What's Playing Where You Are?

[Pamela]

R & R GOING FOR ADDS

Aiken To Show His Strength At Radio
Although he came in second in the competition to be crowned American Idol's second-season winner, Clay Aiken has more than proven that he can carry his own weight at radio. Next week, he offers "I Will Carry You" to Pop and AC formats, the latest single from his multiplatinum debut album, Measure of a Man. In one of those strange twists of fate that one often encounters in life, Aiken's original plan was to try out for another reality television series -- The American Race. However, a friend convinced him to audition for American Idol instead, leading him down the path that he is walking down today. Like many artists, Aiken has begun his own philanthropic organization, the Bubel/Aiken Foundation, which aims to provide services and financial assistance to children with disabilities so they can lead more normal lives.
— Mike Trias

RADIO & RECORDS

[houstonclayfan]

(Shared by Bisi)

claysvoice Posted: Jul 21 2004, 09:26 AM on RHT

I sent an email this morning to our local soft rock station's Program Director, Music Director, their direct assistants, anyone who seemed like they could have a voice in choosing the playlist. The station is MAGIC 106.7 in Boston. I have never heard Clay on this station or any of the Idols, for that matter. Below is my email & the Program Director's response. Keep in mind that I included a few things in the email that I do not normally put into a radio station request.

~~~~~~~~~~

Hi, Mr. Kelley!

First of all, let me say that I love your station! It offers a nice mix of oldies & current soft rock that is perfect for my workday.

However, I'm a bit disappointed that I've never once in the past year heard my favorite singer on your airwaves. He's had the best selling singles in the country for 2 years running now, songs that would fit into your format quite comfortably. I'm talking about Clay Aiken & his very popular recordings of "This Is The Night," "Invisible," "The Way," & the most recent one to chart on Adult Contemporary, "Solitaire." It's very frustrating when family & friends in many different states tell me that they are hearing his music on their local stations. He even had a couple of Christmas songs, "The First Noel" & "Silver Bells" get a lot of play, but whenever I turned on MAGIC during the holidays, no Clay.

I know it can't be that he doesn't get requests because other Boston stations have told me that they get loads of requests for his songs. I know "Invisible" did well at KISS, but that station is just not my style. MIX would be a bit better, but they are Clayless as well. Yours is my favorite station in the daytime, when I do most of my radio listening. Yours is also the station that seems to fit Clay's musical style (so far) the best.

So could you please explain to me what in the world is the problem that Boston radio seems to have with Clay Aiken??? His concerts around here are sell-outs, his album is already triple platinum (unheard of for a debut artist), besides Elton John's tribute to Princess Diana he has the only platinum single in history, so it can't be that the general public doesn't want to hear him!

Just wanting an honest answer! Thanks for your time & consideration.

~~~~~~~~~~

His response:

Thank you for the e-mail. Here is the situation with Clay Aiken: Record companies and independent promoters make radio stations
aware of new artists and new songs. The stations then make their own decisions as to which songs or artists they add to the rotation. Clay Aiken's label, RCA, has done practically nothing to promote Clay Aiken to Magic 106.7.

We carefully watch airplay around the country - looking closely at which stations are playing a certain new artist, how often they play that artist, what time of day they play that artist (is it always in the middle of the night?), and how successful that station is. We then test songs that we're considering. We have tested "This is the Night" and "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "Invisible". All of the Clay Aiken songs have failed every time. By the way, "Flying Without Wings" and other songs by Ruben Studdard also fail the test every time. Kelly Clarkson has only had success in our tests with the first "Idol" song, "A Moment Like This."

The most important factor that I should mention is this: Clay Aiken's label, RCA, has done NOTHING to promote Clay Aiken to Magic 106.7. Clay refused to do a promo liner for us, rather rude for a debut artist.

So that's where we are with Clay Aiken. We have another music test coming up shortly and we'll include him in it again. Perhaps he'll fare better this time.

I hope this explains things a little. Thank you again for the e-mail and thanks for listening to Magic 106.7!

Don Kelley
VP/Programming
MAGIC 106.7  

[Pamela]

Clay Aiken's label, RCA, has done practically nothing to promote Clay Aiken to Magic 106.7.

Not surprising.

We have tested "This is the Night" and "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "Invisible".  All of the Clay Aiken songs have failed every time.

Questionable.

