sugarpi's Wonderful Essay, "Men Who Drive Women Crazy"

It's not everyday we pass a masterpiece like sugarpi's new essay "Men Who Drive Women Crazy"" which she posted to the Clayboard earlier today.

We hope she does not mind us sharing her work of art with you all:

Men Who Drive Women Crazy (Elvis-Clay)
Many Clay fans experienced Elvis with all the hormones of a fledgling teenager, but in that generation, they weren't supposed to know anything about sex/hormones/sex appeal; and NOBODY but ELVIS seemed to know what Rock-n-Roll was! But somehow even the youngest of his fans knew that the 20-year-old Elvis Presley was unquestionably the Whole Package -- so you might say that generation got the maximum dosing of all that. And obviously, his great four-ctave tenor voice, and yes, with a lower register close to bass, seemed to vibrate on the inner scale of every teenager in America in 1956! They loved the high tenor, but man oh man, when he 'got down' he could muster with that lower register, fans exploded! Elvis translated this into his moves on stage, so it was a 10.0 assault on the senses!

It's not so much a question of How Does Clay Aiken Measure Up To Elvis? But it seems obvious that the major factor was TIMING!! TIMING!! TIMING!! Aside from the Elvis Package, it was the readiness of that generation for something new. We were bored and nothing was more boring as the pop music of that day -- if we can imagine a time when there was no Rock-n-Roll! When America not only heard, but eventually SAW Elvis perform, that helped kindle the fire that is still burning. The Ed Sullivan Show on TV gave America the visuals of how Elvis 'told the story' of each song -- he sang about teddy bears, rings around yo' neck, tutti frutti, hound dogs, and much more. It's undisputed that his live performances played a huge part in his rocket rise to the charts!! Teenagers and women of America went CRAZY!

America Was Ready!

Same with Clay!! After nearly four decades, and Elvis gone for nearly three decades, the post 9/11 generation, still unsettled by the reality of terrorism on American soil, sat poised, ready for a new star. But each week as we watched Clay on AI2, nobody had any way of knowing that we were sooooo ready for Clay Aiken -- he just came out, lit the match and we all went up in flames!! Again, I think, due in large part to where America sat in the fall of 2003. Yes, it was the Timing Ghost of Elvis '56. TIMING!! TIMING!! TIMING!!

Regarding the Clay Package: How can the fans feel the same way about Clay as they did about Elvis?? That's the mystery of all mysteries since they're so different, but are they really?

Both young southern mama's boys who first sang in church, unexposed to the rest of the world, shocked that they were being screamed at and adored, often blushing and saying, in the most charming southern drawl, "I don't know what the excitement is all about," but then going out on the stage and doing it again and again!

Clay Did What Elvis Couldn't Do

Similar Voice and Singing Style: four-five octave tenor, which includes a near-bass lower register; but it was that higher octave that Elvis tried to reach throughout his career, most notably during the last few weeks of his life as shown in a recent TV documentary. Elvis sat at a piano and tried to reach that high note in Unchained Melody, "I Neeeeeeeeeeeeed your love..." and did a pretty good job of it, but alas, The King just couldn't give it that effortless fullness, that crystal ring.!

When Clay sang UM on AI-2 during the finals, he glided in and out of that highest octave like a bird on the wing! I just about died -- I thought, "Elvis, wherever you are, you'd probably like to come back for just one moment in time to shake Clay Akien's hand if not punch him out!" This with how Clay became the water-cooler topic around the world after his performance of Bridege Over Troubled Water!

LIVE ELVIS - LIVE CLAY

No Other Since The King Has Driven Women So Crazy!

Clay & Elvis both FEEL their songs, and are able to translate a given song through their voices, ex-pressions and movements. They seem to actually BECOME THE SONG in some way! When that happens, we get in on it by some undefined phenomenon, and that's why the LIVE Elvis & LIVE Clay is so important! Clay's mass appeal wasn't just his amazing performances on AI-2, but it was his live performances during the AI Concert Tour in 40 cities across America that proved he has the formula for superstardom, just like Elvis. His subsequent tours have revealed a live concert experience second to none! Like Elvis, Clay is an entertainer extroidinaire!

The Crown Prince

Most of his fans believe Clay is undoubtedly becoming such a phenomenon. He will never settle for anything less than what his fans have perceived, and rightly so. He is the new Crown Prince of Pop, there's a huge void to fill in this arena, and we're all ready for something new!

As each generation of viewers saw and heard Clay sing 'their song' on AI as they moved through each music genre, and it was a clarion call that spanned four generations -- WE ALL SUDDENLY WOKE-UP! Clay is raising the dead, and that is very ELVISesque as he stood pop music of the 1950s on its' ear, and it was never the same again. Well, we know what happened, he invented Rock & Roll!

We've come to expect nothing less from Clay, who doesn't want to just be known as a cover artist, although he is the best ever! He wants to create something for his fans, and we're all anxious to follow him every step of the way.

It was good to dream again after 9/11. Watching Clay, we can remember what it was like to dream, feel, hope and yes, GET EXCITED! Baseball, apple pie, and Elvis! Move over, Clay is rapidly attaining such status! And the biggest surprise of all to Clay is his appeal to women of all ages. Without a doubt, Clay's the new Elvis, but kicking it up a notch in the morals department, and as a role model. We've yet to see and hear the Definitive Clay Aiken, but we're closer now than ever has each new CD and tour is greatly anticipated by the Clay Nation! Every time Clay performs on TV or in concert, he gathers in new fans, regardless of their gender.

Ed Sullivan & American Idol -- TV Exposure

Again, I don't think if the 50s Elvis generation had just had him on wax, that it would have been the same! It was really those live TV performances seen by millions that fueled the hysteria. He would have done well with just his great singing voice, but that never would have brought him the mass appeal and endurance of so many millions around the world had they not SEEN HIM EMOTE!!! Clay is going to give us all that AND the real inspiration of a superstar who is making a grand effort and succeeding in putting his life where his lyric sheet is! We watched Clay way before we bought his CDs -- we gave him the winning votes on AI-2 and Clay has continued to go out and win-win!

Maybe four generations of Pop/Rock fans got tired of watching Elvis disintegrate before our eyes, and yes finally dying! Maybe Clay is, to some extent, raising ELVIS, an Elvis with morals, who really believes in his religious roots! An Elvis who won't disappoint or leave us before his time??

Someone asked me about their mutual sex appeal. Well, who can define that? In retrospect it had a lot to do with Elvis' out-of-this-world good looks. Clay is beautiful, there is an inner radiance that graces him at all times; and he has it all when it comes to the X Factor! Move over Elvis, WAY OVER!

With Clay, it's even more indefinable because it's not just that he's sexy -- there are other mysterious appealing aspects to his person and personality that have captured the attention of America's Pop culture. And, thank God for the Clay Revolution -- that call to Clean It Up America!!

Clay Has Entered The Building!

Elvis has left the building, and we want our New and Improved Superstar with all the magnitude and power of Elvis and more, WE WANT CLAY! WE WANT CLAY!! We've been locked up in a tower for too long now, and we've let down our golden locks (and some of it gray already) to Clay Aiken!