As we left for work this morning, I kissed my wife and said, “Bye dear, whooo!” She first ignored me then shook her head at my bright purple blazer as I raised my fist and chanted “Soul Patrol, Soul Patrol.”
“Dear, what are you doing?”
“America and American pop music are forever changed because Taylor Hicks beat the Simon-declared odds and became America’s fifth Idol. I felt it was important that we observe the moment appropriately.” My wife, who still hasn’t forgiven the show for letting Chris Daughtry get voted off by Elvis, began to back out into the street. At that precise moment, sixteen blue-robed zombies joined me in the driveway to sing that certain ground-breaking chart topper “Are You Proud of Me?”
At least this was better than the alternative, which would have consisted of Toni Braxton popping out of our garage in white lingerie, to duet with me on “In the Ghetto”. I know the concept wasn’t Taylor Hicks’s fault, but could somebody have paid attention to the words a little before unleashing Toni Braxton as fembot prancing around Idol V?
If I combine that visual with the lyrics, I get this: white southern male does the vertical limbo with hot black woman dressed as hoochie mama, she gets pregnant, he abandons her, she raises child in the ghetto, child has to attend a school that got left behind too, and grows up to run Enron unless someone can teach the angry young man to be soulful and play the harmonica like his dad.
This is Civil Rights in 2006 - white boys and girls can now have sexual fantasies about Toni Braxton and Taye Diggs in public and black boys and girls get to have sexual fantasies about Taylor Hicks and Kellie Pickler. Think about another southern male, Strom Thurmond, who in 1960 would never have done this duet on TV. Of course, by the time he died, Strom not only had his segregationist cause honored by Trent Lott, America found out a bit more about Strom’s private perspectives on race. I suppose, too, that “In the Ghetto” was better than having Ryan make bawdy innuendo about Elliott Yamin’s mother and her Idol statue, which I’m convinced never did happen. By the way, Toni Braxton is a very attractive woman with a great voice, but it didn’t help that they lit her and made her sound like someone Eddie Murphy might pick up hitchhiking at three in the morning.
Okay, obviously I wasn’t one of the millions of Americans who voted in greater numbers for Taylor than for George W. Did Ryan really say that American Idol was the biggest election in the world without even a hint of irony? Unlike real elections, I know that American Idol voters still often seriously believe that their own votes actually affect the outcome. Some of them buy special cell phones just so they can get in mass text messages and not have to worry about busy signals and Dial Idol making like the NSA. Maybe the key to revitalizing our democracy might be to let everyone vote as many times as he or she wants by cell phone and eliminate all campaign contributions except from Ford and Coca Cola?
Article comments
1 - Bliffle
You might be happier if you watch the "Live From Lincoln Center" 30th anniversary program on PBS. Two hours of great music by great performers. Nothing obscure and no unknowns: songs like "Bring in the clowns" and "St' James Infirmary" and performers you can count on, like Pavarotti, Wynton Marsalis, etc.
Try it. You'll like it.
2 - Rita C
Clay disappeared from public view 5 months ago, with periodic teases to his fanclub that we should "open our minds" and that "big things were coming". The fanclub wondered about an AI appearance, but it seemed unlikely because would they have the best selling runner-up sing on a show where they frequently tout that winning is everything? When the news came that he would appear, the rumors were rampant about a duet -- with one of the contestants, with another famous singer -- not a duet with a Clay Aiken impersonator.
It was potentially a cringe-worthy appearance on international television, this young man who likely played up a resemblance to Clay to get himself on TV. It was so astonishing that this young man so loved the real thing, that he allowed his emotion to be shown on TV. Not scripted, not planned, not contrived. A real moment on reality TV. What a lucky stroke for AI. I have a feeling they'll submit this episode for an Emmy.
Clay's bearing on stage comes from 6 tours in 3 years, where he also invites the public to participate in his concerts. He's quite adept at handling all sorts of people in all sorts of impromptu situations. He was also a special needs worker who would not be put-off by anyone who doesn't look/act Hollywood, unlike say Ryan Seacrest. His fans have seen the confident savvy performer for quite awhile; the television audience got its first glimpse on Wednesday. He's worn those clothes before, he's behaved/sang that way before; the hair was different, but consider that everyone in the media always referred to him as a spiky-haired crooner and dismissed him without taking a closer look. Funny that his hair seemed to define him; funny that his hair now has stolen the spotlight away from the winner and even Prince.
3 - chancelucky
Bliffle,
thanks for letting me know about the Lincoln Center Show. To be clear, I very much enjoy watching Idol, though not always for the music. I'm also very fond of watching unkown performers and off the beaten path songs.
Rita, thanks for the Clay Aiken details. I thought he sounded very good (what I could hear over Michael Sandecki) and I also thought Clay was both gracious and showed an ability to laugh at himself.
It was really good Reality Tv.
4 - Elaine McCracken
I've been to a Clay Aiken concert. He is a very talented young man. I will go again if I get a chance.
