Old Planet Fierce Articles and Comments

[Q3]

I am searching for old Planet Fierce Articles and comments of note.

If you saved any of these articles, please post them in this thread. We will be collecting them and posting them on the soon to be open Adamtopic blog. This will give us an easy way to reread these great articles and to share the best of ATop/PF more broadly on the web.

[Q3]

Found one:

Halfie Baked Thoughts on Customer Service
Daily Planet 4/25/10 by Halfie

Every Sunday on Planet Fierce (http://www.planetfierce.proboards.com)
Follow Me on Twitter (@halfie6)

Author's Note: Hat-tip this week to the great Gene Weingarten, who has done this type of column to perfection numerous times in the Washington Post Magazine. Although he'll probably never see this, if he does, I trust he'll appreciate that thievery is the greatest form of flattery.


Customer service is important yet all too often companies don’t provide the level of service that consumers need. However, one place where you can always find someone who will listen to you say the craziest things is if you call a business on the phone. To my great delight, these fine people are paid to be polite. Let’s exploit it!

"Thank you for calling [concert venue], this is Jennifer, how may I help you?"

Me: I lost something when I came to one of your shows and, although it’s been a while, I’m hoping you can help me.

Jennifer: Sure, which show was it?

Me: Adam Lambert, back in February.

Jennifer: Oh, wow, that has been a while, but I’ll check, what did you lose?

Me: Well, it’s kind of hard to describe, but it used to be with me all the time, but now it’s gone.

Jennifer: Um, ok, but what was it?


Me: My sanity.

Jennifer:

Me: Jennifer?

Jennifer: Yes?

Me: Can you help?

Jennifer: Help you find your sanity?

Me: Yes, I swear Adam Lambert took it. I was only hanging on to it by a thread before the show, but that was the last I ever saw of it.

Jennifer: Goodbye.


"Thank you for calling [major retailer], this is Steve."

Me: Hey, Steve.
continued after the jump


Steve: Hey, how can I help?

Me: I have a problem with my MP3 player.

Steve: What’s the trouble?

Me: No matter what I do it always plays the same songs over and over.

Steve: Well, that’s a new one, have you tried resetting it?

Me: Yes, but it doesn’t help.

Steve: How many songs does it play?

Me: Probably about 20, no more.

Steve: And how many do you have loaded on?

Me: Well, that’s just it, I used to have hundreds but now I can only see these 20.

Steve: I may have to have you send it in for repair, I haven’t heard that one before.

Me: Do you think the other songs got embarrassed and left?

Steve: Huh?


Me: Well, all the songs that remain are Adam Lambert songs, maybe the other songs were put to shame. Is it possible they erased themselves?

Steve: Are you serious?

Me: Not entirely, but he is a pretty amazing singer.

Steve: Yes, sir.

Me: Are you serious?

Steve: Not entirely, but I am pretty good at my job.

Me: Yes, you are Steve.


"Thank you for calling [same major retailer] this is Kelly."

Me: Hi, Kelly, do you know Steve? He works there.

Kelly: I’m not sure, it’s a big place.


Me: Don’t worry, he was just super helpful before.

Kelly: I’ll do my best, how can I help?

Me: Well, I’m having problems with my headphones.

Kelly: What kind of problems?

Me: They keep playing notes that can’t be right. My niece put this singer on, what’s his name… Adam Hambert?

Kelly: Adam Lambert?

Me: Yes, that’s him! Well, there’s no way that he could be singing these notes so it must be something wrong with my headphones, don’t you think?

Kelly: He does sing some pretty high notes.

Me: He does?

Kelly: Yes, he does.

Me: Oh, I didn’t know that. So, do you think my headphones are okay then?

Kelly: I’m pretty sure they are.

Me: Thanks for helping me, ‘cause you’re doing it perfectly.


Source: PlanetFierce

[Q3]

Halfie Baked Thoughts
Daily Planet 5/23/10 by Halfie

Every Sunday on Planet Fierce (http://www.planetfierce.proboards.com)
Follow Me on Twitter (@halfie6)

For quite some time I’ve been living a lie. My family saw the signs so they weren’t surprised but most of my friends were totally in the dark. So it was with some trepidation this past weekend that I came out to several of my closest male friends. We were camping. Fishing. Wearing plaid.

And I told them: I’m an Adam Lambert fan.

