Danny Gokey Speaks to the Press

Wow just wow at this…..

>>the week before [the scream] I had a really good performance.>>

>>See, everything up to that point was good and I rehearsed that scream so much that it hurt my vocal chords.>>

Excuses, excuses, excuses from Danny.

>>It was funny, though, it was a very funny scream.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ >>

No sweetheart, it wasnt.

>>But Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m proud of my accomplishments, coming from losing my wife 10 months ago to coming this far in the competition.>>

oh for crying out loud, can he do an interview without bringing that up? Danny, seek help my man.

>>à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“I really want to start a movement with my music, it sounds so big, so cocky, but to start a revolution and change peopleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s hearts. >>

Good luck with that.

>>What his album will sound like, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“I wanna mix a very soulful album with nice beats, like, nice R&B beats that get peopleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s heads moving and mix it with a hint of a Latin vibe and the reason is, I was with my wife for 12 years. She was Puerto Rican and Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m so into salsa and merengue and all the Spanish music, I want to mix it all into one arena, thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s what I wanna do.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ >>

That was the best part of the interview and now Im like, crap, I kinda like him. I like that she was puerto rican (dont ask me why) and he was with her for 12 years.

i wish he would have picked more songs w. r&b or latin flavor to showcase who he wants to be as a peformer. you cant sing outdated 80s ballads and then be surprised if you didnt connect w. the audience…unless of course, you WANT to be a sappy ballad singer (which sounds like he doesnt). i wonder who the F encourage him to select the songs that he did…his problem was not knowing how to express himself (perhaps too much think or just plain bad advice from his team).

Mmmmmk.

I don’t think it was because he didn’t rearrange songs; it was because he chose crappy corny songs. He also didn’t really show what he wanted to be as an artist because I would have thought he wanted to do christian music and not r&b from all his talk about giving hope and blah blah. He just has no musicality in him- he doesn’t know how to phrase songs or do anything other than make something cornier than it already is. It’s also weird that he thinks it was the scream that made him a goner, and not because his 2 opponents outshone him on Tuesday.

Both Adam and Danny have said in different ways that they want to get a message out to the world, beyond just entertainment. Adam’s is about acceptance and Danny’s is about helping others. I think they are both laudable.

I’m an Adam voter but I do love Danny’s voice. I think a soulful CD with a Latin vibe sounds pretty good, I’m looking forward to it.

Nah, I agree with him that the Dream On scream was hilarious, but I still think on a vocal point it was pretty terrible. Hilariously bad.

I think Danny’s more likable than people make him out to be. Then again, I might just be saying this because I was his fan in the beginning or because I liked that he was the one kicked off last night.

Danny wants to make a movement with his music? Sure, I think he has some skill for that (admittedly, not as much as anyone else in the Top 6, with the 6 being Anoop). He’s not that terrible. Raspy and somewhat OTT, but some people like that, and I think I kinda like that.

Well, maybe he and Randy can have an eyewear line together.

Danny I get you were hurting from your wife’s death, but man you should have spoken out more like this. I wish you would have let go in your singing like you did on your sing out, because that was an awesome performance. I was truly touched and yep teary eyed.

What did have me crying was you talking about standing over your wife’s casket and wondering where to go from there. Paula so obviously upset, yep I was crying too.

I wish you lots of luck Danny and what a loving thing to do for her with the foundation. That speaks volumes to me of the love you had for her. If you put out a cd as great as that sing out was, I will be buying it.

I don’t think he’s a bad guy at all, but damn, he really, really sucks at this PR stuff. For example:

He made glasses cool again? That was the word on the street? Did like Huggy Bear from Starsky and Hutch meet him in a dark alley to give him the 411?

There is no glasses stigma anymore, really. They’re pretty fashionable and trendy these days. Johnny Depp wears them a lot, even. Oh Gokey. There aren’t enough of these :rolleyes_tb: in the world, man. Hope it all works out for ya.

Well Fantasia didn’t have to re-arrange “Summertime” to knock it out of the park.

I’m just sayin’

I think that this interview is interesting, including the part where he talks about what type of album he wants to make. I know that a lot of people think that he wants to make a Christian album, but I think it’s interesting that he says he wants to make an R&B album mixed with Spanish music. I am glad that he is grateful for what Idol has done for him.

I love Danny’s voice but from jump he rubbed me the wrong way and it was all downhill from there.

He picked crappy songs imo and he was up against two very unique guys. Looking back he didnt stand a chance but I gotta hand it to Kris, he fought and clawed his way and he’s really adorable. If they banned 10-13 year olds from voting he’d be gone.

The boy really turned it on the last 2 weeks. He deserved it.

You know, sometimes I just feel Danny is misunderstood and socially awkward and trying to fit it.

Then other times, I read lines, like “I was nobody and now I’m a somebody.” which I just makes me cringe, I think it insults a lot of people or I want to start a movement. And I roll my eyes.

I don’t think he meant to offend with either of those, but man, talk about clueless.

Personal feelings aside, I really wonder if Danny understands the big bad world he wants to become part of? I just can’t imagine the secular world of “pop” music and the people who invest in it would be real happy to share any profits with a religious foundation. I hope Danny has enough common sense to realize that it costs a lot of money to put on a concert, and it will be a long wait before Danny would have enough “star” power to foot the bill himself. No offense meant, but it just seems like he is very naive about the world and the career he wants to persue. Hope he doesn’t get his heart broken again by not being realistic and putting to much faith into a system that is hard-hearted at best.

I’m just at a loss when it comes to Danny. You look at his history and you think…how the heck can I not like this guy? And then he speaks and I am so turned off by him. I just don’t buy him I guess…I don’t know.

I just donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t buy him I guessà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t know.

that’s what it is. i just don’t buy into him. i don’t believe he is sincere or realistic.

You know, at the end of the day there were some pretty ugly things said about Danny…I know I have said plenty of things I would NEVER say to his face…and that’s too bad. It’s the problem with the internet, it can often bring out our worst selves. Now that he is gone (and no longer a threat to my favorite) it is easy for me to wish some things were not said.

So I’ll try not to continue in that vein.

Nevertheless, I still think Danny really needs to learn that people don’t like it when someone says, “My life is an inspiration, and I am now going to inspire you!” We are drawn to people who are not obsessed with being a hero, or an inspiration, but simply live it. They do not try to create a perception, but they go out and do it, and people notice.

I really, really like that Danny is motivated by something higher than his own fame and fortune. That is great. But when he draws my attention to his greatness by being so self-referential, it feels much less moving. Kind of narcissistic; it has become about him again…he wants us to see him as a hero. But heroes do not base their lives around trying to be heroes. They base their lives on that thing which is bigger than them…they ultimately don’t care if anyone notices.

If Danny wants to be another narcissistic pop star, then he can talk about himself all day long. But if he really wants to be an inspiration, a true and lasting inspiration, he needs to stop talking about how he is an inspiration and go out and simply be inspiring.

If Danny wants to be another narcissistic pop star, then he can talk about himself all day long. But if he really wants to be an inspiration, he needs to stop talking about how he is an inspiration and go out and simply be inspiring.

Best statement…probs….I think this is exactly how I feel and how I’ve felt from day one.

rbidol, that was a great post.

He always acts as if he’s trying to save me. Like he has inspiration and now he’s gonna give it to me. Its a little offensive. Its always about him and Im not sure he realizes how he comes across. Im betting he doesnt.

I find it interesting that when asked if Idol changed his life he says: “I was nobody before” just after talking about his wife.

Living or dead, if I was his wife I’d be pissed.

So in the late 60′s/early 70′s when I was wearing granny glasses and doing drugs, I wasn’t cool but just a nerd in glasses? Damn, who woulda thunk it. Now that I’m older than dirt and again wearing granny glasses, I’m all of a sudden cool? And I have Danny to thank? Danny truly is an inspiration :blink_tb:

thedingoateyobaby
May 14th, 2009 at 7:05 pm

If they banned 10-13 year olds from voting heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d be gone.

I realize you are complimenting Kris, so this isn’t really directed your way…just at that particular supposition… The whole tween effect is overblown. On those homecoming vids, Danny and Adam seemed to have a fair amount of screaming tweenies also.
Also Tweens had nothing to do with getting him to the top 13 in the first place :).

And (yes I realize this a Danny thread) the people who claim he’s getting by on looks are generally the same ones who claim he is an ugly monkey-face midget. *rolls eyes*

Back to Danny, whoever said the “cluelessness” thing was right on the money. I don’t think he’s really a bad guy…just socially awkward, and lacks the self-awareness to know when to stop talking.

If Danny wants to be another narcissistic pop star, then he can talk about himself all day long. But if he really wants to be an inspiration, he needs to stop talking about how he is an inspiration and go out and simply be inspiring.

Kinda like Kris….

Well Fantasia didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t have to re-arrange à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Summertimeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  to knock it out of the park.
Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m just sayinà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢

Yes, but Danny was referring to the show after David Cook’s year (last year), who changed the landscape of idol by rearranging songs. Fantasia was year 3, when NO ONE was rearranging songs. I’m just sayin’.

Danny himself says that song selection was the hardest part for him and that he doesn’t know a lot of genres and that he’s learning. I think that contributed to the awkwardness that you saw. He truly is green in the business and we all witnessed him learning. Some like it, some didn’t. I am in the camp that liked him.

He talks about song selection at the end of this video: http://www.fox6now.com/video/?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=3738799

I actually think you don’t HAVE to rearrange songs. If you don’t, however, you better go out there and be amazing. That is exactly what Fantasia did and also what David Cook did with Music of the Night. If you don’t have an amazing voice, and I absolutely don’t think you need one to win or especially to be my favorite, rearrangement is in your favor however. I guess I don’t think having a moment is all about rearrangement.

I find his interview answers to be appropriate, personal and revealing. He’ll now have time to learn the ins and outs of “the business.” Having lost someone very close to me recently, I know for certain that 10 months is but a blip on the time continuum. In reality, he will never, ever get over the loss completely. As someone said, I hope he seeks counseling. Not for the reasons they intimated, however. To me, asking for help reveals one’s true inner strength.

edit: follow my guidelines. no fingerwagging or lecturies

I actually think you donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t HAVE to rearrange songs.

No, you don’t have to rearrange a song but you do have to breathe new life into it. You have to bring something fresh to it. That’s how one avoids the kareoke trap.
Kris, like DC before him, showed a flair for rearranging songs and thus it became expected of him. (see example A. Kara DiGuardinodishidhoahbi).
However, using an alternative arrangement isn’t a guarenteed slam-dunk either.

Danny himself says that song selection was the hardest part for him and that he doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t know a lot of genres and that heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s learning. I think that contributed to the awkwardness that you saw.

Nah, it’s more than that. He is socially a little awkward and he says things and has no idea how they come across. For example, he wants to sing music and inspire people to do volunteer work. That is noble. But he describes it as a movement. That is the problem. He mispeaks all the time.

I actually think when it comes to music, he felt more confortable than you imply. I don’t like Danny, but I actually do think he can sing.

actually think you donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t HAVE to rearrange songs. If you donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t, however, you better go out there and be amazing.

very good point. But best is what Cook did: both. He had the big old flexible, beautiful voice to just sing something straight out. And he had the smarts to make “Billie Jean” his own (with a nod to Chris Cornell) and “Hello” etc.

still love me some “Happy Together.” MJ, how the heck can we get him to ever do that again?

back to Danny: is who he is. go for it, Gokester.

