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By rascal
I am thrilled for David that he will get an opportunity to broaden his horizons, but the two things I really like about the McFly tour are the clear indication that David’s management is not as narrow-minded and unimaginative as previous decisions might indicate, and the sheer showmanship of McFly as a terrific master class for David’s stage skills–not hoping for anything from David remotely like what the McFly boys do (that’s just ridiculous and creepy), but it’s an area where David has some room to evolve, and I suspect he will benefit handsomely from regular proximity to a bunch of rabble-rousing, freewheeling performers.
Although I remain deeply disappointed that money is winning every argument in decisions about the U.S. market, saddling David with image risks and compromises that could take years to undo, the international leg of his ‘09 tour is likely to have more of a positive impact on his image here than it might otherwise have, say, a decade ago, all because of our beloved Internet. News is fast and global, now, especially in entertainment, and the fact that David is touring with a band that has been favored on some of the smartest sites this side of Gawker–particularly and especially on gay sites (gay opinion is a powerful driver of what’s cool in the young-adult opinion-maker markets; I’ve said before that David would be wise to cultivate his appeal there)–is good news indeed.
I would still like to see more imagination in PR and marketing stateside. I’ve been asked a number of times to share my views on possible solutions, rather than just constantly playing Casandra, so, here goes. Music marketing is not my specialty, there are much more experienced folks than me to turn to on this, but off the top of my head, here are just a few ideas:
Surprise cameos at smart gigs. I am clueless as to who exactly these smart gigs would be, but I’m talking about up-and-coming performers, singer-songwriters, small combos, who are cultivating young adult audiences with a clear predilection for authentic, skilled, interesting music. The point of this is not to gain wide appeal or to sell albums but to generate buzz in the right quarters and seed the alternative press and blogosphere with a clear message that David Archuleta intends to be taken seriously as an artist and not just an American Idol alumnus with records to sell. Let David pick the gigs and a few acoustic songs. These smart, hipster audiences will be gleefully shocked at how impressed they are with him.
Surprise cameos on cool shows. The quickest and best way for David to become cool without sacrificing one iota of his already fabled conservatism is by making fun of himself. Appear suddenly in a skit on Saturday Night Live as a Boy Scout in the middle of a tawdry backstage party. This kind of thing writes itself. It’s easy. It’s hilarious. And it will confer upon David instant cool cred.
Artistic photography in fashionable magazines. David is gorgeous. Period, end of story. This should be celebrated and captured in beautifully artistic and interesting ways in publications like Paper Magazine and Arena Homme Plus. The reaction of the Elle Magazine readership is both utterly unsurprising and tangible proof for anyone blind enough to miss this.
Here’s the thing. None of these ideas are anything that David’s PR and management team don’t already know and haven’t done a million times before for other artists. David is undoubtedly being told that these strategies can be implemented later, once the kiddie market has been exploited. They’re probably telling him that he should in fact not engage such opportunities now, for fear that he would only have to repeat them later, and which would allegedly be harder to do.
Bull. The only reason they’re not doing them for David now is that they don’t provide instant cash by selling albums. They are part of a long-term strategy to build an image for David that will not only place him in a far better position to cultivate the audiences he deserves, but which will better reflect the full and true dimensional range of the man. David doesn’t yet have enough cred to get on the cover of Paper Magazine. But if they don’t start cultivating that direction soon, he may miss the chance altogether.
It’s easy, of course, to engage in armchair marketing. David’s people would be justified in their resentment and dismissal of those of us who constantly tweak their very able and, I suspect, for the most part well-intentioned noses with how things should be done. But David isn’t just any young new artist, and despite the fact that every über fan of every artist probably feels that way, even an objective reading of David’s attributes will reveal an extremely unique individual indeed. I hope David’s people can find it in their hearts to forgive us for blathering on about how much we care and how much we think we know.
We love him, that’s all.
Update:
After this emotional week and the controversies generated, I have come to the conclusion that my sensibilities may be too incongruous with the majority of the DA fan base at this point in his career, and that my own energies are needed elsewhere. I sincerely hope that my departure will not result in a preponderance of non-critical happy talk.
I want to extend my truest and heartfelt thanks to the warm, brilliant, hilarious, and remarkable people who have made notingDavid such a rich source of engagement and entertainment. I sincerely hope that we have been able to add some measure of support and worthy perspective to the evolution of David’s career.
Mostly I want to thank David for being such a remarkable source of… well, everything. Life itself, sometimes. Despite the opinion that so many have of me, I have not one scintilla of desire for David to be anything other than who he is and what he chooses to be. My hopes for him are whatever his hopes for himself are.