It began on Saturday when I got a call from my former brother-in-law. He and some of the guys were organizing an impromptu fishing and camping trip for Sunday. The weather was beautiful and I didn’t have any meetings on Monday morning. So I threw my gear together, grabbed my rod (FISHING ROD, people, keep your minds on the story), packed some clothes and, on the way out the door, snatched my iPod off the table. I almost left it behind, but that little device changed everything. What a difference made by the simplest act of remembering; a fleeting thought, ephemeral but ultimately transforming.

I don’t think I’ve ever had a conversation about music with men, other than online. For most guys, it seems, music is one of those subjects like politics and religion that one simply doesn’t speak of. I imagine this aversion stems from the nature of so many male conversations, which are often focused on tearing others down for fun and merriment. So it’s hard, in this environment, to talk about personal things that are, well, inherently emotional.

So it was that the toughest words I’ve spoken in a long time (other than, “sure doc, you can begin the rectal exam”) were uttered in the car on our way over. As a quiet moment in our chat about sports and babes emerged and the only sound was some manly scratching, I cleared my throat and said:

“What do you guys think about Adam Lambert?”

Initially, the response was as you might expect.

“Gay."

“Weird.”

“I think my wife voted for him.”

But then my friend, Sean, chimed in with what probably kept this from being a 30 second conversation ending in my embarrassment when he said, “He was pretty good on Idol, but I don’t think I’ve heard anything from him since then.”

Sensing my opening, I asked, “Would you like to?”

I picked up my iPod, plugged it in to the car stereo and hovered over my Adam playlist. This was a wrenching decision. Which song? They might have heard WWFM before. IIHY is about to break on radio. Fever and FYE are dance tracks. Or, I could go off-album and try something acoustic. I decided to take a chance and guess that, for this audience, I needed to think a little bit out of the box. So I remembered that there’s a genre for everyone on this album, scrolled to the A’s and clicked play on the one track that I would normally never lead with: Aftermath.

When the song was over it felt like the silence would never be broken. I was considering laughing it off and trying to forget that I’d ever brought it up when Sean said, “That was actually pretty cool,” and Bill sort of grunted an agreeable sound. I decided to stay in the rock genre and went with Sure Fire Winners next. After this, I decided not to press my luck any further and just put the iPod on shuffle and we went back to talking about other things.

The rest of the day went as such days go with men in the woods who don’t have glitter and top hats. We fished, we drank, we laughed, we drank, we grilled, we drank.

As we were cleaning up from dinner, Sean quietly asked if I could put on a little more of Adam’s album. I was thrilled: a request! I played a few more songs that night: FYE, IIHY, Fever, MA, Strut and DTRH and I was pleased to see that no one was asking me to turn it off.

As we drove home the next morning, I asked the guys what they had thought about Adam’s music. Of the five of them, four agreed there were at least one or two songs they liked and three went so far as say most of them were “okay.” When we got back to town, as I was throwing my gear in the trunk, I told Sean to hold on a minute and I grabbed my FYE CD out of the car and gave it to him.

Me: “Here, I’d like you to have this; I can get another copy later.”

Him: “Cool, man, thanks.”

And that’s how I became a fisher of men.

[Q3]

Halfie Baked Thoughts

Daily Planet 2/21/10 by Halfie

I have a dream that
my four little children will one day live in a nation
where they will not be judged by the color of their skin
but by the content of their character.
Martin Luther King, Jr., 28 August 1963


