Read highlights of Michael John’s satellite press interviews after the jump. Next week, he was planning on performing a blues/soul version of “Vision of Love” for the Mariah Carey theme. Dang. Still, he doesn’t regret a thing.
Sources: MTV, Entertainment Weekly, USA Today
Highlights After the Jump…
- How is he feeling? “I would be lying to say that I wasn’t shocked. I hadn’t been in the bottom three, and I thought definitely the last two or three weeks had been my strongest. We’re in this competition, and stuff can happen ‘ and it did.”
- On Ryan mentioning that noone was booted last year during Michael’s elimination, “You know what? I’d be lying if I didn’t say that was pretty cruel. That one was a tough one. When Ryan said I had the lowest number of votes, he gave me this look as if to say, ”Mate, you know I don’t want to say this right now.” But it’s a TV show, and at the end of the day, it’s entertainment.”
- What he thought the moment before he sang, “I wasn’t, like, destroyed or anything. I probably would have been more sad if I felt I didn’t sing the song as good as I could, and if I didn’t hit those high notes. There was a moment when I took a really deep breath in and I saw my wife, and she said, ”I love you.” I just exhaled then. If you re-watch, you’ll see I just switched then. I thought, ”Just suck it up. This is the last time you’re going to perform on this stage.”
- What was it like in the studio the moment he was booted
, “It was insane. You could hear a pin drop initially. Paula’s jaw was wide open, and even Simon looked at me as if to say he wasn’t expecting that. Everyone started booing.” - What does he think of the backlash? “Nothing has sunk in just yet, but the backlash I’ve been seeing … means a lot, and it means that I struck a nerve somewhere. And this year more than any year, I really believe, especially with this top eight, you can’t look at the person that’s your favorite and go, “Oh, he had a good week, ” or, “She had a good week. I’m going to give them half of my votes and give my votes to the other one that didn’t do as well, ” you know what I mean? A split vote like that happened, and unfortunately the people you thought were going to be safe went home.”
- What the judges said off camera, “You know, Paula’s been — I think Paula’s been spot-on this year. It’s been kind of a weird judging year, so all the contestants kind of feel that. But Paula just grabbed me and goes, “Look, I have no doubt in my mind that I’m going to be sitting in a concert you’re doing very soon. You’re super-talented.” And Randy gave me that kind of advice, like, “Dawg, you know I can’t wait to see what you’re going to do with your career.” And the fact that Simon told me that he’s going to miss me and that I’m a good guy, you know, “You’re a good guy, ” from Simon, that’s really cool.”
- How he feels about the judges, “I’ve watched the show for about six years, and sometimes the judges just got it wrong this year. Like, I think Syesha’s performance Tuesday night [of Fantasia’s “I Believe”] was absolutely stellar, and some of the notes she hit and everything, and she got bagged for it. And Carly’s the same way. We’ve all been there. What I’ve learned from “Idol” is, you’ve got to stay true to yourself. You can’t go out there and go, “I’ve got to go out there and sing this song because it’s going to impress Simon, ” you know what I mean? You can’t plan those days when the judges are going to like it.”
- Simon’s comments?, “Sometimes Simon is just off the mark, to be honest. I mean, most times he’s on, and I respect his opinion a lot, but you know, he wanted me to sing that blues/soul stuff every week, and … I’m a rock/soul singer. I like to do both genres, and so I wasn’t necessarily going to pander to what the judges say every week. You have to go out there and say, “This is the kind of record I’m going to make, and this is the sound I do.” And some weeks they loved it, some weeks they didn’t. That was all.”
- Does he feel angry that he’s better than others still in the running?, “You have moments of that. But honestly, you can’t say Brooke’s voice over Carly’s, or Syesha’s over Jason’s. No one is competing in the same genre. I love that David’s version of rock songs is completely different from my version.”
- His best friends on the show, “Luke Menard and Jason Yeager and Carly and David Cook were my day-to-day buds. I had great moments with all of them. Syesha was just starting to come out of her shell with me. Once you get to know her, she’s hilarious.”
- On working with Dolly Parton, “Absolutely amazing. I even got to speak to her this morning. And she was just saying … what a fan of mine she is. And that’s just, it’s just so surreal to hear Dolly Parton saying, “I can’t wait to sing a duet with you one day.” I mean, that’s awesome.”
- Other celebrities, “Yeah, I got a reach-out from Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman, saying that I was their favorite and they watched every week and just ‘ it’s just amazing how far this reaches. Everyone from Dolly Parton to Keith Urban. It’s just amazing.”
- About singing “Shout to the Lord”, “Religion is personal. I think there’s a big difference between spiritual and religious. But with “Idol Gives Back, ” it’s a bigger picture out there. Just to be a part of something like that, it’s just magic. … You think [you’re in] this singing competition, but then Sunday night [the “Idol Gives Back” taping] happens, and it’s like, “Oh, my goodness.” It’s amazing seeing these artists giving back. I was happy to sing it.”
- Did he think being Australian hurt him?, “I can’t answer that. I can tell you that behind the scenes, people didn’t care. The thing about this country is it’s the melting pot of the world. If you live here and love this country, you can achieve anything.”
- What song was he planning to sing next week? “I was going to do a really cool version, a soul version, a soul/blues version of “Vision of Love.” And it was hot, too, so I’m a little bummed.”
- Modeling or acting?, “Music is all I can do. I can’t act. And I certainly don’t have the body for modeling.”
- Being a part of Season 7, “Look, I mean, especially this year, it’s been written in the press [that] this is the best top 12 they’ve ever had. … But if I had any season I could have been on, to be a part of this one was just really special. There was no laughing stock, there were no jokes. I think we had a lot of respect in the public eye, and that’s something I can be really proud of.”
