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2006-01-01
12:33 a.m.
New Year's Day 2006!
Happy New Year from Lecherous Broads for Clay Aiken!
It has become a LBFCA tradition for me to write a Main Page commemorating the past year, and extending New Year's wishes to Clay. Yes, it is one of our delusional traditions to pretend Clay would even read this....it's like suspending disbelief in a movie theater, it's fun!
This year, I again found myself providing links to, ohhh, about 95% of the LBFCA Main Pages from 2005...take your time and linger over those, or come back later for a little walk down memory lane, or, just skip them, cause you've read it all before. Erin keeps them all organized in our Archives. But, I just kept finding gem after gem to link to here. I couldn't stop myself once I got going. *ahem*
As I looked through a year�s worth of MPs, and the bazillion photos I have saved on my multiple hard drives, I asked myself, �what drought?� We really did have a year of abundance in 2005. No, Clay was not in the public eye as often as he�d been in 2004, but I still feel so incredibly lucky to be his fan. We got to see him singing, and talking, and dancing, and waving, and gardening, and teaching, and laughing, and giving. Just musically we got to see and hear Clay sing Elvis, rock, pop, bubble gum, soul, rhythm and blues, disco, jazz, do wop, carols, hymns and bluegrass! It really was a wonderful year.
Clay made several media appearances in November and December that we never featured on a MP...I'm bringing some photos from those events to this page, because I like to use the Main Pages as a sort of historical archive (ref: Nelle's control issues). Plus, I didn't think anyone reading would mind looking at more pictures of Clay ;-)
January 2005 started with Philanthropist Clay, first appearing in the Rose Parade representing Ronald McDonald House Charities:
Then, speaking on behalf of UNICEF in the Tsunami Relief Telethon:
Soon to be followed by a Cartoon Network PSA for Tsunami Relief on behalf of KidsHelpOut.org:
LBFCA celebrated MCWL being certified platinum, then got busy being our wacky selves, with pages like AI 4: Search for the Next Clay Aiken, Second Time Around, celebrating the anniversary of Clay's first ai2 appearance, and our "special" awards page, This Just In....
That first month of the year ended with a reminiscence and lament about waiting Five Weeks to see Clay...little did we know how much of 2005 we would be waiting. And waiting. Waiting. To. See. Clay.
Thinking Clay wasn't going to be on TV for awhile, LBFCA just made up TV stories featuring him...such as LOST,
and Iron Clay.
Then, when Clay was on TV, we made up our own version of events anyway...hey, in a recent timesunion.com interview, Clay himself said Some things are best left to the imagination. LBFCA is a breeding ground of fervent imaginations!
Pages "inspired" by Clay and TV include:
Greatest American, Part 1, and Part 2
The Insider Emmy Show: Clay Rocks the Red Carpet!
Clay or Not Clay, That is the Question...
The InsideOuter: JNT2005 Preview
But, Lecherous Broads don't even need TV to get those imaginative juices flowing. Just an idea, or a piece of Clack, or a blockbuster movie, or something Clay mentions in his Blog gets our imaginations revving:
LBFCA continued to write song and verse and prose about Clay and his various attractive attributes and activities.
We wrote about his feet
His ability to cause a Baby Boom just by being seen by women.
About looking forward to seeing him Tomorrow
About Clay's grabbable Hawaii Hair
Sandi borrowed Karl Menninger's words for Love Cures People...Both The Ones Who Receive It And The Ones Who Give It Away..."
Of course we wrote about Clay's VOICE and it's power for Musical Healing
We celebrated the Sisterhood of the Wicked Pants
During the Clack Drought of '05, some of us turned to other distractions to bide the time with Pindemonium: Not Supposed to Buy Pins Anymore
Clay woke up from his nap long enough to start his Blog at his O!Fficial Site!
