06/09/07 : Clarity in Cabo
Here I sit in Cabo San Lucas. It seems like the past week has been a whirlwind tour! I have come down to Mexico for my manager, Simon's, 50th birthday surprise party. Now let me tell you... that's a funny invitation to get. "We want to invite you to a surprise birthday party, but you have to fly yourself to another country and get a hotel room!" HA HA. And I, being the confused and incompetant person that I am, got the date wrong anyway. I scheduled my flight from Europe to get me here on the 8th, because I knew that Simon's birthday was the 8th, and that his party was on the night of the 9th. When I arrived at my hotel after 3 flights, 8 time zones, 16 hours in the air, and 26 hours awake straight, I had intended to go directly to bed. I was exhausted. But, when I got to my room, I was so excited by the cool view that I called one of the other managers who had traveled down just to comment on how nice the place was. When i reached her on the phone she said, "Where are you?"
I had incorrectly assumed that the party was on the 9th. It was on the 8th. Unshaven, slovenly dressed, and probably smellling worse than the refried beans, I made my way to the surprise party. Remarkably underdressed! Just like me to be classy!!
But, sitting on the balcony and looking at the ocean today has gotten me quite excited about this summer's tour. I have unofficially called it the "Soft Rock and a Hard Place" tour or "A Soft Rock gathers no moss" tour, because it REALLY is a soft rock show. That's what you get with an orchestra. But I am so PUMPED at how amazing some of these ATDW songs are going to sound with full orchestra. Especially in great venues like the Greek Theater in LA. (if you have never been ther, and you are able to, GO to that show.. unbelievable venue!)
Jesse has been working had to make sure every song has an amazing arrangement with the strings and the horns, and has taken some of the songs that are not on ATDW that I wanted to do for you and made them sound great too. We are going to take a very interesting and never before taken walk down a "memory lane" of sorts that you probably never would have thought to take, but one that I am sure will bring back interesting memories for many. (It has for me, and I am so loving this part of the show) And, I have given Jesse and the symphonies another musical assignment that I can almost GUARANTEE they have never had to undertake before. Like with most of our shows, I really have no idea whether that part is going to succeed or not... but I am SURE it is going to be fun. And we are going to do it all in the most laid back casual way yet. So, all of you who haven't bought you tickets yet because you don't want to st on the grass.... bring your blanket and chill with us. (lots of folks have told me that such and such a city is sold out... but it isn't true. Many of the cities have sold out their covered seating, but there are tons of lawn seats available in many of these places. Bug spray people!!)
We are going to have a good time... and you know as well as I do, no two shows are the same. I am sure to mess up in a different place every night!!
Now on to serious matters...
With regard to the message board shut down, I apologize for not being more informed.
My initial understanding was that the message boards were becoming somewhat of a breeding ground for negativity and in fighting. I was told they were going to be shut down for a short period of time to try to clean house.
At the time, I just took that information and quite honestly, ignored it. I have always felt it best to let people do their jobs without interfering and micro-managing. So, I let the folks who run the fansite do what they felt was best.
Now, more informed, a shut down may not have been the best thing. I will take responsibility for not being as informed and involved as I should have been, and I will apologize.The truth is, in a group as diverse and energetic as this wonderful fan group is, it is impossible to agree on everything. Heck, if everyone did life would be boring. I think that having a forum to discuss and disagree (and even argue) is not only an exciting benefit of technology, but also a great way to de-stress and spend quality time with people who you care about.
With that in mind, I have emailed the "powers that be" and asked them to turn the message boards back on by Monday morning. (Mind you, they are on the west coast.) I don't always get my way, but I will hope that they will listen.
Please use the message boards in the way they were intended, to express yourself freely. Celebrate. Discuss. Anticipate. Speculate. Complain. Heck, even criticize. I have no problem with criticism. in fact, I have been known in the past to read messages left by fans online and make changes to my shows/songs/etc.That's what a message board is for.
