The rumor mills all aflutter with word out on the new Nick Mitchell/Las Vegas revue that may see Taylor Hicks as one of the show's participants. Seems, Nick Mitchell will have two past Idol winners on board with him for his City That Never Sleeps Tour (made that up myself).
Over at It's All Grey we were having a small discussion about this Las Vegas show as well as considering what the Hell does "Whomp" REALLY mean? And, can you whomp in Vegas or should that be relegated to ....which circles me back around to, really, where the Hell does one whomp? Is there a whomp and why would one want to whomp?
Taylor Hicks has not issued any comment about this Nick Mitchell venture, in fact, Hicks, just about a week ago, talked about how he's planning to spend down time after his Teen Angel flight over with "Grease" just chillin' back and maybe cutting another album. I'm thinking if he's offered this four month project in Viva Las Vegas he'll postpone that chillin'. I mean you can rest when you're dead, right? Right. (But...can you whomp when you're dead...?)
This guy never made mention of 'whomp' but he sure did sparkle, King of the Shiny: Elvis, "Viva Las Vegas".
Viva Las Vegas
Yeah, "Whomp" on Soulman.
Teavana, fragrant, natural teas
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
Saturday, March 06, 2010
The Taylor Hicks Interview Drinking Game: Questions We've All Heard Before, Again
Taylor Hicks was interviewed by Kate McCaffrey regarding his current career prospects, past history and his on-going tour with "Grease". She praises Taylor Hicks' performance as the Teen Angel, saying, 'he put his heart and soul' into the show. Wait is she a member of the Soul Patrol?
Of course we've heard the term, "heart and soul" ad nauseum, directed at Mr. Hicks and hey, last week at Half Price Books, I saw a stack fifteen books high of his book, written with help by another writer, with similar title. And lest we forget, silly me, he has a song called, "Heart and Soul".
"Heart and Soul", Taylor Hicks, video taken on his 'Asian Tour' aka Shopping Mall Tour. Video courtesy of Gerry Alanguilan.
I'm hearing Las Vegas lounge act, especially at the ending. Interesting in Ms. McCaffrey's interview she refers to the Asian shopping malls as "Asian arenas" I must have lost something in the translation between 'mall' and 'arena' or I've been shopping at the StoneBriar Arena in Frisco... all this time. Who knew?
Ms. McCaffrey's piece opens with, "From Alabama bars to Asian arenas, mall Easter Bunny to Broadway, unknown to mocking "Saturday Night Live" skits,"
Wait, 'unknown to mocking Saturday Live Night skits' Shouldn't that read, 'known to have been mocked in Saturday Night Live skits', since he was during the show... ?
..."Taylor Hicks, that gray-haired, harmonica player of fickle "American Idol" fame, has had an unlikely ride."
Nothing like a nice trite introduction to get the interest fanned, especially the 'ride' part. No I've never heard 'ride' used to describe the course of one's life or career path, never. Well, at least she avoided the word, 'journey'. Too, in her third paragraph she refers to Gram Parsons, spells it correctly unlike that MTV hack, eliminating my need to rant as I previously did about the difference between Gram the musician and sweet crackers.
If we were playing the Taylor Hicks Interview Drinking Game devised at It's All Grey we'd be hammered soundly by the end of this one.
Example, first question, asked 9,900,900,900 times: " How many days out of the year are you on the road?" (that's worth a shot) That opens up the floor for Hicks to say, "Let's not talk days, let's talk years." (that's worth a beer)
Next question, "How does that affect your songwriting? blah, blah, blah," (that's another shot)
Hick's answer, "You have to be disciplined. You have to just, you know, find that creative outlet. And, to a certain degree, I've had a blast building the character of Teen Angel and the role. Thinking of things that could work and you know, just having the discipline to have a creative outlet." I'm thinking, 'darn he left out the Muse part' which would have been two shots...
