5/14: Danny Gokey exit interview, explaining Simon’s “big ding dong” reference
I got on the line at 1:02 p.m. EST for the Danny Gokey interview, which was so popular that by 1:34 p.m. when it ended, I didn’t get to ask a question. Danny did tend to answer fairly lengthily and sincerely.
Loading ...He was serious most of the time but very thoughtful, very sincere, very nice, pretty much what you saw on the show. And he said he actually prepared himself to leave. He sensed it. I wanted to ask him if he felt Kris’ “Heartless” helped get him enough votes to beat him but nobody asked him that on this phone press conference.
Danny said the scream was a big mistake and even hurt his vocal cord. “My voice was still kind of sore this week,” he said.
He said he had to overcome doubt and issues of confidence on the show. “Sometimes you don’t want to go out on that stage,” he said. “I’d feel unprepared or think people will not like what I’m doing. I overthought the process. When I had a good performance like this week, I was so thankful.”
When asked about the final two, he made a quick comment about Kris (he’s “really artistic” and quite “intense”), then talked about Adam. “He has a way of capturing the audience.” The bottom line, he noted, is you have to vote as a fan. “This competition is not over yet. It’s a very tight race next week.” He says Adam “lives creatively, dresses creatively, he talks from that perspective.”
One good question– is there now pressure to change up songs all the time? “I really do,” Danny said. Some songs I wanted to do and prepared. I changed them. I tried a different arrangement but it didn’t work.”
He wants to create a “movement with my music.” His testimony, he said, is overcoming obstacles. He wants to develop a foundation for his late wife. He’d like to spend more time to work on that. He is thinking of doing a line of glasses to benefit the foundation. (He owns more than 50 pairs of glasses now, most from fans.)
On Simon pimping Adam over Danny and Kris: “It is what it is. It doesn’t make me mad or disappointed. That’s what he believed will make the most money. You have to understand… and take this with a grain of salt… I didn’t get into this for the money so I can live a glamorous lifestyle… My goal is diferent. It didn’t line up with the goal of what they see in a pop star. I’m okay with that.”
On his jokester mentality: “I love jokes. I heard that kids laugh 200 times a day. Adults laugh six times a day. Kids enjoy life more. I like to laugh. I make these farting noises out of my mouth. I go places. I make the fart sound. I’ll do it and people will give this funny look. I crack up all the time.”
Did he feel pressure being the frontrunner? Yes! “I felt like I had so much on me in the beginning of the show. I felt I had to outdo myself every week… Since there’s so much expected of you on one person, people will tend to be disappointed.”
What he wants to do with music: “I want to do a soulful album with nice beats. And mix it with a hint of a Latin vibe. My wife was Puerto Rican. I’m into salsa, meringue. I want to mix it in one arena.”
His favorite mentor: Jamie Foxx.
His competitive nature: “I like to compete. I gave it what I gave it. Looking back, would I do things differently? Absolutely. But I’m proud of my accomplishments from where I came from 10 months ago when I lost my wife to today… I saw strength in me I didn’t know I had.”
-What does “the big ding dong” mean?
USA Today explains: It’s not dirty.
The Oxford English Dictionary defines “ding-dong” as “a heated argument; a quarrel; ‘cut and thrust’; (b) a tumultuous party or gathering” and gives usage examples from Anglo-French writer/historian Hilaire Belloc (“a ding-dong of assertion and counter-assertion”) and English playwright Noel Coward (“Are you going to Nina’s Indian ding-dong?”). James Joyce also used the term in Ulysses: “They were at it dingdong.” WordReference.com has a moderately entertaining discussion thread, for those interested in such things, on the differences in British and American uses of the term (there’s a particularly excellent grammatical euphemism for one of the more obvious American usages).
accessAtlanta Partner Sites
Sections
Advertise on accessAtlanta.com »
Reach the audience you want by advertising on accessAtlanta.com
Join the Access Atlanta Network »
Advertisers and Publishers, expand your reach by joining the Access Atlanta Network.
Tell us what you think about the site
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement | About our ads
© 2011 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
40 comments Add your comment
PackTheFudge
May 14th, 2009
2:35 pm
Danny is a very classy cat. I actually think that his first record will outsell Kris and Adam’s first efforts.