You know, I think Danny avoided a lot of his grief by throwing himself into the bubble that is idol and I do hope that now that he’s going to have more time on his hands(at least momentarily) he does take the right steps to grieve.

I do respect that after the initial onslaught of “My wife died” episodes, she was pretty much never mentioned again and then it became about Danny’s musical abilities(or lack there of for many). I didn’t so much mind the fact this he sangs songs that were probably meant to be songs to her, whatever draws your inspiration I guess.

My problem with DAnny came much later when I always felt like Idol was his own personal agenda, and the paragraph above about making a movement pretty much proves that I wasn’t too far off the bat. He had an agenda and he was damn cocky about it too, and then I felt he was lazy and phoning it in. He was ready to go long before this week.

Fine, whatever, but I always felt like I was trying to be saved by Danny Gokey Power Hour but nevertheless he left a week too late, but he left nonetheless and we have a fantastic finale because of it.

Good luck with the movement, Danny…but I’ll be taking a bathroom break during your set IF I go to the concert(and that’s only if Adam wins)

by the way: anyone have a clue what they’re doing next week with the show? certainly hope it’s not another one of these 45 minutes of commercials and judges, 15 minutes of singing….

I think Falling Slowly is considered a high point for Kris (despite what Randy heard), and he sang the song straight. Mad World was also pretty similar to the Gary Jules version (maybe big Adam fans have compared it note for note and know all the differences, but to my ears it sounded the same), and of course that was one of the great performances of the season.

I don’t think anyone means that you can’t have a Summertime moment anymore on AI where you sing a song straight and knock it out of the park.

I think the big difference is, the show is looking, more and more, for people who have a real artistic vision. If Summertime fits into that vision, then great! Do Summertime and be awesome! But great artists, when they sing other people’s songs, usually don’t just copy the original artist note for note. The song becomes part of their own soul, and they cannot help but breath new life into the song.

Those singers in the past, on AI, who just sang the song…they never made it part of themselves. In many cases, they didn’t even know themselves well enough to transform it in their own image.

Adam and Kris, I think, know their own souls. And they know music, and they love music. When they sing a song, the song will always be remade, part of them will be in it. Sometimes this will be due to a change in cords, and other times it will be simply the emotion they put into the original notes. But it will be truly their song.

This is what Fantasia did with Summertime. This is what Cook did so beautifully last season. And I think this is what Adam and Kris do most weeks. It is not simply about rearrangement, but it is about living and breathing the song. This, in my opinion, is art. And if American Idol can be about artists, and not soulless pop stars, I think that’s good for the whole country.

So Danny pretty much wants to be a life coach/motivational speaker … er … singer. Yuk. More power toward people who like that kind of stuff, but I guess I’m just too cynical for it. I hate it when people try to force their ideals, faith related or not, onto others this sortof mass production way.

Speaking of cynical … it sounds to me like this “movement” is more for him than others. Like he’s having a hard time dealing with his wife’s death and creating this”movement” gives him something to live for while still hanging on to her. To me, the healthy thing would be to allow some time to grieve and then move on. It doesn’t seem like he’s “overcoming” it at all. Missing a past loved one is one thing, but having your whole life revolve around them seems unhealthy.

He was like, suffocating her which was the funniest thing.

A man smothering a woman is so funny! Haha!

I think Danny has a hard time putting his thoughts into the appropriate words. I think he means one thing and he uses a word(s) that probably don’t best describe his intent.

It seems to me that Danny just doesn’t get it — David Cook did a lot more than just rearrange songs. Clearly Adam and Kris get it.

Just rearranging songs isn’t enough to win AI.
Just having a great voice isn’t enough to win AI.
Being cute and likable isn’t evough to win AI.
Having a great backstory isn’t enough to win AI.

First and foremost, an Idol needs to have a voice and “star quality”. Creative song arrangements, staging, song choice, on stage presense are just different aspects of expressing “star quality”. It’s also important to be likable — you can’t win unless enough voters like you and want you to win.

Some years no contestant came close to having voice star quality — IMO Fantasia, Ruben, Taylor and Jordan don’t hit the mark — and may not even have made this year’s final.

Kelly, Carrie & David C. make it in my book.

This year I think Adam hits the mark and I will wait until I see next week’s show before I decide if I think Kris is an “Idol”.

I’m reminded of a reaaallllyyy ooold song about an ant, a rubbertree plant and hope: “…cause he had hiiigh hopes, he had hiigh hopes, he had high apple pie in the sky hopes. So anytime you’re feeling low just remember that ant….Woooops, there goes another rubber tree plant.
Danny has high hopes about his future and his foundation. Nothing wrong with that. As many of us have guessed (and dissed him for), he’s not real sophisticated or worldly. A few years out in the world will give him some maturity and, like the rest of us, he’ll look back and say “I can’t believe I was that naiive. I’ve always been an Adam supporter, but Danny was entertaining too, in a weird way.

I actually feel sorry for Danny, he was a better singer than Kris (even though I like Kris more) this is about singing and entertaining, not hate…

I’m just glad that he wants some “good beats” on his album. Those will go great with the doot doot doo doots and jabbing the air with his hand like Eminem.

I HEART that.

a better singer than Kris?

I know that a lot of folks feel that way, but I’m not sure it’s true. Just went back to listen to “Make Your Feel My Love” and “Man in the Mirror” and “How Sweet It Is”, and I loved the tenor and texture of his voice. Really sweet. He needs some coaching to improve his vocal stamina, but I believe that’s very possible to do.

Gokey has that great husky texture. But he did not have good breath control, and his dynamics were way, way less developed than Kris. I think this is a very subjective call, but to me Kris is the more interesting and compelling singer overall –

I kind of like Danny. Eep.

LOL hwc!!!

Personally, I like to bounce my head rather than bang it- so his description is more my speed for music.

nice R&B beats that get peopleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s heads moving and mix it with a hint of a Latin vibe

Dear Danny,
Please make that album. I will buy it!

I really want to start a movement with my music, it sounds so big, so cocky, but to start a revolution and change peopleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s hearts.

That’s a deal-breaker, ladies

I think they’ve rearranged songs since inception-just not to the extent of “hello” or “BJ”. The mentors usually helped the contestants. Simon usually told Rickey he hated the arrangement as though Rickey was responsible.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m reminded of a reaaallllyyy ooold song about an ant, a rubbertree plant and hope: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦cause he had hiiigh hopes, he had hiigh hopes, he had high apple pie in the sky hopes. So anytime youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re feeling low just remember that antà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.Woooops, there goes another rubber tree plant.
Danny has high hopes about his future and his foundation. Nothing wrong with that. As many of us have guessed (and dissed him for), heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not real sophisticated or worldly. A few years out in the world will give him some maturity and, like the rest of us, heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll look back and say à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“I canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t believe I was that naiive. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve always been an Adam supporter, but Danny was entertaining too, in a weird way.

The songs fits perfectly, LOL.

And yes, I don’t think Danny quite gets he isn’t going to change/save the world. He just might change/save a few more people in Milwaukee.

I never liked Danny from day one, just a strange feeling about him. Every week I tried to be objective and block negative things out, but it never worked out for me with him. I always felt he was trying (screaming) too hard, reaching too far and he just seemed manic to me most of the time. The smug smiles eventually did him in for me but I wish him the best.

Ok, I would never want to step on anyone’s dream but Danny seems so ….um……confused????misguided….naive???? I am not too sure.
This is a singing competition and he wants to make it about something more. Go into the ministry Danny….or be a Christian artist and *inspire* thru your music. But add that to a charity…seems like a *hodge podge* of confusion to me.
After reading this interview I am a mess of emotion. I want to like him….I feel for him and his loss…but then he starts telling me what he wants to do for the world and I go…I am out of here! Life is FULL of loss and hardship…most people grieve and move on eventually…inspiring others perhaps along the way by living your life with integrity…not telling people how you want to save them.

and….sadly…for me…I didn’t like his voice all that much. He totally lost me the day he forgot the words to *Billy Jean* and started to shout out to Jesus…..I go to church for that! Man I need a drink! Pix

Oh and I forgot…..after saving the world he also wants to make his own line of glasses….*save the Nerd????* ya gotta be kidding me! ya know…he is starting to sound like his *rolex* preacher! Oh man…I had better head to church and repent….Arg! Pix

What was Simon doing to Paula that the cameras wouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t show? He was like, suffocating her which was the funniest thing. She was on the ground and he had his hand over her moutgh and I talked to her after the show. Sheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s like, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Man, I couldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t breath, I really couldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t breath!à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ To me, it was just the funniest thing à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢cause Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve just never seen thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’they were kinda like wrestling, almost, in the chair.

I’ve got to agree with Danny on this point: suffocating a woman is possibly the funniest thing in the world. When I want to cheer someone up who is down, maybe because they let out a hideous, blood-curdling scream the week before on a nationally televised singing competition, I go straight to suffocating a woman. WTG Cowell, now that was funny.*

*might be sarcasm, for those deficient

Boy, that kind of concert sounds rather depressing to me. Would anyone actually pay money for it?

Sorry… Glasses have been fashionable with kids for quite some time now. Get over yourself.

Wasn’t the point of the performances to show what kind of artist you’d be post-idol? All he sang was straight-up church-ish sounding music to me. All that was missing was the “Praise the Lord” at the end of every song.

And how does “salsa and merengue and all the Spanish music” fit in with “following with the story of a young kid whose father was killed in a gang and mother was a drug addict and how heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s had to overcome this and that and how Sophiaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Heart Foundation has effected him.”? Face it. If Danny doesn’t have a clear, coherent vision for himself as an artist how can anyone expect consumers to support him post-idol? In the end he’ll end up making the kind of record the producers think will make them the most money.

I wish him luck. I’m just grateful that I won’t have to endure him anymore.

d.b.cooper I heart you. Have you ever heard Todd Snider’s D.B. Cooper song?

He made glasses cool again? That was the word on the street? Did like Huggy Bear from Starsky and Hutch meet him in a dark alley to give him the 411?

LOLz

And no, Danny, just no. How could TPTB have thought that he could be a good Idol? That is the mind-boggling part.

rbidol…. i heart you.

You know, sometimes I just feel Danny is misunderstood and socially awkward and trying to fit it.

Then other times, I read lines, like à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“I was nobody and now Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m a somebody.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  which I just makes me cringe, I think it insults a lot of people or I want to start a movement. And I roll my eyes.

I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think he meant to offend with either of those, but man, talk about clueless.

I agree that he’s socially awkward and misspeaks a lot without realizing how he’s coming off. His words, actions, and facial expressions when he was speaking on stage were frequently off-putting…and that had nothing to do with the religious aspect.

Found this in the interview at zap2it:

When you go out on tour this summer, what do you envision that being like?
I envision it being good, without a doubt. I envision it as the point where I can talk to my fans and show a side of me they weren’t able to see on the TV. The cool thing now is that I can take my guard down because I don’t need votes anymore. Now I can just talk openly and freely to the people I sing in front of and I’m excited for that.

Somehow I doubt that TPTB will allow him to speak freely while on the Idol tour.

This dude seriously needs a publicist to minimize damage control if he really wants to make this foundation work.

I honestly don’t hate Danny. How could I even hate someone who gives so many amazingly funny moments. There are things that just have to be run with, ya know? There just aren’t that many chances in life.

