Here is the entire transcript of the Elle Article: Aching for Aiken [PART 1] How did a baby-faced, jug-eared special ed teacher-and American Idol runner-up -- become the fantasy fodder of sophisitcated women everywhere? Allison Glock follows the rising star to find out Clay Aiken smells like fresh laundry. It's the first thing you notice about him--that he's well-scrubbed, radiant in his cleanliness, a walking, freckled dryer sheet. The second thing you notice are his lips, which are plump and ripe and shell pink. Much has been made about his hair--the whole flatironed, geek-hipster red nest of it all- -but little, too little, has been made of his lips, perhaps because most of the world has only ever seen them contorted and trembling in song. Aiken, for the uninitiated, was the second-place finisher in this year's American Idol contest. "I lost," he says, then laughs, which is easy enough for him to do since his single "This Is the Night" has already gone platinum. He has also graced the cover of Rolling Stone (before Idol winner Ruben Studdard did; the issue allegedly sold more copies than any in the last two years, including the Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera, and Eminem covers to name a few. His first album, Measure of A Man (RCA) out in September ranked #3 on Amazon.com back in July. Fans range from Diane Sawyer, who has adimitted to a serious Clay Crush on Good Morning America, to Neil Sedaka, who cried on camera when Aiken covered his hit Solitaire. "His voice is incredible, the pitch, the tone" said Sedaka "I think he'll be the next Frank Sinatra." So much has happened in the past nine months that I haven't had time to think," admits the 24-year-old, from the back of the van that's shuttling him from New York City to a concert appearance in Hartford, Connecticut. "Honestly, last night I was sitting in the hotel room crying for about an hour. I had to call someone back in Raleigh to wake them up because I needed to talk. Certain things have just hit me." Most recently, it was his inability to take a walk. "I wanted to clear my head, and I realized that if I were to take a stroll in New York, I'd have to wake my bodyguard, Jerome, and then I'm not really alone, so what's the point? I felt trapped and miserable. Sometimes I just want to go back to teaching." That is unlikely because while Aiken was ??? special ed teacher working with mostly grade school children. He possesses a voice that's impossible to ignore. Calling all Claymates "I was gonna go to music school but decided against it," Aiken says, "I didn't see the point." Then I was running an after school program at the YMCA and I thought, "Forget music, I love this. I want to work with kids with behavior disabilities. But Aiken still sang at the Y and when he sang, people noticed. Whenever he belted out a song, and he is a belter, the whole room quieted, heads lifted, eyes widened, heart swelled. When American Idol happened along , the mother of one of his students encouraged him to try out. Reluctantly, he did. "I liked singing but I never wanted to make a career out of it," he says with a sigh. When you work with kids who have autism, they don't reciprocate any affection. You learn to find yourself worth within what you do, not what people tell you about yourself. Now with all of this I really have flip flopped. Also I am not much of a cry person and this is a lot to get used to. Unlike many of his fellow idols, Aiken didn't grow up a fan. "I never idolized celebrities or musicians, even now I can barely name one, I like that guy in The Pianist" he offers one when asked which famous people he admires. As a boy growing up in a conservative family in Raleigh, NC, Aiken enjoyed TV but was limited in his viewing options. Even the golden girls was considered too risque. ?? Aiken is the pop idol who knows next to nothing about pop culture. "You know who I idolize? Mr. Rogers. Is there a market for the next Mr. Rogers cause I would love to do that, I would much rather be quiet and important like him than live large and be ?? celebrity." Aiken did not ?? pop translate to a geeky authenticity and a captivating vulnerability. He says I'm cool, he's cool.? Dress in ? khakis, striped polo star shirt, ?? shoes, ?? and a What Would Jesus Do bracelet, Aiken resembles a slim down Christian Charlie Brown. His hair is ?mussed but not in a artful, deliberate way like other idols. His teeth are white, square and shiny. The only concession to his newfound stardom is a 15,000 dollar diamond studded ? company watch that was a gift from Idol producers, but he was embarrassed to wear. I was gonna auction it off for charity but it is a present so I wear it. It is really a women's watch, I like it because it wasn't ostentacious, Ruben wears the men's. He'll probably show it to you". Standing over 6 feet tall but weighing only 145 lbs, Aiken appears ?, unintimidating. A gentle giant that consistently drives women between the ages 16 to 60 into a sloppy puddle? of lust. In Addition to the Roling Stone Cover, there are websites devoted to all things Clay run by women who call themselves Claymates and shows? everything from Clay coffee mugs to Claytionary, dictionary embossed with his face.? And then there are the panties. "I got seven one night" says AIken with a giggle," and last night I got 5 thongs and two depends diapers. One had a note attached that says "Clay we love you too, from your older fans" That women are so moved by his presence that