Then, the O!Fficial site sent mail to members that required Waiting for Clay's Package
LBFCA had run a series of anniversary pages in 2004, commemorating Clay's various ai2 appearances. In 2005, we picked up a few we'd missed the first time around:
Somewhere Out There: Movie Night, March 18, 2003
I added to my TIE series, and plan to do so again in 2006.
Julie carried on her tradition of celebrating Halloween with humor, and Clay's birthday with spankin's
We kept up our tradition of entertaining Clay at the LBFCA Double-O Wild BEVR Ranch, with pages such as
Winter Retreat At The Double O
The Jukebox Tour was announced, and that got plenty of Broadly juices flowing:
Then, when it finally began, we were nearly at a loss for words! Jukebox Tour Arrives!
Plus, quite a few Broads quickly fell in love with Back for More...and I imagined Clay's special version for his Broads ;-) Hey, if you're gonna leave some things to the imagination, you might as well go full throttle.
Yes, JBT gave us plenty to, uhhhh, imagination over....uhh, about, ummm
Then, the Joyful Noise 2005 Tour began, and kinda shook things up around here....
Lecherous Angels for Clay Aiken
Clay, as usual, managed to be both angelic and sexy in the same show....Denver Flirt!
Shoot, I even found his quirky Angel Socks to be sexy. He wore his quirkiest (IMO) pair after that page posted:
As 2005 drew to a close, the JNT05 Clack was still rolling in
Plus, the extended introductions at the last show in Clearwater, along with a special encore of What Are You Doing New Year�s Eve, drew raves and tears and was a lovely reminder of what a generous, and snarky, kind hearted man Clay is.
After starting January with a burst of philanthropy, Clay kept it up throughout the year...(his "philanthropy," Broads! Focus!)...
The first images of UNICEF Ambassador Clay warranted a Voice and Totality of Goodness of Clay Aiken Day: UNICEF Ambassador Visits Indonesia page.
Even Katynka found she couldn't snark for long about Idol in Indonesia
Then, she waxed poetic with A Bigger Classroom
The day of the Florida BAF Gala, Caregiver Conference, and Best Buddies tree-planting, inspired The Voice and Totality of Goodness of Clay Aiken Day: One Day in Florida
But, Clay donating his Emmy outfit to the Clothes Off Our Back charitable auction sort of called out for a lecherous response, The Clothes Off His Back
A roller coaster week culminating in an appearance by Teacher!Clay! in his PURPLE sweater, was a catalyst for The Voice and Totality of Goodness of Clay Aiken Day: The Color Purple
But, even after all of those copious Main Pages all year, we still managed to miss some opportunities to feature Clay on the LBFCA Main Page....especially his appearances after the JNT started....
In November, Clay appeared on a Canadian show, The Standard, taped during the JBT, looking natural and giving a great interview about who he is, what success and failure mean to him, and what he hopes to accomplish. Oh...and what he'd look for in a woman.
Then, he showed up on Canadian Entertainment Tonight, looking yummy
and funny
When Clay was featured on The Insider Online, we got a glimpse of him teaching
On Dec. 5, Clay appeared up on The Early Show, first looking gorgeous bundled up in the cold
Then, luscious in his PURPLE sweater
Before killing us with a heartbreakingly beautiful rendition of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
On Dec. 8, Clay was featured on the Amazon.com Holiday A-List for Hurricane Relief campaign...but, some of his Broads couldn't quite figure out this outfit...hey, at least he's wearing a PURPLE plaid shirt...
Plus, we got another peak at Angel Socks...
And a through-the-camera kiss...
And, gulp, a nice gaze...
Then, on Dec. 9 Clay appeared on US TV in a show called Dear Santa
showing off his diamond cheekbones
and dazzling smile
and singing like nobody else on the planet
Dec. 17, Clay appeared on Good Morning America,
To sing Mary Did You Know
On Dec. 18, Clay's hometown newspaper, The News & Observer published an in depth interview. The online edition featured some nice photos
Bendy Clay:
For a slim man, Clay has a great belly laugh:
Awww...isn't Clay cute teaching Gregory, and, oh my, Clay's hair reflected in the mirror looks grabbable...
