CM Clay Discussion 32:: Our Main Clay Discussion Thread (All Members Welcome)

[GWENN]

KUNBDSAY--CONGRATS.   SUCH WONDERFUL NEWS.   FIRST DANCE---Something About Us.   

MICKI---  I BET CARL HELPS YOU OUT.  YOU HAVE WONDERFUL NEIGHBORS.

GWENN

[Sundancer]

SUCH WONDERFUL NEWS.   FIRST DANCE---Something About Us.   

No pressure though.

[lovinclay]

WhoooHooo, Carl's out there now with my snow blower!    I feel bad, though.  He had most of my walk shoveled before I heard him out there.  Well,  he knows I have a snow blower now, so I told him to come and get it whenever he wants to use it.  I am really, really going to miss my neighbors.   

[GWENN]

WhoooHooo, Carl's out there now with my snow blower!    I feel bad, though.  He had most of my walk shoveled before I heard him out there.  Well,  he knows I have a snow blower now, so I told him to come and get it whenever he wants to use it.  I am really, really going to miss my neighbors.   

DID I KNOW CARL WOULD HELP YOU??????????

SUCH WONDERFUL NEWS.   FIRST DANCE---Something About Us.   

No pressure though.

 

GWENN

[wvclayfan]

Thanks, everyone! The date is June 25, 2011. Something About Us is a contender for the first dance, but I'm also partial to The Way. Randy will probably put up a fight though. He gets the Clay-love but prefers it to be kept on the down low.

[Sundancer]

Thanks, everyone! The date is June 25, 2011.

Ah, 'sounds like a beautiful day.

Something About Us is a contender for the first dance, but I'm also partial to The Way. Randy will probably put up a fight though. He gets the Clay-love but prefers it to be kept on the down low.

Well, if you have a DJ, he doesn't have to name the singer. He can just "stop the music, play the song," ya know? We wouldn't want anything to put a damper on y'all's Perfect Day. Oh dear, I need to stop now.

[GWENN]

SUNNY---YOU ARE ON A ROLL.   

DEPENDS ON HOW SLOW YOU WANT TO DANCE.  TW IS ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAVORITES.  SO EXCITED FOR YOU.

GWENN

[lovinclay]

Lindsey, both songs are beautiful and appropriate for a first dance.  No one needs to know who the singer is (unless they ask who that amazing singer is). 

OTT:  Did anyone see the Hallmark movie last night "Front of the Class"?  Truly inspiring!  It's a true story about a teacher (Brad Cohen) with turettes (sp?) syndrome and his struggles during his childhood and beyond to be accepted and included.  After many unsuccessful interviews, he was hired to teach second grade.  His taught his students that it was ok to be different, and they adored him.   

[GWENN]

BEEN THINKING ABOUT THIS.  WE ALL FELL IN LOVE WITH 2003 CLAY AND THE DEMOS FROM 2000.  ONE OF MY FAVORITE CLAY SONG IS IKHTRF.  LOVE IT.  CLAY CHOSE VERY SPECIFIC KINDS OF SONGS TO SING DURING AI AND, I MUST ADMIT, I LIKED ALL BUT VINCENT WHICH WASN'T HIS IDEA ANYWAY.  POINT BEING THAT EVEN WHEN HE HAD TO CHOOSE A COUNTRY SONG, HE CLOSE A TYPE THAT REQUIRED RANGE AND A REALLY GOOD VOICE.  LORD KNOWS I KNOW COUNTRY AND OTHER THAN VINCE GILL, MOST MALE SINGERS AREN'T ALL THAT GREAT WITH RANGE, ETC.  I DIGRESS.  ANYWAY, NOW PEOPLE ARE ANNOYED THAT HE IS CHOOSING SONGS THAT ARE, FOR THE MOST PART, LIKE THE SONGS WE ALL FELL IN LOVE WITH HIM FOR IN THE FIRST PLACE. I FIND THAT VERY INTERESTING.  I AM AS GUILTY AS ANYONE ELSE CRITICIZING HIS SONG CHOICES.  SO, I AM INTERESTED IN WHAT YOU GUYS THINK.

