Optimism, That’s All We Need

It’s all in the news, “Taylor Hicks dropped by JRecords.”

I don’t take criticism really well especially when I know I’m “attacked” and “cornered”. Now, they drop this bomb on Taylor Hicks, who happens to be my idol. Any fan of his would probably be infuriated by now, defending him against the absurd and exaggerated reports that are all over the television, papers and magazines. But where do we stand on this issue? Moreover, where should we stand?

My friend Claire already expressed her views and I admire how she chose to disconnect herself from this subject matter and remain faithful to the artist that has touched her soul. I share her stand on this with a little something to impart to everyone, OPTIMISM.

Not all of his fans are on the same page. Some worry, fearing that without the BIG JRecords he would have some trouble. Some put all their trust on Taylor remembering he has been there, done that. It’s not the same anymore, now he has us, the Soul Patrol.

I am with the latter side of the boat.

There is so much to be happy about despite the news of splitting and dropping. If you reflect hard, there’s actually nothing to be worried about. For me, I’ve understood that in my mind and in my heart.

Where were we before Taylor Hicks? Try to remember what your lives were like before Taylor Hicks came on that big show we call American Idol.

Me? I was a nerd determined to graduate as one of the top in my class. I didn’t have a lot of friends, I was moody and I was deprived of opportunities, a lot of them. I constantly felt I was too fat, or not good enough. Most importantly, I didn’t like looking back. They simply made me anxious, even angry.

Were you living the same life I lived? Or had better lives? Worse? Satisfactory? You may have done something else to kill time, immersed yourself in your work, watched TV, read magazines or books.

Your lives before? Let’s admit, they didn’t have Taylor Hicks in them. Those books and magazines you read, those television shows you watched, those websites you visited? They probably didn’t include Taylor or The Soul Patrol.

Now, however, since American Idol (a show I’m still grateful to despite their constant stress that Taylor Hicks was a mistake) we had the opportunity to come across the man we all have come to dedicate most of our time and lives to today. The simple fact that we have him to admire and support is a GREAT gift we can never and should not forget. Whether he was put on the show to be a joke or a real contender, it doesn’t matter. We have seen him and are glued to him.

Some of us have seen him perform live, experienced his magnetism, his intensity and his artistry on stage. Most of us have all his three albums and have listened to them religiously. And quite a number of us have spoken to him, met him and have a photo with him that we probably put on the most special sections of our homes. Isn’t that something we should always be grateful for?

We got to know him more through his book which he wrote himself. Some of us even sleep to his voice sharing his own story to us. How many people actually get a chance to listen to their favorites tell them stories?

The Soul Patrol, the best people on the planet, who we have not known before Taylor Hicks but are now our constant shoulder to lean on, our online buddies to who we can share our craziest ideas to, most importantly our friends who will be there not only when we need them to but even when we don’t. They’re with us now. Isn’t that something to be really proud of?

So what if he parted ways with JRecords?

We have him NOW to admire, support, go crazy over. We have Taylor Hicks, now in his TRUEST SELF. We will have him for a long time, he assured us that. He can’t do this on his own with us busying ourselves with worry. He can do what he wants to as long as we stay with him. We made him win American Idol, right? We helped him defy the odds, remember? We can make him win a successful career. I know we can. Taylor Hicks reached the sales he has today because of US even after the lack of promotion on the part of his record company (who I also thank because they gave me one more Taylor CD to keep playing. In my opinion, it was still a good CD). We have TAYLOR HICKS in all of our minds, hearts and LIVES. We go on with life dedicating a part of us to helping him succeed without treating it as a burden but a blessing.

So, you better be hanging in there Soul Patrol because Taylor Hicks will be back blowing all of us away, and of course with no more strings attached.

P.S. I am a better person now. I have a lot of friends and still fighting to graduate with honors. And looking back? It’s such a wonderful experience especially since I have a Taylor Hicks memory with me. ☺

We were with him then,

We should be with him now ‘til tomorrow.

Belle Marquez

Manila, Philippines

J records and Taylor Hicks

I'm about to turn off my Google Alerts for Taylor Hicks this week. Everytime I read the articles, almost all I'm reading about is the negativity that surrounds Taylor's split with J Records. Didn't anyone know that Taylor was just back from a highly successful stint in Asia? But that would not make NEWS, it's just ASIA. (**rolls eyes)

I'm almost ready to answer each negativity with an all out assault complete with full combat gear and put these writers in their places. In other words, my loyal fan "claws" are coming out and I wanted to scratch someone's eyes out. (breathing*****, inhale, exhale...) But, I'm better than that, therefore, I'm just blogging away, attempting to make sense as to why these reports seem so one-sided and unbalanced.

Taylor Hicks did not just get dropped people! It takes meetings and talks represented by the concerned parties to have a break-up, especially in an industry that has lawyers up their noses. I'm sure there is a much more intelligent explanation for this, but I am just offering my layman's understanding of this issue. It is not hard to deduce that there was an understanding on both sides, and yes, financial settlements may be at play.

Besides, let's look at the positives on this, Taylor Hicks is free! And they are free of Taylor Hicks--which they did not want to promote in the first place. And Taylor Hicks is free of them. Call him bullheaded or stubborn if you want and that is why he got the boot, but has it ever occured to anyone that he wanted to cut the ties off because of that very reason?? Obviously, he did not want to be part of J Records' assembly of a NEW generation of manufactured, pre-packaged stars, with pre-made songs to be played to the mainstream audience. Okay, maybe not everyone is pre-packaged, some of them are legitimately talented, hello Carrie Underwood! Who decides on what is "mainstream" anyway? The radio stations that are getting hooked up by the record company executives? It's just a question, and everything else is just my own humble opinion! (getting off my soapbox, turning off my Google Alerts)

Soul Patrol- Forever!