Tami
May 14th, 2009
2:51 pm
What a refreshingly, terrific guy. He’s the kind of person you root for. Whatever he decides to do next, I hope he’s successful and happy.
Mike S
May 14th, 2009
3:16 pm
Danny seems to be a really nice guy who is very aware of what he want to do and where he wants to go.
Have a question to ask on something from last night’s show — maybe I am reading a little too much into it — but did anyone notice on Kris’ hometown visit montage that his wife seemed to be a little resentful or something of what was going on and the attention Kris was getting. Almost every shot of her she had a look that said “I wish I was anywhere but here right now”. Like I said, maybe I was seeing things, but I sure hope that Kris success does not ruin thier marriage much as it did with Bucky Covington.
Harm
May 14th, 2009
3:26 pm
I was too tired to blog yesterday, I did watch idol and I was not overly impressed with any of them, no one delivered the knock out punch that I needed to decide my new favorite.(Allison is still my favorite) At the same time I didn’t prefer one going home over the other. I will not be disappointed with Kris or Adam winning. I give Adam the performance edge and I think Kris is the most versatile.
Nana, Asa is doing great, he is stubborn though. Yesterday I tried to teach him how to say A, but everytime he responded with O.
Harm
May 14th, 2009
3:29 pm
Mike S. She looked bored to me or maybe she is uncomfortable with all the attention. Time will tell.
Harm
May 14th, 2009
3:30 pm
Enter your comments here
Mike S
May 14th, 2009
3:31 pm
Bored would fit with the “Don’t want to be here” vibe it gave me. Maybe that was all it was, and I just read too much into it.
Mike S
May 14th, 2009
3:35 pm
LOL.. aren’t grandbabies awesome Harm???
Elly has reached the babbling stage now, where she holds an entire conversation in an alien language that we just half to pretend to understand. LOL
But PAW PAW will always be her first words!!! Although now she has added DaDa and MaMa and NAH (which is her way of calling the wife Nana. And our son who we call Lar (Lawrence) is now LAH. And when she gets one of her baby cookies she says Gooooooooooooooooooooooood. She also says thank you but it is more like ta ooooo, but it is clear what she means since she says it whenever she is handed a toy or fed etc.
All in all pretty impressive for 10 months.
Harm
May 14th, 2009
3:36 pm
She seems very enthusiatic at the results show, that’s why I thought maybe she’s just uncomfortable with all the attention. But I did notice her reaction last night.
Harm
May 14th, 2009
3:40 pm
Mike S. You can be my baby language interpetor! Asa talks constantly, and I think that he thinks we can understand him!
Jen
May 14th, 2009
3:49 pm
i’ve loved Gokey from the start. that soulful, “throaty” voice as Randy once called it is the style i loved the most out of all the male contestants. he reminds me of Elliot Yamin (love him!) but instead of the vibratto you get stronger, grittier sound. in a way i’m glad he didn’t win AI because he will do just as well outside and be the better for it. again, look at Elliot Yamin and Chris Daughtry and some of the others who didn’t go thru. besides, you hardly hear much about the actual American Idol winners other than Clarkson and Underwood.
RxDawg
May 14th, 2009
3:55 pm
Ah, thanks for the ding dong clarification.
Mike S, I didn’t really notice anything that stood out about Kris’s wife’s reaction. However, I did kind of wonder about it to myself. It’s probably kind of hard for her to except sharing her brand new husband with the whole country the way she is right now. Who knows. It really depends on her attitude, self asteem, and how Kris is handeling it with her. That said, it probably isn’t helping much.
RxDawg
May 14th, 2009
3:56 pm
Jen I hear a pretty good bit out of Jordin Sparks and David Cook
Harm
May 14th, 2009
4:02 pm
David Cook is my favorite idol winner!
Judy
May 14th, 2009
4:03 pm
Adam has a talent that is awesome. I wish that he would sing a beautiful heartfelt song as one of his choices if he sings 2 songs next week because then the audience would see that he is incredible. Chris is good but Adam is outstanding! Adam could still sing a rock song but he should show the range in his voice but singing something different instead of just rock. We know how great he is with those songs.