On Dec. 22, Raleigh's WRAL featured an interview with Clay
Yea...he had to show us he has yet another PURPLE sweater and PURPLE striped shirt
Not to mention those cheekbones
Then, Dec. 23, Entertainment Tonight provided another nice PURPLE sweater sighting
Plus those nearly nekkid feet...in Angel Socks
On Dec. 25, Good Morning America aired the clip of Clay singing a sublime My Grown Up Christmas List
Finally, as I'm writing this treatise, a photo emerged to top off the year:
Meanwhile, inside LBFCA, on our Purple Pages, the Broads carried on our daily, and nightly, lecherous convo. Sure, we had a few fights, a couple pink stilleto's were seen flying, familiar disagreements were aired, and an occasional voice was raised. But, most of the time, we just hummed along, happy in our warped lil corner of Clay Nation. (Or, at least tolerating each other!)
Some Broads left, others came, some seemed to have left, then would pop in unexpectedly, apparently having gone into deep lurkerdom. We suffered a real loss when MS Kathleen left this earth...I like to think she's lurking from her purple cloud. Others carried on carrying on. The Photo GB Broads brought photos. Broads brought news links and described good Clack. Broads came 'home' from seeing Clay!Live! and told their tales...on the PPs and/or on the BEVR Guestbooks. Jill brought her own brand of cellstream reporting: the Jillcert. This little tid bit is a bit of a brag about our jillcerts, for anyone not familiar with the Purple Pages. You ain't had a concert report till you've had a jillcert. She does with words what a poet does with....uhhh, words and rhyming...or, something. Anyway, here's a recent example:
Oh, and we missed Emmanuel, but we got the gift of the last "rejoice" just breathed into the air, like it belongs there, from the beginning of time. Gah.
But, besides meeting on the PPs, many Broads met in real life. At Clay concerts and other appearances. Or, gathered just to be together. To press the breastesses, and gab, and look at Clack, and gab, and laugh, and gab, and revel in the camraderie that has been found through sharing in the love and lechery of being a fan of Clay Aiken. Which brings me, finally, for anyone still reading, to my New Year's wishes for Clay.
In a recent St Petersburg Times Floridian interview, Clay is quoted as saying,
Oh, please Clay! You can't possibly believe THAT, after a life of singing, and nearly three years singing professionally. If that is just your lovable humble self speaking, I'll try not to whap you upside the head too hard. But, please listen. Listen to your fans...to how lives have been changed ... from listening to you and becoming your fan.
How ironic that a day after that Floridian interview appeared, a United Press International Consumer Health article went into detail about how many fans have been changed by your demonstration of caring and giving, with "numerous stories of how Aiken's example has changed their own behavior."
I found a post at The Clack House that better expresses my response to your contention that you "ain't changing anybody's life." Written by ananka1313, I bring a portion here, with her permission:
Well, except for the part about ignoring the discussions of your socks, I agree with her.
But, aside from touching people, and changing people's lives by your loving example, please, Clay, don't dismiss the intrinsic value of music. You�ve said you love to sing. Well, some of us love to listen! While I�ve read and heard reports from fans who felt some kind of healing or renewal from listening to you, I�ve also met dozens of women who had rich full lives before you came along. Listening to your voice doesn�t necessarily fill some void or heal some hurt. But, I think for some it does enrich a life that was already being abundantly enjoyed. And that�s a good thing.
If you won't listen to me, how about a few more knowledgeable folk...I found the following quotes at Thinkexist.com:
"Music is a higher revelation than philosophy."
"I adore art...when I am alone with my notes, my heart pounds and the tears stream from my eyes, and my emotion and my joys are too much to bear."
"Music is an agreeable harmony for the honor of God and the permissible delights of the soul."
OK, maybe that's an overstatement when I think about Living La Vida Loca...but, just having plain simple fun with/in response to music is good, too. Right?
