The Clack House

[Corabeth]

[whmom2]

[CLAYLOVER]

just want to say to Simon: You are a schmuck. You who pronounced to the world regarding Mr. Aiken :"YOU DO NOT HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A POP STAR" Yeah , right Just want to say, Clay thank you for all of it!! The sweating (me), the screaming(me) the crying(me)the totally orgasmic experience of seeing you twice in concert (me). Thank you to the wonderful clackers for the laughter, the tears and the love from all of u and the joy of meeting some of you at the get togethers before the show. It has been a great ride. MUAHXXXX

[freckleluver]

[ivy]

My story. I've never been a fan of anyone before and rarely enjoyed more than one or two songs from a CD and have never checked out the person's next CDs or even "planned" to watch their performances. Initially enjoyed Clay, Ruben, and Josh but over time Clay became my favorite. So for me, two years following someone is unbelievable. And I've loved every minute (though I have to admit there have been some odd moments which I have not enjoyed but not because of Clay).

Regarding that interviewer (what's his name on CNBC), he may not have wanted to interview the "winners" because they don't watch AI. snort.

As we begin our third year with Clay, I want to remind all of us to not believe what is written in the media or reported on TV. Lately, I've been watching some TV about older stars and older game shows where the people being talked about are interviewed and comment throughout. The shows follow the timelines from when they first started and report on major incidents. One thing that is clear is that tabloids/media reporters told major LIES about the entertainers. For example, one set of lies involved two entertainers meeting secretly and dating. In reality, the guy was living with the woman he eventually married. Different lies were told over several months.

Over the last two years, it has been really great to find a true entertainer.
I've been shocked (it's true) at some things such as the bias built into entertainment shows, the laziness of the media, the too cool for school often bad writers on media web sites and in printed media, the repetitiveness and complete lack of uniqueness or imagination of most late night talk and comedy shows, the hate shown by people posting in anonymity on the internet, and reviewers who liking only one genre of music trash artists from other genres. I already knew about the tabloids, but was surprised at the so-called legitimate media not being on the up and up and not even attempting to tell the truth and not even caring about the lies or distortions.

But the most shocking thing I learned is that the entertainment world is so narrow minded.

[ncgurrl]

[savagal]

Two years ago I needed some mindless entertainment , a distraction .

Clay : Take time to tell me-e-e , y-o-o-u really care ....

Me :Wow , he can really sing !

And I fell hook line and sinker . Fast forward two years and I'm still hooked .

Thank you , Clay ! It's has been unbelievably joyous and crazy .

It's exciting to imagine what will be coming our way during the next two years .

[shearwater]

[basketweaver]

Happy Anniversary, everyone!

I just checked out the Wikipedia (the huge online encyclopedia) for Clay Aiken, and found a bare-bones biography, including none of his sales records, etc.

Any entry in Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org) can be edited by anyone, and I thought it was worth mentioning in case some of you marvelous writers here at CH might want to improve upon Clay's current listing.

[agape]

I'm just here for a few minutes between errands, but--reading all the anniversary recollections . . . . don't forget I have many of those early AI reviews and articles stored Here. They're kind of fun to read, two years down the line. Some were very prophetic.

By the way, am I imagining things, or did they use Clay as one of the "preview" segments, two years ago, leading into the AI2 season? I could swear that I saw/heard him before his audition segment actually aired--it was like, "Oh, yeah--this is that guy I saw on the previews." Just wondering . . .

Now off again to partake in RL.

ETA: Stupid ezboard has been off-and-on wonky the last few days--if the link to my site doesn't work, try back in a bit.

[43dudleyvillas]

[berkeley]

Day 1, Year Three: The Singer, The Albatross and the Promise of the Future

Dear Clay:

Are you familiar with The Rime of the Ancient Mariner?

(Hey! Come back here! I have to get my money’s worth of out my degree in English literature…)

In the Coleridge poem, the old sailor is haunted for slaying the bird that was the harbinger of good fortune. He laments his fate and the burden he must bear:

Ah ! well a-day ! what evil looks
Had I from old and young !
Instead of the cross, the Albatross
About my neck was hung.

Lately I’ve seen repeated references to your own personal albatross cropping up in the press in the form of “doesn’t know his place, isn’t grateful.” In articles from that time two years ago to as recently as last month, you have said again and again how much you appreciated the opportunities the show afforded you --- that sounds like acknowledgement and gratitude to me. You were wise enough, though, to know that a ship cannot test its seaworthiness by staying in the port. You were the young traveler, and it was time to move on.