RxDawg
May 14th, 2009
4:08 pm
You know what, I rember a very brief moment last night when they showed Adam singing the national anthem. He was great! He didn’t throw in all the wild notes. He stayed on track and hit the big note in the anthem perfectly. If he would just sing and let the music be music, he could blow everyone away enough and take this thing home.
Judy, I thought you were a big Kris fan? Must be a diffrent Judy.
Katy
May 14th, 2009
4:42 pm
i agree Rx…i loved hearing adam sing the national anthem!
Highlander
May 14th, 2009
4:44 pm
Careful what you wish for, Judy. No one wants to hear another “Ring Of Fire”!
IM(less than)HO, if the week before last had beens Country week instead of Rock, I doubt Adam would still be here! (And before I get hammered by all the Adam-ites, I do believe he is talented, just not my favorite.)
harriett
May 14th, 2009
4:47 pm
Bye for today. Talk tomorrow!
Highlander
May 14th, 2009
4:48 pm
Hey, Mike S, maybe as one gets older it’s easier to understand the baby ‘babble’ simply because one is closer to coming full circle in life? And what’s coming up next? Oh, …Depends.
Highlander
May 14th, 2009
4:49 pm
Had “beens’????? Dang, sounds like I’m the one from Arkansas!
JustMe
May 14th, 2009
5:05 pm
Yeah. I hope Adam sings two slow, meaningful songs next week. People will, once again, hear the beauty in his tone. That anthem sounded beautiful. Just beautiful.
Kris’ wife may have felt out of place. Not resentful or not even jealous. The crowd was there to see Kris, not her. Women and girls would not give a flip who she is…would not care that she is his wife. Music fans are crazy like that. Women and girls would jump OVER the wife to get to him. Sad but true.
Maybe Kris should have ridden on top of the limo alone. This is not like the President and the First Lady, both of whom all of American wanted to see parade down the street.
JustMe
P.S. Oh I apologize to the so-called “Adam-haters” for gettin on you like I do. Not everybody has to like his voice and the way he sings.
Neg was right
May 14th, 2009
5:18 pm
RX, I 100% agree with you about Adam’s version of the national anthem. If he loses his glory screech and sticks to using his vocal gift with more discipline he would win this in a landslide. That said, he cannot seem o control himself and will probably lose it with his addiction to force feeding his loudest, high pitch yell in every performance.
You know, when he was singing the first half of “One” I really enjoyed his voice and performance, but then he had to gratuitously throw in his monster scream and completely ruined it. It’s fine to scream on rock week and when singing Aerosmith songs, but when he pushes it into every riggin song he just goes way over the top.
Music and singing is to be enjoyed; it’s art, not a track and field event. Even if you can hit a range that only a dog could appreciate it doesn’t mean it’s enjoyable to hear for most listeners. If you can play speed guitar better than anyone else that ever lived, but cannot contain yourself when the song calls for restraint, well, you aren’t doing a good job at your craft. Same with what afflicts Adam…great talent, but not restraint or discipline of that talent.
Kris, on the other hand, has made it this far almost BECAUSE of how he manages his voice with the songs he performs. Clearly he’s inferior to Adam from a pure vocal competition, but like Lil before, we see what happens when a powerful voice is not properly used. Adam can do it all, but he needs to learn the meaning of overkill or he has no chance next week.
nwdnanny
May 14th, 2009
5:21 pm
I missed Danny’s audition and was wondering exactly what happened to his wife. Does anyone know?
Dusty
May 14th, 2009
5:57 pm
This has been said over and over, but it apparently needs to be said again – Adam is not screaming and is not singing falsetto – he has a strong tenor voice and can hold a note for an amazing amount of time. Danny’s ending of Dream On was the definition of screaming – a long sustained scream. If you want a simple beautiful song that is guaranteed to tug at your heart, go to YouTube and find Adam singing Come Home by One Republic. No “screaming”, the song is dedicated to our troops by One Republic, it will stun you. Those that don’t care for Adam can still appreciate this performance. Just listen, enjoy, and then get back to tearing him down.
Neg was right
May 14th, 2009
6:05 pm
Dusty, I have no hostility or hate towards Adam, nor does anybody else here that I’ve seen. You, no the other hand, are a complete douche bag.