One of the most jarring dissonances I observe between Adam Lambert fans and those who are not is how they react to Adam as a man. This often manifests in a comment that we have all seen directed to his female fans: “How can you find him sexy when he’s gay?” The women I know who appreciate Adam have mastered a catchall response; one I have seen used on Twitter, blogs and in person: “Sexy is sexy.”
For me the circumstances are different. While I can clearly see that Adam is a sexy man and I wholeheartedly understand why so many women fawn over him, I am not sexually attracted to him. Still, I find myself questioned about why I like Adam. Too often, these inquiries take the form of challenging either Adam’s manhood or my own.
“Oh, you like Adam Lambert? He was good on Idol but he looks like such a girl.”
“Is Adam turning you gay?”
“I see you’re listening to your boyfriend’s album again.”
As a confident person with a good sense of humor, I typically parry with a clever riposte. Yet, I admit it can become tiresome. Why should I feel like any less of a man for liking the work of a gay performer? More important, why should anyone presume that Adam Lambert is any less of a man just because he is a gay man?
If it’s true that sexy is sexy, then it’s just as true that manly is manly.
For too long, men have sought to establish their heterosexual bona fides by distancing themselves from gayness. Just this week, as I was boarding an airplane, I had to slide into an occupied row to let some people pass. As it happened, there was a delay and I stood there for a minute or two, with my waist only a few inches from a man who was seated before me. To lighten the mood I said, “You know, if they don’t clear the aisle soon, I’m going to have to buy you a drink.” His response was disappointing, if not predictable: “Oh, man, I don’t wanna even think about that. I’m looking left, I’m looking right; I’m trying to ignore it.”
I suppose it’s his loss if he can’t appreciate the humor of having a crotch unceremoniously thrust in his face on an airplane.
Dr. King’s call a generation ago still rings clear. Much progress has been won for our brothers and sisters of color, but even as the mountaintop draws nearer a challenging summit looms ahead. While never forgetting his original dream, I have a new hope for the years ahead. By the time today's children reach maturity, I am confident that society will redefine what it means to be manly.
Gone will be superficial things that create the illusion of manliness. Brawny men with muscles bigger than their minds will be out, replaced by men of strong character, inspiring talents and lofty intellect. Also gone will be men who tear others down just to enhance their own egos or those who disrespect people because they want to get them into bed or, more likely, because they can’t.
Being a man has nothing at all to do with how one looks and everything to do with how one acts. It doesn’t matter if you are tall or short, wear makeup or have a beard, speak in a deep baritone or a higher-pitched lilt. It doesn’t matter how you walk or how you talk or how you look.
Being a man is, at its core, what is always has been: acting with integrity, being loyal, loving those who love you, respecting others, leading when you need to lead and following when a better leader emerges.
Sexy is sexy.
Manly is manly.
And Adam Lambert is one of the manliest men around.

Source: Planet Fierce

[justgill]

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2009

Adam Lambert - Planet Fierce Op Ed
Do Not Underestimate This Man!
Daily Planet 11/19/09 by Q3 6:15PM ET

People keep underestimating Adam Lambert and every time Adam comes out ahead. The list is getting really long. Now add Aaron Hicklin and Out Magazine to the list of people who have underestimated this man.

We have all heard the doubters: No one can do a quality album with 19R involved, the music industry will not accept a multi-genre album, a major label won’t give a new artist creative control, he’s too theatrical, he’s too gay, he’s not gay enough, he will only have 15 minutes of fame, radio won’t play FYE, his music is too retro, his music is too electro. The doubters continue: America isn’t ready for Adam, he wears makeup, nail polish, eyeliner, he kisses boys, he is open about sex and his own sexuality, RCA screwed up the single launch and so on.

I am so tired of all the doubting, worrying, whining and second guessing – I want to scream. But instead, I have a simple reminder: “Do not underestimate this man.”

The Promo Tour

As we approach the start of Adam’s Promo Tour, get ready to watch Adam once again smash expectations. RCA didn’t screw up the single launch. The plan was to let the stations pick it up without promotion. And they really made progress – an amazing feat in the pay-for-play US radio world. But strap on your seatbelt for the upcoming Promo Tour.

The Entertainer

Take a look at the AMA rehearsal video from ABC.com. This is going to be an amazing performance. Adam will be reintroduced to America on Sunday night, not as an American Idol contestant, but as a star. The last time something like this happen was when Rickey Martin was introduced to American audiences on the Grammy Awards in 1999 – ten years ago.

We all know that Adam is an amazing entertainer. But we have never seen him as the star of a big production number. On Idol he got some lights, a cheesy video or two, could borrow Ryan’s stairs and a little smoke. On Sunday night, he will have dancers, his own band, a real set, costumes and probably star placement on the show.

And the AMAs is just the start of what appears to be a very carefully planned promo tour. Big productions, big events.

The PR Master

Watch any interview of Adam, read any article, he is always charming, witty, honest and fun. He brings energy to every PR moment. And, if you look carefully at the videos from the three recent red carpet events – “2012”, “This Is It” and Us Magazine’s Hot Party – Adam is a press magnet. I can’t find one major PR misstep in what must now be over 100 interviews since last May.

Next week he starts to do radio promo. It looks like it kicks off with Elvis Duran Z100 in New York, the most important radio station, in the most important music market in the US. We already know some of the TV, Radio and interviews that are scheduled, but I believe we can only see the tip of the iceberg.