His response was something similar to the rhetoric we hear from politicians on the campaign trail. Taking say, the border issue, and the manner in which Hicks answered that previous interview question, let's pretend we've asked Mr. Hicks his view on the Texas borders; likely we'd hear something like, "Borders, yes, the borders, isn't the Texas Valley beautiful in the Spring time? Have you ever had fresh grapefruit right off the trees? Incredible."
Evasive answer equals slamming two shots.
Kate then asks Mr. Hicks, "Performing in a musical like "Grease," does it take a different kind of discipline and stamina than performing with a band?"
Now considering this question's only been asked 900,900 times we can pass on it... but Taylor's response, "I spent two years of performing music for an hour and 45 minutes five nights a week.' earns us half a beer.
I'm feeling a little on the happy side at this point.
Question, "If five years ago, before you won "American Idol", if someone told you you'd be touring with "Grease", what would you have said?"
I took some editing liberties and moved the commas around a bit to make it more correct, but this answer gives us a full to the brim shot of Jack Daniels.
Skipping down a bit we come to the most asked question in the history of Taylor Hicks since "American Idol", "When were you the Easter Bunny?" Yes The Easter Bunny question, it's hugely worthy of a shot AND a beer.
Then the, "Will you do more in the future?", question regarding whether Hicks will or would become a serial Broadway musical actor, we get another beer.
The eternal, is there another album in future plan question, "Music wise, do you have anything new in the works?" (Two shots.)
And the answer worth a shot and another beer, "I do actually. I'm planning on working on a record during the Summer of this year. And hopefully releasing it soon." Meaning, he's not actually got anything working yet, but since you asked yes of course he's going to get around, one day to putting out more music. Of course.
Hiccup.
I must give Ms. McCaffrey props on coming up with a novel way to approach the 'lessons learned from time of American Idol' question so we'll pass on a drink here. That said, Taylor's answer, "To stay in the business, you know, work and tour as much as you can. ... Make sure you tour. That's the thing. You have to be out there and tour and be with the people. People want to know that you're tangible." "Tangible"? Okay, pass on the beverages again...
Then the last question from the interviewer, "So some people would say that participating in "American Idol" discredits musicians and their work. Do you think people take your music less seriously than they would have maybe had you not won "American Idol"?"
Hicks final response, "Um ... yeah, I think ... it does. ... The thing that I was always taught by older musicians is not how you get there, it's if you get there. And I think when you get there is ... the most important part is what you do with it when you get there. Does that make sense? And I think any way that you can get there is the way that you should get there. I think ... you gotta find a way to expose yourself. You can't just sit in your house and be a great musician. You have to get out there."
So, let's see, Yes, No, Yes, Maybe, just get there and who cares?
And for my sitting here dissecting this interview and actually writing about it, let's just finish the bottle. Cheers.
Of course we've heard the term, "heart and soul" ad nauseum, directed at Mr. Hicks and hey, last week at Half Price Books, I saw a stack fifteen books high of his book, written with help by another writer, with similar title. And lest we forget, silly me, he has a song called, "Heart and Soul".
"Heart and Soul", Taylor Hicks, video taken on his 'Asian Tour' aka Shopping Mall Tour. Video courtesy of Gerry Alanguilan.
I'm hearing Las Vegas lounge act, especially at the ending. Interesting in Ms. McCaffrey's interview she refers to the Asian shopping malls as "Asian arenas" I must have lost something in the translation between 'mall' and 'arena' or I've been shopping at the StoneBriar Arena in Frisco... all this time. Who knew?
Ms. McCaffrey's piece opens with, "From Alabama bars to Asian arenas, mall Easter Bunny to Broadway, unknown to mocking "Saturday Night Live" skits,"
Wait, 'unknown to mocking Saturday Live Night skits' Shouldn't that read, 'known to have been mocked in Saturday Night Live skits', since he was during the show... ?
..."Taylor Hicks, that gray-haired, harmonica player of fickle "American Idol" fame, has had an unlikely ride."