5 - VALERIE
I PERSONALLY LOVE TAYLOR HICKS!!! I AM FROM BIRMINGHAM AND I'VE SEEN HIM PERFORM BEFORE. WHAT AMERICA DID NOT SEE WAS "HOW TALENTED" HE REALLY IS. HE RELATES TO EVERYONE. HE HAS SHOWMANSHIP. HE IS ENTERTAINING! ISNT THAT WHAT ENTERTAINERS SUPPOSED TO DO?????? ENTERTAIN? MY 5 YEAR OLD CAN STAND UP AND SING, BUT TAYLOR GIVES YOU A REASON TO WANT TO SEE HIM BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOURE GONNA GET, BUT YOU WILL BE ENTERTAINED!!! I LOVE HIM BECAUSE HE DOESNT HAVE TO SHOW HIS CHEST AND HAVE SEXUAL MOVEMENTS (I LIKE HIS MOVES...THEY JUST MAKE YOU WANT TO GRAB HIM & HOLD HIM CLOSE, THAT IS IF YOU CAN CATCH HIM!)
WHAT'S ALL THE SMACK ABOUT THE PURPLE JACKET??? IT LOOKED GOOD!! NOBODY ELSE COULD PULL THAT OFF BUT TAYLOR. WHATS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TAYLOR'S PURPLE JACKET AND ELVIS' BLUE SUEDE SHOES???
LETS NOT FORGET THAT GRAY HAIR!! IT JUST BRINGS OUT HIS DEEP EYES. BESIDES THAT, PEOPLE SPEND SO MUCH TIME AND MONEY TRYING TO LOOK YOUNG AND TAYLOR PROVED THAT YOU CAN HAVE GRAY HAIR AND IT DOESNT MAKE YOU "OLD" IT MAKES YOU NOTICABLE. (I WONDER HOW MANY MORE MEN ARE GONNA KEEP INVESTING IN THAT "JUST FOR MEN" HAIR COLORING???) AT 49 YEARS OLD, I WISH MY GRAY HAIR WAS AS PRETTY AS HIS!!
I CANT WAIT TO SEE HIM WHEN HE GETS BACK HOME BECAUSE TAYLOR IS..... JUST TAYLOR! AND HE IS MY "WHITE SOUL BROTHER".
6 - kfc
Of all the semi-stars who have emerged from the Idol machine, the one who couldn't have gotten America's attention without Idol is Clay Aiken. Aiken also happens to be the most sexually ambiguous of all Idol finalists.
Thank you, Chancelucky, for a very well-written article; it was handled fairly, intelligently, facetiously and with a positive frame of reference. You covered all the important musical eras, and ,of course, I was able to remember most of them...lol
In all honesty, American Idol is just a few steps away from being the modern-day version of the Ed Sullivan Show or the Andy Williams Hour etc. etc...via which, the up-and-comming and sexually-ambiguous stars of the day, got to display their talent to the huge audiences of that time.As no blogs were available at that time, no negative or hurtful innuendoes received as widespread attention as they do today. Thank goodness.
Elvis was definitely considered an oddity when he first appeared on the scene; but,in spite of the rumours about him, he made it..and made it big. If Clay told the public today, that a fourteen year old girl in his back bedroom was intended as his future wife once she grew up..and, that nothing was going on,now...who would believe him? Elvis didn't s...around. He was faithful to his 'intended'. I mean..here was a guy who was so blatantly sexual in his performances...and hot looks....and everyone believed his story.
Clay writes a book completely baring his soul about his dysfunctional upbringing..his almost 'total dependance' on the main women in his life, his daily interaction with bullies, his love for disabled children...he rises to fame with little time for a personal life....(no wife-to-be- in the picture..as he's still only 24 years old) and..all of a sudden, some 'bully' from his own home town decides he's going to assasinate Clay's character and get even with him for all the hurt, he, himself, has suffered. All of a sudden, Clay becomes 'sexually ambiguous'...and smeared all over the headlines.
The difference between Elvis and Clay??? It's called 'Anonymous' and it blogs all over the universe. It spreads hate and destroys everything it touches. Truth has become a thing of the past.
I suspect I watch the show because I want to believe in music, any shared music, in a time where discord or even apocalypse is always just below the surface in America--chancelucky
Yes, we had the cold war going on then; music was a way to forget our worries. Then we had the Vietnam War and now the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. We still have our music; we still have our Taylor Hicks to give our lives the appearance of normalcy; and we still have our wonderful Clay Aiken to give our world that jolt of excitement and joie de vivre that enables us to accept the current condition of the world.
I hope American Idol never changes; I hope the Taylor Hicks, Kellie Picklers, Katherine McPhees and Kevin Corvais et all never stop trying to change the world or to lighten it with song. And I certainly hope that Clay Aiken never allows the naysayers of the world to stop his joy and beauty and good works from turning our world into a better and more exciting place to live. Clay is the only singer today who can connect the dots between the long list of wonderful singers we've enjoyed in the past with the hope of more beautiful music to come. Thank you, Clay Aiken.
Red Deer Alberta Canada
7 - chancelucky
Red Deer,
thanks for the long-thoughtful comment. One of my earlier reviews compared the cultural impact of Idol to Ed Sullivan, so yes I agree. People often forget how "unuusual" a lot of musical icons personal lives were Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, etc. I'm not sure what would have happened to any of them were they to try to make it in the post-blog mp3 entertainment world.
I do want to say quite clearly that I have no idea what Clay's private life is like. I was commenting mostly about the way the producers appeared to b handling the whole image thing.
I hope he continues to be a success musically.
8 - TJ Allen
You should have kept your article very short.
9 - chancelucky
IfTJ, if it's too long for you, don't read it.
10 - bkmc
I'm running behind...loved the article. Also adore Clay and Taylor and hope for their continued success.
11 - chancelucky
bkmc,
thanks for your kind comment. That's the great thing about the internet, at least so far. You find things when you're ready to find them unless of course you're desperate to find something then it simply becomes unfindable.