It's been a wild couple of months in my neck of the woods. Here's some thoughts I've been pondering when I've had the time to stop and think about such things:

** Never try writing a blog entry from the ICU Waiting Room while your Mother is having an emergency hernia operation. It takes more time than usual to see the keys your trying to hit through the tears in your eyes. Sure, I trust in God and His will but I hate not being in control. Go figure.

** Everything with Mom did turn out alright, however. The "amazing medical marvel Mom", as I have dubbed her, came through the ordeal well and is recovering at home. Not bad for an 84 year old woman who had never had major surgery before.

**Clay's romp through the media these last couple of weeks has been an interesting study in both thumbing one's nose at the critics and showing what one is really made of morally. I just wish everyone was playing on an even field because at last look, the negatives are still trumpeting their trash to anyone who will listen. Not fair but the kid seems to be handling it well. (BTW, kudos for sticking to your guns with LK! I just loved it!!)

** I'm not a Days of Our Lives fan but I guess I'll have to set the DVR on December 22nd to catch the kid singing my favorite song off of ATDW. I just adore that track and how I wish I had the sheet music so I could arrange it for my voice.

** BTW, while I don't personally care if Clay blogs regularly or not, I do think it is in bad form not to when the blog is a big reason why folks shell out $30 to join the O-ffical Fan Club. Someone on TeamClay needs to address this issue with him. Believe me, I know how hard it is to sit down and write when one is extremely busy -- look how long it took ME to post something -- but no one is paying me money to read my thoughts. HEY! Maybe if they did I'd write more often…

** How am I doing through all the commotion in my life? Not bad. Truth be told, I'm exhausted but I am managing to keep up with my new job, Mom and my own family life with the DH, who has been a huge help to me. I still need to establish a rhythm with my job but I have to stop being so hard on myself. These folks have been great about my situation and I can't thank God enough for that. It will all work out -- just gotta have faith!

** Speaking of Christmas, I am hoping to get table seating for the Hartford Clay stop. My "partner in concerts," riclaymate, and I will be trying for those seats on Monday and we're still looking for 2 others to join us. If anyone out there is in the RI/CT area and would like to join us at a table then let me know! Even though I've heard all those songs before it will be a treat to see the kid in concert this year.

** And what a treat to be getting an exclusive EP for Christmas as well! I've been into these types of offers lately -- I just ordered the special set from QVC that my main man Barry is releasing. It's his Greatest Hits of the Sixties plus a 7 song extra that includes the song my DH and I had for our 1st dance. Awww. Had to get that and I don't care if I don't receive it until December.

** Maybe Clay should consider QVC when releasing his next CD. Barry sold over 50,000 units through pre-orders and that has to help his opening numbers when his drops on Tuesday. Just something to think about…

** I really think that Clay should be a contestant on Dancing with the Stars next season. Believe me, he'd do just as well as some of the others they get to try this AND we'd get to see him on TV again every week. Now, if he'd rather do a variety show we should talk... :cough-callme:

Anyway, with any luck, or with better organization, I hope to get back to blogging more often. Thanks to all my fans :cough: for sticking with me and checking in on me often. I'll try not to stay away this long again! TTFN!

Carry on!