Nothing like a nice trite introduction to get the interest fanned, especially the 'ride' part. No I've never heard 'ride' used to describe the course of one's life or career path, never. Well, at least she avoided the word, 'journey'. Too, in her third paragraph she refers to Gram Parsons, spells it correctly unlike that MTV hack, eliminating my need to rant as I previously did about the difference between Gram the musician and sweet crackers.
If we were playing the Taylor Hicks Interview Drinking Game devised at It's All Grey we'd be hammered soundly by the end of this one.
Example, first question, asked 9,900,900,900 times: " How many days out of the year are you on the road?" (that's worth a shot) That opens up the floor for Hicks to say, "Let's not talk days, let's talk years." (that's worth a beer)
Next question, "How does that affect your songwriting? blah, blah, blah," (that's another shot)
Hick's answer, "You have to be disciplined. You have to just, you know, find that creative outlet. And, to a certain degree, I've had a blast building the character of Teen Angel and the role. Thinking of things that could work and you know, just having the discipline to have a creative outlet." I'm thinking, 'darn he left out the Muse part' which would have been two shots...
His response was something similar to the rhetoric we hear from politicians on the campaign trail. Taking say, the border issue, and the manner in which Hicks answered that previous interview question, let's pretend we've asked Mr. Hicks his view on the Texas borders; likely we'd hear something like, "Borders, yes, the borders, isn't the Texas Valley beautiful in the Spring time? Have you ever had fresh grapefruit right off the trees? Incredible."
Evasive answer equals slamming two shots.
Kate then asks Mr. Hicks, "Performing in a musical like "Grease," does it take a different kind of discipline and stamina than performing with a band?"
Now considering this question's only been asked 900,900 times we can pass on it... but Taylor's response, "I spent two years of performing music for an hour and 45 minutes five nights a week.' earns us half a beer.
I'm feeling a little on the happy side at this point.
Question, "If five years ago, before you won "American Idol", if someone told you you'd be touring with "Grease", what would you have said?"
I took some editing liberties and moved the commas around a bit to make it more correct, but this answer gives us a full to the brim shot of Jack Daniels.
Skipping down a bit we come to the most asked question in the history of Taylor Hicks since "American Idol", "When were you the Easter Bunny?" Yes The Easter Bunny question, it's hugely worthy of a shot AND a beer.
Then the, "Will you do more in the future?", question regarding whether Hicks will or would become a serial Broadway musical actor, we get another beer.
The eternal, is there another album in future plan question, "Music wise, do you have anything new in the works?" (Two shots.)
And the answer worth a shot and another beer, "I do actually. I'm planning on working on a record during the Summer of this year. And hopefully releasing it soon." Meaning, he's not actually got anything working yet, but since you asked yes of course he's going to get around, one day to putting out more music. Of course.
Hiccup.
I must give Ms. McCaffrey props on coming up with a novel way to approach the 'lessons learned from time of American Idol' question so we'll pass on a drink here. That said, Taylor's answer, "To stay in the business, you know, work and tour as much as you can. ... Make sure you tour. That's the thing. You have to be out there and tour and be with the people. People want to know that you're tangible." "Tangible"? Okay, pass on the beverages again...
Then the last question from the interviewer, "So some people would say that participating in "American Idol" discredits musicians and their work. Do you think people take your music less seriously than they would have maybe had you not won "American Idol"?"
Hicks final response, "Um ... yeah, I think ... it does. ... The thing that I was always taught by older musicians is not how you get there, it's if you get there. And I think when you get there is ... the most important part is what you do with it when you get there. Does that make sense? And I think any way that you can get there is the way that you should get there. I think ... you gotta find a way to expose yourself. You can't just sit in your house and be a great musician. You have to get out there."
So, let's see, Yes, No, Yes, Maybe, just get there and who cares?
And for my sitting here dissecting this interview and actually writing about it, let's just finish the bottle. Cheers.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Taylor Hicks Nings the Soul Patrol
Taylor Hicks gives the Soul Patrol - and those other fans some face time. Face time via a live webcast, chat allowing the fans to ask him questions hoping for a real answer or two. Hoping the key as while he did answer a few odd questions, for the most part fans left still questioning.
