Towleroad Guide to the Tube #57
ALL IS NOT WELL: Ouch. Clay Aiken hits a couple real stinkers (at end of clip).
THE NEXT CLAY?: Von sings "And I'm Telling You..." (source: he who laughs)
CLAY'S BACHELOR PAD: No cameras have ever been inside.
JIMMY CARTER: Called a racist anti-Semite on C-SPAN.
Don't miss all our guides to the Tube here.
It looks like Pottery Barn threw up all over Clay's house.
Posted by: sam | Dec 4, 2006 11:25:14 AM
The Raleigh Pottery Barn has been stripped bare.
Posted by: sam | Dec 4, 2006 11:26:40 AM
Also, it looks like he shops at Pottery Barn. :P
Posted by: gander | Dec 4, 2006 11:36:08 AM
"Mother designed everything in the living room and I'm VERY anal about my kitchen!"
Posted by: Greg | Dec 4, 2006 11:50:17 AM
He obviously can't be trusted without a decorator and a stylist...Maybe he really is straight!
Posted by: Rascal | Dec 4, 2006 11:54:36 AM
Why is Clay starting to look like Michael Jackson?
The peace between Isreal and Egypt has held because the US sends them billions of dollars every year in "aid" money. There is also a tacit peace accord with Jordan which is probably a lot less expensive and was achieved under Clinton, who apparently gets no credit in Jimmy's "I am the only one" mind.
Posted by: Anon | Dec 4, 2006 11:55:59 AM
I've seen Von on YOU TUBE but I still don't know who he is. Does anyone?
Posted by: Bobby | Dec 4, 2006 12:07:52 PM
Hasn't anyone told Clay that the thumbring is so 1996 and that the gays are no longer doing that??
And that Von is a cutie pa tootie.
Posted by: Jeff | Dec 4, 2006 12:11:24 PM
I was sorta ok with Clay's house until I saw that sad Christmas bush.
Posted by: Bryant | Dec 4, 2006 12:15:35 PM
Even the greatest singers in the world hit a few bum notes from time to time...so why celebrate Clay's mistakes? Why do so many people delight in the downfall of others? Don't get me wrong...I'm no Clay-mate, and I don't enjoy his singing style. I just don't understand people who get off on watching others slip up. I think Towleroad should leave the "tearing down" to PerezHilton.com and DListed.com
Posted by: Chesnut | Dec 4, 2006 12:20:47 PM
Clay sounds like he's channeling Johnny Weismuller at the end of that song. Ouch!
Posted by: Hank | Dec 4, 2006 12:36:33 PM
Is Von an American Idol contestant? Cause he's a cutie!
Posted by: tender | Dec 4, 2006 12:53:26 PM
Words I never thought I'd utter: I prefer Clay - To that screeching Von child
Posted by: forreal | Dec 4, 2006 1:37:26 PM
Clay, give it up. I believe that everyone should have their own time to come out, but it is getting obvious. To date, his mother seems to be the only female in his life.
And for Carter, SAD! He is spending his time building houses for the poor because he spent his entire presidency ensuring home ownership was impossible with 18%+ interest rates! He was possibly the worst president of the 20th century.
Posted by: RB | Dec 4, 2006 2:08:44 PM
"I'm afraid there may be underwear (or a jockstrap or possibly a dildo and a bottle of lube) on the floor in there"
Posted by: peterparker | Dec 4, 2006 2:31:01 PM
"And for Carter, SAD! He is spending his time building houses for the poor because he spent his entire presidency ensuring home ownership was impossible with 18%+ interest rates! He was possibly the worst president of the 20th century."
RB Ronald Reagan was in a coma when he turned away from the nightmare of AIDS. Until the current idiot took office he was the worse president in my lifetime.
As for that sad thing called Clay, he is getting enough punishment being himself.
Posted by: patrick nyc | Dec 4, 2006 2:38:45 PM
Carter may have had numerous failings as President but he has more than redeemed himself as a Statesman.
No, I'd say when a President leaves office in shame and scandal, which Nixon did, that qualifies him as worst President of the 20th Century.
Posted by: mark m | Dec 4, 2006 2:47:30 PM
RB,
I think a little history lesson is in order here.
You make it sound as though Carter himself set interest rates at 18% plus, but that is patently untrue. The truth of the matter is that interest rates soared because OPEC, during the Nixon presidency, made the decision to reduce supplies of oil available to the world markets. Nixon (remember, a Republican) was completely unable to do anything to get OPEC to change its policies. The reduction of available oil caused energy prices to soar which in turn caused the cost of producing goods to soar which in turn caused inflation which led to higher interest rates. U.S. government borrowing for war in Vietnam and stockpiles of nuclear weapons helped keep interest rates high. Carter inherited the mess.
In 1979, Carter appointed Paul Volcker as Chairman of the Federal Reserve. Volcker's tight budgetary restrictions helped bring down interest rates. Interest rates have remained low ever since. So, dear, I think you should THANK Mr. Carter for the low interest rates we all enjoy.
Now, until you can present facts more truthfully, kindly go back to licking the ass of your hero George W. Bush.
xo
peterparker
Posted by: peterparker | Dec 4, 2006 3:03:56 PM
RB: To call Carter the worst president of the 20th Century is just plain stupid.
I guess licking the shit out of George Bush's ass hole does kill brain cells. Perhaps a dental dam is in order??