I will leave the comments open for another few days, and then close them. The site will remain up, and folks may communicate with me if they wish thereafter through the contact form.
Let’s not overanalyze this, it’s just time for a break. Many other duties call. If, at some point in the future, David’s career has matured to a degree where my own sensibilities may not be as antithetical to what most perceive as his best interests, perhaps I may jump into the fray once again. I leave with no hard feelings for those who oppose me, no regrets for anything I have said, yet with a sincere sense of sorrow for the beloved regulars who consider this place home.
It has all been for one, glorious, shining purpose:
The miracle that is David Archuleta.
Until we meet again,
Rascal
By rascal
David Archuleta at the 2008 American Music Awards
Backstage
[MEDIA=6]
No matter how high his star rises, I get the feeling that David Archuleta will always be as graciously focused on what other are doing, on what others represent, than what his own particular role may be. I can even foresee a time, decades from now, when David himself is one of the luminaries, one of the legends at an event like the American Music Awards, when an interview such as this portrays David speaking with hearfelt enthusiasm about the the young newcomers who represent the future.
Our expectations of David have evolved so much in such a short time that it is no longer a surprise to see him being both affable and articulate. But it’s still a delight to feel his own enthusiasm for being part of something represents so much of his aspirations, and perhaps more so to see him just beginning to believe that he belongs there.
On the Red Carpet
[MEDIA=7]
“I’m not this hunk or anything.”
By rascal
Another of R4D’s mesmerizing composites. Click to enlarge. Visit R4D’s new site at David Deviations.
One of the blessings of being an Archupostle in the age of the Internet is being able to read so many stories about the impact David has on so many people. You’ll recall that long before the tour even started, Linha had compiled a book of stories from a wide range of individuals whose lives had been touched, in some cases significantly altered, by David’s music and by his very presence in their lives. Then came the tour, when fans could actually encounter David in the flesh. These stories were naturally brimming with joy, and occasionally with some intense emotion.
One of the privileges of being an Archuwriter is that people sometimes share things with me that they might not share with even their own family or friends. There has grown within the Archufan community a level of trusted communication that tends to be about considerably more than just a love and admiration for a terrific performer. Because–let’s face it–David Archuleta is considerably more than that. A short time ago I received an email that detailed an encounter with David that ranks among the most moving I have ever read. She had no intention at the time of bringing it to the public. As we discussed her experience, and shared it with those who had familiarity with such events, it began to become clear that sharing the story would be of great interest and even of great help to many. Heartfelt gratitude to the author for allowing me the honor of sharing it.
Just a comment or two as a prologue.
There are many triggers to spiritual awakening in the world. It has a lot to do, I believe, with what one is ready for, what one responds to naturally, and how spiritually available one is. There are many practices, religious and otherwise, whose very intent is to cultivate a releasing of the psychological limitations we to tend to cling to because they seem to give us some measure of control in what feels like a chaotic and inexplicable world. The ‘releasing’ that happens when the spiritual trigger occurs can be profound.
I once spent an entire week at Omega learning yoga, which, as many of you undoubtedly know, can be much more than a physical practice. Somewhere into the third consecutive day of poses and postures, I began weeping uncontrollably. The depth of the practice had brought my body and my mind to a place of release that allowed my spirit to flow like it had rarely done before. My tears were of deep joy.
My own first spiritual awakening related to David was (as it was with so many people) during “Imagine.” About two-thirds of the way into the performance, I found myself laughing with the most unbridled joy I had felt in a very long time. Thinking back on it, I was reminded of a line from A Room With A View by E.M. Forster, which interprets beautifully that moment for me:
“On the other side of the everlasting ‘why’, there is a ‘yes.’ And a ‘yes,’ and a ‘yes’!”
David has been a trigger of awareness, clarity, peace, insight, joy, and healing for many people in his short time as an internationally known performer. The stories are as varied as the people who tell them. But the common thread is a young man with a gift, a gift he has only just begun to bestow upon the world.
Here is our dear friend’s story.
My dream of getting an after-party pass to meet David finally happened with my fourth AI show. Standing in front of him was completely surreal. I felt like I knew all about him, yet here he was, meeting me for the first time. He stood there, patiently waiting for the next person, ready for anything, with an air of kindness and serenity. I didn’t need a photo or an autograph, I just wanted to give him gifts and thank him as an artist.
