Interview with Randy Jackson

American Idol judge still insists Ruben was the right winner of American Idol 2. He mentioned clay several times in this interview with FOX-TV, which airs American Idol. Thanks to FOX and AlwaysRealityTV forums for this transcript.

That's right. Is there anything in general you can tell us about the first few singers that do make it that we see?
I'll just say that we say it every single season, but this year I think it's really 100,000% true; the talent is far better than any other season. There are always great girls and I think it's going to come down to the wire at the end. In the past, we kind of knew that Kelly was great. We knew that Ruben and Clay were great. Well, Clay kind of grew; we knew Ruben was great. We knew Fantasia was unbelievable. We knew Carrie was really good. I think this time it's going to come down to who grows the most during the competition, in front of the American public, because I think everybody is that good at the start.

Yes. You went to some different cities for your auditions this time than before. Did you get some different flavors that you hadn't heard before? Also, you didn't get to go to Memphis, because of storms. Do you think you're missing out on some of the flavor of down there?
No, we got some of the Memphis people to come out, some of the Austin people to come out. I think that us choosing different cities, I think you look for more and more and more honestly. I think Greensboro, North Carolina, was an eye opener for all of us. We've gotten Clay and Fantasia from the Carolinas, but it's just an honest town. It's maybe not as affected as New York and L.A. You know what I mean? Some of the big cities are a little bit more affected. I often say people watch a little too much VH1 and MTV, so they're trying to mimic those that they see on those channels. I think the different cities proved really, really good for us.

Someone is bringing those bad people up to the final positions, so they come between you three guys.
I just think that people are like us. I don't think they can believe that someone would actually try out for a show where you say, "American Idol: Search for the Next Superstar." We're not saying, "Search for the Next Circus Act." And then you go, okay, four seasons running. Kelly Clarkston turned into a great superstar; Ruben Studdard and Clay, amazing; Fantasia, amazing; Carrie and Bo, amazing. And then people turn out and you just go, "What show were they watching?"

Why do you feel the need to show these people, though, when they obviously don't have any singing talent?
I think you see everything, though. I think you see some really talented people. I think you see some people that are in crazy outfits. I think you see some people that you go, "No, come on," and then some of them open their mouths and you go, "Wow, hey." The same thing could have been thought of when Simon and I saw Clay Aiken in Atlanta. We could have thought, "Okay, wow; this guy should maybe just be in the library somewhere. I don't even know if he can sing or whatever." Then the guy opens his mouth and you go, "Oh, my God." So the thing is you never know and we never know.

You said earlier that you felt that the right person had won every single year. Do you feel that Ruben was the right person and not Clay?
Yes.

Okay, and why so?
I just think that Clay grew during the competition, which I think is going to happen this year to whomever the winner is. Not that that's right or wrong, but Ruben was as good the day we first saw him as the day he won. He was great every single time. It wasn't like he kind of ascended. Clay kind of ascended. Kelly Clarkson was as good the day we met her in Dallas to the day she won. Fantasia was as good the day; you know what I mean? It's that whole consistency thing.

Okay, so that's true, even though, say, Clay has done better at this point in terms of record sales or whatever?
Yes. I think you can't look at the record sales. Looking at the record sales is wrong. The problem with the record sales is that you then could arguably say, I guess, Kelly Clarkston is much bigger than Clay, because she sold 20 times the amount of records than Clay sold. You can't look at it that way. What happens with the records is the records arguably are made by the record label and the A&R person and all of that. I don't think any of the records, except for maybe Kelly's, has been the right record for the artist. That's why the Kelly records are bigger. The records are about tapping into who that person is and who the public identifies with them. It's a lot more complicated when you get to the record sales part of it.