I think I’m just over criticizing this guy…I’m freaking ecstatic that he’s gone but now he’s just a non-issue. I really don’t think he’s going to make an impact, which sucks for him, but he’s just not impressive in any way.

It feels like I say this all the time, but Cook wasn’t the first person to rearrange songs. Blake Lewis does not get the credit he deserves sometimes. And I know someone’s going to bring up Daughtry, but Blake was the true original when it came to such things.

Is it wrong that while I’ve watched/seen/read these past few Danny Gokey things since his delightful boot last night, all I can think of is how Pastor Rolex must be giddier than a school girl, because this somehow has to be playing into his agenda too. After all any mention to Danny’s faith and movement plans is a direction plug for Faith Builders.

Somewhere Pastor Rolex is sitting in an overstuffed chair smoking a cigar and counting his money…

edit: STOP LECTURING or YOU WILL end up in moderation

Somewhere Pastor Rolex is sitting in an overstuffed chair smoking a cigar and counting his moneyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

No he is in LA on vacation spending that money.Hope he stays with danny for the fall back down.

I don’t HATE Danny Gokey. How can I hate someone I don’t know? I don’t personally hate anyone, in fact. I can hate things people do, but not them. I just dislike many things about Danny, the American Idol contestant, has portrayed.

Can I DISLIKE how he has portrayed himself on a TV show? Absolutely. He’s a contestant on a TV SHOW and as far as I’m concerned if you’re putting yourself on a TV show everything in the show and that is related to the show is fair game.

If we are a voting public and we are the ones that are supposed to be “buying” a product than we have the right to view it and call it anyway we chose to.

Do I think some of the comments get out of hand, absolutely, and I’m sure mine may have at times as well.

But as long as he’s associated with Idol anything he choices to portray is fair game on commenting.

Here’s what I am disliking about Gokey. I find him insufferable when he gives off that proselytizing vibe, and you know what I mean. I don’t want to state this in an unfair way, but when he says “leave a mark on someone’s heart,” I hear, “convert them.”

Meanwhile, if I had a nickel for every time I saw a post offhandedly saying, oh, I enjoy Adam but I can’t condone his lifestyle, as if anyone knew anything about his fucking lifestyle, I’m just reminded of the double-standards of, well, lots of people.

Gokey is supposed to start a movement and recruit and proselytize everyone, and Adam is to be dismissed and marginalized and people are to parade the fact that they think him less than a full citizen.

That’s the crux of the gay boi vs. Christian soldier to me. Don’t tell me you don’t know which of them gets the real pimping, in real life. Hint: one of them gets a lifetime tax break.

Thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s the crux of the gay boi vs. Christian soldier to me. Donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t tell me you donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t know which of them gets the real pimping, in real life. Hint: one of them gets a lifetime tax break.

YES.

For me, and this is based on what we’ve seen on the show, it boils down to this:

Adam’s message: “Embrace being different. Accept each other.”

Danny’s message: “Follow my path. Be like me.”

amen bambambam!

Meh, after a few fun weeks of putting the Go in Gokey I just concluded Danny is naive and in over his head. I can’t work up the energy to hate on the guy anymore. I watched his Idol Extra interview and he seems very sincere, and sadly, aware of all the shit-talking that’s been going on online. TV Character Danny is done and off the stage, now it’s just plain Danny Gokey, who hasn’t properly grieved for his wife, and will now try to make his way in the biz. I wish him luck.

It feels like I say this all the time, but Cook wasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t the first person to rearrange songs. Blake Lewis does not get the credit he deserves sometimes. And I know someoneà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s going to bring up Daughtry, but Blake was the true original when it came to such things.

Rearranging songs and entertaining performances were really Blake’s trademarks, and they carried him all the way to the finale his season, because his voice alone never would have gotten him that far. He was a great entertainer, and I loved him, but I didn’t really enjoy his album, and so I kind of have forgotten about him.

Cook, OTOH, is, first and foremost, a really great singer with a really good voice. He may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but the dude can sing, and he was good at several different genres, and somehow, for the most part, was able to put his stamp on the songs he chose. He knew what he was good at, and what he could and couldn’t do, and that self-awareness was one of his biggest assets.

Danny had that potential (vocally), but he just didn’t really know enough about either himself or popular music in general to have the internal resources available to him during the competition. He was really out of his league in that regard, so he has nothing to be ashamed of. He placed third and that’s pretty damn good considering how sheltered he’d been prior to his audition.

Hmm, this is sort of a strange exit interview. I think that he’s genuinely a nice person. The goodbye package as well as the hometown visit package portrayed him really nicely, and I felt bad disliking him.
But then, literally the second that he got booted, he’s on American Idol Extra talking about his wife, and about the message he wants to spread and everything. Yes, I’m sorry that his wife died, but we don’t need to hear about it, again.
He was really trying to say some good stuff here, but he’s just not very well spoken. He’s not quite as naive as some contestants seem to have been (Megan, Lil) but I don’t think he entirely gets it either. No one really teaches half the contestants how to handle the real world…it’s like they’re in the glamorous Idol bubble, and then thrown out onto the street to fend for themselves. On the other hand, that’s sort of his charm, at least to some people. He’s a dorky-ish-in-a-cool-way sort of guy who happens to be a really good singer.
But still, some of the things that he said…I mean, starting a movement? Really?
I actually don’t find his voice unappealing at all, it’s just sort of his personality that rubbed me the wrong way. So I was pleasantly surprised that he said he wants to do R&B with some Latin. Sounds good to me.
Some might argue that Kris Allen has even less people skills, but he hasn’t exactly done anything to piss people off either.

So best of luck to Danny. I’m happy that the finale is how it should be, and I’m happy that hopefully everyone will shut up about the conspiracy theories.

Sooo.

Just edited a bunch of posts from peeps who aren’t getting the memo.

DO NOT lecture
DO NOT fingerwag
IF YOU DON’T like a poster’s opinion, you may disagree, but you CAN’T criticize or stifle their opinions.
DO NOT tell posters what to do or how to post.

As of right this second, It’s one strike and you’re out. Break my guidelines? You get put in moderation.

Haven’t read them? I suggest that you do. Those who post at TWOP know the drill. IDFers and Scary board members? You CANNOT behave here the way you might at those boards.

Also, this IS NOT a fansite. Those who have appointed themselves the positivity police at their fanboards? Don’t even try it here.

My guidelines:

http://mjsbigblog.com/?page_id=1172

READ THEM

d.b.cooper I heart you. Have you ever heard Todd Sniderà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s D.B. Cooper song?

I hadn’t until just now (checked it on youtube, good stuff). I appreciate the heart (now that Danny is gone I didn’t know where I’d get mine).

I honestly donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t hate Danny. How could I even hate someone who gives so many amazingly funny moments. There are things that just have to be run with, ya know? There just arenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t that many chances in life.

Gingerly, I feel the exact same way. But what a creepola. And in the combined spirit of creepiness and humor I’d like to offer some song choices for Danny to butcher on his debut album that I think he’d find funny:

Westfall by Okkervil River (btw, check this band out)
Possum Kingdom by The Toadies
I Want You by Elvis Costello
Every Breath You Take by The Police
I’ve Been Loving You Too Long by Otis Redding
Creep by Radiohead

Thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s the crux of the gay boi vs. Christian soldier to me. Donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t tell me you donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t know which of them gets the real pimping, in real life. Hint: one of them gets a lifetime tax break.

I think, as real flesh-and-blood people, both Adam and Danny are more than one-dimensional stereotypes.

The gay boy christian thing was an analogy I used in one of my posts, but I was criticizing the way I felt TPTB might be using them to make an entertaining TV show. I thought it was gross.

Imo, reducing either Adam or Danny down to a cultural stereotype is unfair and does a disservice to both of them.

downeast said:

For me, and this is based on what weà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve seen on the show, it boils down to this:

Dannyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s message: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Follow my path. Be like me.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

Well said, downeast!

But then, literally the second that he got booted, heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s on American Idol Extra talking about his wife, and about the message he wants to spread and everything. Yes, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m sorry that his wife died, but we donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t need to hear about it, again.

I think he was counseled early on that talking about his wife was creating a backlash, so he stopped. But that created another issue, i.e. that he was some cold-hearted jerk that could basically audition for a show like Idol 4 weeks after his wife died and then proceed to have the time of his life, whooping it up with the other Idols in their mansion, with seemingly no backward glance. I can understand that once the specter of appearing to troll for votes was gone, he felt the need to talk about her, to dispel the illusion that he could basically move on so quickly to another chapter of his life so soon after her death. Which I doubt was true because I do personally believe he has been grieving in private when the cameras weren’t rolling.

As far as the foundation is concerned, he may know he has a limited window of opportunity to get his message out there at least to a national audience. Next week, the journalists will be talking to the winner and the RU, not Danny.

He certainly shows a human side, and I wish him well, but I’m leery of people who want to use music to start a movement. It sounds very fundamentalist to me. Whoever said his message is “be like me” is right.

Use music to express yourself, to move and inspire etc., that’s fine, but a movement? Don’t politicize music.

What I would like to know is whose heart exactly it is that he wants to change? It doesn`t sound to me like it is only the downtrodden or unhappy. My heart is just fine the way it is Danny. Thanks anyway.

And this revolution stuff is just plain creepy!

For me, and this is based on what weà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve seen on the show, it boils down to this:

Adamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s message: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Embrace being different. Accept each other.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

Dannyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s message: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Follow my path. Be like me.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

I hope this does not violate the guidelines (which I have just read again a couple times)…and goodness knows I love participating on this site, and I would be sad if I were kicked off…but I’m sorry, I just have to say that I think this is a stereotype which is unfair to Danny. It is not right to stereotype, even when you are stereotyping Christians.

If Adam’s message really is “Accept each other”, why shouldn’t we accept Danny, even if he is (and we have no knowledge of whether he is or not) against some of Adam’s beliefs on morality (and we don’t know what those are, either). You can’t preach a message of total acceptance and then say that certain views are unacceptable. It is a self-defeating argument. Your argument would then, ironically, eventually becomes “Follow my path. Be like me.”

I am a Christian, and I said earlier that I think Danny is communicating poorly in some ways. But I really hate the implication that Danny is bigoted just because…why? What have we seen about Danny on the show to indicate that he is against Adam or embracing people? Just because he is an evangelical Christian? Even if he disagrees with Adam on some political questions or moral questions, that does not mean he is against acceptance. The situation is so much more complex, and as MJ said, these are real people, not stereotypes in a culture war. I don’t think this is fair to Danny or Adam.

Again, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m sorry MJ. I just donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t like the stereotypes.

You can’t tell people what to post. Period. that’s why I deleted your post.

And this goes for everyone.

ETA to the post I canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t edit: Go ahead and delete me too, MJ. I didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t mean to step on peopleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s toes, but thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s totally your call.

Disagreeing with a point is not a problem, like you just did, is fine. Trying to direct the conversation, or stifle an opinion is the point at which I start to edit.

But I really hate the implication that Danny is bigoted just becauseà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦why? What have we seen about Danny on the show to indicate that he is against Adam or embracing people? Just because he is an evangelical Christian?

I completely agree with this and I’m agnostic. We know that Kris and Adam are BFF but I don’t see why the next logical step is that Danny openly shames Adam for his sexuality or whatever. Perhaps they just have completely different personalities, which I could definitely see being the case. Especially as Kris is also a Christian and is so close with Adam.

