OCRegister.com Diane Austin Pins Article

Clay Aiken fans pine for pins
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The objects have become a hot item for the singer's devotees.

By DIANNE AUSTIN
Special to The Orange County Register

In past decades, steady sweethearts showed their devotion by "getting pinned." Now, Claymates are doing it for the same reason, except the object of their affection is "American Idol" runner-up and pop artist Clay Aiken.

Aiken went into hibernation right after his Joyful Noise Christmas tour last year. Now he's on the road with his Jukebox Tour, which began Friday and will run through Sept. 1.

The Clay Nation, buzzing with excitement at Aiken's return to the stage, is showing its appreciation by designing and collecting fan-club cloisonné pins in an amazing variety of shapes and colors.

A large number feature state-based designs. California Clay fans, including many in Orange County, designed an arresting image of the long limbed idol, sitting with knees bent in front of the outline of the Golden State. This faction professes unconditional support for Aiken, who lives in California but who makes no bones about missing his home and a simpler life in Raleigh, N.C.

Irene Williams is a California Clay Fan and an avid pin enthusiast. Williams, an artist and retired teacher from Cypress, will travel to Atlanta; Greensboro, S.C.; Cary, N.C.; and Vienna, Va. to see Aiken in concert four times in two weeks. She has collected 80 of the more than 100 pins available.

Other than state designs, there are message board, Web site, Yahoo group and individual Clay fan insignia pins. Lori McAdam, an artist who has done a number of portraits of the vocalist, has also donated her time to designing one of the pins. Hers will be featured in North Carolina at a preconcert breakfast celebrating the favorite son's return to the stage in his home state.

Jeff York, co-owner of Pin Promotions, a company near Orlando, Fla., that manufactures the Aiken pins, says the trend began in April. That's when Aiken fan Judy Cozine placed an order for a "Clayversity" fan site logo pin. Then orders started pouring in for other Aiken pins, each with a different design and message.

How large were the orders?

"Well, a minimum order is 100 pins," York said. "Soon, the average order I'd get was not less than 1,000 pins. Some orders have been as much as 6,000 at a time."

The pin fixation will be obvious as Aiken's Jukebox Tour gives fans a chance to display their acquisitions. No West Coast venues were booked for the tour, so some Orange County fans plan to fly east for Aiken's vintage-themed tour.

Pat Miller of Cypress, Janet Oliff of Tustin and Betti Young of Orange are among them. Miller, who calls herself a Claymate, will be going to Vienna, Va., and Bethlehem, Pa. Oliff has tickets to Aiken's Michigan venues. And Young, 67, will see Aiken in eight venues in two weeks.

Miller says she'll be wearing all 13 of her pins on a lanyard around her neck. Young has 18 pins that she will take with her in a case. But Oliff, who has collected 96 designs, did it just for the keepsake quality. "I won't be trading," she said. "I just wanted one of every design to keep forever."

Now, all that's left for Aiken to do with his Jukebox Tour is go with the flow.

Williams, the artist and teacher, had an idea for Aiken.

She thinks that at each concert, Aiken should search the audience for that special fan he'd like onstage with him. (He's known for inviting audience members to sing and dance.) And inside the upside down Fedora (a signature accouterment) perched on the edge of the platform, there would be one of every fan pin that exists up to that point. The lucky lady chooses one and presents it to him.

Then Williams suggests this with a twinkle in her eye:

"You guessed it. It makes so much sense. Because all the female Clay fans I know would give anything to say 'I was pinned by Clay Aiken!' "

Dianne Austin writes for Clay Aiken fan clubs and Web sites.