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 |  Subject: Rickey Minor on his 'Idol' run, Season 9, Adam Lambert and the Pickler that got away  29.05.10 3:09 | |
|  - Quote :
- Wednesday’s “American Idol” finale didn’t just mark Simon Cowell’s last night on the job, the show also bid farewell to musical director, bandleader and chief arranger Rickey Minor, who takes over “The Tonight Show” band on June 7. Now he didn’t get a video package or even a spoken acknowledgment by Ryan Seacrest, which reportedly infuriated the music veteran, but in talking to Idol Tracker the next day, Minor downplayed the snub, insisting that he remains close to the show’s producers and is even consulting with them on his potential successor.
Even more surprising, when it comes to his own “Idol” legacy, Minor says he’s not feeling nostalgic yet. Maybe it’s because in jumping from one gig right into the next, he hasn’t had the time to properly reflect, so we help him look back at his tenure on “Idol” -- the good, the fast, the pitchy -- in the Idol Tracker exit Q&A, and wish him all the best for the future!
Let’s start with current day “Idol” and work backwards. Were you upset about not being thanked on the finale?
It was blown out of proportion. The show ran out of time. It was up on the screen to thank me, but it’s hit or miss if we run over and you can bet that the finale is going to run over. But we’re all good. Actually, I had meetings afterwards with Cecile [Frot-Coutaz] and Simon Fuller about future endeavors, and they went really well.
Having worked on “Idol” for so many years, put this season and its outcome in perspective for us…
Well, it’s entertainment. When you're casting a show like this, you need a lot of back story and you have to make a balanced show. You can’t have all singer-songwriters, they can’t all be rockers, you need a story. And when someone like a Lee DeWyze comes from a paint store in Chicago and now he’s the winner of “American Idol” with a huge future ahead of him, it’s like capturing lightning in a bottle… and there’s no way to know who will emerge.
What of the criticism that Lee is a weaker singer than Crystal Bowersox?
It’s the same thing that happened with Adam [Lambert] and Kris Allen. At this point, it’s about what the people want and it’s not about who’s the better singer, and the public is gonna buy the record of the person that they like the most, and it was really close. But with something like “Idol,” you have to be really into Crystal or into Lee and what he represents. So in large part, the voting may or may not have been due to the actual singing, but the personality. And I like them both. I like Crystal’s dreads, she’s got a baby, I’ve got a baby -- I’m a single mother too, you know… There’s no rhyme or reason for the winner, and I said it to both Lee and Crystal, whether or not you’re crowned as the American Idol, you've won.
When you first saw Lee, did you think, here’s a guy who can win this thing?
No, not in the beginning, but that’s the beauty of what this show does. I loved Crystal from day one, but she had her peaks and valleys as well, and I think that Lee emerged and definitely deserved to be in the finals and they both deserve to win, but only one can.
As these kids are progressing week to week, when does the ego usually kick in?
It usually happens around the Top 10, because it’s like, “Now I’ve made the tour so I’m a touring artist.” But I have no idea how they cope with being totally unknown one week to having their face on the cover of People magazine the next. Google their name, and it pops up like crazy, and then the blogs…. The first thing I tell them is: “Do yourself a favor, don’t read the blogs. If you want to when the competition is over, by all means, but for now, don’t read it because you’re going to hear some stuff that’s hurtful and other stuff that will give you false confidence. It will make you think you’re that good, when at this point in your career, you're not that great. So realize that this team was put together for your benefit -- use it and listen.”
Do they usually listen?
Some do, some don't. It’s hard. Even family and friends will say, “They told you to switch it up!” I think it’s daunting. Not just to get to the criticism in front of millions of people but also conflicting criticism. It’s like, how do you process it?
Has there been somebody over the years that you've really connected with musically?
Carrie Underwood and Adam Lambert. Carrie, because she had never done anything and it was a total trust factor. She’d always lean into me and say, “Is this what I should do? OK, thank you, I'll do it.” So there was never any push back. Even now, there’s still such a level of comfort and respect. And Adam, in the same way, was always gracious, and thanking the band. He and Carrie were of the few that thanked the band. She was so green, but Adam came from theater, from music and recordings, so he knew what his direction was. He and I had probably the most e-mail and phone traffic of all the contestants.
You would correspond directly with the finalists regularly?
