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 |  Subject: The Chaparral Interview of Adam (Thank Goodness tt the Interviews are getting better!) Tue 21 Jul 2009, 4:37 am | |
| Backstage Pass: American Idol Season 8 - Part Two
Anna Altheide
Issue date: 5/11/09 Section: Campus News
For the second year, The Chaparral gained exclusive backstage access to the July 18 American Idol Live! concert tour in San Diego. We had the opportunity to sit down and interview season 8 contestants Michael Sarver, Anoop Desai, Scott Macintyre, Allison Ireheta, and Adam Lambert. Over the next few days, we will be posting several interviews to whet your Idol appetite, so watch this space!
To start, here is a man who needs no introduction, Adam Lambert. Lambert, 27, was raised in North San Diego and has lived in Los Angeles for the last eight years. Before Idol, he was an understudy in the Los Angeles production of "Wicked." He audititioned in San Diego with "Bohemian Rhapsody" and had people first talking with his unique version of "Ring of Fire." He made it to the number two spot on American Idol, and since the show, he has graced the cover of Rolling Stone and been featured as "Artist of the Year" at the Young Hollywood Awards. Here's what he had to tell us.
Editor's note: Specific comments by Idol contestants and individual reporters do not necessarily reflect the overall agenda of the entire Chaparral stuff. Any overly inflammatory comments will be deleted.
ADAM LAMBERT
The Chaparral: How’s the tour been going?
Adam Lambert: It’s good, it’s good. I’m exhausted, but… umm…
TC: You don’t look exhausted.
AL: Well, you know, make up does wonders! [laughs]
TC: Doesn’t it?
AL: Yeah! No, it’s been great. The audiences have been so positive and supportive. They have so much love and signs. It makes it all worth it. No matter how tired you are, you get on stage and all that energy charges you.
TC: What’s it like to come back to San Diego, your home town?
AL: Good! I’ve always dreamed of performing in the sports arena. I’ve never been able to do it, so it’s definitely like a full-circle moment for me.
TC: Have you ever been to a concert here before?
AL: I believe I came to see Paula Abdul here. This is where we were.
TC: Wow, it’s all come full-circle then.
AL: It’s crazy.
TC: Awesome. How’s it been on the tour bus with all the guys?
AL: It’s good, it’s a bit crowded, but it’s really fun. I mean, it’s definitely gotten us closer together. Lots of inside jokes and we tease each other a lot, which is great, like brothers. It’s cool, it’s bringing everyone closer, and it’s important—considering how much we’re going to be together the next couple of months—to figure out how to really live with each other. It’s a good experience.
TC: How’s the album progress going on the road? How much time do you actually get to dedicate to it?
AL: Well, I mean, it’s not a lot of time. I recorded the other day right before the L.A. concert. I had a day off, and I recorded. It’ll be a couple writing sessions on a couple days off, some recording here and there. And then we’re going to pick it up more heavily, I think, after the tour is over for about three weeks following.
TC: I look forward to that. So what is the CD is the soundtrack of your life that you can’t put down?
AL: I love Goldfrapp. They’re a group I’m really, really fond of. They’re a British group, her and her husband. They have up-tempo and down-tempo music and a handful of albums. But I have a playlist of all their down-tempo stuff on my iPod and it is the most relaxing music I know of. When I’m really stressed out or when I can’t sleep, I listen to that playlist and I’m out like a light. It’s the most relaxing music.
TC: And what gets you charged?
AL: Well, a lot of their up-tempo stuff actually, but I don’t know, I have playlists that I put together, whatever I feel.
TC: Has there been a craziest fan moment on the tour so far?
AL: There’re a lot of them. [laughs]
TC: Good ones? [laughs]
AL: It’s good crazy. It’s crazy and it’s overwhelming and some of them are a little over-zealous. But it’s all with love, I recognize that. It means a lot. Just sometimes I want to go, “Okay, you don’t have to scream! I gotta save my ears! I’m right here!”
TC: “I’m only human!”
AL: “Yeah, come on, come on, it’s just me!”
TC: What do you do about… the hate, which I don’t want to bring up, but...