I missed the original webcast as was out doing what I do in the Big Real, but many fans had time to tune in.
I've read several folks talking about Taylor Hicks' lip smacking while he webcasts. My Pops does the same thing when he speaks, it's a nervous habit of sorts that occurs when Pops is in a social situation with folks he's not familiar.
That said, for anyone critiquing Mr. Hicks' webcast form on his Ning site, let's talk participants' questions. Seriously folks, it's been snowing buckets, hell, truckloads throughout the Northeast and Eastern U.S. How in Hell can the man golf in snow? Oh wait, perhaps like this:
Then there was the posing in PlayGirl question. C'Mon people, can you really imagine Taylor Hicks sitting about like this?
Seriously? Hilarious and, well, let's not...
Taylor Hicks was in his usual rather cagey form, not letting out anything about plans that he may have for the future after "Grease". He's talked about one of his songs off The Distance, "Maybe You Should" being destined for recording by a mystery artist - for months. Thing is, on the ning-cast he sounds as if well, perhaps it's not already a done deal, that several folks might be interested, or perhaps his 'people' are simply still shopping out the song. Or perhaps he'd just like someone to do the tune and no one has actually stepped forward to sign on the line.
I'm speculating that if he had someone with an already established name take that tune, which by the way, one of the good ones off The Distance; he'd make more off of it than if he released it. Too if he did try to release it himself, the song did not get play on the radio - no one would pick it up and the tune a bit wasted regarding potential. It's simple math and common sense.
Maybe You Should
Oh and another thing, I've decided to reopen IDOL BLUES.
I missed the original webcast as was out doing what I do in the Big Real, but many fans had time to tune in.
I've read several folks talking about Taylor Hicks' lip smacking while he webcasts. My Pops does the same thing when he speaks, it's a nervous habit of sorts that occurs when Pops is in a social situation with folks he's not familiar.
That said, for anyone critiquing Mr. Hicks' webcast form on his Ning site, let's talk participants' questions. Seriously folks, it's been snowing buckets, hell, truckloads throughout the Northeast and Eastern U.S. How in Hell can the man golf in snow? Oh wait, perhaps like this:
Then there was the posing in PlayGirl question. C'Mon people, can you really imagine Taylor Hicks sitting about like this?
Seriously? Hilarious and, well, let's not...
Taylor Hicks was in his usual rather cagey form, not letting out anything about plans that he may have for the future after "Grease". He's talked about one of his songs off The Distance, "Maybe You Should" being destined for recording by a mystery artist - for months. Thing is, on the ning-cast he sounds as if well, perhaps it's not already a done deal, that several folks might be interested, or perhaps his 'people' are simply still shopping out the song. Or perhaps he'd just like someone to do the tune and no one has actually stepped forward to sign on the line.
I'm speculating that if he had someone with an already established name take that tune, which by the way, one of the good ones off The Distance; he'd make more off of it than if he released it. Too if he did try to release it himself, the song did not get play on the radio - no one would pick it up and the tune a bit wasted regarding potential. It's simple math and common sense.
Maybe You Should
Oh and another thing, I've decided to reopen IDOL BLUES.
Saturday, January 02, 2010
Taylor Hicks (Not New) DVD Pre-Sale Via Amazon.com
Taylor Hicks' long promised DVD, "Whomp at the Warfield" that was filmed in San Francisco's famed Warfield Theater is up for pre-sale on Amazon.com - again. 
"Whomp at the Warfield" has experienced several misfires in actually hitting the sales market in its storied past; previous promises have ended in frustration for fans declaring interest in purchasing this DVD. I recall, just last year, February,the disappointment expressed by many in the on-line community when once again the fabled concert footage was dangled on amazon.com only to get removed with just the explanation: "This item has been discontinued by the manufacturer".
I don't recall any reasons for the removal of the DVD from the amazon.com sales racks except that perhaps sales were not what they might have been desired. Speculation ranged from the fact that "Whomp at the Warfield" was initially viewed on the HDNet Concert Series back in October of 2007 and folks who watched it perhaps taped it.
