Michael Lynche is a really focused guy. He came into Idol with a game plan, and worked as hard as he could. He felt he had to–he missed the birth of his daughter to participate in the Hollywood Rounds. Now, he has to work to make that huge sacrifice worth it, and to secure the future of his family.
In today’s interview with reporters, Michael talks about not regretting what he did, feeling confident in his performance on the Idol stage, and on leaving the football field to spend time with his mother as she battled, and finally succumbed to cancer.
After the interview, check out the satellite interviews Michael did with FOX TV stations early this morning.
Does Michael think he took enough risks? Does he believe the eventual winner will need to take a big risk to win? “I don’t know if risk…I don’t know if that’s the right mind-frame to go with, I think you’ve got to show all the sides of you. I think with me stepping outside of the R&B realm that’s risky enough because they see you—they see me, they see how I look, and expect to hear R&B and when I do something different, sometimes it’s a little jarring. The people who are left in it—I think they’ve got to really stay true to themselves. You gotta be comfortable up there, and you’ve gotta pick songs that mean something to you. I don’t know if risk is what wins it, because at this point you’ve really got to solidify what your fanbase is. You’ve got to give them what they want.”
Stats? Michael is “6’1, 300 lb, and he can bench press 505
About his theater background, “I went to a performing arts high school. It was a special program inside of a regular high school. We’ve got all the sports teams, all the extra-curricular activities that come along at a regular high school. Inside of the high school is a specialized program for the performing arts. We were able to take dance classes, and photography classes, and music theory classes. I had classical singing training—we were able to take a program where we could take college classes from a college professor in classical training and get college credit for it. That school had so many great opportunities for you there. I learned to play steel drums there. It just really opened me up to do anything that I wanted to do, besides the fact that I could play sports at the school. The best time that I ever had at school was when I was able to get into theater shows. You had to audition for the roles, it was a big deal.”
What will he do next? “I’m still focused on the show right now. The top 10 will all be back for rehearsals starting on Tuesday. We’ve got the tour rehearsals starting in June. It’s really going to be a good time to reunite with some of the guys who left the show early, have a really good time this summer, and I’m going to start working on putting together a great album, and working with some great people. That’s the number one plan this year, to put out a great album.”
Will he get back home to St. Pete’s FL? As soon as my schedule permits, I’m going to come home. My family is there, I really can’t wait to get back home and heal a bit, and feel the love down there, and spread a little love. I love my town. As soon as my schedule permits, I’ll be back.”
What it’s meant for him to have his wife and child on stage with him at the end, “It meant a lot, because it started out with them, in Hollywood Week. For me, is when the experience really got real. It wasn’t about hoping to do well. I had to do well. Because of the sacrifices I made at that time, it just was very important for me to do well. They would have been there for me if I was working at Home Depot, or Dominoes Pizza. My wife always supports me no matter what. It’s nice that I get to be the family man, I’m not anybody else but that. That’s what I am first. It was nice that, that was my story and people really saw that, and I had my wife there, it really helps your heart out in a tough moment.”
On dealing with the pressure of making Top 3 so he could come home, “I live for pressure. I think if you’re going to be something great, you’ve got to be able to deal with a pressure situation. On Tuesday night, I think I sang well, I performed well, I felt good about what I did. It didn’t happen for me to be in the Top 2 this year. But, I’m where I’m supposed to be. God definitely has a plan for my life, and all of our lives. I don’t feel like I let anyone down. I came out and did what I do. But, people just didn’t vote that way.”
What did Randy say to him after he was eliminated? “He pointed out that Daughtry got eliminated at 4, and I’ve got a chance to be special—just keep going—it’s not a bad place to be where I am.”
Did he feel like he needed to perform an original take on the song, or just a good one? “I felt like you should do something original. I think that everybody should always make a song their own. I think you get into the karaoke zone when you do a good version. I always wanted to have the song feel like I wrote it. I wanted to find that place in the song that was original for me, that was new for me. I think that’s how you succeed on the show, by making it your own.”
On being a big guy, but a really a softie at heart, “I’m a Gemini, so there’s always two sides to it all. I want to do it all. I got a pretty extreme, extremist personality type. So whatever, I’m doing to the max with it all, whatever side I’m showing. I think we all have different sides to show of ourselves. I was fortunate enough to stay on the show long enough that I got to show multiple sides. I’m not just Big Mike. I’m also Mike the husband, and Michael the father, I’m dad, I’m a brother, I’m a son. All those things make up your heart. It was cool to get to show multiple sides of myself.”
Did he like singing romantic songs? “Music for me, I love love songs, that’s what really speaks to my soul is when somebody is in love and it’s just raw and honest–that’s what I love.”