GWENN

[clayharmony]

BEEN THINKING ABOUT THIS.  WE ALL FELL IN LOVE WITH 2003 CLAY AND THE DEMOS FROM 2000.  ONE OF MY FAVORITE CLAY SONG IS IKHTRF.  LOVE IT.  CLAY CHOSE VERY SPECIFIC KINDS OF SONGS TO SING DURING AI AND, I MUST ADMIT, I LIKED ALL BUT VINCENT WHICH WASN'T HIS IDEA ANYWAY.  POINT BEING THAT EVEN WHEN HE HAD TO CHOOSE A COUNTRY SONG, HE CLOSE A TYPE THAT REQUIRED RANGE AND A REALLY GOOD VOICE.  LORD KNOWS I KNOW COUNTRY AND OTHER THAN VINCE GILL, MOST MALE SINGERS AREN'T ALL THAT GREAT WITH RANGE, ETC.  I DIGRESS.  ANYWAY, NOW PEOPLE ARE ANNOYED THAT HE IS CHOOSING SONGS THAT ARE, FOR THE MOST PART, LIKE THE SONGS WE ALL FELL IN LOVE WITH HIM FOR IN THE FIRST PLACE. I FIND THAT VERY INTERESTING.  I AM AS GUILTY AS ANYONE ELSE CRITICIZING HIS SONG CHOICES.  SO, I AM INTERESTED IN WHAT YOU GUYS THINK.

GWENN

Absolutely, Gwenn...I paid a great deal of attention to that when I became so captivated with him during his AI run.  To me, he knew which songs..which melodic lines/lyrics allowed him to express himself the way he preferred to sing...and they weren't all ballads...I believe he gave considerable thought to each selection...the lyrics, the harmonic structure...all of it.  I've been of the opinion that he knows a great deal more about music then he shares...and Jaymes or someone hinted at that once. 

I don't for a minute think he's a one genre kind of performer...I think he's going out this time with his complete comfort zone...and personal inspiration (he's finally in love and that will be reflected greatly, consciously or not, I do believe, in the tracks that are on this CD.)  He'd have us think of him as this impulsive guy...spontaneous in many aspects...and that may be in his interpersonal activity...but, when it comes to his career...the evidence, to me, is to the contrary.  He's repeatedly told us he had it all planned out in education. (And...I do believe in his off time, he completed a masters...another misnomer that he sits around the house and sleeps all day...he jokes that is how it is...but the man keeps himself ever so much busier than that.)

Once he establishes himself  on his terms, I think we'll see some very interesting risks...just like his acceptance of a Spamalot role.  I do find him endlessly fascinating/and adorable!   

[GWENN]

JOHANNA---YOU MIGHT BE ONTO SOMETHING WITH THE MASTERS DEGREE.  IT CERTAINLY WOULD EXPLAIN THE LACK OF APPEARANCES LAST YEAR.  HE DID SAY HE WANTED TO GET A MASTERS.  INTERESTING.  MUST THINK ON THIS.

GWENN

[clayharmony]

This is what got me going...the sponsors list for GFI: (I posted my imaginings a while back...  )

http://www.inclusionproject.org/level_3.php?id=31

This is just my fertile mind at work here...lol...not trying to start rumors...but I do recall Clay stating he was interested in obtaining his master's...maybe when my psychic buddy saw him writing...lots of it ...maybe this is what he was doing...note one of the sponsors is: University of New England = Online MSEd in Inclusion. That would be cool, if while he was recouperating from the surgery he was able to achieve this goal for himself too.

[claydevotee]

OTT:  Did anyone see the Hallmark movie last night "Front of the Class"?  Truly inspiring!  It's a true story about a teacher (Brad Cohen) with turettes (sp?) syndrome and his struggles during his childhood and beyond to be accepted and included.  After many unsuccessful interviews, he was hired to teach second grade.  His taught his students that it was ok to be different, and they adored him.   
 
 

  MICKI!  I saw this movie a year or so ago on one of the network channels.  Usually the Hallmark movies run first on the major networks before Lifetime picks them up.  Anyway.....I absolutely loved that movie.  I love any sort of movie that demonstrates how people can triumph over adversity, no matter how difficult it may be. 

Maybe that's one of the reasons I feel in love with Clay the Man as well as Clay the Entertainer when I first saw him on AI.  That poor guy has been through a boatload of crap in his relatively short life so far.  He is an example of amazing strength and resiliency. 

[quynn]

NOW PEOPLE ARE ANNOYED THAT HE IS CHOOSING SONGS THAT ARE, FOR THE MOST PART, LIKE THE SONGS WE ALL FELL IN LOVE WITH HIM FOR IN THE FIRST PLACE. I FIND THAT VERY INTERESTING.  I AM AS GUILTY AS ANYONE ELSE CRITICIZING HIS SONG CHOICES.  SO, I AM INTERESTED IN WHAT YOU GUYS THINK.

Gwenn, I'm not sure what type of insight you are looking for, but here's one possibility...Maybe there are some people who didn't necessarily love the SONGS he sang on AI, but connected with his delivery and interpretation.  And there are people who did not necessarily connect with the DEMOS.  The same people may have hoped that the AI song list was just the corner stone for building a career that would include original music that would show case his talent with the music styles of their own preference.  Some hoped for upbeat rock type songs, others hoped for a splash of soul.  Some wanted more guitar riffs, some less orchestration.  It's all a matter of preference. 