AL: Oh yeah, yeah. I’ve been hearing about that. Yeah, there were some protestors in San Jose. I guess the Westboro Baptist Church is planning on picketing a bunch of the concerts because of American Idol’s “fag infestation.” Well, I guess they like to put on their signs, “God Hates Fags,” but I think God hates hate more.
TC: Amen. [high fives]
AL: I kind of think there’s probably a better way of spending their energy. Probably doing some good would be better, promoting positive causes, helping the homeless…
TC: Hugging someone.
AL: Yeah. Spreading some love, I think, would probably be more beneficial than hate, you know? But I ignore it. I say everyone’s entitled to their opinion!
TC: A change is gonna come.
AL: [laughs] I agree, I agree.
TC: Pet peeves?
AL: That kind of crap. That’s a pet peeve. No, in a related thing to that, it’s been interesting—because I’m Jewish. [laughs] And clearly gay. And I get a lot fan mail and gifts that are trying to express Christian ideals and Bible scriptures. It’s awkward because that’s not my belief system. I respect people for the intention in which they’re giving these gifts, because I know it’s out love and hope, but it doesn’t match my belief system at all, so I kind of wish there’d be a little bit more respect for that.
TC: The way I see it: music and spirituality, they can be intertwined, but when they start to contradict each other or people start to lose the meaning behind the music…
AL: Yeah! I mean, my music is just for entertainment value, I’m not trying to preach to anybody, I’m not trying to spread any agenda, I’m just trying to get people up and dancing and feeling good. There’s nothing controversial about that.
TC: It’s just fun.
AL: Yeah, it’s fun. It’s fun and it’s sexy. And if sexy scares you, don’t listen to my music.
TC: I want to talk to you about your Twitter. There’s been a lot of drama with that.
AL: Yep. I still don’t have it under my control. We’re working on it.
TC: Now I thought for a second that you logged back into your account and that it was going okay. Did they change your password again?
AL: I didn’t. That was… I haven’t. This person is…
TC: What are you gonna do?
AL: What are you gonna do. I mean, this person is obviously really interested in pretending to be me. [laughs] Good for him, I don’t know.
TC: It’s a little sad though.
AL: [laughs] Yeah.
TC: Now, I want to talk about the bromance a little bit with Kris. Got to admit, I like the Kradam. I think you guys are great friends. My question is, when did you first meet Kris and when did you guys first hit it off?
AL: Well, we were in the same top 36 group together, because there were three groups of 36. And him and Allison and I made it through together from that group, so the next morning we did a press junket at, like, four in the morning, all three of us together. And that’s a bonding thing, being up so early, having been the only three that made it out of the twelve. We were like, all right. It was cool. We got to know each other really well. And then a couple of days went by, we all went out of town. I stayed at the hotel because I was in L.A. anyway, and my first roommate left. Kris came knocking on the door and he was like, “Oh, I’m your roommate now.” So we ended up just having to share a space together and we just got to know each other.
TC: Doesn’t hurt that he’s cute.
AL: [laughs] Right? He’s the nicest guy. He’s great. And his wife is a sweetheart. They’re adorable together, so cute.
TC: Does it ever just make you nauseous though?
AL: No, I think they’re adorable. I love it, it’s inspiring.
TC: I agree. What’s the craziest fan gift you’ve received?
AL: Craziest fan gift… I got like a four foot tall inflatable kangaroo with a puffy, painted “I love Adam!” shirt on it.
TC: What do you do with that kind of stuff?
AL: Yeah, I folded it up and I sent it home!
TC: Well, what’s a message you’d like to pass on to your fans before we close?
AL: Thank you all for your support. I’m glad that you love the music, that’s what it’s about. Thank you for rocking the eyeliner and the black nail polish. Thanks for all the drawings and love and glitter. I don’t know, it’s awesome!
TC: Thank you so much.
AL: Thank you. It was nice meeting you.http://media.www.thechaparral.com/media/storage/paper570/news/2009/05/11/CampusNews/Backstage.Pass.American.Idol.Season.8.Part.Two-3752265.shtml | |
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