➤ AIKEN, from p.20
can’t do — and I said, “Let’s go do
it.” It was an opportunity to fi nally
come out of the house … I’ve been
vaccinated for quite a while now so
I’m getting back to life normally.
Do you know what you’ll be
singing at Calissa? What do you
love to sing?
Not song by song but I think a
memory lane through some of the
stuff I have recorded (that could
mean “The Way,” “Invisible,” “This
Is the Night”) and some of the stuff
I did on “Idol” probably (his classic
“Bridge Over Troubled Water” is a
sure bet).
If I’m being completely honest,
the truth is I always want to sing
Christmas stuff we laugh but in
a setting like this I really do love
the Andy Williams kind of Perry
Como, Johnny Matthis type stuff
— “It’s Impossible” — those types
of singers-songs that have always
been my favorite to sing, not that
I don’t like pop stuff but … there’s
something about those crooners
of the ’60s that I love so I imagine
there will be several of those.
Do you watch “Idol” and how
often are you in touch with Ruben?
I talk to Ruben at least every
week … We did the Broadway show
together in 2018 we toured together
in 2010 … I cannot think of many
people who I work better with.
I haven’t watched the show since
maybe Season fi ve … it’s a different
show and it’s geared to a very
young audience now … this year
is the 20th year of “Idol” and next
year will be 20 years since I did it.
After being competitors, why
do you think you and Ruben
stayed so close — what bonds
you?
We both love where we’re from
— we were so much more competitive
over Raleigh versus Birmingham,
or North Carolina barbecue
versus Alabama barbecue than we
ever were against each other … He
would have been happy to have let
me win “Idol” if he could prove that
Birmingham was better than Raleigh.
There was something about
that sort of little brotherly competition
that we had over our home
towns that sort of made us bond.
Plus I was a gay guy who didn’t
quite realize it yet and therefore
I looked like I always had all the
pretty girls around me. Ruben will
tell you this … he said, “Whoever
this boy is who can get all these
hot girls, I want to be his friend.”
He didn’t quite realize they were
my fruit fl ies…
You came out in 2008 when
your son was born — what was
the fear about?
I hadn’t told my family. I went
and told my grandmother a week
before the “People Magazine” issue
came out because I didn’t want
her to read it there — for the same
reason that I think every person
even still today has struggles. It’s a
very personal journey and I didn’t
really even discover that I was or
know and acknowledge that I was
until I was on “Idol.” I joke with
people all the time and say everyone
in America knew I was gay before
I did. we laugh
I was afraid to be out in 2004
and 2005. I was scared to death to
come out in 2008 and when I did
— honest to God — I don’t know if
I’ve ever admitted this publicly before.
I lost a whole sh-t ton of fans
when I came out. A lot. I went from
selling out a Broadway show — I
was in “Spamalot” and it was sold
every night I was in it — and then
I came out and they literally had
to close less than six months later.
I don’t think it was all because of
me, but I’ll tell you this, me being
out certainly didn’t help it.
I don’t consider that public journey
or the loss of the fans or any
of the stuff I guess a lot of people
would consider to be negative. I
am not a victim of anything and I
don’t want to be. I’m not one. I feel
like, “Who am I to complain about
anything?” … It’s a part of growing
into a better human to go through
trials and then get through them.
Are you seriously nervous
about performing at Calissa?
I’m very awkwardly introverted
in a lot of settings … I think this
might be the fi rst time I have really
done a ticketed-type public performance
with an audience that I
could see face to face. Holy crap!
Now I’m getting really nervous!
I’m going to have to be really
careful not to talk too much — it’s
two shows and they have to turn
those tables so I’ve got to restrict
myself. pauses I’ll fi gure it out by
the second show. laughs.
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