At the time, AI was in it's infancy and no one had much insight into career possibilities for the contestants, so they had hope that Clay could and would build a career singing songs that appealed to their individual tastes.  Some fans were blind sided by the power of the label and how little control a singer, especially an AI alum, has over the direction their own career will be led and how much or little it will be supported by the PTB.  I think it all comes down to the early hope and possibility that has not panned out for some fans in regard to music style.

Were fans naive to dream of Clay's CD's being stylistically different than his AI song list?  I personally don't think so.  Every person on AI had to sing songs of different genre's and styles each week.  There were some who definitely did better in one genre, like Carrie U and Josh Gracin and Kelle Pickler.  You just KNEW that they would head into the country music market.  The direction of some other contestants wasn't always as defined.  I think with Clay, I definitely expected to see his career go the POP direction, but never expected the song selection on his CD's to include a large number of covers  songs that I never really cared for the first time around. 

His AI song list included songs that were up beat and songs requring him to reach inside and belt it out with soul....a variety.  So, I don't think it was unrealistic for any one to have hope that Clay's career would go in the direction that suited their own personal taste.  Some will like it, some will not.  Some will stick around to see what the future holds and some will lose interest.  That's Show Biz.

[Sundancer]

His AI song list included songs that were up beat and songs requring him to reach inside and belt it out with soul....a variety.

And that's been the problem for me lately--I haven't heard anything uptempo or musically lively from him.

One time in concert, he addressed the fact of fans' screaming out song titles to him by saying, "Some people think I'm a jukebox." I don't want him to be a jukebox, but I don't want him to turn into a human Muzak-box either.

[quynn]

he's finally in love and that will be reflected greatly, consciously or not, I do believe, in the tracks that are on this CD

Johanna, I know nothing about the making of a CD, but wonder if other music artists are given free rein to select the songs for their CD's, and if so, are the choices reflective of the emotional state of their lives at the time?  I remember watching Walk The Line and Johnny's music reflecting time spent in jail and love lost, etc.  Obviously, that was country music in the olden days.  Just curious if artists in this day and age have that sort of freedom.  Do you feel that the tracks on ATDW and On My Way Here were reflective of any sort of emotions or conversely lacked an expression of "love" in his life at the time they were made.  I guess I'm asking how much influence you think the state of Clay's love life will have on this CD. 

Once he establishes himself  on his terms, I think we'll see some very interesting risks...just like his acceptance of a Spamalot role.

I never thought Clay's decision to do Spamalot was at all a risk or outside the box for him.  He's always seemed so comfortable in the comedic role at concerts or hamming it up on late night television shows.  He reminded me so much of Jeff Foxworthy during the 2006 Christmas tour.  It may have been somewhat of a risk to commit  himself to a six day a week job in the confines of NYC, but he said in many interviews that he preferred a schedule, to know what he was doing ahead of time.  Acting in a Broadway play in which he pretended to crap his pants several times a day seemed like the perfect fit for him.   

[quynn]

   LINDSAY!  Congratulations.  I just read about your upcoming wedding. 

 

Not that you need my opinion...but, "THE WAY" seems the way to go!   

[clayharmony]

he's finally in love and that will be reflected greatly, consciously or not, I do believe, in the tracks that are on this CD

Johanna, I know nothing about the making of a CD, but wonder if other music artists are given free rein to select the songs for their CD's, and if so, are the choices reflective of the emotional state of their lives at the time?  I remember watching Walk The Line and Johnny's music reflecting time spent in jail and love lost, etc.  Obviously, that was country music in the olden days.  Just curious if artists in this day and age have that sort of freedom.  (1) Do you feel that the tracks on ATDW and On My Way Here were reflective of any sort of emotions or conversely lacked an expression of "love" in his life at the time they were made.  I guess I'm asking how much influence you think the state of Clay's love life will have on this CD. 

Once he establishes himself  on his terms, I think we'll see some very interesting risks...just like his acceptance of a Spamalot role.

(2) I never thought Clay's decision to do Spamalot was at all a risk or outside the box for him.  He's always seemed so comfortable in the comedic role at concerts or hamming it up on late night television shows.  He reminded me so much of Jeff Foxworthy during the 2006 Christmas tour.  It may have been somewhat of a risk to commit  himself to a six day a week job in the confines of NYC, but he said in many interviews that he preferred a schedule, to know what he was doing ahead of time.  Acting in a Broadway play in which he pretended to crap his pants several times a day seemed like the perfect fit for him.   