In the Top 10, they all get my e-mail and phone number so that they can get the chance to communicate me. It’s important that I be accessible, not just when they see me at rehearsal. It’s part of the job because there’s a commitment to excellence, which can’t be achieved if I’m incommunicado. So Adam would always have ideas floating in his head. We'd try stuff and I would even do a mock up of it and send it to him. We'd go back and forth until the minute we get to rehearsal on Monday and it’s a lock -- we know what we're doing. So he was proactive and I enjoyed that.
Have there been any close calls or borderline disasters that were averted?
A close call that wasn’t averted was one performance with Kellie Pickler when she got ahead of the band and never found her place in her song. In a case like that, we don’t move -- we're the rock. There has to be some sort of rule, and mine is "don’t move unless I say 'move'."
Pg156422 As someone who works regularly with classics from the great American songbook, how would you react when someone like Ke$ha or P. Diddy comes on the show?
I love it. Jamie Foxx is my client, I work with Ke$ha, Usher, Queen Latifah, Snoop Dogg, artists with songs that are just a beat, but it is musical. Is it Mozart? Is it Herbie Hancock? Is it Tchaikovsky? It’s none of those, but boy does it make you want to get up and shake your tail feather! It makes you wanna move, it’s happy music.
What would you do differently in “Idol’s” future?
I have a lot of ideas and I’ve scared them already so I can't really be specific, but I can say that I would hope in the seasons to come they’ll have a better contemporary selection of songs. There's always a clearance issue with songs but when they talk about the relevancy, that's the contradiction: [People] want to see more relevant artists.
Are the producers stuck in the '80s as I’ve thought all along?
It's a fine line. These are songs that the grandparents and parents know and the younger generation can hear these songs for the first time and connect -- that's how this show works: so the family can sit down together. And it's really difficult to get a current song that only the younger kids know and make it your own. If someone tried to do "Empire State of Mind" just like Alicia Keys did on the show, they're going to be compared to her instantly, so how do you find your own voice? So I don't know. I’m hoping that they can find a way to do both.
Is there a song you never want to play again?
“At Last.” So many sang it at during auditions. And "Alone" by Heart was one of the most played songs. Carrie Underwood did it, Allison Iraheta did it…
With Simon leaving, who do you think will make a good replacement for him?
Me! I'd be a great judge! [Laughs] I don't know, I liked Harry Connick. He's from Louisiana, and if he and Randy were there, you'd have two guys from Louisiana. Harry was so engaging as a mentor that I was excited to see how that affected them… if the time he spent with them really gave them the confidence that they needed, and he gave them some great ideas as a mentor. So I think as a judge, he would be honest, open and encourage them to be themselves and at the same time respect the music.
Who is the heart of the show?
Simon definitely set the pulse for it, but I think the kids are the heart. Ryan is the taskmaster in keeping everything moving -- he makes a mistake look good! If he tripped, he's got that Dean Martin thing where you just keep going and work it into your routine. He's got the charm, so I think Ryan is the key guy for me, because he's the one that keeps the judges and the competitors moving, and really moving the show forward.
How do you think Ellen DeGeneres did on her first season?
I think she did really well. I think she's funny and has the common voice, because sometimes the public doesn't get the music mumbo-jumbo. They don’t want to hear about being pitchy or coming in a bar early, they want to know: Was it good or wasn't it? Did you think it was good and why? Some of Ellen’s analogies are hilarious and she's got a good balance. But it’s all about chemistry, and hopefully they'll find someone who will share their chemistry.
Speaking of chemistry, what about the chit-chatty part of your new job? Are you ready to get your belly laugh on?
I’m so funny, you don’t even know! I’m a laugh a minute. No, I’m really good with that. I’ve done things like that where there’s a lot more chatter, and I’m a quick wit.
Did you and Jay Leno already do a test run?
I think we’re going to meet up next week, but it’s going to happen organically. I don’t think it’s something that has to be scripted or that we have to go out to five dinners and a lunch and we'll be there. It’s not necessary.
So what happens next?
We start rehearsal for “Tonight Show” on Monday. The theme song is already written, and now it’s just writing more music and preparing for these weeks. I have to go over my catalog of over 5,000 songs with various artists that I’ve worked with, and take a look at the guest list, the pacing of the show and just make sure that it has the right tone and that immediate energy. We have to come out the gate on fire. I also have over 75 artists who have called me saying they’d love to come on the show and just hang out -- various artists from jazz legends like Herbie to Snoop to Shania Twain. It could be any genre of music and we're going to create some great music moments, because that’s what I do. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/americanidoltracker/2010/05/rickey-minor-on-his-idol-tenure-season-9-adam-lambert-and-the-pickler-that-got-away-.html | |
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