Preview of New Unauthorized Biography

Beavers On Idol has posted this excerpt from a new unauthorized biography written by Terry Piper, called The Invisible Revolution: Clay Aiken and the Fans Who Made Him a Star.

The Invisible Revolution: Clay Aiken and the Fans Who Made Him a Star
by Terry Piper (2005/11/11)

[The following is an excerpt from the Introduction of the soon-to-be-released The Invisible Revolution: Clay Aiken and the Fans Who Made Him a Star (Cambridge Books).]


Excerpt from The Invisible Revolution

American Idol has introduced approximately 50 new singers to the American public in the last four years, many of them very talented young performers, and yet [with a few notable exceptions] most are struggling. The only struggling that Clay Aiken appears to be doing is to keep up with a hectic schedule of recording, concerts, television appearances, and charity work.

For a significant number of the second season American Idol audience, Clay Aiken filled a void that existed in popular music and, more broadly, in popular culture. Why Aiken was the one to fill that void was, in part, a matter of timing. He came along just in time to take advantage of the intersection of three forces in American culture -- Reality Television, the Internet, and the mood of post 9/11 America.

Reality Television and the Internet have always been linked phenomena. There are numerous Internet sites devoted to the Reality TV genre, to specific programs and even to specific contestants. People gather on message boards ...to discuss contestants, make predictions, draw comparisons with past shows and just to chat. When the second season of American Idol began, web sites such as Fans of Reality TV, Bolt, and even Fox's own Idolsonfox.com were well established meeting places. Idol fans gathered all week long, but especially on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, to talk about the contestants. The one they talked most about in January 2003, and by a substantial margin, was Clay Aiken.

Aiken is arguably the first bona fide web idol, the most successful entertainer of the 21st century so far to understand the power and reap the benefits of this medium. In the early days of the Internet, its power was presumed to be in the information that could be easily stored, retrieved and transmitted. By the beginning of this century, however, Internet users had discovered that its real power lay in the ability to build relationships and to use those relationships to sell products. What the Internet did for fandom was to allow for the active participation of a more diverse fan base with greater frequency of contact and the sharing of more information.

Before the Internet, there were large-scale fan groups, such as the Trekkies, but their sense of community was limited. These fans had to be old enough and have the resources to travel to conventions where they could discuss their particular obsession. The Internet has neutralized age, geography and financial means. All that is required is a computer with an Internet connection. Clay Aiken and his fans appeared to understand very well the potential of the Internet as a communication and a marketing tool.

Long before the American Idol competition ended, Aiken was leading the web "hit parade" with twice as many web hits as Ruben Studdard, the eventual title holder. By the end of 2003, Lycos reported that Aiken was in the top 25 searches for the year, ahead of Christina Aguilera, Eminem, and The Bible. In the category "most searched men," he was third. A year later, Lycos ranked him at #3 overall, behind only Paris Hilton and Janet Jackson, and he got there ...without a sex video or wardrobe malfunction (although some might characterize his clothing choices, at times, as surely accidental). At the end of 2004, he was in the top ten searches for "public figures" at Google (no other Idol alums were on the list), and Yahoo reported:

... it's Clay Aiken (#1) who's at the top of everyone's wish list this holiday season...even Santa can't top the Aiken juggernaut. (Yahoo.com, 11/30/04)

Fans maintain a huge Internet presence, tracking and promoting Aiken with even more zeal than they did in the first months of their relationship when... they were focused on winning the competition for him. Why they were -- and remain -- so determined brings us to the third factor contributing to his popularity, the mood of the country following September 11, 2001.

Having survived pre-millennial angst...the country had settled in to the new century with optimism. The dot.com bubble had not yet burst, and stories of instant millionaires helped to feed the American dream machine just as Reality Television did. Then came 9/11. ...When a cataclysmic event of that magnitude occurs, the reaction is predictable. Yearning for a return to the familiar, to what they perceived as the safety of the past, Americans began to espouse more traditional values. Decency became fashionable again. Church attendance rose as people searched for meaning in their lives. Interest in pop psychology and psychic phenomena grew as people searched for meaning. The timing was right for a new kind of hero --- for a young man who didn't talk back to his elders, even when the elders roasted him unfairly for a performance, a young man who appeared to be decent, humble, and was unashamed to profess his Christian beliefs right out loud for everyone to hear. The nation that was turning to Dr. Phil was predictably drawn to another television personality, one whom they deemed to be somehow like them, and who appeared to be authentic. He didn't preach to them about living a purpose-driven life. He simply did it.


It's a Matter of Timing

Reality Television was at the apex of its popularity and quality, American Idol was the leader of the pack, and the Internet provided a place for Reality TV junkies to meet and talk. Many Americans were fed up with the excess of celebrity and were in the mood for a hero who reminded them of earlier, safer times in their lives. So, when Clay Aiken appeared on that January night in 2003, they were ready, and they have been with him ever since.

Aiken has more fans now. They are louder and more influential, and almost all of them are happy to talk about what motivates them. They will tell you that Aiken is a great singer, that they love his voice and the songs he sings, but they will also tell you that it's more than that. They are not just fans; they are passionate in their affection for him, as a singer and as a man. As signs at his concerts proclaim: We came for the music; we stayed for the man. Other singers have admirers, even ardent ones, but, if what fans write and say is any indication, Clay Aiken touches the hearts of his fans in a way that few celebrities do.

Because of him, all these virtual communities have formed, and populating those communities are people who have come to love and care for one another. Love is an incredibly powerful energy, and the world has a lot more of it now because of this humble, unassuming young singer whose own heart is big enough to encompass us all. I know my own heart has increased its capacity for love and compassion and for humor. (Posted at OMC)

Clay Aiken has caught the public fancy. Fans criss-cross the country to hear him sing time and time again. They organize CD release parties. They campaign for radio-play and propel his singles and albums to the top of the charts. They vote in numbers to ensure a win in every online poll possible. How Clay Aiken got where he is today is a story that is, thus, as much about his fans as it is about him.

Still, the question has to be asked: Will Aiken survive? And if he does, will he survive as the kind of celebrity he is now or will he, but for his talent, be indistinguishable from the rest? Will he always be his own man, or will he, too, start his own clothing line, sign an endorsement deal with a flatiron manufacturer or the maker of hair glue? Will he maintain the moral steadfastness that his fans admire, or will he succumb to less noble temptations? His fans would find these possibilities laughable, and yet, celebrity exerts a massive force on a person, especially a young naive one who was thrust so suddenly onto the stage. Does he have that too-rare strength of character that will protect him from excess? Or perhaps that is the wrong question. Maybe the real issue is how the relationship between Aiken and his fans will develop and change over the years and influence the direction he takes as an artist and as a man. Will he turn out to be the catalyst to change pop culture permanently and for the better?

Terry Piper is an American-born writer, living in Canada. This is her sixth book. Check out her website http://terrypiper.net for release date and ordering information about this book. Comments on this article may be posted in the Rant Room for further public feedback.