For a while it seemed your first ship was yar, but it was not shipshape at all: your talent, and Ruben’s and that of the second season crew kept it on course for a while. After you all disembarked, it did not take long to discover that the fancy paint on the Good Ship American Idol concealed cracks in the deck, leaks in the hull and a ship’s owner who seems to care more about the price he was paid to carry his passengers than the experience of their journey. Instead of putting the best sailors in charge of getting the ship safely out of dock, now they are scuttling that ship while it is still in the harbor. When they put the seasick and the directionless at the helm at the beginning of every new voyage, it gets harder and harder to convince anyone, days after it has gotten underway, that the ship suddenly has an able crew. You put in such good service. Why should it be your job to stay below decks forever, bailing water, when you deserve to seek out horizons of your own?

It is strange that those who could have become your steadfast navigators chose instead to try to steer your ship onto the rocks. Instead of leading you through the storm, they attacked you with “evil looks” and cutting words and, like in a Hitchcock nightmare, continued to peck at you without provocation. Long after you had passed from their land, they pursued you and continued to peck… and peck… and peck. Perhaps they are an irritant and not a danger, but how could you be blamed for “slaying” that bird when you could? The winds had shifted and the omens were bleak. Enough: captain your own ship and set the course you want to sail.

I have often seen it said that we never would have found you had you not boarded that particular vessel, but I respectfully disagree.

There is a thing that some call destiny, some call fate, some call providence. Yours is to be exactly where you are at exactly this time of your life. Had that ship sailed without you, here is what might have happened instead. A freshman from Raleigh might have packed a copy of your demo in her suitcase as she headed for college, and found as her new roommate the daughter of an A&R man in Los Angeles. A record executive from Nashville might have visited family in Wake County and spent a Saturday evening with them listening to some of the local talent at the Hometown/North Carolina Music Connection. And that voice, that glorious voice, would have rang out strong and true until it found the ears that would hear it.

When the question arises of why you were not found sooner, I’ve come to believe that it was not your time to begin your far journey, because there were things you had yet to learn much closer to home. The other maps had yet to be drawn, the distant voyage yet to be charted, the provisions and supplies for the long odyssey were not yet in the hold. You had not learned the skills you needed to make all of the journeys ahead of you and to build all of the ships you will sail. Without your experiences from 18 to 24, for instance, how could there have been a ship called Bubel/Aiken?

No, there is always more than one route and if yours has sometimes been through tempest and through gale, perhaps that was meant to test the worthiness of your vessel. Turns out the years you spent building it, testing it and learning the lessons of life served you well.

Alright then, we’re almost into port now --- I can’t extend this metaphor forever. There will come a time when the albatross --- the stigma --- of American Idol is finally lifted off your neck. Already I see the weight beginning to lessen. Without a doubt, you are the most successful of your old shipmates in terms of sales and the most successful in the variety of your major accomplishments, including executive producing your own show, landing on the New York Times Best Sellers list and being named a UNICEF ambassador. Chart topper. Record breaker. Five times platinum. Producer. Best Seller. Ambassador. These are a few of the other names to call you now, and they are being used more and more as time passes.

So where will your journey take you next?

I fervently hope, with all the ports you will stop in and all who you will meet along the way, that you will find the songs that speak to your soul.

And may the day soon come when what you have created is a true reflection of the self you are trying to reveal, in sound and in message. Then you will have built the vessel of your own creation, one that will carry you safely and confidently to the destinations of your choosing. It will be a ship of surpassing beauty and elegance, with a nimble touch as it moves through the waves. It will be built with your own hand, with the willing assistance of this band of crewmates who are happy and eager to travel with you.

And when you are ready to name it, there will be just one name that comes to mind. It will not be a compromise or a promise for the future. That name will no longer limit you, no longer be a minuscule part of who you are and what you will become. It will be, through toil and struggle and sacrifice, through vision and courage and artistry, the ship that deserves to be called, quite simply ---

“Clay Aiken.”

There is a lamp in my window, and I wait for your return. Enjoy your journeys, and Godspeed.

[krispykreme]

So, do you think that two years ago to this day that Clay, seeing himself on teevy (tm:Jude) would have thought:

"I'm gonna be a multi millionaire in two years"
"I'm gonna have women of all ages screaming, begging and throwing themselves at me"
"I'm gonna be a college graduate and a philanthopist with a foundation for special needs kids"
"I'm gonna prove Simon doesn't know squat about finding a star"
"I'm gonna turn the music industry on it's ear 'cause they won't know what to do with me"
"I'm gonna have a future in the entertainment industry that is limited only by my desire and not anyone else's"

January 28, 2003 started off as an ordinary day in my life. Every day since then has been anything but. Watching AI2 that night with half an eye/ear I saw him and and was intrigued at "Take". I was mesmerized by "DLTSGDOM" and totally and completely in love by "BMUB".

