Taylor Hicks recently gave an interview to Rodney Ho of American Idol Buzz. Seems we might get that elusive Whomp At The Warfield DVD yet as well as a new live CD!
Taylor Hicks three years ago said his life ambition was to live on a bus and just play music.
After winning “American Idol,” the prematurely gray-haired soul singer has gotten that wish. He has no house, no rent or mortgage, no utility bills. “I’ve been living out of a suitcase since 2006,” he said in an interview last month to promote his role as Teen Angel in the national tour of “Grease,” which is at the Fox Theatre. “My bills get sent to my parents.”
But even a vagabond like Hicks says he actually would to have roots again someday.
“I’d like to have some home setting in five years, some sort of anchor,” he said.
Of course, Birmingham is his hometown. But Atlanta, he said, is “like a second home,” given how many friends and family he has here. He will also make a return visit to Smith’s Olde Bar on Saturday after his final “Grease” performance. This is where he also performed in 2006 during the “Idols Live” tour.
I took this shot of Taylor back in 2006 at Smith
Hicks not only sings “Beauty School Dropout” in a shiny outfit during the play but during the encore, he gets to sing his latest single “Seven Mile Breakdown.” “It allows fans new and old to see me in two different lights,” he said. “One as an actor performer, the other as a singer songwriter.”
He also signs CDs after the show. So far, he’s sold about 38,000 copies of his current album, “The Distance,” a far cry from the 704,000 for his post-’Idol” victory self-titled album in 2006.
“I think 100,000 is attainable,” he said. “As an independence artist, that would be substantial.”
Hicks knows he helps get Soul Patrol fans into seats, which is why the touring company booked him. “The fan base is definitely there,” he said.
The Fox shows were added after Hicks had prior commitments so he’s only doing the shows from August 11 to 16, although the tour has been at the Fox since Friday.
Hicks is also unfazed by the fact Web sites such as TMZ mock him for not being a monstrous Carrie Underwood-level success. “If they talk about you, then deep down, they love ya,” he said. “If they don’t, then you have problems.”
Simon Cowell, for instance, could barely tolerate him during the actual show but Hicks was amazed to see him give Hicks a standing ovation earlier this year when Hicks came back to perform “Seven Mile Breakdown.”
The rest of the article can be view on Rodney's website!
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