I think this a commentary on the broader issue of people assuming Christians hate Adam for his “lifestyle” or whatever PC term is popular right now. People aren’t all fundamentalism and agenda-driven. Maybe they just don’t like each other, like I don’t like Danny, haha.

Deleted to conserve space.

I won’t pile on Danny because, well just because, but this segue really sorta got to me in a way..

This foundation means so much to me because it’s the legacy of my wife and myself here on this Earth and I have a lot of open doors now and I’m going to walk through those. I also want to come out with a line of glasses

That sounded so snake oil salesmen…..

I know he’s not a bad guy, he’s just not very self aware. Maybe a little more meditation is in order.

You know, I do feel a little sorry for Danny. He lost his wife, he’s inarticulate, he lacks self-awareness and comes across as narcissistic. He admits to holding back on Idol for votes. Was that a good strategy? I have no idea. He went farther than his talent should have taken him. Third place is not shabby. Would he have made it farther if he had gone all Gokey, all the time? I don’t know. Guess we’ll never know.

Still, any sympathy I feel for him is not going to stop me from making fun of him when he does or says something stupid. He invited that when he went on American Idol. All the kids have to deal with it. Not just Danny.

But I really hate the implication that Danny is bigoted just becauseà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦why? What have we seen about Danny on the show to indicate that he is against Adam or embracing people? Just because he is an evangelical Christian?

I didn’t read that the comment which you are directing this to was inferring *anything* about any group of people, gay bois or Christians or martians or whatever. I understood the comment to be about Adam’s words and actions which seem to show his personal conviction that differences are good and should be accepted and encouraged vs. Danny’s words and actions which seem to show his personal conviction that he wants people to follow him and that he wants to start a movement. The poster was just synthesizing what we can infer as each of the contestant’s “message”.

I think that to generalize these opinions about individual contestants to whole groups of people takes an awfully big leap of logic that isn’t present in the original statement.

And IMHO, the original opinion rings very true for me…Adam is personally interested in telling people that he thinks that it is good to accept and embrace people’s differences, and Danny is personally interested in having people follow him. That is usually why people start “movements”…to have people follow them.

Any further inference to bigotry or groups or anything else is brought into the discussion only due to each of our own feelings and projection, I think.

Still, any sympathy I feel for him is not going to stop me from making fun of him when he does or says something stupid. He invited that when he went on American Idol. All the kids have to deal with it. Not just Danny.

ITA. Even the contestants who was PC and did nothing stupid got bash around. Danny should not get a free bashing card just because he is a widower despite all those stupid and classless acts.

What is the movement he wants to start? Did I miss something?

Is the foundation for funding research into heart conditions, or fighting gang violence? What?

You canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t preach a message of total acceptance and then say that certain views are unacceptable.

I’m not sure that’s so. I do agree with most of what you say, including the spirit of your message. I’m completely in sync with you, as well as with what MJ points out, which is we can’t one-dimensionalize people. But in very general sweeping terms, I’m not sure that tolerance of intolerance helps in any way, do you?

(I realize we do so here, due to guidelines, but I’m not talking about this site, or its rules designed to allow for open and frank, yet respectful discussion. I’m more about: Would we ever have had women or minorities voting — or an African American President — if we’d resigned ourselves to tolerating intolerance?)

d. b. cooper
May 14th, 2009 at 8:48 pm

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve got to agree with Danny on this point: suffocating a woman is possibly the funniest thing in the world. When I want to cheer someone up who is down, maybe because they let out a hideous, blood-curdling scream the week before on a nationally televised singing competition, I go straight to suffocating a woman. WTG Cowell, now that was funny.*

*might be sarcasm, for those deficient

omg…too funny d.b. lol

I didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t read that the comment which you are directing this to was inferring *anything* about any group of people, gay bois or Christians or martians or whatever. I understood the comment to be about Adamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s words and actions which seem to show his personal conviction that differences are good and should be accepted and encouraged vs. Dannyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s words and actions which seem to show his personal conviction that he wants people to follow him and that he wants to start a movement. The poster was just synthesizing what we can infer as each of the contestantà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“messageà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ .

Okay, but the thing is, look at the original comment from bambambam that started this conversation. In the original comment it was suggested that some people consider Adam “less than a full citizen.” It is not immediately clear who these people are…but in the next paragraph the “gay boi” and the “Christian soldier” are contrasted. And then there was a response to that…which is what I quoted…which said that Adam is about acceptance and Danny is about “Be like me.” I can only assume that this was building off the “gay boi” and “Christian soldier” thing.

The idea seems to be that one contestant (who is apparently part of the Christian soldier group) is saying “Follow my path. Be like me” and the other is not.

But actually, both are saying “Follow my path. Be like me.” Adam is saying “follow my path, be like me, insofar as you should be accepting and open-minded, just like I am.” And Danny is saying “follow my path, be like me, insofar as you should overcome your personal challenges in life” (or whatever else you think Danny’s message is).

If you are right, if I am reading an anti-Christian bias into this (which I don’t think I am, given the context I just explained), then can we simply agree that both of these young men have a path that they think we should all follow…whether it be overcoming challenges or accepting people or whatever…and that it is okay for both of them to make claims about how we ought to live? They can make these recommendations, and we can choose to follow their example or not. Right? But they are both making claims about the best way to live. Not only Christians do that, and there is nothing wrong with that if we can have a calm and rational discussion about who’s claims are more reasonable. But the biggest point is: there is no reason to believe that Danny thinks Adam is less of a citizen, or that he is not accepting of people.

I didn’t come into the voting rounds hating Danny — I liked him. I’d liked his audition, I loved “Kiss from a Rose” in Hollywood. But from that point on, every single performance (except Rat Pack week) just left me completely underwhelmed. I’m thrilled with our Top 2.

edit: Who said you couldn’t express your opinion? What you can’t do is lecture people. It’s boring. And it starts arguments. And yes, you’re banned. Good luck at your new site.

If you are right, if I am reading an anti-Christian bias into this (which I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think I am, given the context I just explained), then can we simply agree that both of these young men have a path that they think we should all followà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦whether it be overcoming challenges or accepting people or whateverà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦and that it is okay for both of them to make claims about how we ought to live?

I see your point, BUT I don’t think accepting people for who they are is making a claim on how they should live. In fact, I would argue the opposite. Sure, it’s a philosphy. But that is as far as it goes.

One could argue that Danny wanting to plant some nebulous idea into our hearts goes further in wanting to direct the way we behave. Also, the fact that his pastor is blogging that a radio station had to mention his church twice in exchange for a Danny interview further suggests a directive.

Why are so many against Dannyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s having and expressing choices, visions and dreams? Arenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t the same ones that harrangue Danny for his choices the same ones that applaud Adam for his message of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“acceptance?à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Does anyone else see the absurdity in that?

For Adam: He did used music to convey his message with the exception of homecoming where he mentioned it in his speeches to the crowd targeting those the schoolkids who might have trouble fitting in with each other.

You can see only a few of Adam’s songs convey messages subtly rather than in your face directives such as BoW, MW. Even then the lyrics is also open ti intepretation and depends on the listeners’ view

I see your point, BUT I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think accepting people for who they are is making a claim on how they should live. In fact, I would argue the opposite. Sure, ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a philosphy. But that is as far as it goes.

ITA. It is also important to note Adam is not promoting his belief or even ‘lifestyle’.

But actually, both are saying à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Follow my path. Be like me.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Adam is saying à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“follow my path, be like me, insofar as you should be accepting and open-minded, just like I am.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  And Danny is saying à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“follow my path, be like me, insofar as you should overcome your personal challenges in lifeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  (or whatever else you think Dannyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s message is).

See, the thing is that I don’t see it that way. I see Adam’s various soundbites seeming to be directed at individual people to accept and enjoy their own *differentness* and that he thinks that in general individuality is a good thing. I just don’t see anything that I have read that shows that he has much interest in telling anyone to be like him, or to agree with him, but rather to be like themselves. Of course, I haven’t read or listened to every clip or article, but that’s the general impression I have had. It’s a fairly common one that you see in theater geeks or D & D geeks or any other kind of kid that didn’t really connect in school.

Danny’s soundbites are different. He seems, to me, to be a bit self-unaware and fairly poor at gauging both how he comes across and how people are receiving him. He’s more like the kid who didn’t really connect, but ran for school president anyway because he thought he was destined for big things….and was baffled when few voted for him *because he doesn’t get that he isn’t connecting*.

It’s an internal workings thing. Angsty self-analysis and criticism vs. unaware barrelling ahead with little understanding of conditions.

I just don’t see it as a gay vs. evangelical thing. I see it as a creative vs. worker bee thing. I’m not even saying that one is inherently better than the other. I lean towards the angsty artist side and have angsty artist kids, so I identify more with Adam, but the world would suck if there were only angsty people….good lord, the thought is frightening! It would certainly be a good thing if Danny develops a bit more introspection, good for his own well being and good for his PR skills, but he is who he is and that is fine, as long as he gets over what seems to be his current feeling that he is more important in the world, more influential than he actually is.

Downeast said:
“For me, and this is based on what weà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve seen on the show, it boils down to this:

Adamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s message: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Embrace being different. Accept each other.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

Dannyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s message: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Follow my path. Be like me”

Well said!
If you were my therapist i would say we had a breakthrough because you may have summed up the thoughts that were eluding me as to why I so wholeheartedly enjoy Adam and feel so energized and happy during and after his performances and inwardly cringe at Danny. A visceral reaction to the degree I couldn’t be objective regarding his musical ability because I was constantly picking up an undercurrent that made me really uncomfortable. Adam puts me at ease, makes me feel relaxed. But I do wish Danny well.

I also wanted to add, I don’t think Allison will get too far as a rocker chick. Parents hate and fear rockers, especially parents of young tween girls. Allison is truly charming and immensely talented but she’s not Miley or that other teen girl singer (Disney). I don’t think parents will embrace a rocker chick (read they fear she’s wild & crazy& using or will use drugs). They certainly don’t want a wild rocker chick entertaining their precious little innocents. Sad, and I’d love to be proved wrong. Adults my age, we love Allison and Adam. Free spirited, good kids with vocal ability and oozing charisma and charm. Danny could learn a thing or two and not just about singing.

I guess it’s not fair to judge Danny. As far as starting a foundation, I think back to Clay Aiken, who also wanted to start one, and did. Nothing wrong with that. Danny may not be the best at expressing himself and I won’t pretend to understand how he’s feeling about the loss of his wife.

Lots of people take their personal tragedies and use them to benefit others because of what they’ve been through. I can think of numerous celebrities who have done this. Not saying Danny is a bonafide celebrity, but, is a household name.

I don’t know where his career will take him. I guess that’s up to God and I think he’s putting his faith in that and where that road will take him. To me, doing what one enjoys is successful, regardless of the number of albums sold. Others may look at the numbers as being the one and only gauge.

I also believe that both he and Adam are saying the same thing, but Adam is a little more worldly and articulate with his choice of words.

I wish Danny the best. I know Mandisa was extremely misunderstood when she was on AI. She finally had the chance to correct those misconceptions.

I’ve always been taught to never judge a man until you walk a mile in his shoes. It’s good that Danny had the chance to do Idol so soon after losing his wife. I’m not sure he has had the proper time to grieve, so, I for one, will not touch this subject with a 10 foot pole.