His progression since that first sighting has been remarkable, both physically but artistically even moreso. He is simply amazing to watch in concert (I know I'm preaching to the choir here). But his comfort level on stage and command of the performance from the AI2 tour through JNT has been a joy to watch. I look forward to the next two years and the next two after that and ..........you get the picture. And since I haven't been on the boards much recently, please indulge me with:

CONCERT DVD PLEASE--- RCA think of it as an Anniversary present to us fans

ETA: Jeez I wish I was Berkeley. Maybe in my next life. Your written word is as beautiful as a certain tenor voice.

[Churchmouse]

Thanks Berk, that was great.

[lapeapod1]

Since we're all in a nostalgic mood tonight over the 2 year anniversary of Clay being in our lives, I went and looked at my Amazon reviews and I still think this holds up pretty well. This is what I said about Clay after I got his CD single.

[WinkyDink]

I thought you extended that metaphor simply beautifully, Berkeley!!

[Jude]

[Invisible926]

This is a message for berkeley from Clayversity:

[bluedawg]

[ebird]

yessss.... I'm under bluedawg.. What a great place to be....

Mah goodness. It's a BAD thing to arrive this late in the evening for a happy anniversary post... All the great writers have already arrived and said everything you wanted to say. I have to follow berkeley's lovely post? Geez...

So... I have officially been "going through a phase" for two years now. Guess it's not a phase.

Two years later and I still adore that snarky, adorable, geeky, ethereal, pissy, gentle, sparkling, sexybeyondbelief, mad-talented, goofy, anatomically gifted, confuzzling, bewildering, bewitching sin-amon love God that is Clay Aiken. Ha-ha's and all.

And I am still here. Still sharing my joy with all of you. Still squeeing and gushing and bitching out ticketbastard and debating endlessly and sharing hugs and travel plans.

Happy Anniversary Clay!

Yes, I'll pass you all the puke bucket.. That was as gushy as I am likely to ever get... *g*

[InvisibleClay]

I agree with bryher and MrsLoki. Clay is a ShapeShifter.

In May I wrote this..

[Claycub]

OMG! I just lost my entire post for the second time tonight.

Hopefully this one will get thru. Grrr.

I just watched AI2 all over again. I fell completely head over heels in love with Clay all over again. For those of you suffering withdrawals from the clack drought, I highly recommend re-watching. He didn't have me at "Take" becoss I didn't tune in till a week or two later. I fell in love to DLTSGDOM. Gah! I confess I NEVAH! saw the geek. I always thought he was absolutely beautiful. Those eyes were always every bit as compelling to me as the VOX. Then later, with Grease and the hip shake I admitted to myself I was in lust, as well. *g*

My six year old son watched with me tonight. He was every bit as enthralled as I was. His comment about Simon? "Is he jealous of Clay, Mom?" Out of the mouths of babes. *g*

I didn't find the internet community until after the Anomaly when I read in USA Today that there were actual websites where one could go and talk about Clay! EEEE!! I has absolutely no idea how to even go about 'getting on the internet.' But, I was waaay motivated. So, with the help of my then 11 year old daughter, I jumped on the Clay Train via The Lecherous Broads For Clay Aiken where I lurked until I boarded the CH car last february. I've had the time of my life ever since.

Happy Anniversary Clay and the CH!

[anntherese54]

I love looking at these pictures that Claymaniac in PA and HotMomof5 linked earlier:

MSG choirs behind the scenes.

Several have already noted how beautiful Clay looks in this picture. I am also especially fond of this one. I love the look on his face, his smile, his eyes. I love the way he bends down to be at the level of the children that he meets both in this picture and in the other pictures on this site. He has a natural way and gift with children. I love watching him interact with them.

I'm sure part of the reason I like these pictures so much (besides the obvious fact that Clay is so gorgeous in them and it's fresh clack!) is that I was at the MSG concert and it is fun to see the perspective of Clay and the singers standing on the stage and looking out into the theater and seeing what their view would be as they perform.


Speaking of theater, last night I attended a performance of a national tour of the musical, CONTACT, in Schenectady, NY. My 28 year old nephew is one of the featured dancers in the show and it was a thrill to be there and to watch him perform. (I called 4 days before the show, asked for the best single seat available, and got 8th row center orchestra! Now, how come buying seats for Clay's concerts can't be THAT easy?)

