In yesterday’s press conference, Idol bootee, Matt Giraud, says he would have “pulled an Archuleta” if he’d been asked to choose sides. And he’s perfectly fine not winning American Idol–winning wasn’t his goal. Plus, he and Scott MacIntyre had midnight piano duels in the mansion basement.
Read on for more press conference excerpts.
What was going through his head when he was eliminated? “I was at complete peace with myself, because I went out doing what I love to do, Jazz Week in the matter of dreams. That what I wanted to do, play piano, I wanted play jazz and meet my idols and I actually accomplished everything I had to do.”
Did he really want to win it? “No, I never came in wanting to be The America Idol, you know my dream was to play that piano on that stage, my dream was to sing jazz on that stage, my dream was to meet the mentors, that was like dreams come true to me. Yes, there are definitely a lot of perks and Id like it and I was fighting for it, but that wasnt the goal, Im not kicking myself because Im not winning. I think that obviously weve seen past idols who go home in fourth and fifth place do even better than the idol, so all hope is not lost.”
How he felt when Simon liked “My Funny Valentine” but Randy and Kara didnt? “Kara is usually on my side, but you know what, it was a great way to go out, because going out with Simon calling you brilliant and comparing you to Nat King Cole that pretty much the best way I could go. It better than going out like …That the worse youve ever done, have a good day.
How he felt about the judges not wanting him to sing rock, did it influence his song choice? “It did a little bit, but not that much. I still picked the songs, even if they were more rocky, I still picked them if they moved me and if I loved singing them. I got tons of e-mails and comments about those songs from fans that they loved them. So that kind of reassured me a little bit.”
Was he surprised at the Bottom 3? “I was definitely surprised that Adam was down there with me, it was kind of a cruel twist to have him pick who he thought was the lowest vote getters and stuff. And we kind of played with him backstage saying, why didnt you pick us to be the highest vote getters or whatever? Kind of playing with him. But it felt kind of uncomfortable, but Ive been there before, so I could deal with it.”
Maybe Adam thought the other group was the bottom 3? “I dont know. He didnt really like his performance, but I thought he was great. We all did a good show.”
Would he have chosen a side? “I would have pulled an Archuleta and just sat down. I dont think I would have picked anyone.”
What was his favorite performance? “I think probably my favorite one would be …Part Time Lover, it just one of those ones where like the lights were right, the outfit was right, the arrangement was cool and it just kind of really went well together.”
Did he consider singing …Georgia on my Mind for the movie week? “I couldnt do that, because it had to be a song that was written for a movie, so that song has been around forever, so that wasnt an option. But I did think about it.”
What was the second song he considered for Rat Pack week? “I thought about …Come Fly Me or …They Cant take that Away from Me,
What would he have sung for rock week? “I actually thought about doing …Simple Man by Lynyrd Skynyrd on the keys and making it like a bluesy version.”
What will he sing on tour? “Ive thought about …Georgia on my Mind, I know a lot of my fans have really dug that song and Ive thought about definitely wanting to get on the piano and I definitely want to dance around a little and have a good time. I think that Ill probably do that one.”
It was tough to pick songs, “Song choice, because there a million songs that you love and that move you, but then picking a song that you sing well is the harder part or picking a song that good for you is a different part. But at this point, Im still going to just keep doing the music that moves me, no matter if the judges like it or not. Now it about the simple passion of music.”
Should they bring back the Save next year? “It a great thing. I dont think it was a waste of time, because it shows people that the judges can see something in someone. They didnt pick me because of my looks, they picked me because they saw something in my talent and that a good thing.”
What did it feel like to be saved? “I cant wait to see my name on a trivia card. I feel blessed and honored, I have never felt so much love in a room before and it was a really cool feeling. I think it was probably one of the coolest moments of my life. It made me feel real special and I hope that people think that it was worth it. I really didnt know people felt that passionately about me. Even one of the security guards told me he had never heard the room get so loud and it means a lot to hear that from people who are behind the scenes, because theyve heard it all.”
Could he have done anything different to stay? “I still think it was my week, I picked a song, a really famous jazz standard that I loved and listened back to it and I wouldnt really change a thing. And that probably the first time Id ever really say that. I could have probably picked a bigger song, maybe I could have shown off a little more and riffed all over the place, but I just wanted to do something simple and Im actually proud of what I did and Im glad I went out on that note.”
At this point, is it popularity? Is it performance? “At this point it is more popularity than talent, of course, I mean we all know that. And everyone in the top five was talented though, someone has to go home every week, it just whoever can rub America the right way, I guess.”
About the mentors, “Jamie Foxx was one of the most helpful mentors by insisting that I change a key and really kind of showing me how to perform it. But one of the most influential ones was definitely Smokey Robinson–just a legend in his own right and to sit there and sing a song for him on the piano and have him tell me that Marvin Gaye would have been proud to hear my version, it like you dont get told that everyday as a musician and definitely Ill never forget that.”
How did the producers and music people influence the song arrangements? “The thing is people dont really know, but a lot of these arrangements have been done before, and theyre not really well-known and sometimes a lot of the people on the show get a lot of credit for those. But the thing is you can arrange a song anyway you want, you usually play it for a few people and you get some opinions and that kind of how it works behind the scenes. But you pretty much have most of the creative control.”
Best advice from a judge? “You know Kara said that there may be many songs that move you, but there are only certain songs that are good for you, the best for you to sing, and Im kind learning that. But I dont know if I have completely agreed with that, but that a pretty good piece of advice, because sometimes as musicians we just like to go with whatever makes us feel good and sometimes you have to go with what sounds good too.”
Most memorable moment from the mansion? “Ive got a couple of those, but I dont know if I can say them. I think the funniest moment, or the most memorable moment, Im trying to think. Probably doing dueling pianos with Scott in the basement was pretty memorable. We used to go down there with two keyboards and just go at it at midnight; wed just be jamming down there. We used to really have some battles down there, it was pretty fun.”
What goes on in the mansion? “I know that sometimes after some of go out, if we go out to like a club, a lot of us like to congregate in the kitchen and literally lay on the counters and goof off and make fun of each other. We make fun of each other a lot, hardcore. You know they like to call me Matt the Riffer and fun of the way I sing and we make fun of Danny dance moves and Adam impersonates people. We really do like to spend time with each other and well have long talks and kind of just vent about the show.”
Did he mind being compared to Justin Timberlake? “A little bit annoying, but the thing is I respect him a lot and I really appreciate what he does. And I knew that people were going to ‘ you know a white guy with soul, it just how it works. But the thing is, I love it and I was waiting for that to come. But I think Im a lot different. And just what happens is I love his type of music, I can pull it off, I think, but it not really where Id want to go musically. Id rather be rocking out with some kind of piano band, like the Fray or Gavin DeGraw or something like that.”
What kind of record will he make? “Id actually like to get more into the rock or some soulful rock, maybe like a twist of blues on it. Id love to see myself as a lead man with a piano and a band around me and touring and doing good music, maybe to the likes of Gavin DeGraw and the Fray and stuff like that.”
