Before he closed his doors, Gray Charles had been working on obtaining an interview with Taylor Hicks. Guess who called him on Friday? Yep. Taylor Hicks Interview Part 1.
UPDATE: Gray Charles Taylor Hicks Interview Part 2 and Part 3 are up. There’s more coming…
I just read Parts 2 and 3. Gray spoke with Taylor for 90 minutes and Taylor’s answers were very candid. Don’t miss it!
Choice quotes:
- About the energy level of the show, “The reason that energy level is there is because they are incorporating the competition into the music. The stakes are higher than at any other concert regardless of the bands talent or energy level. I’d say its music meets college football. It’s Auburn vs. Alabama with guitars and keyboards and drums.
- About bringing artists like Ray LaMontagne (“Trouble”) to a wider audience, “I’m such a lucky person, I don’t know what you call it to be honest. My whole goal is to let people see about that music that’s real and not to let it slip. Before Idol I had a really small capacity to do that but now I can do that on a worldwide stage – it’s great!”
- Nigel hated “Trouble”, “Nigel and Simon don’t know crap about American music. They’ve been submersed in pop culture for so long that they only care about what sells.”
Tidbits from Part 4
- About the upcoming AI Tour, “There will be a live band, some reports early on were suggesting that all the music would be recorded, Taylor was surprised to hear that. He considers the band pretty hot and says ‘Don’t mess with the drummer or the bass player.’ Taylor says that he’ll be doing some raw and edgy covers – not necessarily stuff he played on the show, and he thinks people will be excited. Other than specifics what he can share is that the sound of his music on the show is his own.”
- On why TPTB are letting him run the show, “‘Because I can. I’m not going into this to try and sound sh*tty or let that happen. I’ve gone in busting, I’m serious about that music, you can’t argue with work. They know that I’m a serious musician who worked his ass off to get here. You don’t screw with the musicality of someone who you know is competent. They’re not idiots either. They never had somebody get into the game like this and use it for what it was to be used for. All the other kids come in and sing their songs, I come in and do six or seven songs and it’s different. The band and the producers are siding with me musically.'”
Part 5 is up
Part 6 is up
- Was Taylor really at the end of his rope when he auditioned for Idol?, “I really was at the end of my rope, It was my last straw. I wavered on setting the age limit for my own success for years. I told myself I needed to “make” it before I was thirty one, then thirty four, then thirty two. I would throw those numbers around and say that that’s when I needed to stop. If I’m not reliably making a couple of hundred bucks a week by the time . It’s a tough damn way to live, a tough road, you have to fight with your own emotions and you still have to play and make someone else feel good at the same time. You’re playing to all these people and make them happy and you have to figure that I’m going home tonight and I’ll have to worry about where my next paycheck is coming from?”
- Did Taylor ever change anything based on feedback from Simon?, “Nope, never.”
Part 7 is up
- Taylor talks about his album, “‘I think it’s going to be really amazing, ‘ Taylor says, ‘some great folks have stepped up and said that they’d like to work with me on this. Some really amazing collaborations are in the works, a few aren’t solid yet so I’m not ready to talk about them. I’ve been so out in the open for so many months that I’d like to keep some secrets here, I’d like people to be surprised. It’s going to be my music done the way I want to do it but within that framework I’m open to anything…I’m writing songs, I’ve got some great ideas. It’s still in the early stages but I’m really satisfied with the direction things are going right now. I’m looking forward to being the artist, the guy who writes the music, the guy who collaborates with others, plays, writes and performs. I want to be that guy. Open up your eyes, open up your ears, that’s my goal as a musician.’”
- About American Idol, “If it wasn’t for American Idol opening up their cameras I wouldn’t be talking to you. The show is powerful, it is dancing with the devil but it can also create positive reinforcements for society. The show features real music, music that can be appreciated across generations, music that mothers and daughters can agree on. It showcases music and performers that can bring families together. It’s a music lesson, wildly popular and wildly positive…I’m VERY grateful to have been given this opportunity. I can teach kids about music.”
These are just tidbits, folks. If you haven’t already, check out the entire series of articles…