The Teflon Man

At every turn, Adam has managed to take events that have dented, damaged and sometimes even derailed other new celebrities, and turned them into increased fame – and end up with more people on his side. The most recent example was started by Aaron Hicklin, Editor-in-Chief of Out Magazine who wrote in his Open Letter to Adam:

“We don’t want to sound ungrateful -- you agreed to do our cover, and your interview is gracious and frank -- but if the Out 100 has a purpose it’s to challenge the kind of apartheid that lays down one rule for gay mags and one for all others. We think you probably feel the same way -- you even say as much -- so we don’t mean to diminish your achievements this year. That’s why you’re in this issue. You’re a pioneer, an out gay pop idol at the start of his career. Someone has to be first, and we’re all counting on you not to mess this up. You have to find your own path and then others can follow. We just hope it’s a path that’s honest and true and that you choose to surround yourself with people who celebrate your individuality.” Aaron said he wanted Adam to find his own path but apparently only if that path fit with Out Magazine’s agenda and vision.”

Most PR experts would have advised Adam not to respond and let the story “run it’s course.” Adam wisely treated the whole event as if it was unimportant and used twitter to defuse the situation. First Adam tweeted this: "Planet Fierce responds to A. Hicklin's "Open Letter to Adam" bit.ly/1yTFLP : thank you to the writer! YOU get it." Then he tweeted a message to Hicklin and the world: “ Dear Aaron, it's def not that deep. Chill! Guess ya gotta get attention for the magazine. U too are at the mercy of the marketing machine. Until we have a meaningful conversation, perhaps you should refrain from projecting your publications' agenda onto my career.” In three tweets Adam 1. clearly demonstrated that his fans supported him, 2. softly, but definitely, let everyone know that he and Aaron had not had a “meaningful conversation” about the issue, and 3. classified Aaron’s actions as self-serving and only in the interest of Out Magazine.

Look at the response in the press and online comments; Adam spun the incident into a PR plus and wrote the message. Adam is now getting support from some gay writers and bloggers who did not really support him before. And Aaron is starting to back down at bit.

The Real Idol

By the time they sweep away the confetti from the AMAs and Adam’s album goes on sale, the Real Idol will be unveiled – Adam Lambert. Adam’s fame will continue to grow and he become a brilliant international star – in large part because he didn’t compromise his values and always remembered that “it's just a show.”

[justgill]

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2009

Planet Fierce Responds to Out Editor
Planet Fierce OpEd
Response to "Open Letter to Adam"
11/17/09 12:14PM by rowenaaine

After reading Adam Lambert’s candid and revealing interview on the Out website (published in conjunction with their Out 100 print edition) I was disheartened to read an open letter to Adam from Out’s editor-in-chief, Aaron Hicklin, in Out Magazine.

In the letter, Hicklin calls out 19 Entertainment and RCA Records (Adam’s management team and record label respectively) for attempting to “neutralize” Adam’s sexuality and keep his appearances in LGBT publications toned down for fear of his appearing “too gay.” Hicklin expresses frustration that Out was denied a cover during Adam’s American Idol run, and not a little jealousy at the recent Details Magazine cover and photo spread. But further, he criticizes Adam’s management team for heavy-handedness in skewing perceptions in order to not lose potential record sales.

Today, Hicklin's letter is on the Out website, with supporting commentary by the female journalist who interviewed Adam, Shana Naomi Krochmal. I suspect we may never know both sides if 19/RCA ignores what amounts to a school yard challenge over which team gets bragging rights.

Is Hicklin telling the truth? I don’t know. I suspect we may never know if 19/RCA ignores what amounts to a school yard challenge over which team gets bragging rights.

But is Adam Lambert a prize over which sides need scuffle? That’s where I’m coming up empty.

From what I read in print publications and websites, there seem to be at least two factions in the war over Adam Lambert’s image. On the right, we have the conservative heterosexuals who fear that Adam is too gay for mainstream. On the left are members of the gay community, who accuse Adam of not being gay enough. Somewhere in the middle is Adam, his fanbase…and the truth.

I’d like to clarify and refute some of Aaron Hicklin’s claims. Others have already done so on blogs, forums, and the mother of all communication vehicles, twitter. But, indulge me.

Hicklin asserts that Adam and team (because the open letter seems to lump Adam in as one of the bad guys) refused an Out cover early on in the Idol competition.
Likely true. But not at all surprising or problematic. Why? Idol contestants are barred from communicating with the press during the show's run. Entertainment Weekly may have put Adam on their cover before the competition ended, but they used stock photos and existing quotes. No other magazine got a cover story early on except for Rolling Stone, which published their issue two weeks after the show’s conclusion. And based on Adam’s assertion that he is a musician that happens to be gay, rather than a gay that happens to be a musician, most would agree Rolling Stone was the best place for his “outing” after the show’s finale. That’s just good business. Sorry, Hicklin.

1 point to Team Lambert.