I introduced myself (grew up in Salt Lake, now a music teacher on the west coast), gave him my gifts (my book of peace canons that I wrote with some other music teacher friends, plus some other gifts) and spoke my carefully thought-out sentences. I think I said something like, “Your music means so much to me. I admire you as an artist because you are able to connect hearts and souls, to really get to the deep meaning of music. And although part of this is a gift”–I remember that his look was intense here–”part of it is hard work, and passion, and dedication, and I thank you for all of your hard work that makes this possible.”
His effect on me was profound. After a warm and generous hug, I left to make room for the next fans. Then I fell on the floor. Literally. I put my hands to my heart and collapsed to the ground. After a moment, I reached out a hand, and a nearby fan helped me up. I found myself next to Brett. (I had met Brett and Cindy Hales at the show and immediately took a liking to them. We have LDS and Utah in common, although I left the church when I went to college decades ago. Brett has some great stories about David, and I loved hearing him talk.) So… I found myself unable to speak, crying on Brett’s shoulder, until finally I could get out the words, “His music means a lot to me.”
The truly surreal part of this was, I wasn’t one bit embarrassed or worried about my strange behavior. I was in some kind of heightened awareness, and felt surrounded by love. I chatted with Jeff and Lupe and Brett and Cindy and felt completely at home and comfortable.
The after-party group was small, and I decided to approach David again. We talked about the graphic I had made for the front of his bag. I had spelled out the word, JOY, using words to make the letters. J was made up of familyfriendsfamilyfriends, O was churchfaithchurchfaith, and Y was fans and music. I said that his music gives me so much joy that I thought about what gives him joy. I asked him if I had been accurate. He said, “Yeah, pretty much. The fans are a new thing, but the other things are what keep me grounded.”
Later on I was talking with Brett and I told him my experience when I heard David sing “Be Still my Soul” on YouTube. Brett was the one organizing the fireside and he had invited David to sing and to talk. Brett said he wished I could write down my story for David because he would love to hear it. I looked over at David and t here was only one person talking to him, so I approached him for the third time. I told David that I had been talking to Brett and that Brett had told me that he would like my story. I told him that I grew up LDS but haven’t been active for a long time. When I heard “Be Still My Soul,” it made me remember all the good things about the church, sitting on the wooden bench with my dad sitting next to me with all the peace and love surrounding me. I said I didn’t know if this was going to lead me back to the church, but that it had awakened my spirituality.
He smiled really warmly and turned to the side and spoke quietly, wanting to be more private.
“This is why I do this. This is why I can’t get a big head, because it’s not coming from me. That’s what I like about it, it’s all in the music, you don’t have to say anything.”
“It sounds weird to say that I love you,” I replied, “but I love what you are doing in the world.”
I got my second hug of the evening.
Back at my motel I was still completely blown away. What just happened? I’m still processing my experience.
In preparing this article, I read our friend’s story many times. My heart got full on every reading. I had tears of joy on several occasions. David is a seventeen year-old guy with human foibles and faults just like the rest of us. But his power is real and his effect on people is true. My only sadness is that David Archuleta will never know what it’s like to be the recipient of the blessing that is David Archuleta.
By rascal
Life is nothing if not a process of self discovery. It sometimes feels as if we’ve been given these miraculously complex biological machines, a mixed-up jumble of skills and challenges, good impulses and bad, set inside a box we call reality along with others both like and unlike ourselves, and left to spend our brief lives figuring out exactly what it is we’ve really got here. Oh, and lest we think we’ve actually figured anything out at any point along the way, everything is also subject to change at any moment.
Buddhism teaches that separateness is the central illusion, that all is essentially one, and that there really is no such thing as “the other.” All experience is universal, what happens to one happens to all, and there is nothing we can do to, or for, another that we do not also do to ourselves. The primal imperatives of self preservation and perpetuation compel most of us to adopt a perspective of essential selfishness, tempered with varying degrees of accommodation for the rest of the people that seem to be here (I say seem because the only reality of which we may be relatively certain is our own). But some appear to have a natural inclination for an inclusiveness that feels both surprising and profoundly right.
Like parents who take both joy and comfort in the observation of growth, David’s older fans enjoy both recognition and wonder at watching him undertake his own process of self discovery with every step along his now very public path. David seems to take these steps with a certain measure; he’s not tentative, exactly, there is a definite sense of commitment, but it’s clear that he likes to get his bearings before he relaxes entirely. I venture to think that David has been relaxing lately.
It’s a kick to see the exuberance now on display on stage, where he has been indulging with relish in the frat-boy shenanigans of Alpha-Delta-Mavid, and in his interviews, where his effervescence is undoubtedly motivated as much by the undeniable accomplishments already accumulating as by an increased comfort level with the demands of celebrity. Through all the haranguing about his demeanor during the competition, I never doubted for a minute that David would blossom in these realms; perhaps I’m only a little surprised that it is happening so quickly and to such an enjoyable extent.