Clay refused to do a promo liner for us, rather rude for a debut artist.

Aha!  The heart of the matter.

So, RCA didn't pay up,  their playlist is based on testing not requesting, and Clay snubbed them.

Whatever dude.  

I really appreciate you bringing this over Brenda and Colleen.  On the one hand, why would RCA promote (aka pay) for radio play when Clay was selling millions of CDs anyway?  On the other hand, look to the future RCA people.  More fans now means more CDs sold next year.  And the next.    

As far as testing goes, good grief.  I find it hard to believe that a station the size of this one bases their entire playlist on testing.  Is that for real?  In that case, where are all these testees so I can smack them with a trout?  Because really, if I hear Sheryl Crow or Uncle Kracker one more time.... :roll:

And then we finally get to the crux of the reasoning.  Clay pissed them off.  I have a feeling there is more to this story than we know.  Was this recently?  Last year?  Was there a reason?  Was Clay sick?  Had a previous engagement?  Did they piss him off?  Was 19 involved?

I know there was a prologue and an epilogue to this story. If anyone finds it, please share it!

[ACcountryFan]

Clay pissed them off

================
i know it's not a laughing matter but why would that PD bring up what he did? does the public-at-large even know what a promo liner is? he sounded like a big baby when he threw in that part. over in the GOT CLAY section where bisi posted this, i replied that i thought a promo liner was when artist's tape promo's for the station!?! Pamela...do you know what the hell that PD is going on about?? all the points you pointed out mirror what i said on the other thread. those "tests" aren't accurate...and even so, money talks. RCA pissed off radio people, bluntly put, and maybe Clay indirectly pissed off radio people but in the grand scheme of things he is the innocent victim {among all of us too!} at radio.

[houstonclayfan]

i thought a promo liner was when artist's tape promo's for the station!?!

I think that is what it is too,AC.  So they want Clay to advertise for them but they wont play his musics ?   :roll:

I find it hard to believe that a station the size of this one bases their entire playlist on testing. Is that for real? In that case, where are all these testees so I can smack them with a trout? Because really, if I hear Sheryl Crow or Uncle Kracker one more time....  

Amen, Pamela !

[ANGELA]

Houston thanks so much for that response from MAGIC.  I find it interesting what DJ'S will say when confronted with a question about playing Clay on the radio.  
I really do not know what to believe.  I find it difficult to conceive the fact that  Clay did not want to help promote his song on the radio---I am sure there is a lot more to it then what the DJ said

Clay refused to do a promo liner for us, rather rude for a debut artist.

If the DJ  ever met OMC---rude would not be the last word he would use to describe CLAY.

I also think some dj's squirm when asked about playing Clay--there is more to it then we know.  :  :evil:  :

THANK YOU HOUSTON

Angela[/b]

[houstonclayfan]

I didnt do the emailing.  You need to thank Claysvoice from Red Hot Topic. Here is more info.  The plot thinkens...... and the aggravation increases.    120 listeners ?!   :   Mad because Clay "chose" a different radio station in his area  :roll:

OK, the PD & I have been writing back & forth all afternoon & he gave me lots of info, but also an insight into his own personal grudge against Clay, unfortunately.

My second email to him:

Thank you, Mr. Kelley, for responding so quickly! I really appreciate your taking the time to answer my inquiry.

I understand that the labels must do their part to get their artists airplay. This isn't the first time that a Clay fan has been told that RCA is not on the ball. I have heard of the "independents" & their role in the whole process. But, I'm very curious about a couple of things you mentioned & hope you can clarify a bit.

When you say that Clay's, Ruben's & Kelly's songs haven't tested well .... what exactly kind of test is this??? Do you play the song at different times & ask listeners to call in with their opinion? If so, I nor anyone I know around here have never heard them. Do you send surveys out to listeners? If so, I nor anyone I know around here have never gotten them (I am on some kind of mailing list for MAGIC).

Also, what is a promo liner? Did Clay himself personally behave rudely to someone on your staff? Or was it someone from his label, management or a publicist who refused? Did you also consider that perhaps artists are so busy that they don't have time to do promos for stations who refuse to play their material??? I'm honestly not trying to be rude, myself, just trying to understand exactly what's going on.