19 and RCA insisted that Adam not look “too gay” on the Out 100 cover.
I have a tough time buying this one. Adam’s album cover is one of the most androgynous-leaning-toward-feminine photos I’ve ever seen of a man. If management were worried, the cover would never have been approved. Surely if the cover of Adam’s own CD portrays him as obviously gay, it would have more effect on his record sales than the cover of a magazine normally only read by the LGBT community.

1 point to Team Lambert.

Hicklin claims that Adam’s sexuality was neutralized in the Details cover shoot.
Possibly. Certainly, the gay community could see it that way. What turned out to be a series of beautiful, artsy photographs caused some dismay; people saw Adam as manipulating his female fan base into having “hope” that he will someday participate in heterosexual activities. Others, and I’m in this camp, saw the photos as daring (for a gay man) and fun. Adam was playing with gender roles, looking hot, and stressing in the interview his absolute gayness. Looking closely at the pictures, he does not emotionally connect with the model: his eyes are closed in the shots. And the photo where he is supposedly “suckling a female breast” actually shows him with her thumb in his mouth, not her nipple. Details, unlike Out, is not an overtly LGBT publication; it is a men’s magazine – targeting “metrosexuals” though clearly with a heavy gay readership. It is not atypical for Details to have photographs of men with women. Adam could have (and would have, I’m sure) refused the shoot if he felt compromised. Lots of debate on either side but I’ll narrowly give this one to Hicklin.

1 point to Team Out.

Adam’s management team thwarted Out’s true purpose:
“If the Out 100 has a purpose it’s to challenge the kind of apartheid that lays down one rule for gay mags and one for all others. We think you probably feel the same way—you even say as much—so we don’t mean to diminish your achievements this year. That’s why you’re in this issue.”

Well, here’s where we fall down the slippery slope and into dangerous territory. Apartheid? Not the word I would have chosen. I’m a vocal supporter of gay rights and marriage equality, but never would I say that the struggle for those rights is akin to apartheid. Aaron, ever been to South Africa ? Your ignorance is showing. Stop being dramatic and focus.

What is your real complaint here? Rolling Stone got the big story, Details got the big photoshoot…and Out is left holding a group photo for their cover? You had a group photo for last year’s Out 100 as well. So, I’m not sure what the concern is. That 19/RCA didn’t want Adam to be the poster child for LGBT rights by being alone on the cover? I can’t argue with their thinking. Adam has said numerous times in countless interviews that he is not taking up the cause at this stage in his career. He feels his being proudly out is statement enough right now. I agree.

1 point to Team Lambert.

Most troubling is the Hicklin’s assertion that:
“You’re a pioneer, an out gay pop idol at the start of his career. Someone has to be first, and we’re all counting on you not to mess this up.”

And so at last we get to the crux of the matter. Hicklin, as editor-in-chief of one of the most visible LGBT publications in the US has arrogantly draped the mantle of Gay Rights over Adam’s broad shoulders. To hell with what Adam wants; it’s not about his career or his life, it’s all about what he can do for the gay community.

Well, I have yet to see the gay community stand up to unequivocally support Adam Lambert. Time after time I read assertions that they “voted for the other guy,” Michael Musto of the Village Voice being just one of the more vocal homosexuals in the entertainment industry to HeWhoCannot amedet that – even tossing the remark into his lead-in to Hicklin’s letter. Blog after blog, comment after comment, I read gay men tear Adam down for his looks, his body type, his choice of clothing and makeup. Not much about the music, I’m afraid. That the most important thing Adam Lambert brings to the table gets swept aside in a debacle to see who can hurl the wittiest and cattiest insults is an egregious and, yes, bigoted, injustice.

1 Point to Team Lambert for even having to read Hicklin’s outlandish quote in print.

Mr. Hicklin, your letter does not vindicate you, your publication, or your cause; it makes you appear petty and bitter. And I'm at a loss for why it was necessary. I’m surprised that you would take this young man and his team to task just as your magazine hits the stands. Since when does a celebrity (and Adam *is* one, whether he chose it or not) get interviewed without certain stipulations from his management?

Surely you’ve considered that a great many Adam Lambert fans were planning to purchase this issue – that’s a whole new segment of the market that would read the magazine and perhaps learn more about homosexuality and the LGBT struggle for equality. You had a unique opportunity to show how we’re not so very different from one another after all. And instead, you squander that opportunity to launch a personal vendetta – to rage against the machine and burn the bridge between Out and 19 Entertainment. You’ve effectively alienated a portion of Adam Lambert’s fan base. You may have lost sales. And you put undo pressure on a young man that has said time and again that all he wants to do is make music. All this under the guise of “sacrificing the one for the many.”