But more than the delights of sharing in David’s new-found comfort and exhilaration is the joy of seeing his continued emphasis on the collective energy that is associated with both his work and his success. He never fails to to acknowledge his audience. Although the notion that one’s life is an entity unto itself–a coordinated trajectory combining the individual and the group dynamic–may be somewhat more obvious to, say, an entertainer, it still conveys a fairly sophisticated spiritual sense. Note that David doesn’t say, in some common and even slightly pandering manner something like, “it’s all because of them that I’m here.” He says of his fans instead that “they’re as much a part of it as I am” (heard during a recent radio co-hosting segment). This to me conveys an unusually subtle understanding.
David knows full well that “it”–the phenomenon of David Archuleta–is a fundamentally shared experience (he has even started referring to himself on occasion in the third person), an experience for which David is the blessed and grateful conduit of love and light and power and promise, and we are the blessed and grateful recipients and participants. If the rest of the ride is gonna be anything like these first few minutes, we had all better buckle up.
By rascal
This has to be one of my favorite photographs from the entire tour, taken last night in Charlotte. At the risk of reading too much into it (Mamma Josie insists, “he’s just being seventeen;” I remind her that she’s not a guy and couldn’t possibly understand the importance of such frat-boy style mischievousness), there is so much here I don’t even know where to begin.
First and perhaps foremost, I don’t think David would have been caught dead doing this even two months ago. The fact that he his feeling his oats, as it were, expressing his new-found freedoms and power, especially in blatant disregard for the uptight pronouncements of the tour producers against any “unauthorized choreography or stage shenanigans,” is to me extremely amusing and very encouraging. David always shows so much deference, so much humility, that I confess I privately worry now and then whether he’ll be able to, well, do what he’s doing in the picture and take some names if necessary. I read this as a pretty hilarious indication that it’s well within his grasp.
Judging by the spate of fan videos that have been posted over the past week or so, David is undoubtedly revealing a more rogueish side of himself, and I for one couldn’t be happier to see it. It’s not just the revelation of his comfort level in public settings that I find so appealing, but the indications of a more faceted personality. I’ve had a number of indications of this from private sources, so it’s not that it’s a surprise, but seeng him express it more openly is a dang lot of fun.
Finally, I think it’s hilarious to think about how this photograph might be used in, say, oh, I don’t know… late November…?
By rascal
David has displayed an ability to assess new situations rapidly and incorporate his learning without sacrificing any of his unique characteristics. The challenges involved in working a crowd can be formidable, but after several weeks of performances David has clearly raised his game in this regard. His affection for his home turf in Utah certainly helps, but there is a considerable level of comfort and control in evidence here that offers exciting glimpses of what David is likely to bring to adoring audiences in the years to come. The ‘gosh laughs’ are still there (I hope they never disappear), but now too is some real bravado, and a level of ownership of the stage that we haven’t quite seen before.
I’ve said that when David has dominion, no one can touch him, and here’s a great example, Stand By Me from the Tuesday night show in Salt Lake City. Note how he works the crowd before the number. Becky/ITTO’s videos are also some of the best we’ve seen yet–be sure to check out the rest of her recent posts at YouTube.
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8ocjwxB8_A]
By rascal
“Apologize” from the Tacoma show. Dare I say it? Is our little David bringin’ the smexy?
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_PJc7SQriY]
Caseydog is one of our regular commentators and a working journalist for a prominent northwest newspaper. He got a chance to sit down with David for a few minutes at the Tacoma show and filed this report exclusively for notingDavid. Thanks, Caseydog!
Good morning, Angels!
I decided I owe you all a better account of the interview I had with David yesterday afternoon. Here are my assembled Archie “tweets,” as well as some other added tidbits. I only had him for about five minutes. And I had more questions we didn’t have time for – Dang it!
Before I get started though, I have to say it was kind of surreal sitting down at a table and talking to a person I’ve “idolized” from afar for more than five months. My good fortune to actually be chatting with the person from the talent show video (”I’ll Be”) and the Mormon youth assembly (”Angels”) didn’t really hit me until it was all over – way too quickly. (BTW, each idol only does press on alternate tour stops, so I was lucky that this was David’s day!)
Keep in mind that I was doing this for my newspaper as part of my job, so it would have been out to place to tell him how much I enjoy his singing or ask for his autograph. No photos were allowed in this press room. (And no, Jeff Archuleta was not hovering behind him. He was nowhere to be seen.)