I do hope you will consider his current single "Solitaire" & I the upcoming one "I Will Carry You." This is a song from his album that the men in my life & that of other Clay fans have responded very well to, so I think it shows great potential for a wider appeal.

Thanks so much for your time & trouble! I hope you can get back to me on my other questions sometime this week. I still love MAGIC!

~~~~~~~~~~

His response:

The music tests work like this: We invite about 120 listeners to a hotel ballroom and play them "hooks" of 700 songs. A hook is a snippet that's about 10-15 seconds long. Enough for a listener to be able to identify a song if they're familiar with it. We include everything that we play on a regular basis and songs that we used to play. We also include songs that we haven't started playing yet but that have been exposed elsewhere on TV, radio or movies. The listeners then vote on each song. Have they heard it? Do they like it a lot, like it some, dislike it some, or dislike it a lot. It's like "ask the audience" on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. We then tabulate the responses. In the case of "Invisible," Clay came up as not that familiar, and more people voted "dislike some" and "dislike a lot" than voted "like a lot."

To answer your other question, a promo liner is when an artist says "Hi, this is Madonna. More Continuous Soft Rock is one minute away on Magic 106.7" and we play a hook of their upcoming song underneath. The record company had arranged for us to get a promo liner from Clay when American Idol appeared at the Centrum. (He's talking about the AI2 concerts in Worcester in July 2003!)

We sent our Promotion Coordinator to get the liner on a DAT recorder. We planned to start playing "Invisible" as soon as she got back to the station with the liner. Clay claimed he didn't have time for it. Then he turned around and did a phone interview with WXLO, a Worcester station.

Obviously he didn't stop to think that he was chasing away the #1 station in Boston (market rank #8 ) in favor of the #6 station in Worcester (market rank #113). Madonna, Elton John, Celine Dion, Paul McCartney, Mariah Carey, James Taylor, Rod Stewart, Christina Aguilera and many more major stars have done the liner for us. We play one every hour at about :20 past. Where does Clay Aiken get off dissing us like that?

We informed the label afterward and they apologized, but we never got a Clay liner. And we've never had a good test on a Clay song, a Ruben song or a Kelly song, other than her first.

So that's the situation. Probably more detail than you wanted to hear.

[ACcountryFan]

Clay refused to do a promo liner for us, rather rude for a debut artist.

====================
the more i study that program director's quote, the more i feel he used "rude" instead of another word. i can't think of the word right now.

it's like they took Clay's refusal {based on this being true} of doing a station promo as Clay's way of saying "I don't need you" and we're showing radio we don't need them and it pisses them off even more because they can't "control" his career the way they can others.

it's the king/peasant scenario all over again. Radio being the "king" and the artist being the "peasant" bowing down and kissing the king's feet...which Clay doesn't do!!

 Eureeka!! i think i've stumbled onto the radio dead-lock with that last paragraph!! Clay's refusal to play politics rubs them the wrong way! i'm so happy with myself that i'm gonna buy me something to eat in a few minutes.  

[houstonclayfan]

The music tests work like this: We invite about 120 listeners to a hotel ballroom and play them "hooks" of 700 songs.

I grew up around Boston.  I think more than 120 people live there.
Hmmm   maybe they didnt recognize Invisible because it hadnt been played on the radio and MOAM wasnt released yet  :roll:

We sent our Promotion Coordinator to get the liner on a DAT recorder. We planned to start playing "Invisible" as soon as she got back to the station with the liner. Clay claimed he didn't have time for it. Then he turned around and did a phone interview with WXLO, a Worcester station.

Maybe he really didnt have time.  Ya think ?  When did he agree to the Worcester interview ?  Maybe because the AI tour was in worcester is the reason why he "chose" to do it

Madonna, Elton John, Celine Dion, Paul McCartney, Mariah Carey, James Taylor, Rod Stewart, Christina Aguilera and many more major stars have done the liner for us. We play one every hour at about :20 past. Where does Clay Aiken get off dissing us like that?

Maybe it is your attitude.

So that's the situation. Probably more detail than you wanted to hear.

