North County Times Intrerview

Pop nerd Clay Aiken brings 'Joyful Noise' to San Diego

By: PAM KRAGEN - Staff Writer

Since the heady days of "American Idol" superstardom, geeky pop idol Clay Aiken may have faded somewhat from public view, but he has hardly disappeared.

The 26-year-old Raleigh, N.C., native spent more than 30 weeks on the road this year (part of it a summer concert tour, the rest as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador in Indonesia and Uganda), he put out a holiday DVD, promoted his bestselling autobiography, raised money for his Bubel/Aiken Foundation (benefiting children with disabilities), made numerous TV appearances on everything from "Oprah" to "Scrubs," began recording his next CD, and conceived the "Joyful Noise" concert tour, which arrives Friday in San Diego.

Speaking by telephone from a hotel room in Los Angeles, the former special-ed teacher is the same, well-mannered, down-to-earth Mama's boy who won millions of hearts in 2003 on the Fox reality series "American Idol." In between stifled yawns, for which he apologized profusely (blaming an all-night "Joyful Noise" rehearsal the evening before), Aiken talked about the tour, his personal life, his exuberant fans (known as "Claymates") and what's coming up in 2006.


Q: "Joyful Noise" is more than a concert of Christmas music. Is it true you've hired actors and written scripted lines for them to speak between your songs?

A: That's right. I sat down in my pajamas one day and decided to write some scripted dialogue that links these songs together to keep me from looking like a fool up there on stage. It's sort of like a pageant. There's no deep character development, but it tells a traditional Christmas story. One person isn't in the holiday spirit and the others try to get him in the spirit. The music is a soundtrack for the story and I observe things and sometimes help things along.

Q: So you're like a Christmas angel in the show?

A: I'd like to keep some mystery about what I do, but that's a somewhat fair description.

Q: What music will you perform?

A: It's a mix of music from last year's CD ("Merry Christmas with Love") and some other original holiday music I found this year.

Q: I've heard you're auctioning off front row seats to each concert, with the proceeds benefiting the Bubel/Aiken Foundation. How much have you raised?

A: Um, I'm not sure how much at this point, but the foundation has raised more than a million dollars. They do a great job.

Q: Who is your audience at the "Joyful Noise" concerts? Is it the same "American Idol" fan base who have turned out for your other concert tours?

A: It's mostly the same audience, though I think it's a little older for the Christmas shows. It's a neat crowd. People get all dressed up in their Sunday best and make a big night out of it.

Q: Now that the white-hot spotlight of "American Idol" has turned elsewhere, are you still getting mobbed by screaming Claymates everywhere you go?

A: It's a little easier than it used to be, but only a little. I went to an interview at (L.A. television station) KTLA this morning and the security guard at the gate was ... um ... very enthusiastic. It's still sometimes hard to walk down the street in some places, but I can walk around L.A. or New York and nobody pays any attention. I think what's changed the most is not the fans, but my mental ability to accept it. I'm more comfortable with it now.

Q: So, who are the Claymates and why do they act the way they do?

A: I think there are only about 5,000 Claymates out there, and they come to every show. So it may seem like there are lots of them out there, but they're just very faithful fans. They are girls and women who want to take care of me and they like me for who I am.

Q: Where is home for you?

A: I'm homeless right now. I sold my home in L.A. and I'm building a house in Raleigh. Once this tour ends, I'm going to move back home. I'm really excited about that.

Q: Are you working on a new album?

A: Yes, every chance I've had this year, I've tried to get into the studio. We're looking at getting an album out next year. With my first album (the multiplatinum-selling "Measure of a Man"), I had no time to put it together and just rushed it out. But I've been enjoying taking my time with this one. We've found a lot of different stuff and the big quandary now is what type of album it will be. I'm not sure if it'll be pop, traditional or if it will have a theme. But I think it'll be along the same lines musically as "Measure of a Man."

Q: Are you still in touch with your old friends from "American Idol"?

A: I try to talk to Kelly (Clarkson) as often as I can. We're real close since we toured together last year, and I'm still in touch with Ruben (Studdard) and Kim Locke, but we're all so busy, so it's hard to stay in touch.

Q: Have you read any good books lately?

A: You know, I've got a funny story about this. One of the actors on this tour is an 11-year-old boy and the law requires that he have a tutor with him on the road. Now I'm cheaper than most folks out there and I figured, 'Hey, I've got a teaching credential, so why don't I tutor him?' So that's what we're doing. After we finish rehearsals, I tutor him for three hours a day. We just finished working on the book 'The Giver,' so I guess, to answer your question, that is the last good book I read."