A message from Taylor Hicks about this issue posted on his MySpace:


"To all my fans and The Soul Patrol, I want to take a moment to talk about the recent news that my label and I have mutually parted ways. The important thing for all of you to remember is that I've been a working musician my whole life. This is turning the page on a new chapter of my career. Artistic freedom and control is an exciting prospect. The things that are most important to me is creating my art, performing it, and my fans. With the momentum that all of you have created over the years, Taylor Hicks is not going to stop anytime soon. I've started working on the new album, writing and scheduling exciting collaborations. The DVD, Whomp at the Warfield, is in it's final stages, and will be released soon. So as one door closes, a new one opens for 2008 with more excitement for all my fans than ever before. Sit tight, because the best is yet to come!"

Taylor Hicks, Our Idol

I grew up being taught this saying over and over, “No pain, no gain.” It’s a cliché but one that applies to anyone and to most situations. Taylor Hicks’ visit to Manila wasn’t any exemption.

For someone whose day begins at 12:00 P.M. in the afternoon, whose timid ways make striking up conversations with people hard and whose hesitant manners make her an easy target for cunning buyers in supermarket lines, competing for limited stubs to the Ayala Malls concert was not exactly the perfect place for me.

I woke up to the sound of my alarm at 4:45 a.m. in the morning. My head was still heavy because it wasn’t my routine especially on school breaks. But, once I got a glance of the Taylor Hicks concert flyer that I posted on the ceiling, I immediately got out of bed and got dressed to go to the mall.

Two weeks back, when I first saw the flyer, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Taylor Hicks is coming to Manila. I seriously thought it was a mistake. So, I checked several sites that could clarify this but I only got more news and details on his visit. From this moment on, I was determined to catch him live. Who would have thought he’d come to Manila? Even after poor airplay and lack of proper promotion of his album which for me was one of the best I ever held and listened to, he’d choose to visit the Philippines. I thought it was definitely unbelievable but wonderful.

I arrived in the mall at 6:35 a.m. No one was around yet and then I got word from the security guard that stubs will be released at 11:00 a.m. I was four and a half hours early. I admit I was frustrated but I had to do the sacrifice. I thought, this may be the first and last time I’ll see Taylor live (well, as well all know it won’t be ;) ).

At around 8:00 a.m., there were more people coming in. And the group grew by the minute; each one eyeing on the concierge that distributes the stubs. I couldn’t say I deserve it more than the other people who also made the same sacrifice to get stubs but I thought to myself, I was first here and so I think I deserve to get the good passes particularly one with a meet and greet opportunity. Forgetting my introverted ways, I pushed myself to the concierge and started the line for everyone to follow. If it was the supermarket, I’d gladly make way for other buyers since I have the luxury of time and opportunities. But for this one instant, I didn’t have that luxury and I just felt I needed to meet Taylor. I just had to.

I thought people would fight their way for my spot but that didn’t happen. Actually, newcomers were approaching and asking me for details about where they should line up for stubs. I truly couldn’t believe the people I’ve met during the waiting period. I remember perfectly a couple approaching me and asking me about details of the stub distribution. But minutes later, the conversation shifted to topics other than Taylor like our hobbies, our dreams, concerns. The small talk blossomed into a beautiful conversation that I rarely had with people I just knew. Now, we’re constantly communicating through SMS. And we’re up until now good friends.

When I got my stub and exited the line, I was surprised with the number of people waving back at me as I was leaving. Some I didn’t even know by name but I guess they were grateful for the little help I assisted them with. They may not have been my friends now but I’m just happy that I was able to give them assistance because like me, I knew they wanted to see Taylor Hicks, the American Idol live.

As I was in the perimeter of the venue already, I recognized the people I’ve lined up with earlier that day. They never forgot to flash a smile as they saw me. I smiled back for I know this moment was something we’ve all longed for. My back and legs were still hurting from the exhaustion and long waiting and I’m sure they were experiencing the same thing. But at that moment, it didn’t really matter because we all knew we were in for a great show.

The moment Taylor Hicks stepped on stage, I was shaking in excitement and as I looked around, everyone was screaming, cheering hard; enchanted by the American Idol that we didn’t think we could even see and meet. I and the couple beside me were quiet, still trying to let the experience sink in. Then when Taylor starts singing, we shook the shock off and screamed our lungs out. Realizing we had a late reaction, we giggled for a moment then turned our attention back to the Soul Man.

In between numbers, I would always look around trying to catch the expression on people’s faces. All I could see was joy, happiness, excitement, jolliness and fulfillment. I couldn’t blame them for I experienced those same emotions myself. The atmosphere was encouraging, merry and jovial. You could just lose yourself and be in tune with Taylor’s beautiful music. And his performance? It kept us hooked the whole time.

Seeing Taylor Hicks perform live made me forgot how tired I was and how terrible my past few weeks before that day were. I used to rely on reviews made by other SPers for a glimpse of how great Taylor was live. Now, I can’t believe I am writing this article to share with all of you. Still amused and grateful for that opportunity, I am carrying on with life with a memory and realization that I came out of this experience a better person with more friends and a witness to the greatness of Taylor Hicks, the American Idol, our idol.

Written by: Belle_Marquez
Manila, Philippines