The teacher in me wants to say "you know, if you want to use the message board to beat up on each other and tear each other down, go for it. Enjoy yourselves." And the truth is, from now on, if thats really what it comes to, so be it.
However, I don't think that is the desire or hope of more than 99% of the folks that frequent the OFC.With regard to that small 1%, I would love to impart a little wisdom my mother tried to pass on to me when I got picked on relentlesly in middle school.
IGNORE!!!There is NOTHING that upsets a bully more than to be ignored.
NOTHING!Trust me! It will work everytime.If someone says something you don't like, rebut with your opinion. That's great.If they are only trying to cause a reaction or get you upset, ignore them. I swear it's the most painful thing you can do to them. And, eventually, they'll give up.
I wish I had believed my mom when she told me that in middle school. But, now, at 28 (God I feel old!), I finally know that she was right all along. Try it yourself.
Again, I apologize for not stepping in sooner and asking them not to do the shut down in the first place.I promise you that I will do everything within my power to make sure that, with the exception of scheduled maintenance or an uncontrollable circumstance, the message boards are never shut down for punative reasons again. It isn't fair.
We all continue to work really hard to make you all proud. You have done so much for me in the past four years, it's really impossible to repay you. I'll promise to continue doing my best every day to make you as proud of me as I am of all of you!
Edited to add"
Someone also pointed out something else I will respond to... I do defend the people I care about, but I stopped defending my mother because she told me to. She said, "I don't care about what other people say about me. Let them call me fat. Let them call me stupid. Let them call me ugly. It doesn't make it true."
So she told me to ignore them as well.
I KNOW that it is much harder to ignore when someone says something about someone you care about. And, i'll tell you, I could not be more honored and more blessed to have such amazing supporters who would go to the mat for me.
(As someone posted in response to my last blog: "Charlie only had three angels. [I] sure got him beat!) I thank you.
But believe me when i say, "Let them call me fat. Let them call me stupid. Let them call me ugly. It doesn't make it true." Ignore them. I'll love you anyway!And, eventually, they'll give up.
Love
c
Current Mood:Confused
Currently Listening to:the ocean
Above is the latest blog from Clay Aiken. In it, Clay SEEMS to do something he has never done before: address a controversy that surrounds him. One might even think that this blog presented a "change" in Clay Aiken if not for the knowledge that the controversy in question is going to be published in "The Enquirer"next week.
What this blog is, is an attempt at damage control. It never would have been written if not for the upcoming article.
Maybe it's me, but I don't see Clay Aiken say much of anything here.
We learned that Clay Aiken turned up someplace looking like a slob. No surprises there.
We learned that apparently
his tour isn't selling the way Clay would like, because there seems to be begging of the fans to buy tickets...to more than ONE show.
As far as the controversy at his OFC and the message board being shut down, the only people *I* saw get a swat were the mods and admins of that board. Other than that it was not a clear message at all about the controversy.
He identifies a small group of fans as trouble makers, but doesn't indicate which group that is. There are two groups that come to mind and I'm sure right now, each is claiming victory and pointing at the other.
This blog from Clay does not clarify. It leaves everything open to perception. He calls out the "bullies" but not by name. He also thanks the mates who "go to the mat" for him, but isn't thanking them just encouraging more?
Then Clay added a special addendum that essentially said "don't believe everything you hear". That is just another way of saying what he's said all along "People will believe what they want to believe".
The controversy at the OFC was NOT about anyone saying that Aiken is UGLY, FAT or STUPID. The controversy at the OFC was about the implication that Clay is gay.
That is clear to ANYONE familiar with the controversy.
It's all about Clay's sexuality.
Again, Aiken is content to let people believe he is straight, saying "just because someone says something doesn't make it so".
Wordy as this new blog is, it says a lot of nothing.
This blog probably never would have been written if not for the coverage in the "National Enquirer".
Any thinking person can see what this blog is.
Damage Control.