Actually, No but you may lose some listeners. I visit there at least twice a year and I used to like your station. I hear that 96.1 Worcester plays Clay a lot. Right, Angela ?  :

[ACcountryFan]

The 120 listeners then vote on each song. Have they heard it? Do they like it a lot, like it some, dislike it some, or dislike it a lot. It's like "ask the audience" on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. We then tabulate the responses. In the case of "Invisible," Clay came up as not that familiar, and more people voted "dislike some" and "dislike a lot" than voted "like a lot."

=================
so, he's saying 120 people hold the power to make a hit song?? and nobody questioned the motives of the voting? i think i'm getting a headache!! anyone can rally up 120 people. that seems a bit berzerk and surreal! 120 people voting "no" or "yes" on a song is suppose to represent the merits of a song?? bring in more of this garbage and we'll get to the bottom of it!!
==================

To answer your other question, a promo liner is when an artist says "Hi, this is Madonna. More Continuous Soft Rock is one minute away on Magic 106.7"

==================
i wrote a better promo liner on the other thread :roll: :
===================

We sent our Promotion Coordinator to get the liner on a DAT recorder. We planned to start playing "Invisible" as soon as she got back to the station with the liner.

Clay claimed he didn't have time for it. Then he turned around and did a phone interview with WXLO, a Worcester station....

....where does he get off dissing us like that?

===================
I'VE SAID IT ONCE BEFORE, THIS IS NOTHING BUT THE SULKING OF A BIG BABY. "WHERE DOES HE GET OFF DISSING US LIKE THAT?" HAS GOT TO BE THE SILLIEST THING I'VE HEARD AN ADULT SAY! IF YOU'RE GONNA BE THAT WAY, GO BACK TO SCHOOL AND LEARN WHAT IT TAKES TO HAVE MATURITY.

HOW DOES HE KNOW THAT AS SOON AS CLAY DIDN'T DO A LINER FOR HIM, SOMETHING CAME UP THAT GAVE HIM MORE TIME THAN HE THOUGHT AND HE DID THE PHONE INTERVIEW. HOW DOES THIS PD KNOW THE PHONE INTERVIEW WASN'T PRE-TAPED? SOME RADIO STATIONS RE-PLAY PHONE INTERVIEWS.

HE'S MAKING ACCUSATIONS HE CAN'T PROVE.

[houstonclayfan]

And more from ClaysVoice (You go girl ! ).   And I enjoyed the title of her post  :  

Part 3 in the saga of Pam Kisses PD Butt & PD Bites Clay Ass ......

My third email to him:

No, Mr. Kelley, it's exactly the kind of detail I was looking for. Thank you for responding again!

Obviously, I know little about the radio business, but 10-15 seconds of a song hardly seems enough to garner an accurate response as to whether or not someone's going to like it!!! There are also an awful lot of uptight males out there who simply hate Clay for very weird reasons & would diss any song he puts out. But you probably know that.

As for the incident at the Centrum last summer, please understand that there are 2 sides to every story & perhaps something he said or did was misinterpreted - he has a very sarcastic sense of humor & that would not be the first time his meaning was misunderstood. He's also run ragged with commitments & it could have merely been miscommunication between him & his people. Or maybe he was just having a lousy day - we all get cranky sometimes.

I do know that the Worcester stations have been extremely Clay-friendly & I can't say I blame him for giving his time to a station that actually plays his material. All the artists you mentioned who have done your promos are played in high volume on your station, so why wouldn't they help you out? Clay has done these "liners" for KISS, but that's because they play his music & invited him to their Jingle Ball concert. He also did them for STAR last summer since they were playing "This Is The Night" every day.

And you were going to play "Invisible" in July 2003??? That's when the AI2 tour was in Worcester. That's odd because it didn't even go for adds until September. (See, I know a little about Clay-radio if not the whole business - LOL!) KISS, as I said, was very successful with it, playing it regularly for 5 months. Of course, they're a different format than yours, so the listener demographic would be as well.

Again, I'm not trying to be rude or diss your opinion or your station's process for choosing product .... just giving another perspective for your consideration. I know you're busy & am grateful for the info!

Anyway, thanks once again for all the time you've given me today! I do so hope you will give Clay another chance with your staff & your playlist! (Surely you wouldn't want everyone to judge you by one mistake or one bad moment in your life or career.) I will continue to listen to MAGIC & request & encourage others to do so as well!

