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2005-07-23 - 4:21 p.m. It was during the summer of 2003 that I was unfortunate enough to find myself immersed in an Interpersonal Communications class. Anyone who was around that summer will completely understand why I use the word "unfortunate"... It was more than gut wrenching to sit upstairs every night, reading those assignments, completing that homework, with the shrieks of "Oh my Gawd, Oh my Gawd, Oh My Gaaaaaawd!!!" emanating from the basement. The memory of it is more than painful! When the time came to complete my final paper I knew I would sink, given my inability at the time to fully concentrate on anything RL. But the pond rising beneath my feet told me I'd better swim. So here's my attempt at water treading... The Expressive Function of GAZE... and Other Competencies July 2003...I've been known to do some crazy things in my life. There was a time when I loved to take chances, to live on the edge as it were. More recently, however, I have gravitated towards safer grounds and stuck more to the comfortable and expected. So the fact that I have decided to go out on a limb and tackle a research paper which appears right now to be totally out in left field leaves me with a bit of apprehension. But despite the apprehension I am drawn to it and I can't resist. The textbook by Trenholm and Jensen defines communication as "a process by which a source transmits a message to a receiver by some channel." So, in a way I suppose I could say that this particular message was transmitted to me via "Channel 5" WXMI in Grand Rapids, MI on January 14th 2003, though I admit it would be a while before I would realize it's significance. Three months previously, Clayton Holmes Grissom, donning the name Clay Aiken, had walked into an audition for American Idol 2 in Atlanta, Georgia, his lanky, beanpole frame sporting a pair of oversized khaki's and a green & white oxford shirt. Eyes split focus between the size 13.5 clodhoppers and the coke bottle glasses, which framed a pair of Dumboesque ears. Huck Finn, Opie and Howdy Doody, all rolled into one. The first thing we heard, and surely a quote to go down in the annals of history, came from judge Simon Cowell who, being deficient in the art of foresite, had the audacity to ask, "And so why are you here?" Only to be topped by Clay's reply, "Uh, I'm the American Idol." Hahahahaha! On Interpretive Competence: Don't delusion yourself... because most of us didn't see it either. Millions of viewers, myself among them, sat back in our armchairs (the things we now lovingly refer to as "Clay-Z-Boys") and snickered, only to sit a little taller in our seats as Clay began to belt out his a cappella version of "Always and Forever." The world as some of us knew it would never be the same again, but we still didn't realize it, not just yet. We tend to latch onto prototypes and I think that is where we still were. If he looks like a geek that's what he must be. But that voice! I am convinced it was the curiosity factor alone that propelled him into the next round. On Being A Geek: "He was one of (Raleigh's) Leesburg High class clowns" says former classmate Alisha Puckett. "Often sarcastic, theatrical and borderline annoying." He wanted to be a journalist first, then a politician and then a teacher. Music, though always a part of his life, was never his first career choice. But in yearbook class, in the middle of conversations, at lunch, or even in the middle of lecture Clayton would break into song. He had a voice and would sing for anyone who would listen. Clayton moved on to acting as summer counselor at the local YMCA where, among other things, he was known to let the kids 'duct tape' him to the wall. It was during his senior year at the University of North Carolina Charlotte, as a special education major, he was convinced by the mother of a 12-year-old autistic boy he'd been working with to audition for the new season of American Idol 2. Little did he know that accepting this challenge essentially meant that sometime in the near future he would be taking on the awesome responsibility of altering the *pop star* prototype and *geek* stereotype forever... On Reality: "Sometime" hasn't take very long. Though anyone following it knows that it was Ruben Studdard, a seemingly more marketable, Alabamian with a smooth R&B voice, who ultimately won the competition, with Clay coming in runner-up. But this is where it begins to get interesting. While Ruben's single sold 250,000 units the first week, Clay's sold 393,000... and debuted at #1 on Billboard's Top 100, without even the benefit of airplay. (I think it was at this point that the RCA executives began to scrap the idea of releasing the two full length CD's on the same day!) As well, the reviews have begun to race in like wildfire regarding the current American Idol 2 tour. "Aiken shows true star quality. Not only is he a natural on stage, he commands it." (Minneapolis Star) "Clay was the crowd's clear favorite.. the screams for him were deafening!" (Pioneer Press) "Only Aiken has the natural charm to do justice to the 'Idol' mantle." (Chicago Tribune) "While Ruben Studdard ws voted 'American Idol' seemingly fair and square, the people's 'Idol' is now, without a doubt, Clay Aiken." (Toronto Sun) "It was Aiken, with his epic voice and flirty ways who swanned away with audience gold." (Washington Press) And