I also wanted to add, I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think Allison will get too far as a rocker chick. Parents hate and fear rockers, especially parents of young tween girls. Allison is truly charming and immensely talented but sheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not Miley or that other teen girl singer (Disney). I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think parents will embrace a rocker chick (read they fear sheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s wild & crazy& using or will use drugs).

I dunno. I am old (40), but I don’t remember ever being censored by my parents. I would think parents would approve of Allison’s brand of rawk, but that’s just me. Then there’s Toby from Guided By Voices coming out with a children’s book. I have friends who are all over that for their 5 year old. ;-)

Allison could be marketed easily, IMO.

ETA: The mini video of Toby’s book is worth a look.

Hmmm well…I’m a church goin’ “church lady” and I can tell you that no way do we all flock together. So I feel perfectly okay that I can enjoy the likes of Kris and Jason Castro but didn’t enjoy Danny’s performances.

I agree with the many here that expressed the opinion that Danny’s awkwardness and inability to know when to stop talking did him no favours. I do think in time he’ll achieve some success in the music world, particularly if he’s good at the Latin thing. Now I’ve been to some very interesting worship groups where most of the people were from Latin countries. Oh boy, when those guys get singing it’s like…us Anglo-whities don’t have a clue what to do.

I just donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t see it as a gay vs. evangelical thing. I see it as a creative vs. worker bee thing. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not even saying that one is inherently better than the other.

Hey cat. All I can say is, I still think Adam does want us to follow him in certain respects, and that there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. As you say, he wants us to accept different-ness, just as he does. I am sure Adam would want to be a role model in this regard. Danny wants to be a role model and leader in other regards. They both have a certain message, and I think they both want to lead by example, and I personally think that’s totally cool.

But like you, I’m just glad if this isn’t seen as simply a gay vs. evangelical thing, mostly because that can feed some unfortunate stereotypes. I like your suggestion that there may be other differences; like that one is the more creative type and the other more a “worker bee”. There are probably a thousand differences between Danny and Adam (and Adam said in the USA Today article that there were!) that are not just about this one issue. At the end of the day we should take Danny on his own terms and not try to fit him into a pre-conceived “Christian soldier” box, or whatever. Ultimately, this is probably also what Adam would want from us. And I think, in this respect, we agree…which is great!

Sorry, I know this is off topic, but I couldn’t help it.

Allison is truly charming and immensely talented but sheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not Miley or that other teen girl singer

Good, like we need another Demi Lovato or Miley Cyrus. The hope is that she is something new and different, something better. Hopefully her appeal goes beyond tweens. I think we’ll be seeing her for decades, that’s the type of talent we’re dealing with.

more and longer quotes are here.. http://media.herald-dispatch.com/blog/idol/2009/05/danny-gokey-there-were-times-when-i.html

These posts are so long, I dont even want to read them! dam! I saw Dannys extra interview and alot of people are right, he has no clue??

I have been totally invested in Adam since day one btw, so I can say that Danny seems like an ok guy, just clueless as to what he got into. I also believe his life or background so to speak was so different to the others, that he must have had a hard time relating?

I followed the entire Season 7 Cook(LOVE) tour on the internet, so I saw what they went through. Boy, hes gonna have a eye opening experience! The fans go crazy, over the idols! they perform almost every night, they seem to look exhausted towards the end, and Im sure he wont have much time tryin to “spread the word” or whatever hes doin??.

IMO he wont sell records, he has that gravely voice like Cooks, but he has no tune? does that make sense?

In the end, he will get to go home and do his thing and remember the fun times he had on idol. I couldnt believe he made it to 3rd place, this season was weird. :tongue_rolleye_ee:

I find it quite amusing actually that Danny is generating way more discussion after his elimination than anyone else eliminated so far. And we thought Adam was polarising…. :blink_tb:

And you know what? All this discussion is coming about ‘cos Danny spoke about himself, so it is a case of what-you-see-is-what-you-get, otherwise known as WYSIWYG. Adam had all that discussion about homosexuality and such based on what other people have posted on the ‘Net or dug up from his past. I really wonder what Adam’s viewpoints would be like when AI season ends.

Thanks for posting that link, js.
I read it thoroughly and it was very revealing. All the things we’ve been saying and sensing about Danny he just validated in that interview. His uncertainty, knowing he didn’t have the skills or ability yet all the pressure from the judges to meet their expectations. I hate underestimating people, but it’s possible I’ve done so with Danny. No, I still don’t think he should have made it to third runner up, but possibly I have mis placed anger. I should be mad at the judges for shoving him down our throats. They continue to try to sell us on the music they want to make ($$) tween crap or rap, and not on the music we want to hear or the entertainers we want to see. Go Adam. Go Allison. I’m thinking they’ll be eating at the trough a whole lot longer if Adam wins and they also sign Allison on. This country needs their energy and excitement. As a flower child, when this country was so divided with the Vietnam war, civil rights, NOW, was when we had the most exciting, energetic musicians of our times. Kris would fit more into the mellower folk/jazz/reggae music of those days. Now i’m old. Kris bores me, but I can listen to him in short spurts, he’s not bad. Danny confused me, he’s borderline bad Motown (and I loove Motown, Adam and Allison, they excite me. My rocking chair is rocking out!

OddObserver: Adam is entertaining, Kris is Kris, Danny is a wild card. What you’re reading is people expressing their relief that America is still the land of the free and the home of the brave. If Danny had gone through another round, it would have been a pity vote or something else. And American Idol is supposed to be about musical/singing talent. Danny isn’t on par with Adam or Kris. Read his interviews, he says it himself.

Oh Danny. I want to like you, but then you speak and it’s such a muddle of inspirational Paula-isms, grandiose preaching, cliches….
He was quite impressively talkative and open but inarticulate. I’m glad he finally feels free to speak. But holy confusing mixed messages, Batman!

It’s so tempting to play armchair psychologist with the poor guy. His aspirations are lofty but still woefully unfocused. Sometimes he sounds cocky and other times insecure. He sets himself up as a grand example, but seems like he’s desperately trying to find larger meaning in the whole Idol experience, and with his wife’s death. It makes me uncomfortable to have the two so entangled.

Danny’s manner bugs, but I really, really worry about him and how he’ll do after the tour once the ‘significance’ and high of Idol cool down. It’s okay to just find expression & joy in singing, dude. Good music is its own reward.

luvnlife: Oh yeah, I know what DG said. I just meant that DG has generated so much frenzy, and extreme-to-the-point-of-extremist comments. MJ’s having a really busy day moderating us. She even implemented a one-strike-and-you’re-out rule. She didn’t have to do that with Adam-relevant posts before. That’s how passionate some people are feeling, and we weren’t even commenting that much on Danny in the generic posts after he was eliminated. What a field day for Danny! I can even imagine his supposed smirk-with-his-finger-on-his-lips look on his face even as he reads MJ’s big blog here. :eek_wp:

If and when Adam speaks up with the candidness that DG is showing, what’ll happen? Crash in the anti-Adam forums? Picketing outside anti-Adam news writers? It reminds me of what someone wrote a while ago in another post. I paraphrase the comment here –
” It’s just a TV show. We’re not voting for a president. It’ll be all right.”

About Danny’s voice, I actually agree with Simon. When Danny is in the zone, I think he sings with great power and it’s beautiful. I guess I am sympathetic to his awkwardness because of memories of how it feels to be in deep grief and trying to be “normal” with people. I got the feeling with Danny sometimes that he tried to be “in the moment” and be the warm and engaged person that everyone wants but it was just too hard to pull it off sometimes and he’s just not that good of an actor. It really is a shame that he couldn’t do this a year later but I understand about the age constraint. He did seem to sometimes find joy again in his singing and those moments give an idea of his potential.

I am not religious and I’ve never had the feeling that he is trying to preach to me. He does add a gospel sound sometimes but that’s not surprising because that’s part of what he knows best at this point. The so-called “divas” on the show do this all the time and it’s accepted as a matter of course. As I said before, I see no difference between his using his position to get his message out and Adam doing the same thing.

I think that this experience can only have increased his confidence in himself and hardened his resolve to go after what he wants to achieve. I think that with his unique voice and proven popularity (I don’t think you get to Top 3 without a lot of love out there), really good people are going to want to work with him and I think he will do really well. I know that I am a diehard Adam fan but I am really looking forward to buying Danny’s music in the future.

Well said, Josie.

Sure, maybe Danny’s message is “follow me” (and I think downeast’s post about their different messages was great), but that’s the same way for anyone who really believes in their faith, isn’t it? I mean think about the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Mormons, or the Born-Again Christians who knock at your door. I think about some of my Christian friends who hope to save my soul. Part of their faith is to spread “the Word” as they call it, and it always has been.

What I think is that Danny’s musical experiences prior to the show were with this family who loved hearing him sing and in church. In church, a good singer will be asked to perform over and over and given solos. Everyone appreciates a good singer, especially if he’s also spreading the message they believe in and using what they see as his God-given gift to do so. No one is going to boo him in church if they don’t like his song choice or the way he dance. And engaging the crowd in church is very different than a comtemporary performer would do.

On the other hand, Kris has sung in coffee shops and places where he had an audience. I’m sure he was booed or someone told him they didn’t like the song he sang last and could he please do Song X and he probably had to sing Song X even if it wasn’t a song he particularly liked. The same thing applies to Adam. They’ve both been in the public and dealt with the positive and the negative. They’ve learned how to hide their hurt feelings and appreciate the public, warts and all.

Danny hasn’t, so he’s a little awkward and not quite sure what to say, and I’m sure he’s self-conscious about it too. I don’t blame him for talking about his foundation. This is a big shot at publicizing it, and also something he’s comfortable doing.

luvnlife –

You really said it about the great music back when our generation was young! We were so lucky to grow up with those great singers who had the ability to move and inspire. That’s why I love Adam so much. Not only does he have an unbelievable voice, but he has brought back the excitement, that visceral rush that you get when someone comes out and owns the stage. You can’t teach that, you just have to be born with it. I have never seen anyone who ever reminded me of early Elvis until I saw Adam for the first time. I was too young to know early Elvis, but I learned about him when I got older. There was no one else like him. He was unique, extraordinary, one of the most charismatic and commanding performers that ever lived. Adam’s voice reminds me of Freddie Mercury. I have never heard anyone who sounded at all like him. For me it’s been an incredible ride. I feel alive in a way that I haven’t for a long time. I can’t wait to see Adam every single week. He is one of a kind.

As for Danny, I did feel for him when he was talking about his wife after the results show. If you haven’t walked in his shoes, then you can’t know what it’s like to lose the person you love the most in this world, way before their time. She was a part of his life for twelve years and he’s only 29, so they were like teenage sweethearts. I was able to separate the issue of his wife dying from his performances. I wasn’t going to vote for him or against him because of his loss. I don’t know that others were able to do that. He is a talented singer, but I always felt vaguely dissatisfied after he sang. I wanted more from him.

I do think he is awkward in his public speaking. He doesn’t really know how to act. I do sense his preachiness and proselytizing and it’s kind of annoying. I also sense some narcissism, but the simple truth is that we really don’t know him. We don’t know any of these guys. They are people that we see on TV twice a week. If we met them in person, we might have an entirely different feeling about them. But I am thinking that Danny is searching for a meaning and purpose in his life. He has lost someone who seemed to have been his rock, his world. It’s tough to find your way after that. When he said that ten months ago he was standing by his wife’s casket and wanted to die, well you have to feel compassion for the guy. Maybe this foundation thing is giving him a reason, a purpose. I say whatever gets someone through a tragedy like this, well more power to them.

