Apr 15, 2011
Paul McDonald: Elimination is 'all good'
03:23 PM
"For me, it was just about having fun," he told USA TODAY's Lindsay Deutsch in a phone call today. McDonald, who has spent two years in Nashville working in the music industry, jazzed audiences (and attracted a new lady friend, Twilight actress Nikki Reed), with his flashy floral suits, unorthodox dance moves and blinding white smile. What was with the outfits, and how are his Idol and indie fans (from band the Grand Magnolias) mixing? McDonald answered a few post-elimination questions.
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How are you doing? Last night must have been a whirlwind.
I'm doing good. I'm super tired. Dude, I got maybe two hours of sleep. I got off work at midnight and woke up at 3:30 a.m. I'm pretty beat. I'm running off of energy drinks and Five Hour Energy right now.
When the fans and judges stormed you on stage, what were some of the things they were telling you?
I didn't want it to be sad at all. It's always sad and I knew whenever I left, I wanted it to be fun and I wanted it to be an off-week for them. Thursdays are always so draining because it's sad to see people to go.
For me, this whole thing was about having fun, getting up there and singing a bunch of covers, and just having fun with it. The others were coming up and I was like, "Don't be sad, guys. Go relax and go focus on next week. I'm fine, man, I'm okay." And it was funny because they're like, "I'm going to miss you!" and I was like, "Come on, man, I'll see you in a week."
It was all good last night. I wanted to make it easy for them because now that I'm done, they need to focus on getting their acts together for the next week and the next song. I tried to make it easy for everyone else and comfort them because they're more sad than me.
What will you take away from the show?
Doing the whole TV thing is way, way different than doing the club circuit and tooling around in a band. You learn a whole lot of stuff, and especially working with these brilliant producers and getting to chat with Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson on a day-to-day basis, it's super cool. My main goal was to soak in as much information as I could because not everybody gets to hang out with Steven Tyler everyday. I'm just trying to stay true to myself and be me.
How do you interact with fans?
I tweet a good bit. Actually, I was teaching all the other guys earlier. I've been doing it for my band for so long and I'm like, "You guys have to get with the act."
What's the indie-Idol fan collision like?
A bunch of my friends who are in a killer band just sent me a message today saying, "Dude, you're on TV on American Idol?" and I was like, "Yeah, for like three months." It's funny because my circuit runs a different scene from the other American Idol folks.
It's funny to see that community seeing me too because I wanted to get them involved and tell people it's OK to do stuff like this. It's for fun and as long as you stay true to yourself as an artist, that's my main goal. And I also wanted to expose America to some lesser-known artists, which I plan on doing to.
You have people that hate you and people that love you, so I'm just thankful. The fans have been unbelievable on this. I've never had anybody ? people are sending me fan mail and making me presents and gifts. It's truly inspiring.
What's the craziest fan present you received on the show?
Oh man! I got a whole wardrobe of crazy vintage coats and jackets. I got this one half-shirt that's silver and showed off my bellybutton ? super ridiculous. I put it on and it was super over the top. I walked down to the wardrobe department and they were like "Oh my gosh! What is that?" I was showing off my belly, it was hilarious. I was like, "Thanks. This was a random gift to get."
McDonald also fielded questions from reporters during a conference call. Here is an edited transcript:
What was your experience in the music industry before Idol?
I've been touring for about five years doing strictly my own material and have been living in Nashville for two years. We've been up there trying to make it in the original music business. We just released an album in November before all this TV stuff happened. That's where my heart and soul is; that's my sweat, blood and tears. I love those guys so hopefully I get to work with those guys soon.
You think there should be an original material week?
I've been touring for years with my band, The Grand Magnolias, and it's one of those things: there's a bunch of singers, but it's good to have people who write and are artists who can showcase what they can do as individuals. That's my main thing. I'm actually not that good at singing other people's songs; I learned that in the past and that's why I started writing my own. It showcases who you are as an artist more. There's only so much you can do singing other people's songs.
How was it to get some of your music out there singing your original song "American Dreams" on an American Idol clip?
It was great. I was trying to branch out and let people see what I do normally. When they said we could do original material, I was right at home and it made me really happy that I got to do that. Original music comes off as more real to me. It came from real times in my life and I was really happy they let me do that.
Do you have any regrets?
Some of the song choices I did probably weren't the best for me. When I first tried out, this thing was just for fun. I didn't really expect to get this far. I probably listened to some people when I probably should have stuck to my guns. I wish I had stuck to some more obscure artists, some of the stuff I was into, because it came across on stage. I felt like it wasn't me all the time. Other than that, I had a good time. It was an amazing learning experience.
What will you miss the most?
I'll miss the people that surrounded me. People don't realize how many people work together around the clock to make American Idol happen. The people at 19 -- the day-to-day people, the security, all the crew. We've kind of grown into a family. It's going to be weird not seeing them everyday. The whole American Idol thing has been a very unique, super tight-knit community. It's going to tough, but I'm sure we'll see each other soon.
What were your expectations for the show?
I try not to think about it at all. I never watched the show while I was on it or read reviews of the shows. I was doing exactly what I wanted to do. It was tough to pick songs and do them but I was just being me. It was funny -- the hair and makeup team would be like, "Man, we don't need to do anything to you today," and the stylist is like, "I like your clothes better than what we've got." I just did my own thing, and it worked out good enough for 8th place so I'm pretty happy about it.