This mentality (punish those that don’t conform to a hypothetical “ideal”) is part of why the LGBT struggle is not taken seriously by mainstream America . You do not need to eat your young nor throw your most visible proponents under the proverbial bus. I hope that your tasteless diatribe serves only to bring your hypocrisy to the forefront – garnering more compassion and support for Adam Lambert than your precious mantle of Gay Rights ever would.

Today, however, we all lose.
Score
Team Lambert: 4
Team Out: 1
Progress

[supardu]

Halfie Baked Thoughts


Every Sunday on Planet Fierce (http://www.planetfierce.proboards.com)
Follow Me on Twitter (@halfie6)


Scene: A lushly appointed boardroom at Sony records. Executives from RCA and 19E are sternly seated in high-backed leather chairs, waiting.

Adam Lambert walks in: Hi, guys! Happy Easter!

Simon Fuller: C’mon, Adam, you know we called this meeting in part because your flaming Christianity is suppressing your record sales. You are trying to break through as a new artist in America and you know that God stuff doesn’t fly here. You’ve barely gotten one thing right since the AMA’s, it’s just been one gate after another.

Adam: I know, but I’m just trying to be myself. Besides I didn’t think I did anything wrong in that AMA performance. I just got carried away with myself a little because the song is so sexy. Other pop performers have been doing that kind of stuff for decades. Who really cares that I kissed Lisa?

Everyone: Eww!

Simon: Adam, look, you know I support you and we’re here to help. But it’s just a fact that it’s hard for an openly heterosexual man like you to make it in a market where everyone is gay and there’s a lot of heterophobia out there.

Adam: But I talked to Lisa beforehand. She said she was okay with kissing me if it fit within the theme of the performance.

Simon: Adam, I know you and Lisa were okay with it, but what about the children?

Adam: Well, I kissed her in a Godly way...

Everyone: Ewwwwww!

Simon, sighing: Adam, please…

Adam: Okay, okay, I’ll try to tone it down a little.

Simon: Now we’re making some progress. Let’s talk about that version of WWFM that you’re going to sing on Idol.

Adam: What about it?

Simon: Well, we know that you normally sing, “couldn’t give a darn,” but we really think that you ought to sing, “damn,” it just works better with the song.

Adam: Oh, no, I couldn’t possibly.

Simon: But, Adam, we think if you do you might get some adds on a few more stations who have been holding back because they just don’t think you’re right for mainstream, atheist audiences.

Adam: Simon, I’ve told you before, I have to be myself. If I can’t succeed being who I am, it’s a pyrrhic victory.

Simon: I understand, Adam, but you’re making it difficult.

Adam: I know.

Simon: Let’s talk about Twitter. I’m sure you’ve seen that a lot of your followers have been writing fanfics about you again.

Adam: Yeah.

Simon: Maybe you could retweet one or two? For fun.

Adam: I suppose. I know that would make them happy. I just find it so weird that they keep shipping me with men. Kradam, for example. Doesn’t everyone know that Kris is married? I mean they kept showing his husband on Idol every week and his wedding band was even front and center on his album cover. And Tommy? I mean, he's obviously gay. C’mon, have you SEEN his hair? No straight guy has hair like that.

Simon: I know. But you have to do something so all your glitterbull followers still stay interested. Those middle-aged guys need you to throw them a bone.

Adam: Ewww

Simon: Adam, it’s just a metaphor.

Adam: I know, but still, shudder.

Simon: One last thing. On your next round of interviews you know they’re going to ask you again who you would like to collaborate with on your next album.

Adam: And?

Simon: Well, do you think you could try a new answer. Maybe you could pick someone like Christina Aguilera or David Bowie? Lots of people like them.

Adam: Simon, Simon, Simon. I can’t lie.

Simon: Are you sure?

Adam: Not only will I continue to answer that question honestly, but I want you to try harder to make it really happen.

Simon: No, Adam, please.

Adam: Yes, Simon, I’m putting my foot down.

Simon: Adam, I know you have your artistic vision, but as your manager I have to tell you it’s a terrible idea. Horrible.

Adam: I mean it. Get me a duet with Susan Boyle or I quit.

[skylar]

FROM THE "MOUTH"/KEYBOARDS OF PLANET FIERCIANS

Fifthhousesun -

There are always complex causes - and usually as misinformed as they are ancient - why people can't support their own voice as fully as other activities.

