BTW, Misha, love your avatar
'I always have the hat pulled way low...' Beat Editor Douglas Imbrogno caught up with Clay Aiken for a quick phone interview from North Dakota as a publicist with a stopwatch hovered off-line. "Mr. Aiken," as the publicist introduced him, was doing a bunch of 10-minute interviews in a row, all the while trying to get himself dressed, the singer admitted. Q: Do you sometimes wear disguises in public now to avoid being recognized? Aiken: I don't even go out anymore. (Laughs). I have a friend on the road with me, a friend from home. He goes to the grocery store with me. I always have the hat pulled way low and try to keep myself as covered up as possible. That's the power of TV. Not necessarily radio, where you can hear people sing but not know what they look like. Q: So you must have, like, groupies waiting outside your dressing room. How do you handle it? Aiken: I'm in North Dakota - they chased me to the restaurant last night! I don't know how to handle it. It's still exciting. It's still baffling. It's a little scary. I've grown up never really being familiar with the whole environment of people wanting to be around you. It wasn't like I had 15 women to go with me to the prom. So having them outside my dressing room just to get a glimpse of me, that is - put this in big letters - VERY STRANGE. Q: Who have you been most excited to meet now that you travel in celebrity circles? Aiken: Probably the person who has most excited me has not been an entertainer. I didn't grow up wanting to be a singer. I wanted to be a teacher. For a time, I wanted to be a politician. So, Senator Tom Harken from Iowa. He helped establish the Americans with Disabilities Act. I learned about him in college as a special education major and how much influence he has had on the lives of adults and kids with disabilities. That was cool meeting him. And - this may sound lame - but in my opinion there are very few celebrities larger than life, and Oprah is one. She came down the hallway at 'American Idol," and Ruben and I were like, "It's Oprah!" Q: Have you bought a sequined shirt yet? Have they tried to dress you up and package you in ways you don't like? Aiken: I fought that battle and I'm done with it. A lot of people get signed by a record label and they're willing to do whatever. I never really thought I was going to do this. I'm having the time of my life, but it's not so important to me that I'm willing to change who I am or how people see me in order to be successful. I laid that rule down - this is me. I'm a nerd. I can sing. And this is how I dress. I hope people will appreciate that and like me for that. If so, then great. If they don't, then I am perfectly fine with going back to teach in Raleigh... I'm just a normal, everyday dork who sits in his pajamas all day - and does interviews on the phone. Q: Are you really in your pajamas? Aiken: I'm doing like, 15 interviews and slowly getting dressed along the way. :
OMG, CHRISTIE AND SUSAN! I WAS GETTING WORRIED WHEN YOU HADN'T CHECK IN. ARE WE ALL ACCOUNTED FOR?
Ran into John the hairdresser. He mentioned sitting in on the full rehearsal last night. He said it was amazing! He said the stage is HUGE and Clay looks and sounds great up there SOLO. He commented on the Independent Tour with Kelly, said it was a great show, but it wasn't truly a full Clay show. I was starting to get a little giddy at this point. I complemented him on his beautiful work with our guy. And as much as I wanted to ask him what Clay will look like tonight (not that he would tell me), I didn't want to be overly annoying. So, I thanked him for the scoop about the stage and then let him be. He's tiny in person