Yes, a 6 foot man suffocating a tiny woman on national t.v. is super hilarious, Gokey. Sheesh.

How do you want to change the music industry in general?
You know, I’ve thought about that a lot. I really want to start a movement with my music, it sounds so big, so cocky, but to start a revolution and change people’s hearts. I want to merge my music with my foundation. When I get a vision for a concert, I see opening up concerts and following with the story of a young kid whose father was killed in a gang and mother was a drug addict and how he’s had to overcome this and that and how Sophia’s Heart Foundation has effected him. I want to entertain people, but I want people to come out of their zone for awhile and look at other people’s problems. They’ll walk away feeling good and they’re going to want to make a change. My whole testimony is overcoming the impossible in my life and now I want to take that message that if I can do it, you can do it.

Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s so tempting to play armchair psychologist with the poor guy. His aspirations are lofty but still woefully unfocused. Sometimes he sounds cocky and other times insecure. He sets himself up as a grand example, but seems like heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s desperately trying to find larger meaning in the whole Idol experience, and with his wifeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s death. It makes me uncomfortable to have the two so entangled.

The problem with setting himself up as an example is that to be effective it has to be palatable to the audience he’s speaking to. His message may hit a home run for someone who has just lost a spouse but his message isn’t ready for prime time general audiences. The people who are most inspirational generally don’t run around shouting “Look at me, look at what I’ve done, let me be your example in life.” They live their message and we’re drawn to them and their stories. If they happen to be in public speaking settings, they craft their message to the audience because one size doesn’t fit all. And brainstorming in public about the goals of a ministry foundation that is in its infancy probably isn’t the greatest idea either.

I also wanted to add, I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think Allison will get too far as a rocker chick. Parents hate and fear rockers, especially parents of young tween girls. Allison is truly charming and immensely talented but sheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not Miley or that other teen girl singer (Disney). I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think parents will embrace a rocker chick (read they fear sheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s wild & crazy& using or will use drugs).

Given the lives of Britany Spears and Lindsay Lohan, maybe parents should start fearing the Disney chicks instead and give Allison a chance.

Anyway, I don’t think what parents embrace makes much difference when the artist is 17. If she were 13, yes, but not 17. Listening to her song choices, Allison clearly wasn’t targeting a tween audience.

The judges didn’t do Danny any favors by blowing smoke up his ass for the last two months. He seems so naive about his future in music. They could have given him constructive criticism, pointed out the things he should be working on, but all he got was “A ! GOLD STAR FOR YOU! MASTERCLASS!,” so no wonder his comments appear delusional.

Good luck to him. Hopefully he finds a nice niche in CCM and does well enough to fund his wife’s foundation.

I think Danny’s *look at me, see what I’ve done, you can overcome too* type of statement after coming through AI is just one step, a baby step, in a larger process. He’s in a journey through grief. He has lofty goals, and I agree with many in here who feel he is trying to find purpose and meaning to his life at this time. He may have huge ups and downs before he completely gets through his feelings of loss. What’s sad to me is that this will occur in the public eye. He appears confused and fragile to me at this time. I do hope his family, pastor, and friends will be supportive of him and even advise him to rest. He’s seems to be rushing his ideas at breakneck speed. What he needs is peace of mind. He has the AI tour coming up sooo soon. He could easily crash and burn at the pace he’s putting himself on and be unable to realize his goals regarding his foundation work. I have never been a fan of his, but of course I see his humanity and can’t help but feel some compassion for him. He’s becoming somewhat of a case study, and it really IS difficult to watch someone go through obvious emotional pain. He’ll be able to help others more once his own wounds have healed more. (I think he should be penning his thoughts down somewhere as he goes through all this because he possibly has a book in him).

Merry, thanks for the common sense.

mj, I didn’t even remember that you posted the gay boi bit and I wasn’t responding specifically to it that way. I agree that there’s a lot of stereotyping on both sides and that’s why my post was pointing out about some false equivalencies and assumptions that I see IMHO. Like, there is this idea that there is a gay “agenda” out there — and it turns out, sa-prize! — it was the evangelical who had the “agenda” and wants to recruit and proseletyze.

But once again, I call attention to the horrific void of musical competition here, which has left a yawning gap and vacuum which these discussions of personalities and meta-politics have flowed in to fill.

If there had been a fantastic, musically stimulating top 10, we’d be picking apart songs and naming fantastic obscure versions of surprising songs chosen by the contestants. But that didn’t happen, and it left too much room for picking apart the coded and now not so coded message of the top 3.

I will always think of season 8 as the OT season of Idol, and was it so damn hard for the producers to find kids who knew something about music, music history, and want to express that? That’s the backstory I want in this show. Not the personal backstories.

Look, I would be really surprised if Danny didn’t mention his wife and foundation. It has been high on his agenda throughout the competition, and now that he is free to speak without fear of voter repercussion, I don’t hold that against him.

It sounds like he had it tough. In some ways, I think it was a colossal mistake to put Danny on the show, because of the potential trauma that failure may have had on him.

3rd place is a huge success for him, and I think he should be proud. He knew deep in his heart of hearts that Adam is and will always be more talented than him, and Kris is a better arranger of music.

I think he will come out of this a pretty happy, and a popular local musician, wherever he ends up (Hollywood would be my guess…his days in Wisconsin are numbered).
Ultimately he will be relegated to the “Where are they now?” celeb status, unless he goes the Stacey route, and signs with a Christian label. Then we can look forward to seeing him hitting all of the big revival tents and rock worship arenas with Amy Grant, Phil Stacey and Jars of Clay.

I … don’t even know what to say.

Maybe Danny needs a little help in the PR department? Dude is all over the place.

If he wants to be inspiring to people then he needs to stop mentioning how inspiring he is to people. Saying it don’t make it so, Danny Boy.

I’ve never understood those who fawned over his voice. I can recognize that he does have a nice enough tone but he doesn’t know how to use it. His breath control issues are terribly distracting and make is phrasing awkward.

While it’s understandable that he wants to talk about his wife and her death, and how he moved on from there, that’s fine. It is just so difficult to comprehend actively choosing to participate in a show like AI mere weeks after such an event. That cannot be healthy for him in any way.

To whoever commented on one of Anoop’s interviews that every future Idol should watch it for a lesson, I say yes to that. Boy at least knows how to form coherent thoughts.

Well, good luck being inspriational and all Danny.

Everybody ends up in Where are they now? All those multiple plat sellers from the 80s are there so I’m pretty sure that where all the Idol alums will end up.You just know in 10 years that’s where Katy Perry and Gaga will be.

If he ends up doing Christian music like Mandisa that seems like a decent career to me. Although I also see a career for him in Nashville. I’m not sure everyone (including Danny) agrees that Adam is more talented. Depends on how you define talent .And music is really a matter of personal taste anyway.

You know, don’t mean to hate on the guy when he is down, but there is just something of Danny Gokey that DRIPS of arrogance. It is just the way he has this “I’m the smartest guy in the room” demeanor whenever he speaks.

I think we capture a bit off that in this quote, “… I saw strength in me that I didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t know I had.”

I’m sorry, but a humble person is never amazed (out loud) about how incredibly strong they were. A humble person leaves that to others to say. Anyway, he’s annoying – he’s gone – don’t miss him – bah bye.

I sincerely hope that the many fans of Danny rise to the occasion now that Danny’s Idol journey is done. I believe that he, more than any other contestant, needs, for his own sanity, the undying love and devotion and support that he presumes his fans are willing and able to give. Somehow Danny, through his own words, has intertwined American Idol with his own salvation…it was and is the vehicle that will drive his altruistic ambitions.

The sad thing is that fans are very flighty. They don’t necessarily invest themselves for the long haul. Danny’s fans who go to the AI concert won’t always be willing and or able to help him promote the cause he seems to be so focused on. It has been extremely hard, really, for any of the AI alumni to garner success once they leave the “bubble”. Winners or runner-ups have to work 24/7 just to keep themselves in front of the public, to satisfy their fan bases, to attempt to keep up with the fast paced music business which holds no prisoners. At some point, if Danny even gets an invitation into the business, he will have to choose between his “calling” and his career.

It takes years for celebrities to propel themselves far enough along so that they can in turn devote time and effort or even their names to a “cause”. I have such deep misgivings that Danny thinks he can do both of them simultaneously. Whether I like him or not I hope that “his church” is there for support and will give to Danny until Danny has the opportunity to give back. Based on my life experiences I don’t think that will happen so I hope Danny can survive with his soul intact the rough journey he has chosen to persue.

As I said before, I see no difference between his using his position to get his message out and Adam doing the same thing.

Near as I can tell, Adam hasn’t uttered a word about any message from the Idol stage or in interviews. He’s just gone out there and delivered the vocals week in and week out and has earned the praise the judges have given him. One might not agree with his lifestyle but his humble manner is so appealing that if he ever does decide to use his position to get a message out, it’s more apt to be heard.

I do feel for Danny on many levels. Mostly, I fear he’s in for a big letdown, rude awakening, inevitable disappointment and disillusionment (word?) heaped on top of the grief that he’s not yet worked through. And, that’s sad.

In many ways, he appears to me to be a product of his own sheltered, ultra-religious circumstances, only exacerbated by his leadership role. No offense intended and admittedly overly generalizing, but sometimes when in his position, a person feels that “if their faith is strong” then they shouldn’t feel the depth of the pain that goes along naturally with human tragedy. There’s a lot of pressure to “find joy and meaning,” “purpose,” and “celebrate” rather than grieve IF you’re “a strong believer.” (Obviously, not always and not everybody, but still, it happens — whether the pressure is internal, external, or a combination also is obviously unclear.)

Add to that, even with all the pimping and smoke blowing from the judges, I sense he feels beaten up — he should never have gone on the internet as much as he appears to have done.

So, yeah, I fear and feel for the guy. I do. I hope he finds time and a place and people, when, where and with whom he finds solace and true hope (not the kind he seems to be manufacturing with AI, his foundation, his movement, and his glasses line.)

ETA: I find it curiously fitting that the next post is about Brooke’s new album entitled “High Hopes and Heartbreak”…

The judges didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t do Danny any favors by blowing smoke up his ass for the last two months. He seems so naive about his future in music. They could have given him constructive criticism, pointed out the things he should be working on, but all he got was à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“A ! GOLD STAR FOR YOU! MASTERCLASS!,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

THIS. Very much this. This was the same problem we saw from Archie last year–if you’re never criticizes, you never grow, and part of what captures audiences that watch AI is watching someone grow and bloom into a pop star in front of our eyes.

there is just something of Danny Gokey that DRIPS of arrogance.

As someone said upthread a couple of pages back, Danny, when he talks about making a “movement” or “starting a foundation” he seems to be trying to “save” us, which to some people is extremely irritating, if not outright insulting. I think part of the problem is, weather or not he’s aware of it, he’s using evangelical buzzwords. When he starts talking about “talking freely to the crowd” we hear “preaching the word of Jesus.” He may not even mean that. But that’s what we hear, and that’s why the immediate reaction seems to be “Yeah, good luck with that. if you think the producers are going to stand for that for one minute…”

For the record? Swiping at Slezak? Not smart. Showing that he let the internet get to him, that he is unable to distinguish between what is “personal” and what is “entertainment” is not a good sign for his future.