Considering that footage was viewed almost two years previous from that February 2009 pull-date, I find that particular argument hard to swallow. Too, if you're one of the folks who recorded it on your TIVO or whatever device you may have for that sort of thing, many fans should realize that for the most part, DVDs come with those extra touches such as 'making of' and 'behind the scenes' footage.
Now I have a slight beef with the article tidbit posted in ainow.org promoting "Whomp at the Warfield" as reading slightly deceptively. Granted this DVD might seem 'new' to anyone who has not ridden the Soul Patrol choo-choo since 2006, but for those who had stepped aboard and still hanging in the passenger compartments or for many who have opted instead to sit in the scenery viewing dome cars know this DVD nor the footage involved not 'new'. I guess though, you could argue that "Whomp at the Warfield" being called, "new" could be somewhat comparable to purchasing a nice used car, that car is NEW to you.
Anyway, this time, I hope for the sake of those fans still riding aboard the Soul Patrol Express, that come this February, 2010, the fans are not disappointed reading, once again, "This item has been discontinued by the manufacturer". To pre-purchase this DVD, show your support for the man many attribute to being the engineer of the Soul Patrol train, visit amazon.com to reserve your copy. At least while they're still on sale.
"Whomp at the Warfield" has experienced several misfires in actually hitting the sales market in its storied past; previous promises have ended in frustration for fans declaring interest in purchasing this DVD. I recall, just last year, February,the disappointment expressed by many in the on-line community when once again the fabled concert footage was dangled on amazon.com only to get removed with just the explanation: "This item has been discontinued by the manufacturer".
I don't recall any reasons for the removal of the DVD from the amazon.com sales racks except that perhaps sales were not what they might have been desired. Speculation ranged from the fact that "Whomp at the Warfield" was initially viewed on the HDNet Concert Series back in October of 2007 and folks who watched it perhaps taped it.
Considering that footage was viewed almost two years previous from that February 2009 pull-date, I find that particular argument hard to swallow. Too, if you're one of the folks who recorded it on your TIVO or whatever device you may have for that sort of thing, many fans should realize that for the most part, DVDs come with those extra touches such as 'making of' and 'behind the scenes' footage.
Now I have a slight beef with the article tidbit posted in ainow.org promoting "Whomp at the Warfield" as reading slightly deceptively. Granted this DVD might seem 'new' to anyone who has not ridden the Soul Patrol choo-choo since 2006, but for those who had stepped aboard and still hanging in the passenger compartments or for many who have opted instead to sit in the scenery viewing dome cars know this DVD nor the footage involved not 'new'. I guess though, you could argue that "Whomp at the Warfield" being called, "new" could be somewhat comparable to purchasing a nice used car, that car is NEW to you.
Anyway, this time, I hope for the sake of those fans still riding aboard the Soul Patrol Express, that come this February, 2010, the fans are not disappointed reading, once again, "This item has been discontinued by the manufacturer". To pre-purchase this DVD, show your support for the man many attribute to being the engineer of the Soul Patrol train, visit amazon.com to reserve your copy. At least while they're still on sale.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
IDOL BLUES to Close Shop
Taylor Hicks I will bid thee farewell. Not in real life of course, rather on this blog. I am proud that this was one of the first blogs put together to focus on Hicks during his 2006 bid and win for the reality show, American Idol crown. Albeit put together by someone with quite limited experience on the web or with blogging or putting up a website...
And really it's not that momentus or stunning news considering the few posts that have been created here this year. It's just time to end this, move on with my other projects. I am still puttering around with an anniversary edition post to give this blog its final send off. It should be a good one.
Taylor Hicks 'Good-Bye' c/o soulindiane
And really it's not that momentus or stunning news considering the few posts that have been created here this year. It's just time to end this, move on with my other projects. I am still puttering around with an anniversary edition post to give this blog its final send off. It should be a good one.
Taylor Hicks 'Good-Bye' c/o soulindiane
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