I drove a ways to the show by myself and when I arrived at the theater, I had such a strange feeling. I kept looking around and I kept expecting to see people that I knew just like I do when I attend a Clay concert. I was very aware as I walked and looked around that I did not know anyone at all! No familiar faces! I kept thinking of all of the Clay concerts I have been too, and most recently, the JNT concerts which were held in a theater similar to the venue I attended last night. It was a strange feeling to NOT recognize so many familiar faces and have that shared "community" at the theater.

I met my sister-in-law at the show and I told her that if that show had been a Clay concert, that I would be recognizing faces and friends from all parts of North America! The Clazy Canadians, the NE Gang, the PA Posse (to name a few)! I told her how I'd be going up to different people from North Carolina, Washington D.C., Colorado, Arkansas, Virginia, California. Nova Scotia, New York City, all over the continent, and greeting them with smiles and hugs! I realized what a wonderful feeling that is to meet so many different people from all over and to have an instant connection and familiarity with them because of Clay and the internet.

Oh, and thanks to beauzzartz's "Sets with Clay" Instruction Manual, I was able to appreciate so much more about the show's set design, lighting, curtains, entrances, exits, etc. At one point after the show, my nephew started talking about the proscenium and I was so excited because I actually knew what he was talking about. (Good thing, too, because when beauzzartz first wrote the words "proscenium dimensions" in her recap, I thought she was talking about the dimensions for Waldo!) I even took notice of the numerous equipment boxes around the staging area; however, I have to say, that they were not nearly as impressive as Clay's "equipment" box!! So, not only have I learned so much about computers in the past two years since Clay's voice invaded my soul (TM Calliek), but now I'm learning about set design, too!

I started watching AI2 because my daughters asked me to tape it while they were at their basketball games and gymnastics classes each week. So I did. Little did they or I know what would happen as a result of that simple little motherly act. I don't recall seeing Clay audition in Atlanta. As it was, I had the show on while I was taping it for my girls, but I would walk in and out of the room, doing laundry and things around the house (BACK THEN, I DID things like laundry and picking up around the house!).

The first clear recollection I have of Clay is Group 2 night. My then 17 year old daughter was home that night and we watched Group 2 together with an 18 year old guy friend/neighbor who had come over to watch the show with her. I remember listening to Clay sing Open Arms and being very taken. I turned to my daughter and her friend and said, "I like him!". [Interesting note, the guy friend also liked Clay from Group 2. Since then, he has gone to several concerts (IT and NAT). I always crack up when I see him at one of the concerts. Apparently, I have a reputation amongst my daughter's friends. Although at the time, she thought I was "psycho", her friends thought I was "cool" for going to concerts.]

Yes, I was drawn by his voice and his "vulnerability". But, I was also drawn to the way he interacted with others. I watched how he hugged everyone on the sidelines during the Wild Card show. After he was selected as the Wild Card choice, as the show ended and the credits started rolling, as the other finalists celebrated in the middle of the stage, Clay walked over to the side and hugged the contestants who hadn't been chosen. After he was selected as the Wild Card choice, Clay walked over and hugged each of the judges. (Although I thought Paula couldn't get out of her chair fast enough to run over and throw her arms around him herself.)

I remember in one of the first video introductory clips, they showed the finalists being interviewed by journalists as they visited some Television Institute. That was when they showed Clay saying, "I'm from Raleigh, North Carolina….oh….you are, too? Well, if you're here, who's back home?". So, after his voice and vulnerability, I fell for his quick wit and sense of humor.

The next thing to do me in was the clip of where they showed him being duct-taped to the wall with the kids at camp. I was a camp counselor at a sleep away camp for kids with special needs when I was in my early twenties. It was a turning point in my life and I remember all the whacky and zany things we did as counselors to try and connect with the kids and have fun. I adored that Clay did this with the kids.

With each piece of Clay that was revealed, I became more and more hooked and smitten.

When he said early on in the show that "It's not important how I make a difference, it's important that I do!" I fell in love with his heart.

The demos sealed the deal. And the rest... is clistory!

[couchtomato]

He walked in. I laughed at him. He opened his mouth. I was surprised. Two years later he still surprises me. Keeps the whole "relationship" fresh don't ya think. I love it that he's a big old dork...still. I love it that he tries to do the right thing...that he wants to make a difference. I love it that his tongue can have some bite. I love it that he can make me laugh.... fall out of my seat laugh. I love it that he's not a pushover and that he's so competitive. I love it that he rules the stage. I love it that singing brings him such joy. I still smile when I put in a Clay Aiken CD and I hear his voice for the first time... each day. I love it that he's so yummy. When did he get so yummy. I know him like the back of my hand, yet, I don't know him at all. The past two years have been one hell of a fun ride. I'm looking forward to the next two... Oh yeah, he can sing too.

[Nori9282]