Still the coolest guy around - Clay Aiken

In honor of Clay's new album, and of the round of publicity he's had this week, I wanted to bring back an old favorite. Clay Aiken is back, and he's cooler than ever. Most of the media reaction to his interview with Diane Sawyer has furthered the speculation that he is gay, but still won't admit it. As he told People, "It doesn't matter what I say. People are going to believe what they want." The most sophisticated talking point the media has come up with so far is whether someone's sexual orientation is anyone's business or not. CNN Showbiz Tonight ran a long piece on this topic as its lead story Friday; note the poll at this link on the left side of the page below A. J. Hammer's picture. Of course, they ran a caption saying that Clay has never said that he isn't gay, which is not the case. Hey, you can't expect accuracy from the media these days; it doesn't sell. Most of the media have been even more simple-minded, and have focused on why he won't just come out--or have suggested that he did so by omission. (Special kudos, however, to Lara Spencer of the Insider for her great interview, which you can watch in two parts here: Yahoo! TV and to People, for presenting Clay's story straight in their print edition, without the distortion of selective editing to sensationalize.)

Now just suppose for a moment that Clay isn't gay. If that were true, it would mean that he really doesn't care what people think. He doesn't mind if people think he's gay. Had Clay said this week, again, that he isn't gay, he would have continued to be mocked and disbelieved--maybe even moreso than before. Now he has introduced a new element to the discourse--shifted the focus--and given people something to think about. Pretty cool, eh?

For the record, I neither know nor care what Clay's sexual orientation is. Makes no nevermind to me.

For a great blog that goes much deeper into this week's interview, and the history that precedes it, see Is Clay gay or straight? It's none of your business!

Three people who have made a lot of money and gotten a lot of attention by mocking perceptions of Clay's orientation are featured in this old blog entry--people a lot of folks think are cool (because mocking someone for their perceived sexual orientation is cool, right?). So, in their honor:

On Being Cool, or
"those on the edge don't follow the crowd"

My favorite quote from one of the founding members of the Korean fansite I mentioned here (International Fans) is:

For us, there is no 'cool/not cool' standard. If you like the song and the singer can sing, that's "cool".

Not too many people will argue that Clay Aiken is “cool”, or that being a Clay Aiken fan is “cool” either. What’s “cool”, when it comes to Clay, is to make bad jokes about him and his fans, to blog about every little piece of unsubstantiated gossip you can find, or even better--to make up stories about him and post them on the internet where they’ll be picked up and spread around. What’s “cool” is to make a living dissing Clay and other celebrities, like a certain celebrity gossip blogger has done.

Gee, do I wish I were “cool” like Conan O'Brien, Kathy Griffin, and Mario Lavandiera?







Or would I rather be a fan of this guy?



Duh.

What about you? Would you rather be a fan of someone who makes a living putting other people down, or of someone who is dedicated to raising people up?



Like Bloomingclay from Korea, Clay Aiken fans do not care what is cool, and neither does Clay.

I didn't mind if the other teenagers who worked for me occasionally laughed at me.... Kids don't need lessons in cool. They need to have fun. --Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life

Allison Glock, who ended up helping Clay write Learning to Sing, said in Elle:

Aiken's ignorance of all things hot translates into a doofy authenticity and a captivating vulnerability. He's so uncool, he's cool.*

Long ago, just as Measure of a Man was coming out, RCA executive Richard Sanders was quoted in a Time feature thusly:

Americans buy more vanilla ice cream than any other flavor. Yes, they like their Rocky Road and Cherry Garcia, but ultimately America wants to consume vanilla. So we're going to sell the best vanilla.*

In response, a group of his fans arranged to have several pints of Ben & Jerry's "Vanilla for a Change" ice cream delivered to RCA with the following note:

To Clive Davis and staff:

Those on the edge don't follow the crowd. Try some "Vanilla for a Change," and Let Clay be Clay.

and to the author of the Time article, this note:

Mr. Tyrangiel,

We want to write to thank you for your recent story on Clay Aiken. What we feel you may have overlooked is that Clay Aiken actually has a very sophisticated and internet-savvy fan base. Our tastes in music aren't pedestrian, quite the opposite. We feel that when the envelope has been pushed so far that those on the "edge" produce music as monotonously rhythmic and sexual as bad pornography, perhaps the true edge lies in the other direction.

Put simply, we've been starved for the cool, clean, sensual taste of vanilla...

And we're not alone. There is a reason Clay sold over 900,000 singles and why thousands of fans worldwide are meeting on October 14th to celebrate the release of his first album. It IS a revolution.

If Clay Aiken is indeed vanilla, he's a richly textured delight to the senses. Clay's fans appreciate a fine vanilla and have made our tastes known by having some excellent Vanilla ice cream delivered to the executives of RCA today. We sent cartons of Ben & Jerry's "Vanilla for a Change." It just felt appropriate.

The Clackhouse,
a Division of The People's Republic of Clay

So, to all those whose blogs are dripping with sarcasm and "cool" comments about Clay and his fans, to all the comedians with your cheap jokes about Clay: this is what is really cool:




___________________________
*Aching for Aiken, by Allison Glock. Elle; October, 2003.

**Building a Better Pop Star, by Josh Tyrangiel. Time; 10/13/2003, Vol. 162 Issue 15, p72-76.

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