I do not think that Danny found “Scream On” as funny as he says. He had to put a positive spin on it, no matter how much it cost him. Basically, he lost in the strategy department, and that has to be deflating. He knows full well his performance for rock week was what ended his finale run.

I’m sure his hindsight is screaming at his id.

And I think it is totally fair that he swipes at the blogoshere. We can dish it out, so we can take it. I expect the Slezak/Danny interview will be fraught with tension and false graciousness…as it should be. I laugh my ass off with every Idolatry video, so I expect a battle royale between Kristen and Danny. Mortal Kombat style.

It will be FUNNY.

Swipes at Slezak? Where’s that, what did he say?

I view what Danny is says about wanting to start a movement and inspire people differently than a lot of people on the Internet do. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve seen a lot of people comment say, including a lot of people that donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t like Danny, and some that have admitted to never liking him, that they feel like he is trying or wants to save them. And I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think that he does.

I think that Danny wants to reach people with his music, but I do not think that he wants to reach or à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“saveà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  people that do not like him, have criticized him a lot and constantly, and that do not like his voice or musical style. I think that he is smart enough to know that not everyone likes him, or his musical style/singing. And I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think that he is trying to reach anyone that feels that way about him.

I think that he wants to reach and inspire people that already care about him or that would be receptive to him after they hear his music. I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think that he is so arrogant or naà ¯ve, that he honestly thinks that he can reach inspire or save people that donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t like him, and/or his voice/musical style. I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t really see him want to inspire or save people that donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t like him and his voice/musical style and think that he is smug.

I think that like any other singer,or artist/bands/musical acts, Danny knows that there is an audience for the type of music that he wants to do. And he knows that there are people that arenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t going to like the type of music that he wants to do.

And I think that Danny is only concerned about entertaining and inspiring the people that care about him and that like him, his voice and musical style. And people that could end up liking his music after they hear him sing.

I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think that he wants to entertain and inspire people that say that they donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t like him/ have never liked him and/or will never like him.

I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t see him wasting his time and energy on trying to impress/inspire people like that. There are hardly any singers/bands that would try to pander to people that donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t like them. I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think that Danny is an exception.

And I think it is totally fair that he swipes at the blogoshere. We can dish it out, so we can take it.

ITA with this statement. I think that his Idoltary interview could end up being very interesting.

Swipes at Slezak? Whereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s that, what did he say?

He hasn’t said anything as of yet. And I think that it’s going to be a little while before we get to see his Idoltary interview. Because the 3rd place finisher kind of gets cheated on the press tour and doesn’t really get to the do the press rounds until around/a little after the runner up and winner do.

I am interested to see how he handles the people at Idoltary, because of the way they treated him and all of the negative stuff they have said to him this year. I wonder if will he turn it around on them, like Matt Giraud, successfully did. Or if it will just end up being a very uncomfortable interview.

Dannyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s soundbites are different. He seems, to me, to be a bit self-unaware and fairly poor at gauging both how he comes across and how people are receiving him.

I think it’s totally plausible that he does not realize how people are perceiving him. I know from experience that when one is in the Christian bubble, one may not understand how their statements and actions are perceived. I try to be aware of how people who do not believe as I do perceive things, and I am getting quite an education on this board! I truly don’t think he intends to come off as he is, and I think that to many (not all) in the Christian audience, he probably doesn’t sound strange at all.

On another note, I do think that there can be a lot of intolerance towards some Christian viewpoints. Sure, we can assume that Danny believes homosexuality is wrong since many Christians do. (Whether we’re right or not, we won’t know unless Danny addresses it.) But from what I’ve seen, he’s been able to get along with Adam just fine and has supported Adam in his Idol journey. Adam has done the same for Danny. And that’s just as it should be. Even if he doesn’t agree with other contestants on every moral issue, there is no reason that he can’t get along with them and support them, and I think that’s what he’s done. No, they’re not best friends, but they’re supportive of each other.

I don’t agree with every moral decision made by my friends, relatives, or even my favorite Idol contestants. But I can support them just the same. Support does not have to equal complete agreement.

I think Danny’s trying, but there is no way to please everyone with what he says, does, or may or may not believe. I wish him the best, and as I’ve said before, I fully expect to hear him on my local Christian station very soon.

But for now, 2 of my 3 horses in this race have made it to the finale, and I’m going to enjoy that! :)

“I personally would like to start a movement with my music. Maybe it sounds so big of me, or a little bit cocky, but the music I have inside of me is to revolutionize a culture and peopleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s hearts. ”

Whoa…. I guess the first question is “How is Danny going to create a movement and/or revolutionize a culture and people’s hearts?” I mean, really JUST HOW are you going to do this? So out of touch, grandiose, presumptive, misplaced, naive, not to mention impossible! Wow. This is a really fascinating study of, well, I don’t know what, but there is so much going on here…

I guess this is what you call delusions of grandeur. This is a reality TV show trying to find the next pop star. We did not tune in trying to discover the next Dalai Lama!

Jx223 I view what Danny is says about wanting to start a movement and inspire people differently than a lot of people on the Internet do. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve seen a lot of people comment say, including a lot of people that donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t like Danny, and some that have admitted to never liking him, that they feel like he is trying or wants to save them. And I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think that he does.

I think that Danny wants to reach people with his music, but I do not think that he wants to reach or à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“saveà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  people that do not like him, have criticized him a lot and constantly, and that do not like his voice or musical style. I think that he is smart enough to know that not everyone likes him, or his musical style/singing. And I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think that he is trying to reach anyone that feels that way about him.

I disagree with this.

I don’t know how much you’ve ever had to do with Evangelical Churches like the one Danny is a part of, but let me assure you that they see it as their mission to save the ENTIRE world. Not just those who are sympathetic to their views.

In fact, it is imperative to them to reach and convert those who don’t agree with them. And from this interview it sounds like Danny does see his music career as a way to ‘minister’.

Sorry, I’m not getting where all this ‘poor Danny’is coming from. I find Danny disgusting, arrogant, narcissistic and quite creepy, especially after coming across his MS blogs before they were poofed by AI. He seems to have a great need to be admired and praised and feels HE is very, very, very special. First he used his wife to gain sympathy and set himself up as some kind of heroic role model and inspiration. Now he is whining about how hard the AI experience was to gain sympathy and set himself up as some kind of heroic model and inspiration. He pretty much makes me gag.

What I see in the future………Lenscrafters presents Danny Gokey and The Disciples in the “Let Me Be Your Inspiration and Role Model” tour – coming soon to a city near you. Please bring lots of praise for Danny and lots of money.

Near as I can tell, Adam hasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t uttered a word about any message from the Idol stage or in interviews. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s just gone out there and delivered the vocals week in and week out and has earned the praise the judges have given him. One might not agree with his lifestyle but his humble manner is so appealing that if he ever does decide to use his position to get a message out, ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s more apt to be heard.

Merry, if you watched the coverage of Adam’s homecoming, he took the opportunity to share the message quite a number of times that it’s important to embrace differences, and essentially, to the kids who feel different, to look at him and see what you can accomplish if you believe in yourself and take risks. This is NOT a criticism, I think Adam is WONDERFUL and I think it’s a fantastic thing that kids have him as a role model. I guess I love him about as much as it’s possible to love someone that you haven’t even met! It also struck me in one of his confessionals a week or two back, that he had a pretty long section where he was talking about visiting the Motown museum and it caused him to think about how the music not only reflected social change and acceptance, but actually helped to promote it. At first I was wondering, why is he talking about Motown again after all this time but then I realized why this would still be resonating with him after all these weeks. I think it’s great. I don’t think either Danny or Adam are trying to push an agenda to anyone, but I think they do both hope that they can use what they’ve been through to reach out and help others.

I respect the divergent opinions on Danny.

As for me, I don’t get an insincere vibe. to the contrary. My two cents is that Danny is in over his head, and doesn’t really understand the music business. I hope Chris Sligh really is helping him, as I would hate to see anyone be taken advantage of. I have friends in the CCM segment and I’m told it’s at least as cutthroat as the mainstream pop music business. Regardless – Danny will need to understand the business side of the machine, and Sligh is quite savvy. I hope he is helping Danny get an “education” as he needs it. And then again, I sure hope Sligh is NOT advising Danny on how to handle the press. I’m a Chris Sligh fan but he was worst-in-class in terms of managing his own publicity during his Idol run, IMO! I do think Danny lacks even a basic self-awareness. With a publicist’s help, Danny will learn how to craft his message and manage his image better.

Actually, I think I actually like Danny more now that he feels free to talk about his wife and his dreams. The dreams (about starting a “movement”) seem very unrealistic to me, but if that’s his genuine goal, then I wish him well. Seriously.

I think that Danny wants to reach people with his music, but I do not think that he wants to reach or à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“saveà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  people that do not like him, have criticized him a lot and constantly, and that do not like his voice or musical style. I think that he is smart enough to know that not everyone likes him, or his musical style/singing. And I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think that he is trying to reach anyone that feels that way about him.

I do not like Danny at all, but I think this is right. I really think Danny is just so clueless. He wants to help people, and have people help other people with volunteer work and his foundation. And wants music to be part of it. Good for him for dreaming big. Good luck with it.

Still think he is creepy.

I’ve only watched the AI extra interview but I got the impression that Danny wanted to help people who have lost someone or other bad circumstances by showing that you can get past it to an extent. I didn’t get the impression he was trying to save the world as some have said. I also think it’s admirable that he wants to use his wife’s foundation to help children. It’s refreshing to see someone want to use their idol celebrity to help others instead of just furthering their career.

For all those who think Danny Gokey is cocky or arrogant because of his dreams for his future in music or the way he talks about those dreams, here are a few statements that David Cook made prior to his album being released:

I just want to make a record thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s going to make the hair on the back of your neck stand up.

I just want to put out a record thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s going to be able to stand up on its own long after Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m gone.

I want this record to have some twists and turns. I want people to feel like they got taken on a trip from beginning to end.

“I wanted this record to be a definition of me as a person,” says Cook, parked in 19 Entertainment’s conference room overlooking the Sunset Strip. “The goal was to make an eclectic rock record. Bar-Ba-Sol is guitar-driven and heavy but still melodic. On the flip side is Permanent, with a string section and piano. The power behind that song is the angst and the vocal. I love both songs for the aspects in my character that they define. It sounds egotistical, but I see myself as a complex person.”

“I just want to be an important artist. I don’t want to be a flash in the pan. I don’t want to be a one-hit wonder. When people talk about this period in music, I want my name to be brought up.”

My point is not about Cook, (I love him as much as Danny) but that people do need to have some ego if they are going to go into the entertainment business. They do have to believe in themselves, even if sometimes they can come off as sounding a bit cocky, pompous or just downright naive.

I think it’s very refreshing that Danny is hoping to do something different with his music, to try to inspire people to reach out, give back, make a positive change, whatever.

I applaud him. Go DANNY GOKEY!

more and longer quotes are here.. http://media.herald-dispatch.com/blog/idol/2009/05/danny-gokey-there-were-times-when-i.html

Because I’m a Kradam fan, I was really interested in what Danny thought about them:

On Kris and Adamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s personalities: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Kris is very mellow and thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s always one characteristic Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve always wanted. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m an intense personality at times. Adam, heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s just an all-around great guy. I really canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t fault him. Adam is who he is onstage and he is who he is offstage. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s very creative. He lives creative, he dresses creatively. I mean he talks from that perspective.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

I’m glad he understood Adam. It appears to me that Adam is an all around great guy too! I’m glad there doesn’t seem to be any animosity towards Adam.