David was brought over to my table and we were introduced. I shook his hand. He seemed a bit tired, and I guess he was more soft-spoken than usual because he was told to rest his voice.
I asked him if he’d been to Seattle before and he said he had, visiting relatives. He was trying to remember the town around here where the kids have to take a boat to school. He thought it was Valencia, but I’m not aware of any town in the state with that name. This was classic David rambling time. At one point I said we kinda have to move on with the questioning and he said his classic “Sor-ree.”
I told him I thought he must get tired of the same old questions all the time, so I thought we’d try something different. “Ice cream or frozen yogurt?” I said. He kind of gave me a quizzical look and I said which do you prefer. “Neither!” He said he loved ice cream, but about a month ago he stopped eating dairy because it’s known to increase the amount of phlegm. Gotta keep that voice pure!
“Video games or board games?” Archie said video, “but it depends. I like Scrabble and Boggle too.”
“City or country?” Again he waffled, saying he liked both for different reasons. He said he loves getting out in the outdoors, but that he loves the cities too.
Then it was on to the more meaty stuff. I asked how he felt about the upcoming shows in Salt Lake City. He said it’s always nice to go back and see his family be home again, that he’s really excited about it. Hmm. I couldn’t help but think he still has not grasped the extent of his popularity. Won’t SLC be off the charts INSANE? He’s too modest to admit something like that though.
Then I asked him how the new album was going. He said he was working on it on his off days. I asked him if he has to fly to LA to record or do they come to him. He said it was some of both.
He said the biggest eye-opener for him has been all the various aspects of the album-making process: meetings with the label, talking to songwriters and producers, the intensity of “laying down the various tracks” of a song. He said it was much more detail-oriented than the iTunes recording sessions.
He said he spent a lot of time going over the lyrics of the songs to make sure they were appropriate, and then tried to work on the music that accompanies the lyrics and singing. He implied that the instrumentation for the iTunes recordings was almost an afterthought – not so with the new album. That’s good news for his fans who had to live with things like sleigh bells in his iTunes recordings.
David used the phrase “right balance” to describe the type of songs on his album. He certainly wants “radio-friendly” songs that are “catchy,” but there need to be message songs too. He kind of rambled a bit on this too, but it was clear he was really putting a lot of thought into crafting the right mix. He said he wanted it to be soulful too, bringing up John Mayer again.
I told him the presales on his unnamed album shot him up to No. 4 on Amazon. He seemed to indicate he knew about that, but I’m not totally sure. I told him Coldplay was No. 1, and he immediately diverted the topic to Coldplay rather than his own album. David said he loved Coldplay and would love for his songs to have a “big sound” like that.
About this time the handler was hovering over David and we got the hint and said goodbye. I could have used another hour!
It was a joy to meet him and learn a little more about him. Years (or maybe only a few months) later when he’s a worldwide superstar, I will be able to look back and say, “In July 2008 I had the pleasure of meeting and talking with David. I’m sure I’ll never forget the experience.”
By rascal
Imagine Imaginary Images
I’ve always been so enamored of R4D’s magnificent, totally over-the-top collages centered around David’s photographs, and there seems to be no end to the creativity. Here are just a couple of examples.
See all the wonderful work here.
I Can Dream Can’t I?
Okay, so, I don’t mean to start a topic about what we’d all like to hear David sing (but don’t let me stop you), only this song came into my head like a storm today with David’s name written all over it.
Knocks_Me_off_My_Feet.mp3
I mean, come on, right?!
On the Playlist
I finally ran into Cody (a.k.a. Lucid, a.k.a. SonicEther) the other night online, and was delighted to learn that he got to meet David at long last. Cody, for those of you who don’t know, is a brilliant young musician, one of the original Love Nuggets, who has a heart-rending back-story that culminates in David’s music having contributed to his new lease on life. He is profiled in the “Hero” book put together by Linha and presented to David at his homecoming. Cody has gone on-tour with Eric and the crazy crew from Fanblast, and appears to indeed be having himself a blast.
Cody reports that when he met David, he reminded him about the dance remix we had produced from his AI studio recording of Think of Me (which we knew that David knew about through Dean Kaelin).
“He looked at me kind of blankly for a few moments, trying to figure out what I was talking about,” said Cody, “and then suddenly his eyes brightened like fireworks and he said, ‘Oh, my gosh! You did that? How did you do that? I downloaded it and I have it on my iPod!’ ”
Needless to say, Cody was stoked. Okay, so am I.
Play and download the remix here.