they hurl their undergarments onstage as if he were Elvis mystifies Aiken: "Ruben always jokes with me that I could have any woman out there. He says, 'You need to hook up with somebody before you leave the tour.' But I try and explain that that's not what this is about for me. The reason women like me, I think, is because I don't threaten them. I realize Ruben's right, I probably could" - he pauses, blushes - "you know, but I respect women more than that." He wrinkles his brows and shakes his head, "I am extremely flattered that there are scores of women who are "in love" with me, but I think taking advantage of that is wrong" Besides, Aiken is a man who takes sex seriously, I was raised by my mother and grandmothers and a lot of what I am is because I wanted to be different from my birth father. He was a womanizer, when I go to visit him there would be a different woman there everytime and I thought that was really tacky. -------------------------------------------------------- When I suggested that there are not many young men who would forego voluntary, anonymous sex with beautiful ? girls. Aiken trucks? " if anything, women want to take care of me, being motherly I think that is partly the reason I sold a lot of records" The other part is that Aiken can wring the juice out of any song he sings. The vocal lovechild of Celion Dion and Freddie Mercury, he belongs to the grand tradition of powerful, high ? singers who own the money note. When you listen to Aiken, two things happen: You want to hear more and you want to sing along. It is also the upsurging? intensity of the sound mixed with the aw shucks innocence who is creating it. That dissonance is what first captured the judges' attention. "Where is that coming from" they repeatedly query, staring Aiken down, waiting for the true source to be revealed. He was a sweet southern mama's boy who sang like a big bad man. No wonder the panties are flying. Inside the Idol Bus It is 4 hours before show time and crowds are already forming at the Hartford Civic Center. Many of the fans hold cardboard signs with Clay's name written in big bubble letters. Other fans wear t-shirts printed with his photo. Once beneath the stadium, Aiken emerges from the van and brushes the remnants of his Burger King fries off his pants. "I prefer Wendy's but they aren't as popular up here." He then explains how much he misses sweet tea, fried chicken and all the other familiar ammenities this ? southerners long for when they ?? I have never left the state of NC before American Idol, he reveals. I knew what I was going to be doing when I was 50. I was going to teach, then get a masters and get married and get into administration and be a principal somewhere. Now I don't know what I am going to do next week. Even when Aiken talks, his voice is difficult to contain. The words rush out from his mouth in torrents, pitching and rising, quiet and loud. "I want to live in Raleigh but I know I can't. I tried to go to the ATM the one day I was home last year and people swarmed my car." I was like "people please, I just want to check my balance." Ironically, the only place I can live? is LA because people there just don't care. Just then, Studdard pulled up in a white Cadillac Escalade. He emerges in a white sweatsuit, his diiamond watch gleaming on his arm. He gives a friendly ?? to Aiken and ?? at his publicist. ? ?? "Don't look at me that way," she chides, patting his shoulder with a familiarity suggesting that this isn't the first time she passed a ? of annoyance. Aiken pulls me aside. He wants to show me the tour bus, something I was told was off limits to reporters. Aiken disagrees and confronts a tour manager. "Ned, you're a lying sack of crap. Don't lie to the lady in front of me." "I guess I forgot," Ned says sheepishly. "You didn't forget for squat. Now we're going to have to have a fight. That burns me up." Aiken turns to me and says through his teeth, "You know what? You are SO going on that bus." Aiken is nothing if not chivalrous. Considerate, Polite. He is the guy who asks you questions and actually listens to the answers. Even after ?/ question hours later, ??thereby proving he finds you more as a ?? and he notices things, like the empty Burger King fries that is lying at your feet on the floor of the van so he picks it up, or the air conditioner is too cold, he turns it down. It is this empathy and inherent graciousness that is evident at every press appearance and performance that leaves many to speculate that Aiken is gay. He has denied it. And even more women who say "who cares." "I don't think people know what to do with me", Aiken says, "I am interesting because they don't know what to do with me." The American Idol Bus is just like a nightclub. There are black leather lounge chairs, plasma tvs, marble floors and the ? alcohol- free minibar complete with privacy curtain. As we open the bus lounge door, Kimberly Locke, who came in third, lifts her head from the couch. "Clay!," she whines," I am having a crisis, I need you and I need you now." Aiken apologizes and steps inside the lounge and says "what is it honey?" then shuts the door. Outside the bus, the other Idol girls walk around in skinny jeans and mascara, alternately complaining and striking poses like they are on MTV. In time, Aiken emerges, apologizes again and sits down at the ? for a dinner of peanut butter and jelly and a glass of, yes, milk. He playfully pulls? a staff member for ?. Idol Kimberly Caldwell who ?? joins the table wearing a handwritten T-shirt that says "Quit staring, I'm her". While she picks apart a cinnamon bun, Aiken tries to articulate his agenda. "Am I going to turn into a diva or tries to make sure that I do something valuable with my influence" Caldwell chews and look far into the distance. "That's why I am starting a foundation for individuals with disabilities." The charity named The Bubel/Aiken Foundation is named for the woman who encouraged him to try out for the show. "I would be more than happy to do this for three years and have enough clout to make a difference, I don't need to win a grammy. Still for some people who who say I turned into a diva already." Caldwell laughs. Aiken proceeds to give an example for the last time he went to KFC. "It was half an hour before closing and they said they were out of chicken. It is KFC, how can you be out of chicken? Well I am sorry, I was probably crankier than I should have been. And I said, you don't have any chicken in the building somewhere? She said, "we have some wings (?) if you want." I said I don't want wings, I want chicken. She maintains that she doesn't have any so I say, 'you can't tell me that every morning, you go out and kill some chicken then make it fresh. I know you got chicken back there so why don't you go back in the kitchen and cook it up" Now the whole table was laughing. "The point is I would have said the same thing before American Idol but I wouldn't have been considered a diva. I just would have been considered myself". "Where did you learn to sing, Clay?" Caldwell asks, flipping her shoulder-length extensions behind her neck. "At church, like everybody else." "I learned at a bar," scoffs Caldwell, pushing back her chair and heading to makeup. Aiken looks around, lowers his voice and whispers "I'll bet she did." The Hartford show was sold out, 15,000 people came to watch the 9 touring (?) idols sing and dance. The set resembles a beauty pageant with dual staircases descending in a heart shape to center stage. There are three giant screens that simulcast the show. The tour's sponsored by Poptarts. Backstage, Aiken gets his hair ironed. He is wearing a dark suit and ?? Kenneth Cole shoes. Next to him, all the idols are piling on makeup and hairspray. Aiken rolls his eyes. "You know, Ruben and I were at the radio show Zootopia in a giant stadium and 60,000 people showed up. I just laugh because I don't get it. People will chase the bus and sometimes I laugh because you know, we probably aren't going to stop honey. From the makeup mirror, idol Julia Demato announces that she and Aiken have been dating for six months. Uproarious laughter all around. Aiken says, "You wish." "I do wish," she coos and kisses him on the cheek. Aiken smiles and wipes away the lipstick. "I think I'm probably not as innocent as I seem." "Have you ever done anything you regret?" "When I was fifteen before I got my license, my dad bought me a car and it was sitting in the yard so I took it out. I drove it all around the city. I got caught and they sold(?) the car. Okay, how about I am starting to regret this interview?" The show has started and it's Aiken's turn to sing. Kimberley Locke is on stage ?? but you can't hear her because of all the wooing? A look at the audience reveals that it is not a bunch of pre-teens but groups of women in their twenties and thirties who are ?? and raising their arms in anticipation. "We love you Clay!" ?? a platform from beneath the stage, Aiken is emerging like a mirage from a cloud of smoke with microphone in hand. "When the world was up side down, I could take all the time I had, but I am not gonna wait when a moment can vanish so fast, lift me up." By the time Aiken hits the second chorus, the screaming makes him all but inaudible. He gamely keeps singing but a smile slips through. It's clear he can't believe what is happening. ? loud gasp "This crowd is crazy." Aiken finishes his number and proceeds to introduce "Ruben Studdard, your American Idol." The crowd yells again but the enthusiasm is different, more appreciation than hysteria. Studdard is a terrific singer but Aiken has it all. Backstage, calm and happy, Aiken holds Locke's jacket while she ?? pants, tightening them up a little?? "This is my real life now," he says, dancing a little. "I am not going to change who I am, but I am concerned about how I handle myself. Will I be able to stay open and friendly?" His smile drops and he looks for a moment genuinely sad, but he smiles again. "You come back in five years, if I have become someone else, you can look me up and slap me in the face." Back in the van before the show and the fans and the shrieking ??, Aiken was stuck in traffic. He didn't complain, he just told stories. About how he was approached for the lead in Rent and Urinetown, about how he can't dance, about how Justin Guarini's smoothness kind of gives him the willies. Then he told stories about London where he recorded his album. "It was funny, the whole time I was there, I was recording all day and everything closes at six. So I sat in the hotel room all night. I was only recognized once when two south Africans who were still watching the show back home stopped me on the street. They said "who wins?" I said, "do you really want to know?" and they said "yes, yes, yes." So I said "ME" and then took off running down the street. Aiken laughs for a minute and then he exhales, " for one brief moment, I hadn't lost yet." posted by Yee 9:28 PM . . .