Do you have any artist role models?
I strive to be like a whole lot of artists. Right now, I'm listening to Mumford & Sons -- I've been digging on them hard. Those guys are great writers and it's music that moves you. The Black Keys are really cool. My band played Bonnaroo -- that kind of stuff, festival circuit, what's going on at Coachella. I listen to all kinds of music. My main goal is to make music that lasts, that people enjoy. The reason I play music is to let loose my feelings and write about real stuff.
What was the deal with your outfits?
I got those outfits made for me before the show. I had all that stuff before Idol. I broke my bank on the first white suit before I came out to Hollywood. My friend back home Manny custom-made them for me. I have the black and the white one, so I get to keep them forever. I'll wear them for my birthday and for New Year's and all that kind of stuff.
How do you have such white teeth?
They are halfway natural. I've never had professional whitening or anything but I've used Crest toothpaste. I've always used Crest Advanced Vivid White toothpaste. I don't drink coffee or coke. My sister is the same way, it's weird. We all have white teeth. I guess it's in the genes.
How is it to have celebrity fans?
It's cool getting to see successful people come up and say they're fans. It blows my mind. I was out there playingto a few hundred people a night. All of a sudden, I come on TV and sing a handful of covers and people think I'm cool now. It's super humbling to have people like that think that my art is good. We were at the hotel the other day and I walked in and Kurt Warner was there and he was like "What's up? I'm a fan." It doesn't seem real but it's pretty cool.
Any condolences from celebrities?
I'm pretty sure Nikki Reed's a pretty big fan and she's super cool, I'm getting a bunch of stuff all over the place. I looked at my phone and had 270 text messages today. I really haven't had time to think or read any news.
How do you feel about the guy-to-girl advantage on American Idol?
It's definitely there. Whenever you're in the audience, the teenage girls are the ones that watch the show the most. I remember walking on the stage and people have their posters and signs made and there's like one Paul one over there then a thousand screaming Scotty McCreary fans holding posters. I think the guys definitely have an advantage. It's a shame for the girls because they're so talented. I don't know too many guys who watch the show.
Are you and Twilight's Nikki Reed dating?
Yeah, well me and Nikki Reed are dating. It's officially true. She's super cool, man, she's super smart, really cool girl. I'm happy about it. We've been hanging out, here and there, you know we're both pretty busy, but it's been fun so far.
What were you planning on singing next?
This next week, I was planning on doing a Zac Brown, Ray LaMontagne or Mumford & Sons songs because I was getting uncomfortable. So I was going to stick with my guns, but then I got the boot.
Was your voice always 100%?
Man, it is a grueling schedule and my voice has been out of it for most of the competition because I've been touring for so long and I've got issues with my voice, but sometimes I can get away with it. It gives me that raspy, off-key vibe. It was tough. We don't get too much sleep and for my voice, I need sleep. Much of the time, you could definitely tell it was not 100%.
How did you stay so upbeat when you were eliminated?
When I came into the whole Idol thing, I had no expectations whatsoever. I'd never thought about winning. I was just doing my own thing. If I got kicked off months ago, I would have been going back to doing what I'd been doing, and it just surprised me how far I got.
This is a killer platform for me to get out my original music. A bunch of the kids and contestants have been watching American Idol forever and it's their hugest dreams and I'm like, "Go get it guys!" I'm okay. I'm a 26-year-old man.
Did you feel a generation gap between yourself and the contestants?
For sure. Me and some of the kids are ten years apart, like me and Lauren Alaina. It was cool because I haven't hung out with 16-year-old kids in like ten years. It made me feel like I was in high school again. When I was that age, I wasn't thinking about any of this stuff. I was trying to be a mentor to them. I was trying to teach them how to mold themselves into artists and get them to set themselves out of the box a bit. But there are superstars in this group.
Does American Idol hurt your credibility with your indie genre fans?
That was one of my main concerns. Was it worth the credibility, something I wanted in my career, no matter rich or poor? I want to be respected in the music industry. All these legit bands in the music business are like, "Oh man! I can't believe you're doing this," but they've been watching and they're happy for me now. They say, "I think you dropped out at the right point. Now let's cut some records and get back to doing our thing." It's a tough call, but I think I can bridge that gap. I'm trying to cut a great album. American Idol is great. It's been nothing but helpful.
How did you come to be on American Idol?
This was the first time, I never really got into it except when Ruben Studdard was on. It was something I kind of fell into. I happened to be in town and it was like five minutes down the street and a friend convinced me to walk down and do it. I had no expectations of anything. That's why I'm so happy to make it this far.
Did you have a goal for the show?
There was no goal really set because I was just doing it for fun. Winning had never been my goal. Once I got to the top 10 I was like, "Wow, this is getting close, maybe I can do well with this thing." After Pia got kicked off, I was like, 'Dude, what's going on here because she has an amazing voice,' and I knew it was anybody's game.
What made you try out in the first place?
It was one of those things. We had just cut an album and were tossing it around to different labels and we had been playing frat parties to pay our bills or getting to play a cool festival. I was thinking that even if we were picked up, we would playing at the bottom level of the scene. It was tough. I was more concerned with my new album but it ended up working great. You can't pay for press that gives you 30 million people watching. It worked out good. I'm happy.
Tamie Sheffield Amerie Maria Menounos Rachael Leigh Cook KarolĂna Kurková
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