LIVIN' HIS VIDA LOCA
It was probably a very cool thing for a while, living there, getting to
meet his own idols, and seeing other stars. We've
seen pictures of Clay rubbing elbows with everyone from Jessica Simpson
to Jerry Lewis. I am sure he felt like we do when we see him.
Those are things we all dream about, but what happens when something
like that becomes a reality? Is it worth it? The criticism that he
gets has got to hurt. How can that not? I don't think anyone can deal
with that for long, even Clay. You have to have a thick skin to deal
with all that Hollywood dishes out, and I feel that Clay doesn't have
one. Not thick enough when it comes from the insincerity of other
celebrities that he tries to befriend and finds out later were
insincere. I think he'd like us to believe he does, but in the end,
he's still that same average person like us who just wants to be loved
and accepted.
That is why he surrounds himself with people he knew and
trusted before American Idol. If they liked him then, they like
him now. If he was able to trust them then, he can trust them now. I
also believe Clay bought a multimillion dollar home because he
could, not because he planned on settling down with someone and
utilizing all six bedrooms in that mansion. It more than likely got
lonely after awhile,especially the times when he was home by himself.
How many times did Clay wander the mansion and not feel a
hollowness, a sense of discontent?
In a world where sex and drugs rule, it must be difficult at times
to resist temptation. After all, although many of us put Clay on a
pedestal, where he has said he never wants to be, he is still a normal
26 year old man. There are a lot of beautiful women in Hollywood. But
are they as beautiful on the inside? Maybe. Maybe not. But would they
be with him because they like him for himself? Who knows? On top of
that, every week, we hear of at least one celebrity checking into rehab
for some addiction, even people we never dreamed would succumb to things
like that. Or we hear of another celebrity getting pulled over for a
DUI. I don't think for one second that Clay has or would definitely
have indulged in those vices. I state this only because it is so
readily accessible, so accepted, and Clay is a human being like the rest
of us. There are interviews with singers and actors who paid a high
price for their fame, that the "pressure" got to them and that is why
they turned to drugs and alcohol. They all say it started so
"innocently", with one pill, or one drink so they weren't so nervous
performing.
To go on a talk show, or be ready to stand in front of ten thousand
screaming fans is definitely pressure. To do nightly
concerts, praying nothing goes wrong is also definitely pressure.
How does Clay handle it? How does he not "give in" to all the same
things other people in Hollywood do? I think it boils down to one
thing and one thing only Faith. Faith in God, and faith in himself. Faith that his mother loves
him enough not to let anything like that happen to him. I believe that
Faye would drag his behind back to North Carolina before she would allow
her son to fall prey to those things. Clay has faith that his good
friend Nick Leisey would never talk about him behind his back for money
then turn around and smile to his face. He has faith in himself and his
God-given talent, and he knows how to use that voice. The other thing
that is noticeable about Clay, especially in concert, is that he is
relaxed. Smooth. He doesn't clutch the microphone or mic stand and
hang on for dear life. He appears calm and relaxed. His hands glide
over the mic and stand, cradling them gently. I believe that Clay is the
one in a million performer who is comfortable with himself.
He can go out on stage, flub things, and laugh about it, and not freak
out. No doubt, he prays before each performance. Maybe by himself,
maybe with everyone. That , I believe, is how he gets through the
stressful times. That is what all the other celebrities probably don't
do but should. It's all laid back, and whatever happens, happens.
He puts it all in God's hands, goes on stage, and does his best.
On top of that, a person cannot go to someplace like Uganda and
come back unchanged. When you go to a poor nation and see starving
children living in something akin to a shack, it has to rattle a person.
When you hear about displaced young girls being violated in every way
every day, and young boys being taught to shoot to kill, including their
own family members, that is a life-changing event. We are talking
about mere babies made to do things that no one, not
even adults, should have to do or endure. Then to come back to the
United States, home to a mansion with six bedrooms, ten to one that was
Clay's wake up call. No doubt he took a look around and said \i
"what am I doing here??"
So, I just wanted to say that whatever his reasons for moving, or
doing anything that he has done thus far, this is one fan that
will support him no matter where he lives, what he sings, or what he
does. He does the best he can, and that's all any of us can ask of
him, and he does just that, doesn't he?
By: Shari