Posted by: Jeff | Dec 4, 2006 3:19:13 PM
President Carter made a fatal error when he came to Washington as President. He brought all his stupid cronies he had in Georgia with him to the White House. And it was them who did him in. He is a brilliant man, and a man of peace. He will not go down in history as the worst President in any area.
Posted by: whatever | Dec 4, 2006 3:25:00 PM
Gas prices in the 1970's had two crises, both caused by Arab embargoes in response to Israeli or American policies. The one under Nixon was due to the Yom Kippur war:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_oil_crisis
Part of the problem was Nixon going off the gold standard in order to fund the Vietnam War.
"I'm the only one" Carter also ignored Clinton's handling of the Christian-Muslim conflict in Serbia et al.
The inflation and high interest rates of the late 1970's under Carter had a variety of causes, the most notorious being the failure of US automakers to adopt to foreign competition and the resulting meltdown of the labor movement in the US. We saw the collapse of a huge portion of the manufacturing sector of the economy and the loss of purchasing power by the middle class.
Non-sited article on 1979:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979_energy_crisis
Posted by: Anon | Dec 4, 2006 4:34:33 PM
I guess the latest 10-incher tweaked Miss Aiken's vocal cords off-key.
Posted by: CaliNexus | Dec 4, 2006 7:54:54 PM
I am so disgusted by people who throw around the term anti-Semite freely and thoughtlessly. Even if one disagrees with President Carter's approach to the Israeli/Palestinian situation, he should not be referred to as an anti-Semite. It seems the AIPAC crowd in the U.S. has done a smashing job of convincing many people, Jews and non-Jews a like that anyone who dares to question or criticize any of the policies of the Israeli government is tantamount to being an anti-Semite. If this was actually true, one would have to claim then, that just about half of Israel's citizens are anti-Semites because that is approximately the number of Israeli's who disagree with the current government's actions. One can be a Jew and still criticize Israel. One can NOT be a person who hates Jews and also criticize Israel. There is no connection between the two. I sincerely cringe when I hear Mr. Carter or any other decent person being accused of such horrible intolerance and hatred simply because they have political differences with the government of Israel.
Posted by: Michael D. Fein | Dec 4, 2006 10:01:48 PM
Von's website:
http://vonsmith.webjazz.net/
Pretty incredible performer!
Posted by: Brent | Dec 5, 2006 12:58:38 AM
I do try Peterparker to not respond to your obsurdaties, but you insist upon rearing you ugly head at my smallest of posts and turning them into some sort of pissing match.
I do grow tired of your pick and choose method of calling me out on small comments all the while remaining abscent in some of the most important conversations I have had while on Towleroad. Is this due to your one track mind that cannot understand a gay republican or your inability to have real conversations without slash and burn hit and runs? Based upon what you hit me up with I would tend to believe the latter.
Well here it is for the final time. I am a republican because I believe in small government, low taxes, state rights, staunch anti abortion except in the threat of the mothers life, anti abortion on demand, anti minor abortion without parental consent as my daughter cannot get her teeth cleaned without my permission she sure as hell is not getting an abortion without my knowledge, anti needle exchange programs, abolition of the federal department of education and NO where did I list my love for W! Actually, as I have posted many times I have never voted for the man as I do not agree with many of his spending habits nor his exit strategy from Iraq. I believe he moved so far left of Reagan fiscal policies that he has caused grave financial harm to the US! However, I am sure that my refusal to leave the repub party is no more dissimilar than many dems refusal to leave the democratic party because of Ted Kenedy. Who by the way is as hated as Hillary by most of America, dems included but they do not allow one or two individuals to allow them to throw out 80% of their personal values and beliefs to move to another party of which they disagree with far more. If that is you then stop reading now as you are clearly of a one track mind!
So why then do you insist that I "kindly go back to licking the ass of your hero George W. Bush"? I have deep personal beliefs that agree with 80% of the repub platform. I refuse to go back on my moral stance on abortion, needle exchange programs, taxation, etc. just to "placade" gays like you!
Do you agree with 80% of the dem platform? What do you believe in at the end of the day? I have said many times that I have felt no more alienated from one party than the other because I am gay. As I can tell, the dems have had the better part of the 20 century in control of congress to provide us our rights and yet my partner is still a legal stranger. That my friend is the fact. Now that they are back in control of congress I cannot wait to get my rights but I seriously doubt that they will take up our cause. You see, I refuse to pick up the crumbs that fall from the dem table in exchange for their "words" of promise.
I was more socially liberal in my youth but much the same as anyone many of my beliefs changed as I became a parent and responsible for someone's elses life. I have two kids of my own and one step child, not recognized by my government, and they provide me with much of my evolving thoughts on what is important in my life and theirs. I do not categorically dismiss your rights to be a dem, however, do not expect me to roll over and take whatever you throw my way. If you stand for nothing you will fall for anything and I for one will not do that.
I fight continually to gain gay rights, yours included, as I am sure you would not do the same for me and yet I take your verbal abuse? Are you kidding me? I know what I stand for, how I vote and what is important to me. As for you, the jury appears to be out for my spidey fan.
Considering oneself a repub and blindly voting for EVERY repub just because of party affiliations are two different things. Obviously with my discord with W I do not vote anything other than my conscience which does include the occasional dem. I would be willing to bet that you are so short sighted that you could not do that!
And the next time you are looking for someone to "lick someones ass" look in the mirror my friend as you seem to fit that bill better than I.
xo
RB
Posted by: RB | Dec 5, 2006 2:59:00 PM