~~~~~~~~~~

This was his last email to me:

A couple of quick responses. We are very experienced at testing music, and 10-15 seconds is more than enough time for people to recognize a song. They usually know in about three seconds. Remember, we're not asking if they think they might like a song, we're asking what they'd think if that song came on the radio right now.

One other point: The artists that I mentioned all have many hits to their credit. We play them, they do liners for us. We made the same offer to Clay Aiken, even though he didn't win AI and he has yet to have a big hit. He refused, opting to do something for WXLO instead. A poor choice on his part. Magic 106.7 is a big station in a big market and many other AC stations around the country track what we play. An "add" on Magic can get an artist an add on several other stations within days. By contrast, an add on a small market station like WXLO has little impact on the national success of a song. Artists like Madonna and Paul McCartney understand this. Clay Aiken evidently does not.
 

[ACcountryFan]

One other point: The artists that I mentioned all have many hits to their credit. We play them, they do liners for us. We made the same offer to Clay Aiken, even though he didn't win AI and he has yet to have a big hit . He refused, opting to do something for WXLO instead. A poor choice on his part. Magic 106.7 is a big station in a big market and many other AC stations around the country track what we play. An "add" on Magic can get an artist an add on several other stations within days .

==================
I'm sure the rest of the country is proud of your egotism and how important your station is. And yet, you're gonna be the stubborn one because of what? Clay does a phone interview at a radio station where he was gonna be at that night?? there's more than meets the eye. Being stubborn or having personal problems with Clay isn't providing a public service Mr. Kelly...and letting 120 people decide a song's fate isn't representing the public either! it's being exclusive and narrow-minded.

By the way, "Invisible" was a big hit on AC radio. It got up to #8...so your boycott wasn't that effective as you claimed it would be if he didn't get added on your station. you can't manipulate everyone. All of Clay's songs were big hits on AC radio...they might not have been popular among your elite 120 but there's more states and more stations than yours as sad as that may sound.
===================

Artists like Madonna and Paul McCartney understand this. Clay Aiken evidently does not.

 
====================
Have you ever thought to ask him again?? You know, send a reporter to where Clay is at in concert and get him to record the precious liner...would this guarantee airplay?? You claimed "Invisible" would've been played had he done a liner for your station. If he does a liner would you play IWCY? How about Solitaire? The Way? Invisible? This is the Night? Bridge Over Troubled Water?

Those are several "big hits" that slipped your mind earlier.

[cjrmax]

I understand using only 120 people for their "test".  It a focus group, and statistically they are usually quite accurate.  I also understand how people can recognize a song in only 10-15 seconds if they have heard the song a few times.  What I don't understand is how this 10-15 second "test" works with a NEW song.  If its a NEW song, chances are you are not familiar with it and therefore won't recognize it!  And certainly 10-15 seconds doesn't give you enough time to decide whether or not you LIKE a song! Seems to me these "tests" may give an indication of a current song's popularity, but not of the potential for a NEW song.

As for the liner controversy, maybe Clay did make a mistake by deciding not to do it.  It is possible.  He could have just decided something had to go and picked arbitrarily what went.  But the timing of it is suspect IF it was "Invisible" they were going to promote.  If it was during the AI2 tour, they would only have been considering playing TITN at that time.  Same scenario could have taken place, but not for "Invisible".  Maybe they had him set to do the promo liner during the AI2 tour to use with TITN.  He didn't do it, and they were still holding it against him when "Invisible" came out, and "The Way" and "Solitaire" and you can be sure they will still be holding it against him when IWCY is ready to go!

This guy's attitude about Clay not doing the promo liner to me indicates THIS is the real reason Clay is not being played on his station.  In his mind, Clay dissed their fabulous station for some rinky-dink station in a neighboring town.  He is pissed off at that.  You know, Clay has played Worchester since the AI2 tour.  Why didn't they see if he would record a promo liner for them then?  Bet they didn't.  Bet they didn't care anymore.  He pissed them off once and apparently, they only give someone one chance or forget it!

[ACcountryFan]

whoever's writing these e-mails to that program director should ask that very question. How can people recognize a new song during these tests??? there's no way...even if you play the song in it's entirety it isn't gonna be familiar if it's brand new so how can it even pass a test...songs need time to grow on people.

[ANGELA]

I HAVE SOME CHOICE WORDS RUNNING THROUGH MY HEAD, BUT I WILL NOT USE THEM.