Look what Dick Clark said:
Heh...remind you of a certain angel story?
But, I also found this quote there...and wonder if this strikes a familar chord:
"On stage, I make love to 25,000 different people, then I go home alone."
Whatever lonely road singing might be, Clay, please know that your voice, hearing you sing, can absolutely be a life-changing, life-affirming experience.
I hope you'll keep singing, for years and years and years and years. As a fan, I can only hope that's what you'll choose for yourself. I�ll follow your other creative and philanthropic endeavors, too, and am excited about what those might be. My fervent hope is that your music will be the soundtrack of the rest of my life.
Last year, on New Year's Day, 2005, I expressed hope you would get that nap you'd been talking about...well, dang it all, I hope you do again this year. Rest, that is. Maybe not for months at a time...I've found I'm really not all that altruistic where you are concerned! No, really...take as long as you need. Heh. As if it matters whether I say so or not.
Clay, I'll just wish you another year full of love, and music, and laughter, and joy, and growth, and challenge, and learning, and finding "home" again, and generosity, and teaching. May you get to do that which feeds your soul and tends your heart.
January 1, 2006 feels like an especially thrilling time in the life of a fan of Clay Aiken. Like being on the cusp of the next big thing. Your interview with the News and Observer ended with these comments:
"Where I Belong" fits.
"I kind of feel that's what the next Diane Sawyer interview would end up being -- that I'm finally figuring things out," he says. "After two and a half years, I'm finally getting my footing."
Sounds like we�re in for another wonderful year.
Bring it, Clay! I can hardly wait.
Nelle
Thanks to all of those who gathered and generously shared the Clack that made the images on this page possible
Thanks to Clay Aiken for everything!
*sigh*
(yes, of course I noticed he's wearing a PURPLE plaid shirt, and the sweater has a PURPLE stripe!)
Stubbly, dreamy singing Clay is a nice Christmas gift!
As is seeing Clay's sensuous fingers caress that mic stand
Shoot, now we're into Oh, Come. heh. And we lost the stream again. But I had a thought from those few notes. He really does have the ability to paint a picture, to make you think. How very odd it must have been for the world that night, if you think about it. Imagine, the sky lighting up with all these angels and stuff. Freakazoid time. I think I mighta been tempted to run and hide effen I was one of those shepherds. I know YMMV on the story and whatnot. But Clay sure can tell a story and make you question what you have heard a million times. I hark back to him singing Sugar Pie Honey Bunch, and just watching, mezmerized, his FINGERS. GAH. Made me feel longing in that song like I never felt before, always before it was just bubble gum fluff to me. Okay, we got the stream back, back on topic. : )
"I don't really see the benefits to anybody of what I'm doing right now," he adds. "Yeah, people like to listen but . . . I ain't changing anybody's life." "When you want to feel how much you have affected the lives of your fans, ignore the discussions on your socks and hair, skim past the advice on what you should do with your next CD (it will be out before the next presidential election, right?), and instead read the threads of those who have come alive to music again in their lives because of you. Read about those of us who are sick or disabled and have found joy in watching and hearing you, even if only in our precious "Clack" and for a moment and sometimes even longer we forget our pain. Read about those who have not had an outlet to be of service to others and through your inspiration have done so. Read about those of us who have found new and endearing friends among your wide-ranging fan base. Many of them are extremely deep and intelligent women with loving hearts who would literally do anything to make you happy. But most of all you are loved by so many. You have brought love into the lives of so many. Love the one commodity that cannot be bought. Love that which all humans strive toward in their own way. It is when we love that we are most alive and you have engendered that in many of us."
~Ludwig van Beethoven
~Giuseppe Verdi
~Johann Sebastian Bach
"Music is the soundtrack of your life."
~Janis Joplin
"People in my life are falling into the place they need to be, and I don't know if my career is necessarily, but at least how I control my life is finally getting to the place where I'm comfortable with it."