1.  While I certainly believe that many influences combine in the selection of tracks for a CD, I also believe that the artist's state of mind plays a role...especially if he/she is given any room for artistic freedom...for instance the third CD Kelly made...it was considerably darker than her first two...granted...I think in that one, she also wrote most/all of the tracks - and many of the lyrics addressed 'love lost/betrayal'...themes that were truths for her at the time.  I thought that On My Way Here did reflect Clay's coming to terms with his orientation and also some reference to losses in his life, and some to the impact of his UNICEF experiences as well.  And...I think if Clay had felt free to add some of his personal narrative as to what the songs meant to him, it would have made that CD more accessible.

2.  I am agreement with you about Clay's ease in being a comic/part of the joke.  Where the Spamalot role seemed a risk (not to me specifically - but in terms of the general public), was the character Clay played...somewhat effeminate, as opposed to Sir Galahad, or even the King.  Clay hadn't come out yet...and being on Broadway, and in this role, (after his discomfiture with the probing Q's on his ATDW's promo tour) seemed like a possible precursor to his indeed, coming out and/or his willingness to challenge some earlier perceptions of him being quite sexually conservative, whether he was gay/straight... a lot of the humor in Spamalot is pretty frank.

In any event, while there have been some distinctly surprising twists and turns, I've enjoyed being a part of Clay's journey.  That notwithstanding, I did not think the selections on MOAM were nearly well crafted enough for his level of talent.  Most of the harmonies were similar...although I have always enjoyed the single MOAM track, itself.  And, I too, found it disconcerting that Clay didn't warrant new music for his followup album after the tremendous success of MOAM.  A few covers, OK...but for almost the entire album to be...well that to me, was 19R's revenge...pure and simple....particularly since he was required (as I see it) to cover songs quite recent in their exposure.  I really loved On My Way Here.  There were so many tracks that appealed to me...Where I Draw the Line is one I felt was terrific.  I do sincerely hope he'll sing it on his next tour...and with that here I go ...Hope Springs Eternal!  lol lol  

[wvclayfan]

Gwenn, I'm not sure what type of insight you are looking for, but here's one possibility...Maybe there are some people who didn't necessarily love the SONGS he sang on AI, but connected with his delivery and interpretation.  And there are people who did not necessarily connect with the DEMOS.  The same people may have hoped that the AI song list was just the corner stone for building a career that would include original music that would show case his talent with the music styles of their own preference.  Some hoped for upbeat rock type songs, others hoped for a splash of soul.  Some wanted more guitar riffs, some less orchestration.  It's all a matter of preference. 

I think I you. You always manage to describe some of the things I think/feel. I am one of those people who did not connect with the demos - except one, I'm Not Supposed To Love You Anymore. And I only connected with it because it is one of my favorite country songs.

I'm a firm believer in live Clay is the best Clay. I know I shouldn't compare the soon-to-be CD to ATDW, but it's the best option I have. I don't listen to ATDW; I haven't listened in years. However, I loved listening to Clay sing those songs in concert. Could it be because there was a mixture of uptempo songs, too? Absolutely. And the banter helps as well.

I think Sunny sums it up nicely:

I don't want him to be a jukebox, but I don't want him to turn into a human Muzak-box either.

[GWENN]

LINDSAY--I AGREE WITH WHAT YOU SAID.  LIVE CLAY IS THE BEST.  I DON'T CARE WHAT HE SINGS, HE MAKES ME FEEL THINGS AND HE MAKES ME SMILE.  THERE ARE SOME SONGS ON EACH CD THAT I LOVE AND SOME I REALLY DON'T.  I AM ONE OF THOSE WHO FINDS GOOD ON ALL OF THEM.  AND BAD.  I DON'T LIKE TOUCH  AND NMSS AND MANY DO.  I LIKE THE SECOND HALF OF ATDW.  NOT THE FIRST PART.  I LIKE ALL OF THE EP AND ONLY HALF OF MCWL.  I LIKE ALL OF On My Way Here BUT I AM NOT NUTS FOR Something About Us AND HAVE TO BE IN THE MOOD FOR The Real Me.  THAT SONG IS JUST TOO PAINFUL FOR WORDS. SOME OF THE DEMO SONGS ARE GOOD AND OTHERS ARE BORING.  NOT INTO TOO MUCH CCM FOR OBVIOUS REASONS.   I WOULDN'T MIND KYRIE ON A CD. SO, I AM KEEPING AN OPEN MIND. 

NO MATTER WHAT IS ON THIS CD, I WILL PREFER IT LIVE.  THAT IS JUST THE WAY IT IS WITH CLAY.  EVEN IF HE MISSES A NOTE OR 2. 

GWENN