For an artist, and I'm guessing for Adam, being completely yourself and creating art that expresses your personal truth and having people who truly appreciate and respect that art and appreciate you as an artist, is the great reward. Nothing in this world can replace it. No secret that money truly does not = happiness. I've seen people who start to chase it fall again and again. The greatest seducer around. So far Adam has refused to sacrifice his truth for money. Yes he wants to make good money but his priorities are so right on. This is a huge part of why I love him. He seems to be very wise for his age.

glasskam

In our conversation he mentioned a mutual acquaintance who is also a huge Adam fan. I was taken aback but then realized it made perfect sense. She is intelligent (Ph.D.), perceptive, and an aesthete. Eureka!

Adam is the thinking woman's rock star and Planet Fierce is the thinking woman's fan site!

Many don't have the intelligence, discernment, and independence to recognize Adam's exceptional talent. Frankly, I am of the opinion that it takes one to know one, and the PFers are on the far end of the bell curve compared to the general population. Talking about Ayn Rand and the acoustic properties of venues, holding down highly professional careers and balancing family commitments, daring to venture out into territory "nice women" of a certain age are not supposed to tread, even down to having a broad vocabulary and knowing how to spell the words and structure them in articulate sentences. I don't see that as the norm in America.

Adam is exceptional. We are exceptional. Embrace it!

SusieFierce's thoughts about Creative Tribe are poignant ones. Adam's having found that miraculous group of creative friends is as big a blessing in his life as having loving and supportive parents in his childhood.

Freedom and community are both essential. This thread - because people are speaking truth and risking revelation - is prospering both.

Technology has revolutionized - and decimated - both Advertising and the Recording Industry. And movies, magazines, books, television, newspapers.

Joy

jamie

The Ancient Egyptians saw Joy as a sacred
responsibility. They believed that upon their death, the
God Osiris would ask them two questions: "Did
you bring Joy?" and "Did you find Joy?" Those who
answered ‘yes’ could continue their journey into
the afterlife.


emoelvisspikeyme

Halfie took care of us like a gentleman (in my case) and a dad (to my teenager). Halfie is a gentleman (and a gentle man) and that he was probably a great dad

Lord of the Dance. Adam stands before a projection of the dancing Shiva as Ring of Fire begins. And, the infinity tattoo is another symbol of eternity. The projection made clearer to me the meanings behind Adam's version of ROF.

Nataraja (literally. The Lord (or King) of Dance, Tamil: கூத்தன் (Kooththan), Sanskrit: नटराज; /nɐ.tɐ.rɑ.dʒɐ/ is a depiction of the Hindu god Shiva as the cosmic dancer who performs his divine dance to destroy a weary universe and make preparations for god Brahma to start the process of creation. Nataraja is most often depicted through a statue.

The two most common forms of Shiva's dance are the Lasya (the gentle form of dance), associated with the creation of the world, and the Tandava (the violent and dangerous dance), associated with the destruction of weary worldviews - weary perspectives & lifestyles. The Lasya and the Tandava are just two aspects of Shiva's nature; for he destroys in order to create, tearing down to build again.

There is a sadness inside of me that must be balanced. Adam's hope energy and joy balances me.

NoAngel

I feel that supporting Adam is actually doing something positive in the world. There's absolutely no reason that such a lovely, sweet-spirited, crazy-talented creative soul should not be a huge success. If there's something that I can do to help make that happen, then count me in.

shadow

For me, Adam and this web site have been life-changing. I was in a pretty bad place a couple of years ago. I work from home. About the only tine I left the house was for a doctor appointment. I even had groceries delivered. I'm not sure how that got started, because I certainly was not always a "hermit". It wasn't any kind of fear of leaving the house. It was more that I just didn't see any reason to.

keyboard

For my wife to say I had to give her my opinion on all the activity on PF today was a little frightening and a first. No one else asked my opinion, but that has never stopped me before.
1. Halfie Your intentions are definitely honorable and your goal admirable. Nothing should take the place of being a fully engaged father. The bond we have with our children was formed by endless ball games, fishing expeditions, talks while walking on the beach, family trips, and other shared experiences. We had our own lives and interests too, however. That is not a sin. I was often away for work but the kids and I stayed close even before everyone had a cell attached to their ears. There is no need to give up; everything that gives you enjoyment, just do it in moderation and at times when it doesn't interfere with family.
2. For those who think they need to back off their Adam adoration. I think you are wrong. Adam is approaching many crossroads in his young career. The next 2 years could be a make or break time for him as he finishes the tour and settles in to write and record his next album. Don't let the out of sight out of mind mentality set in. Yes he is here for our entertainment, but we should reciprocate by being there for him when he is not on the cover of magazines and on Entertainment Tonight on a daily basis. Adam's life will be a success no matter what we do because the Broadway stage will always be beckoning, but that is not what he wants right now. It's a little, a very little, like taking in a foster child. You don't bring him into your home, help him start to heal and blossom then send him back. Finish what you started, see the project through. The really hard part is over, but there is still work to be done.
I seldom voice the "what ifs" that pop into my head sometimes, but that doesn't mean they aren't there. Adam isn't mediocre, he is over the top talented and nothing should prevent him from reaching the top of his field. How can he do that? With constant support from people who love, respect, and encourage him. Everyone has to do it in his/her own way, but don't be too quick to think the job is done. Someone mentioned TV addictions, a good analogy is watching something like LOST or 24. People stuck with the shows for years and they went out on top of their game. What's the difference? Adam doesn't require 8 hours a day, just whatever time you can spare to enjoy yourself and help him be the man he wants to be. Come 2012 or so I hope we can all look at Adam's success and not have any regrets for what we didn't do. It's easy to say NO REGRETS but harder to live it.

