Clay Interviewed by WGN Radio Chicago

As we reported yesterday, Clay was interviewed by WGN Radio Chicago. An MP3 download of this interview is now available to all those who missed the interview yesterday.
Click here to download the file via MegaUpload.com

Transcript by Clay's Daily Double/Clay News Service:

WGN: Clay Aiken joins us on a telephone from a tour bus somewhere in America. Clay, where are you?

CA: We are on the way to San Diego. Hey, how are you.

WGN: Nice to have you with us, uh, Paige Davis is here also.

CA: Hello Paige, How are you?

PD: Hi Clay, how are you?

CA: I'm okay, it's nice to talk to you again.

PD: Oh, it's nice to talk to you too. I'm so proud of you.

CA: Oh... Thank you (laughs)

PD: (laughs)

WGN: So, tell the story that you just told me about Clay when he was--

PD: I told him that I first met you during the competition (American Idol) and I got into the Wayne Brady show and of course, all the idol competitiors rehearse at the CBS studios there. And, uh, I've seen you in the halls, and uh, I whispered that none of the other contestants would overhear me "You're my favourite".

PD & CA: (laughs)

CA: And then I turned around and told them all (laughs)

PD: (laughs)

WGN: And Clay, you were quoted as saying a couple of people who really influenced you --

PD: I don't think he said "I influenced you"

WGN: Encouraged...Encouraged...

PD: I read that he appreciated that I

WGN: Let's let the man talk, here.

PD & CA & WGN: (laughs)

CA: Well, wh spoke to (inaudiable) during that show and not around anybody at all. The only people we did happen to meet who happened to be at the studio where we where. So, um, we all kept tabs of the people we'd met who said nice things about us -- and we kind of had a tally of who had the most.

PD & CA: (laughs)

WGN: That's nice. Well, how nice, when you're at that point of your career, when you're competing in the show -- so high profile, to have somebody just give you a pat on the back and say you're doing a great job and I appreciate it, like what you're doing.

CA: Oh, it's nice and on top of that many of us had never left our towns, or had we left our towns, we had not went very far. Um, and to see them in Los Angeles and be in Hollywood and have people who we'd seen on TV before do that is even bigger.

WGN: Sure, and I don't want to put any pressure on you Clay, because you're coming here to Chicago with your Joyful Noise 2005 Tour.

CA: Right.

WGN: It's Clay's first holiday tour, and it pulls into Chicago - the Chicago Theatre on Nov. 22. That happens to be the same night, Clay, when Ms. Davis is opening right down the street in Chicago: The Musical.

CA: Oh, really?

PD: We're going head-to-head, buddy!

CA: Oh, goodness. Actually- this is the second tour. We actually were in the Chicago Theatre last Christmas for the holidays.

WGN: Oh.

PD: Oh, wonderful.

CA: But it's kind of a different, uh, a different beat this year. Last year we used the symphony from the Chicago area to do, kind of an orchestrial tour- and you know, the symphony played and I sang (obviously. But uh- this year --

WGN: As you'll want to do from time to time.

CA: Yeah. But this year we've changed it up a little bit and made it a little more theatrical (so we'll really compete with Paige).

PD: Ooohhhhhhhhh....

CA: I kind of wanted to string all the songs together and try to make a , you know, a Christmas show that'll be remembered not only for the music. There is so many Christmas shows out there now, they're becoming a [inaudiable] --

WGN: It sounds like he's doing the Andy Williams Christmas Show.

PD: Clay, Clay, do you dance?

CA: Um... No.

PD: Aah!! I got your beat. I got your beat! (laughs)

CA: Instead, we do have dancers, you know. I actually went out and I sat down and I wrote out a script because I was starting to think to let someone else to write the script and tell him what I'd like to have done-- and then as I sat down to start the outline, it sort of started to come together and I said, "you know what, if you want it, why don't you just do it yourself." And so I just wrote out the entire thing and when I was doing it I kind of wrote it with one particular person in mind to play the lead character and so, um, we went out and hired my old high school choir teacher. And she comes on the road and plays the lead--

WGN: How cool is that?

PD: That is so cool.

WGN: Oh my gosh, how cool is that?

CA: And, uh, we have a story line that goes on throughout the entire show and the music is kind of a soundtrack to it. So as, we [inaudiable] Christmas from the past to, um, a young boy from the neighbourhood, um, we had to do back flashes into her past Christmases -- when she first met her husband, you know she reminises about Christmases- making cookies with her son. We see those back flashes and we see the action in the present time, and I sing, kind of like a guardian angel figure, looking out for this woman who's lost the Christmas spirit.

WGN: Sounds like it's quite the production. It's at the Chicago Theatre on Nov. 22, so...

PD: I'm sorry! I'm going to miss it.

WGN: Ladies and gentlemen- you're going to have to pick who you like better.

CA: Aaaah- no

PD: I'm here for two weeks, so.

WGN: Just for that one night, Clay will be at the Chicago Theatre which, you know, they use the exteriors on Chicago the movie.

CA: Really?

WGN: Paige will be down the street at the Cadillac Palace Theatre Nov. 22 and a couple of weeks after that as well.

PD: Clay, have wonderful concert here and have a wonderful tour.

CA: You do the same.

PD: I hope to catch it.

CA: Oh, please do!

WGN: Clay Aiken joining us on the phone. Tickets through Ticketmaster, as are Paige's tickets, available as well. I've never had duelling guests like this, competing.

PD & CA: (laughs)

PD: We're not really duelling.

CA: We're not duelling --

PD: at all.

WGN: Clay, thanks for taking a couple of minutes to talk to us.

CA: Thanks for having me.

WGN: And Paige, thank you so much.

PD: Thank you. Bye Clay!