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ClayManiacs.com  |  Archive  |  Media & Appearance Archive  |  10/21/03 JOINING THE CULT OF CLAY
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Author Topic: 10/21/03 JOINING THE CULT OF CLAY  (Read 2101 times)

Marilyn

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10/21/03 JOINING THE CULT OF CLAY
« on: April 27, 2010, 11:41:02 PM »
Pamela
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JOINING THE CULT OF CLAY
« on: October 21, 2003, 11:50:20 AM »   

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Joining the cult of Clay
By DANNY HOOLEY, Staff Writer

RALEIGH--Clay Aiken's debut CD is such a big deal that his own mama didn't even get a copy of it until three days before its arrival in stores. "The radio stations got it before I did," said Faye Parker, as she greeted her son's fans Monday night at Triangle Town Center's center court.  She was there to celebrate the release of Aiken's "Measure of a Man" CD , along with hundreds of "Claymaniacs   
   
Sam Goody and Barnes & Noble both stayed open past midnight for fans who couldn't wait until the early morning to buy the CD.  Aiken, not surprisingly, couldn't show up. He was in L.A. for his appearance on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," and the studio audience was also full of boisterous fans. Many of them camped outside NBC Studios to assure a seat to see Aiken sing his new hit "Invisible."
So Parker stood in for him, as she did in August, the last time Triangle Town Center hosted an Aiken event.  And that's just fine with the fans. Around these parts, Parker is something of a celebrity herself. That's why she spent two hours Monday signing an estimated 200 autographs for Claymaniacs.  Some of those fans, in a sense, stood in for Aiken as well, by copying his now-famous spiky hair style, courtesy of stylist Cody Boyd, manager of the mall's Regis Salon.
 
Proceeds from the $20 Clay cuts for women -- for men, the price was $15 -- benefited the Bubel-Aiken Foundation which raises money for autistic children, and other children's causes.  Sophie Tyler, a 12-year-old from Oxford, was thrilled to get her Clay 'do. But she's hoping for a bigger thrill someday.  "I'm dying to meet him because I love him a lot," she said.

Of course, Aiken's fan base is not just limited to MTV's "Total Request Live" set. Linda Satterfield, 58, drove down from Wilson for the festivities, and also decided to get her hair spiked, Clay-style.  Satterfield's fandom predates "American Idol." She used to watch "Clayton" perform in Johnston County when he was a teenager.  "He's very talented as far as his music goes," said Satterfield. "But I think he's a very decent person."

Other tributes to Clay were provided by local singers. One of them, 17-year-old Holland Stroud, used to sing with Aiken in local shows. Stroud's boyfriend Eric Pierce, 22, sang for the crowd as well, and both said they plan to follow Aiken's example and audition for "American Idol" next season.

One singer who definitely won't be on "American Idol" is Parker's friend Frances Wilson, who donned a tacky pink-and-green getup straight out of "Mama's Family" to become the lovable "Aunt Francine" and entertain the crowd with comical, slightly off-key songs like "Obsessive Clay Disorder."  Aunt Francine also signed some Aiken photos for fans. Raleigh friends Katie Roboti, 16, and Kate Allen, 13, approached her for her autograph.  Neither of the girls opted for Clay haircuts, but Roboti said that hair is a big part of Aiken's appeal.

"He's handsome," said Roboti, who said that the highlights in Aiken's locks are a big turn-on for girls.  Hoping to get a little boost from all the Claymania, most of the stores in the mall stayed open late, too, doing business until 10 p.m. Not everyone working at the mall was thrilled about that.

"I don't see what the big deal is," said Erica Paul, 19, a sales associate at Gadzooks. At about 9:30 p.m., her store was empty, as most of the action was happening at center court.  Staying open late definitely paid off for the two stores selling Aiken CDs. By Tuesday afternoon, "Measure of a Man" was still selling briskly, and Sam Goody manager Troy Taylor said that the previous night's sales in just one hour were "phenomenal."

"We didn't keep track of how many we sold," said Taylor, 39. "It was too crazy to do that. One hour was just like Christmas for us."  Barnes & Noble manager John Belusik said that his store sold about 440 CDs between midnight and 1 a.m. He said that most of the customers were "older women."  "And a few reluctant husbands," music salesperson Frank Constantino added with a chuckle.

For Parker, watching her son get all this adulation is still a bit surreal.
"Actually, I feel like it's somebody else's kid," she said.
 
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