I HAVE MENTIONED MANY TIMES BEFORE,  THAT I AM VERY FORTUNATE TO GET A RADIO STATION THAT IS IN WORCESTER AND IT IS NOT WXLO,  BUT WSRS, 96.1  THEY ARE VERY CLAY FRIENDLY.  THEY PLAY INVISIBLE, SOLITAIRE & ON OCCASION PLAY THE WAY.  THEY HAVE EVEN STARTED PLAYING IWCY DURING THE ALL REQUEST HOURS FOR WEEKS.  THE DJ'S THERE ARE JUST SO NICE.  I HAVE TOLD  THESE DJ'S THE  DIFFICULTIES CLAY FANS HAVE ACROSS THE USA WITH OTHER RADIO STATIONS.  
THEY  DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY DJ'S DO NOT WANT TO MAKE THERE LISTENERS HAPPY.  
TOO BAD MORE DJ'S WERE NOT LIKE THEM.

MY FAVORITE DJ'S ON THAT SHOW ARE TOM HOLT & JACKIE BRUSH.  IF YOU CAN GET THIS STATION PLEASE GIVE THEM A TRY.
THE DJ IN THE MORNING, AUSTIN IS NOT A BIG CLAY FAN, BUT HE STILL PLAYS HIS MUSIC FROM TIME TO TIME.

I HOPE SOON AC RADIO ADOPTS THE PHISLOSPHY OF WSRS.  

[achin4aiken]

"A hook is a snippet that's about 10-15 seconds long. Enough for a listener to be able to identify a song if they're familiar with it."
I know somebody said it earlier but how in the world can they identify a song if they're NOT familiar with it.

"An "add" on Magic can get an artist an add on several other stations within days. By contrast, an add on a small market station like WXLO has little impact on the national success of a song. Artists like Madonna and Paul McCartney understand this. Clay Aiken evidently does not."

1) At that time Clay was brand new to the business why would he know that...c'mon has this DJ ever made a mistake in his life and yet clearly somebody gave him a second chance

2) The DJ doesn't have a clue what else might've been going on at the time the interview or whatever it was called was supposed to take place.

"We play them, they do liners for us. We made the same offer to Clay Aiken, even though he didn't win AI and he has yet to have a big hit."

If he was truly talking about Invisible than this DJ didn't do his homework because TITN was obviously a huge hit.

[houstonclayfan]

Just for a reminder, this isnt a DJ but a Program Director. And he isnt a new one either  :roll:

[ANGELA]

Houston,
I SHOULD HAVE MENTIONED THIS TOM HOLT IS A PROGRAM DIRECTOR AND IS A DJ FROM 2-6.  MAYBE THAT IS WHY THEY ARE MORE CLAY FRIENDLY .   :D HE UNDERSTANDS WHAT THE LISTENERS WANT.

ANGELA

[houstonclayfan]

Houston,
I SHOULD HAVE MENTIONED THIS TOM HOLT IS A PROGRAM DIRECTOR AND IS A DJ FROM 2-6.  MAYBE THAT IS WHY THEY ARE MORE CLAY FRIENDLY .   :D HE UNDERSTANDS WHAT THE LISTENERS WANT.

ANGELA

Tell him that he rocks  :mrgreen:   for me.  Maybe you should ask him how they test their songs  :roll:

[ClayBuf]

And you were going to play "Invisible" in July 2003??? That's when the AI2 tour was in Worcester. That's odd because it didn't even go for adds until September.

Did you notice in his curt little response that he completely skipped over this one? Previous to this reply, he responded to her questions item by item - until this came up. He conveniently left this item without a response. Hmmmm ........ BUSTED!!!!!!

This is nothing more than a PD that thinks his station is the mother of all stations, and Clay had the balls to tell them "NO" - so now he is gonna PAY.
:evil:

Gag me......

Artists like Madonna and Paul McCartney understand this. Clay Aiken evidently does not.

Ok, let's see - two artists who have been in the business for a combined total of 60+ years vs. an artist who, at the time, had been in the business for a couple of WEEKS....... Yes, I can definitely see why they would get pissed off at Clay's "bad choice". Evidently at this station, there is no room for error. And by all means, let's hold it against him (for a rookie mistake) and let's make him PAY :evil:

If this station's staff has even half the full-of-themselves attitude that the PD does, if I was Clay I really would have been rude.

Maybe the word you were searching for, AC, was "indifferent".
That'll piss off an ego a lot more than "rude".

Gag me......