rjacks-

My lessons learned from being a PFer and Adam Fan:
1. PF is a refuge, outlet, party, school, place of spiritual enlightenment, sexy nightclub, comedy club, virtual coffee shop to meet friends, and mostly importantly, a home for one of Adam's misfit toys - me, a fan.

The people on this site are intelligent, warm, opinionated, forgiving, kind, generous, funny, and open minded.

Your post (halfie) today was for me, as it was for some others, something of a nudge in a right and important direction: to gain some perspective, to step away from a minute, to recognize what is wonderful in this "addiction," and what is a little less desirable. I know that there are many times when I am Adam stanning and that is exactly what I should be doing because it makes me happy, and then there are many times when I am Adam stanning when I really shouldn't be, because there are other things I could be doing that in the long run would make me, and those around me, happier. Finding that balance is of course important.

If you'll forgive me, I'll indulge in a personal story for a moment. A few years ago, my now-husband, then longtime boy-friend, whom I love endlessly and vehemently as the ocean loves the shore, was suddenly and unexpectedly (he was very young) diagnosed with cancer. I hasten to add, thankfully, that he is very well again now. But as you can imagine those were tough times for me--I was young and seemingly invulnerable, and suddenly felt blind-sided: it put a lot of things in perspective for me. I know I was a strong and good support for my boy during those tough times, but if I had let myself feel bad for every errant and discordant feeling--every superficial or melodramatic concern that flashed through my mind during those months, I would have been miserable indeed.

Afterward, my life felt different. I took away from those horrible months the lesson of not sweating the small stuff. Life seemed to me about a few really important major things--the love and good health of my family--and nothing else mattered. On the whole, this was an excellent lesson: I stress less about little annoyances: you know, dentists appointments, traffic jams, embarrassing myself in public (or online ). But I think something important fell by the wayside, too. I was constantly focused on the big things--paranoid that my husbands' disease would come back, convinced that I might lose someone I loved, not caring about all sorts of little things that make up the joy of everyday life. Not willing to let myself be distracted by the superficial, the silly. I'm babbling at such length here about personal things--I'm sorry about this --because when Adam appeared on Idol he pulled me out of this nonsense about perspective. He was so much fun, so overthetop and silly sometimes, and gave me such an escape. I loved his self-admitted vanity, his love of pop, his refusal to be serious about his serious talent. And finding this community (via MJs), where so many other people appreciated what I did, gossiped about and named hair-dos, listened to impossibly crackly mermish, posted picture after picture of the lace-up pants, posted gifs (I'm looking at you, Seoulmate) that made me howl with laughter, taught me a valuable lesson about not undervaluing the trivial in life. Sometimes silly, superficial, inexplicable obsessions have a lot of weight, and earn that weight. It's a different kind of putting things in perspective. I know that you, Halfie, know and appreciate all this too, and it is not meant to be an attempt to dissuade you from leaving us (don't leave DON"T LEAVE ). That would be horribly self indulgent (I already cringe at the length and personal nature of this comment), your post sounded eminently sensible to me, and I know you will continue to let Adam bring you joy. But I don't want you feeling guilty about your lack of perspective--you never, ever struck me as a man who lacked perspective on any of this. And skin-tight, snakes-skin, lace-up pants? Sometimes, it is just exactly that deep.

I'ma gonna miss you somethin' awful. . Go forth and conquer, Napoleon.

[skylar]

Buderschnookie

"UNF", in this context means "oh my God he was so freaking hot that my brain combusted, my body started to shake, and unintelligible sounds of ecstasy spontaneously burst from my mouth!!"