What was going through his head when he was singing for his life? “I wasn’t terrified. I liked that concept of singing for your life. And every week you were singing for your life because, nothing is guaranteed for you on the show, your time isn’t guaranteed at all. I never wanted to take anything for granted. When I got to that point, it was literally ‘sing for your life and the life of your family and your future.’ Here’s your one chance—I felt I could do that. I felt going in that I could stand tall in that moment. When it got down to Andrew and I, I wanted it to be me in that moment. Because, I didn’t necessarily want him to go through that—he’s a good buddy of mine and I felt strong enough, and prepared enough to take that moment on. It worked out. I wasn’t surprised that they saved me, just extremely grateful to still be around.”
What was his mindset going into last night. Was he expecting to go home? Not surprised, and not expecting it. I just think America is a fickle creature. And she’s shown that as the competition has gone on. You just never know. I think that I was consistent every week and always gave my heart when I sang. The only thing with giving your heart is, it can get broken, but if it’s received well, it can be something really magical, and special. It was that on a couple of weeks. I think that the way that the wind blows the votes, you just never know. It’s really up in the air.”
Does he think his background with football helped him prepare for the experience? “It’s the way I continue to train my body, it’s the way that I mentally prepare, It’s really my only experience with game planning, or making a plan and being goal oriented. I wanted to have a warrior’s mentality while I was in the competition. I took the approach of having a game plan, sticking to that game plan, no matter how the wind blows you. And also being able to adapt and change the game plan as the game goes on. That was the approach I took and it served me well up until this point. Top 4 isn’t a bad place to be, so I feel good about it.”
Mike dropped out of UCF, how did that happen? “My mom had failing health for a long time. She was diagnosed with cancer, my heart was really missing home, and being with her. My plan at that time was just to transfer to the University of South Florida. That was much closer, it was just the next town over. Then, my mom ended up passing away. It really just threw me for a loop for a time. I kind of lost my way and I started working with kids at a middle school—special ed kids—it was the best thing for my heart at the time. It was the best work I’ve ever done in my life. At that same time, I bought a guitar. I hadn’t had a guitar in a while, because my plan was to play professional football. I bought a guitar again and began writing music. That side of me started growing again, and had been there all along, I just hadn’t explored it because I was really focused on athletics. When I left UCF, it was just, really, a confusing time in a young guy’s life. I was really trying to find my way. I got to spend some really great last time with my mom, which was super important. We would sit up late night and watch infomercials. She loved to stay up all night long. That was really a highlight in my life—that time I got to spend at home with her—that last little bit of time she had on this earth…she was 53.”
What does he think of the save? “It’s two sided. I think as far as the voting goes, it’s really one of my favorite parts of the show, that people pick a champion. But it’s also depends on whose voting. I think that as far as the save goes, it really speaks to your work ethic, and your professionalism and what they see of you, not just on the stage in that little minute 30 that America really sees, –the judges get to see a bit more of us, and how your reputation is around the set and whatnot, and around the crew. I think it just speaks to who you are as a professional for them to take that chance to save you, to say to America, ‘Think about this again, this person has really shown us to be a professional and to be somebody worth taking a look at. I think it’s two sided.”
Does he think Crystal Bowersox is pimped in the media? “We’re in a bubble, and we don’t really get too into the media, or what’s going on online. You don’t even really know the pulse of what people feel about you until we leave the apartment and go out to CVS…we don’t really go far from the Idol bubble which is nice. It keeps your confidence intact. I’m not quite sure what all the media attention is. Hopefully it’s good, hopefully she can withstand it.”
Are the sacrifices worth it? Is he looking forward to spending time with his daughter now? “I don’t think you can ever say anything is worth missing the birth of your child. Only time will let those wounds heal. I think that it definitely gives my family a good chance, in the future, and gives my daughter a better chance that I did it, that I took that sacrifice. But, me personally—of course I didn’t want to miss it. But it wasn’t a choice. This is what I needed to do for the family at this time. I’m definitely looking forward to spending more time with my family. But my schedule really isn’t really—just being off at this point doesn’t mean your schedule thins out. I’m back in LA on Tuesday—I go to New York—I’m working the whole time when I’m back in New York. I’m not even going to have a chance to get back to my apartment [Michael and his family live in NYC now]. It’s still the time to keep sprinting, to keep charging ahead, so that you use this opportunity that you’ve been seeing on TV all these weeks, to the best of your advantage.”
What’s his memory of the University of Central Florida? “My memories at UCF is all the construction (laughter). It always looks different every time you get there. My wife and I, we moved away to college 4 days after we graduated from high school. We moved into…apartments. It’s a memory I feel…how that dorm room looked when I first walked in, never having lived on my own, really and never having seen a dorm. Here I am, and I had nothing to decorate my room with. I took as many posters from the football office as I could and just wallpapered my walls with football posters. That’s kind of a memory I see when I think of UCF. “
What did he learn from his experience there? “Everybody should go to college. It’s the best time to start living on your own and finding out who you are outside of your family in this world. It really matured me in that time, it focused me more. I was never really into partying and I had my wife there, so were really were kind of homebodies. It made me also realize how much I missed home, and my family. I really didn’t realize how much I would miss them until we were away. “
Satellite TV interviews:
Good Day New York
FOX 2
Good Day Philadelphia
FOX 10
Good Day LA
FOX 9