so.. just what does all this have to do with the subject at hand, that being "communication?" Go on-line and do a search for Clay Aiken... listen to the rumblings, and you'll know. You'll find that this young and physically unassuming southern boy in the midst of Mass Media has somehow been able to demolish the 'fourth wall' and transport himself into an 'interpersonal relationship' with anyone with enough wherewithal to pay attention. Thus far I have mentioned the facts. Now I will mention the feelings. I appreciate my on-line acquaintances, turned friends, for sharing their insight and observations. On Non-Verbals: "He leans into the interviewer conveying a sense of intimacy and a willingness to share his thoughts and feelings." "He watches intently and uses a myriad of expressions to show that he's interested, with a smile, a funny face, a raised eyebrow, etc. He also laughs a lot, making the person he's talking to feel important and comfortable. On Verbals: "He answers questions intelligently and speaks very clearly, even with a thick southern accent , capturing a person's attention with his wonderful humor and innocence." "He is quick witted and can come up with a spontaneous and cheeky quip, without airs or graces." On Role Competence: "He is for all the world an innocent child, giggling, clowning and then suddenly becomes a man right in front of our eyes. He seems to know instinctively which role to play at any given moment. But then he goes and throws confusion into the mix by having so much sex appeal! The 'mother attraction' and the 'other attraction' are so strong that he keeps us continuously confused and hooked." On Self-Competence, Disclosure and Character: "When he walks across the stage, it is always with perfect posture. He exudes self-confidence and tells us we can trust him simply because he believes in himself." "A man of few words he is not. He is a chatterbox! He wears his emotions on his sleeve talking about personal life experiences and laughs and cries openly about them. He draws you to him because you feel he can trust you with his emotions." "He's not what the music industry would define as 'cool.' The powers that be would never suggest the next big thing to come along would come in the shape of a 24 year old who says grace in public restaurants and who doesn't drink, smoke or swear. But Clay is going to follow his own moral compass no matter what. And it doesn't really matter if his beliefs and actions are one's you would choose for yourself. Living inside your own convictions, without apology, is one of the most attractive traits an individual can possess. Good bone structure and a nice set of pipes can't even touch the sheer force of a steady self-assurance." On Goal Competence and Referent Power: "Clay has stated publicly that he wants to use his celebrity to raise public awareness of a cause close to his heart.. helping children with autism. This is not 'idle' chatter as the foundation is already underway. And what do his fans do? They organize bake sales and car washes and donation drives to raise funds for their local autism societies. They set up web-sites and non-profit associations to bring attention and money to autism and support services. That's work. A little more than buying CDs and concert tickets. On Relational Competence: "He is approachable and willing to share himself with others, which leads to down-home goodness and casualness which makes us comfortable. So much so, that if we invited him to a family picnic, we feel as if he might actually show up." On Intangibles: "I've read a lot of people's posts that talk about the X-factor and what "IT" is that Clay has that nobody can quite figure out. Clay has not only given women something to talk about and swoon over, but he has also given us males something to ponder. We should try to be more like him and I am striving for that yesterday, today and tomorrow. He has mad me look within myself to find the person I am trying to hide." "I have spent many hours trying to figure out how this kid has managed to touch me like nobody else ever has, and I still don't completely understand it ." And finally... On The Expressive Function of Gaze: I had so many responses during my quest for input that I was unable to choose and frankly became a little disoriented in the process. But a picture paints a thousand words... 
Final Thoughts: The challenge here has been to take a massive amount of input and reduce it to practically nothing in comparison. There are no words to describe the profound impression he's made on millions. Some people write poetry, draw pictures, create new vocabularies or claim his body parts simply because they have no other feasible way of expressing their feelings. He has an awesome responsibility ahead of him because he has captured so many hearts, which he holds so tightly in his hands. He has done that simply by knowing who he is and of his heart and not being afraid to share or communicate a bit of it. I think when all is said and done that is where it must begin... with or without a voice that can move mountains. OK... I just reread that whole thing and it seriously cracked me up! I can't believe I had the nerve to submit it as a final paper. But I got an A somehow. My professor must have been on some serious, good quality crack... Either that or the baby EF got to him too.
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