Mercedes S.
May 14th, 2009
6:07 pm
Neg, again, the studio recording of “One” is NOTHING like the screechaton AI provided Tues night. Do check it out. Also, Adam’s “Crying” Tues was ruined by the banshee wailing in the background. She is, blissfully, missing from the studio version.
Katy
May 14th, 2009
6:07 pm
Wow,that was beautiful!!! He has an amazing voice! I would love to see him do something like that next Tuesday night!
thanks Dusty.
Neg was right
May 14th, 2009
6:11 pm
I’m the one saying that Adam has the gift, but has not yet learned to master it or control it. Like sugar, it is wonderful when the right amount is added, but disgusting when too much is poured on. He needs to learn how to cook.
Highlander
May 14th, 2009
6:29 pm
Couldn’t agree more, Neg. As I said before, when someone like Slash advises you to tone it down a bit, that’s a major clue that you’re way over the top!
Great instrument – no self-control.
JTesla
May 14th, 2009
6:43 pm
I’m back! Live in fear people!
Andi
May 14th, 2009
7:00 pm
I second Neg’s and Highlander’s opinions. And dude, if it makes you feel better to beat your counter OPINION into the ground then knock yourself out. Others OPINIONS will not change.
And JT – where the he** have you been?
Gagirl
May 14th, 2009
7:33 pm
JT..welcome back. Your commentary has been missed. I know you had a great time at Disneyland.
It is after all “The Happiest Place On Earth”!!!!
JTesla
May 14th, 2009
9:16 pm
Thanks for the welcome back
So, when Danny says that Adam “lives creatively, dresses creatively” is that a polite way of saying that he is a flamer? Just asking. Thank you for the interview Rodney.
Dusty
May 14th, 2009
11:32 pm
Neg – it is interesting you assumed I was talking about you, and defend yourself by saying you have no hostility or hate towards Adam – I did not use those words or even imply them. All I said was listen to one song, Come Home, like Mad World, he is in total control. Katy did and knows what I mean. He can control it when he wants to- but too often he has chosen not to. End of story. “Douchebag?” I guess that puts me in my place. Sorry to upset you.
Jen
May 15th, 2009
7:22 am
Adam sounds like a girl to me. I like a man’s voice to sound like a man’s voice. Danny Gokey , soulful and manly. Just my humble opinion.
offkey
May 15th, 2009
10:33 am
Jen, why do you hate Frankie Valli so much?
offkey
May 15th, 2009
10:34 am
Dusty, I suspect Neg was actually looking in the mirror when he called you that name. Those of us with an actual brain know what you were talking about.
thephantombloggerstrikes
May 15th, 2009
11:34 pm
I like Adam’s voice! I don’t know why since my fave male singers are: Josh Groban, Barry Manilow, and Clay Aiken. My 23 year old daughter says she hates his “screeching voice”. I’m 52 years old and
I really can’t understand why I like Adam so much????
#1
Starry Eyed
June 21st, 2009
2:48 am
If Gokey thinks Simon was “pimping” Adam and Kris because “he thinks thats what would make the most money” well, I have some news for you Gokey it was because they had far, far more talent than you did and they didn’t have to stoop to your underhanded tactics of sticking a knife in somebody’s back as you did to Adam after inviting him to dinner with your family. The picture you brought out was a classless and ignorant thing to do to try to embarras Adam. Adam showed so much more class than you ever could imagine in your homophobic pea brain. You tried to copy of off Adams every move then you have the audacity to turn around and sucker punch him at a dinner you invited him to with your like thinking “buds”- your family! Not to mention the cracks you made on Larry King about how “some people are not showing their true colors” we all knew you were directing it at Adam. You are a classless douche bag and I would not sit through the Idol Tour eventho I would love to see the rest because I could not stand to hear your boring voice and see your UGLY face. Oh, and why haven’t you got a record contract YET? Dancing With The Stars?…YOU mentioned it in an interview and then when questioned about going on that show you say something stupid like “I haven’t heard anything yet.” I don’t think there’s any serious considerations going on by them to put you on the show. You may set a record for being the most stupid and vindictive contestant ever at least William Hung was likeable.