It seemed like the judges were a bit contradictory. They were telling you on one hand you were there partly because you were so unique and you had this kind of seventies look and sound happening, and then they were critical of the performance because of that. What would you have done next week?
Tyler Grady: First of all, I would like to say that I’ve seen that I’m getting some heat in the media about my comment before the show ended, and I just wanted to let everyone know that I really meant no disrespect by that. I felt that when I watched the show back on Wednesday, I felt that I was too caught up in the moment to stand up for myself, and whereas contestants are absolutely encouraged to express themselves when they’re being critiqued. I was kind of shocked with the criticism, and I just didn’t get a chance to express my feelings. So when I said that, I was expressing myself. I meant no disrespect and I’m not bitter at the judges or anything like that. That was kind of silly.
But to be honest, if I would have made it through to another week, it would have been due to a fan base that appreciated what I was doing, so I probably would have just stuck to my guns and performed in the same style I’ve been performing in. I may have chosen a more recent rock song, but you wouldn’t have seen me coming out in baggy jeans and wearing a headset microphone. I wouldn’t have been changing my performance style at all.
It must be kind of tough being thrown into that first week and not only having to prepare the song, but also dealing with the photo shoots and all that kind of stuff. Is that a big presence in your life that first week while you’re trying to prepare?
TG: It’s certainly stressful. As a contestant on the show, you really do begin to realize just how difficult it is to be in a situation like that. It really made me appreciate performers that do television, because I’ve never been in that situation until Idol, and it’s really a different ballgame.
Are you the sort of person who would listen to criticism and change whatever it was about your performance, or are you the kind of guy who would sort of tend to do your own thing?
TG: I definitely respect the judges and I think that they’re very qualified to be critiquing the contestants on the show. But at the same time, when you’re building a fan base and your fans are supporting you, they’re supporting you because of what you’re doing. So you can’t turn on your fans. You can’t change up what you’re doing to the point where you irritate your fans. If they’re supporting you, you need to give them what they want, support them back, you know what I mean?
How would you get an idea of what your fans would want or not want, while you’re in the heat of competition?
TG: If I would have gotten through another week, I think it would have been fair to assume that my fans appreciated my style of performance, because I’ve been consistent from the Boston audition until now. And if you see my band play ever, that’s exactly the style of performance I give every time. And in response to Ellen’s critique of my lack of honesty and charisma onstage, I do absolutely respect her as an entertainer and as a critic, but I feel like she kind of misrepresented me there, and if you were to ever see a Wailing Waters show, I’m very consistent in my performance and I feel that I’m very honest onstage. I think that’s one of my strong points.
The judges in your audition said that they loved your 70s look, and they wanted that in the competition. And then they turn around and tell you that you need to lose it. I was scratching my head at that point, so how did you feel and what was your reaction to hearing that?
TG: When you’re a contestant in that situation and you’re getting conflicting views, it’s very confusing. But you know what? At this point I’m trying to move on from that. I don’t have any bitterness or anything from that, and I’m going to go back to Pennsylvania and work with my band and you will see the same sort of performance that you did on the show with my band. The name is Wailing Waters, so keep an eye out for us.
Is there anything you’ll take away from the show? Will it change you as a performer in any way, or are you going to kind of stick to your guns?
TG: You do need to stick to your guns as a performer. You have to stay true to yourself. Honesty in performance is everything, and I am very honest when I’m performing on stage. One thing the show has done is educate me. American Idol is one of the best education programs you can possibly get into, and you can’t buy into it, you have to audition for it, and it’s very difficult to get into. But there’s no better school for the entertainment industry than American Idol. We literally had the best of the best as far as the band. Ricky Miner and the band are incredible, the backup singers, the production crew, the producers – everyone is top of the line and you get a phenomenal crash course on the entertainment business.
What were you thinking of singing next week? Did you have something yet, or you hadn’t really fully prepared?
TG: That’s a good question. There was a list of songs that I had cleared. Two of the songs I was considering were “Baba O’Reilly” by The Who and “Remedy” by The Black Crowes. But after the critique, I was definitely considering picking a more modern rock song. I wasn’t sure which one. The style of performance would have been the same, but just to show the judges that – when I’m performing with my band, we’re performing original material that’s written in 2010, and we’re also, when we do any cover songs, we’ll cover 60s rock, we’ll cover 2000 rock.
It’s not about the era, it’s about the performance, it’s about the emotion. And I just want my fans to realize that what you see on American Idol is the type of performer than I am honestly, and if you see my band perform, you’ll see the same thing. So hopefully I can get my fans from the show on board with my band, Wailing Waters, and if all goes well we’ll release a record in the near future.
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American Idol airs Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on CTV/Fox
Audio: Wailing Waters' single, "Summer Rain"
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