In fact, it is imperative to them to reach and convert those who donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t agree with them. And from this interview it sounds like Danny does see his music career as a way to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹ministerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢.

I don’t think that Danny wants to do this. I don’t know how everyone at his Church feels about certain things, but even if a lot of people at his church felt like they needed to “save” the whole world, I don’t think that necessarily means that he wants to.

Danny has never mentioned Christianity directly on the show., Danny never mentioned the name of his church or his pastor on the show. Danny never mentioned the foundation in his wife’s memory on the show.

He mentioned wanting to be an inspiration to other people, but that’s about all that he said about his faith on the show. And that is all that most AI viewers will see, because a lot of them don’t hang around on the Internet websites, or watch AI Extra.

They are not going to read articles about his church or actively seek out information about him on stuff like that.

I don’t think that Danny wants to use his music to try and save everyone. I don’t think that he has any interest in trying to save people that have constantly trashed him and his late wife.

People that have admitted they see bad in everything that he does. People that have called him the some of harshest, most derogatory names, I have ever seen an Idol contestant called.

Danny knows that a lot of people don’t like him. He has acknowledged that. In one of his interviews he basically said that people have said lots of cruel things about him. And from what I got from that interview is that he knows that a lot of people donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t like him, but that he is trying not to let that pull him down.

I didn’t get the impression that he wants to try and save those people. I got the impression that he knows that they don’t like him, that isn’t happy with the stuff that they say about him, but that he is going to try not and let that get him down too much and keep doing his thing.

I don’t think that Danny is feeling too amicable towards the people that have constantly trashed him, and I don’t think that he wants to save them. Regardless of what a lot of people in his church may want to do.

Until Danny flat out and says something like “I want to save everyone in the world through my music, and my Christian faith, including people that have constantly mocked and insulted me, my late wife and have called me all types of names, including all types profanities, who have constantly labeled me smug and arrogant, and other unsavory things.”, I am going to give him the benefit of the doubt and not think that he wants to try and save everyone including those people.

I really do think he wants to make music and inspire whoever already likes him and people that could end up liking him. I don’t think he wants to make it his mission to try and save people that don’t like him and have said really bad things about him.

They do have to believe in themselves, even if sometimes they can come off as sounding a bit cocky, pompous or just downright naive.

I agree that people need to believe in themselves. I think that you bring up excellent points. Danny is not, nor will he be the last person that will say that they want to inspire and reach people with their music. Arists/Bands say stuff similar to this all the time, including ones that don’t sing Christian music, or are known in the public eye for being devout Christians.

Kanye West said something alongs the lines of that when he makes his music, he’s competiting against records like Stevie’s Wonder “Songs in The Key of Life.” which is considered one of the greatest R&B albums. Kanye says he knows that sounds arrogant, but that is what he is trying to do when he makes his music.

The rock band the Killers have basically said they want to become a very important force in rock music and that they want to be bigger than U2 and Led Zeppelin.

Lots of artists have said they want to inspire, and reach people. Some of them have said they wanted to be bigger and better than those that those that have come before them. Many of them say they want to change music in some way. Those things that these artists have said aren’t any worse than anything that Danny has said IMHO.

I normally just lurk around sites, but I’ve got to add to this thread about DannyGokey supposedly being cocky or arrogant. I’m truly stunned by how many people jump to conclusions when they don’t know anything about a person except what the media has fed them. Danny has been uber-bashed for what? For being shy, unaware, unpolished, awkward, a lame dancer(quite subjective), speaking a bit incoherently with mixed metaphors on camera (oh, we’d all be so great, wouldn’t we?), and those are the tame bits. He’s been accused of pimping his late wife,being a pedophile (the cake thing),shilling for lens crafters,hooking up with another singer in l.a. and …what else? I know there’s plenty more where that came from.

Where has kindness gone in our society? Compassion? Common sense! A sense of humor? I am glad to see that many of the commenters in this particular thread do have these attributes, but those who don’t just scare me, frankly. Danny Gokey is a person with real feelings and no matter how strong he may be, I’m sure he feels all the hate and ugliness when he reads it. How couldn’t he?

So, just for fun I checked out some real jemmy quotes from bigtime celebs (now just tell me they are justified if they are superfamous!) They are on spinner.com with lots more.

“I’m the No. 1 artist in the world right now … I am the No. 1 human being in music.”
– Kanye West

if the Devil did exist, he’d be worshipping me
– Marilyn Manson

“I’ve outdone anyone you can name — Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Strauss. Irving Berlin, he wrote 1,001 tunes. I wrote 5,500.”
– James Brown

“Every other band should be wiping my ass. The line forms over there to the left.”
– Gene Simmons

“We’re more popular than Jesus now.”
– John Lennon

I don’t think Danny has said anything that touches remarks like these.

After listening to Danny’s interviews I think it is for the best that he did not win Idol. His interviews show that the music is not what is driving him but his motives to do good and to make the world a better place. It is better that he is now free to set off on his journey.

I admire him for wanting to do so. We need more people in the world like Danny.

I will also be first in line to buy his cd as he is one powerful singer.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m glad he understood Adam. It appears to me that Adam is an all around great guy too! Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m glad there doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t seem to be any animosity towards Adam.

I think that Danny and Adam probably get along well enough. I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think that they are best friends, but I think that they like each other. I think that they respect each otherà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s talents and that there isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t animosity between them.

I think that Adam is very close to Kris and Allison, whereas Danny is really close to Matt( I believe that Matt mentioned in an interview that he is the closest to Danny. And I think that Danny and Anoop are pretty close as well, they were roomates, and I think that really care about each other.

Pic of Danny Matt, Anoop from this week:

http://twitpic.com/58clz

Danny’s music moved me . He has the potential to be one of the greats because he has the tools to deliver message with song. It doesn’t have to be about God but can be about change. I think of Cat Stevens, The Beatles and so forth.

For me, the message of Danny’s songs doesn’t have to be about God or change, just optimism, the limitless potential in us all, silly fun, and love, love, love. I felt those things every time he sang and I miss him like CRAZY!
I think Danny’s gonna have a hot career!

Everyone sees Gokey so differently. I sure as hell don’t see him as unaware, shy, unpolished and all the other descriptions that have been used. He might get a little tounge tied, but I think he’s very savvy, knows exactly what he’s doing, knows exactly what he wants and where he wants to go. Once he was freed from AI and the backlash he got by using his wife and tragedy to advance in a cheesy singing competition, he went right back to using his wife and tragedy. The guy ain’t dumb.

I guess I can’t easily hold him up as a role model because he is a widower and chose to participate in AI. He did what anyone does when tragedy hits and all you want to do is give up – you put one foot in front of the other and do the best you can. My mom lost her husband, my dad, after decades of a wonderful marriage and is a shining example of this. She is 76 years old, still working and volunteers many hours at the hospital. She doesn’t whine about how rough things have been for her and she doesn’t walk around saying how wonderful she is for reclaiming her life after the tragedy of losing my dad. She is a true role model. Obviously, the way he uses his tragegy just puts me off completely. Someone upthread said that usually people who are true inspirations don’t walk around telling everyone they are an inspiration and that about says it for me. Gokey is just an annoying man with a nice voice who thinks way too much of himself.

But I don’t wish anyone ill will so I wish him the best of luck – he’s gonna need it.

He is a widower and chose to participate in AI because his late wife thought he had the talent and had always encouraged him to do so. After his wife died he thought that’s what she wanted him to do, he was in grieve but AI would give him the meaning to move on. If he was thinking about fortune and fame, he would have participated in AI many seasons ago. He was 28 when he did the audition, and if he did not try out this season he would never had the chance again.

As for the story of his late wife, this is part of who he is, are you suggesting he should have lied to AI that he was single and waited until he got booted then he dropped the bombshell he was actually a widower all along?? He revealed that and it was the producer of AI who ran the story. He never mentioned about his late wife after he was in T13, in fact a lot of viewers admitted they did not even know Danny is a widower until they checked the blog recently.

I am glad there seems to be more bloggers willing to stand up for Danny in this blog lately, I am mostly a lurker and not very good at words, but feel the need to point out the obvious & provide my support to Danny.

I was watching an Idol Wrap from disco week because I’m catching up on shows this morning and they had James Lugo, one of the vocal coaches from Idol. He was very complementary about Danny’s voice and went into some detail about how he blends the “urgency of the chest voice and the etherealness of head voice”. Not sure what it means but it sounds good, lol. He also said that Danny is his wife’s favorite and she’s a great judge of singers. I’ve always thought he had a very good voice and one of my favorites on the show so was never surprised when the judges or former idols/celebrities complimented him.

I still think Danny should have been in the f2 however it’s probably best for him to go out 3rd. It’s not so bad to be in the company of Melinda and Elliott.

kokko – if you were asking me if I was suggesting that he should have lied about his wife’s death, the answer is no. I wasn’t suggesting that at all. A couple of points – he stopped milking the wife thing after he received a huge backlash about it so obviously he was doing some reading on the internet. And I’m not sure if I believe the ‘AI did it all’ excuse. David Cook made it perfectly clear that he did not want his brother’s illness used and AI seemed to respect his wishes. I imagine Gokey could have taken the same path. Even his best friend said he used his tragedy to get noticed on AI.

But,whatever. I’ve kind of said all I have to say about Danny. Just giving my opinion and I’m not trying to offend anyone. He’s very lucky to have great fans like you. He does have a great voice.

I just read that the Discovery World Museum in Milwaukee is donating $1 for every ticket sold this weekend to Danny’s foundation, Sophia’s Heart. (hope they rake it in!)

Discovery World President Joel Brennan says the museum and guests want to thank Gokey for the positive attention he’s brought to the community.

And Ryan Seacrest said in an interview with Danny 2 days ago that he wanted to help with the foundation.

Kudos to Danny! His voice and his message are positively inspirational!

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“I personally would like to start a movement with my music. Maybe it sounds so big of me, or a little bit cocky, but the music I have inside of me is to revolutionize a culture and peopleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s hearts. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

Well I guess it’s all about context.
When I first read this I thought ‘whoa, delusional” but now later and after reading other comments, and because I also go to a charismatic style church, I agree that Danny is probably out of his element and needs some coaching in PR. We’ve all said lame things that we regret later. He’s doing it on TV. Still strikes me as narcissistic though.

He’s a worship leader and part of that job is to get the congregation moving “in the Spirit”, although one’s ego should be firmly in check in the church worship leader gig cuz it’s about God, not you.

I certainly can see Danny having an inspirational type concert and following through on what he said. His target would be the churchgoing crowd for the most part.

I can see him in the contemporary Christian market and at the Dove Awards eventually but I too hope he takes some time for counselling first.

He was like, suffocating her which was the funniest thing. She was on the ground and he had his hand over her moutgh and I talked to her after the show. Sheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s like, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Man, I couldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t breath, I really couldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t breath!à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ To me, it was just the funniest thing à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢…

… wow

mikeyb, your comment just shows what a hatemonger you are. Keep stirring it up, keep stirring it up, even stuff that means nothing to anyone else.

Wow! Nasty til the end.