EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Blake Lewis dishes on “American Idol”, his new single and his upcoming Seattle gigs April 17!

I was fortunate enough to get a phone interview with Seattle’s Favorite Son/American Idol Runner Up from Season 6/Beat Boxer/DJ/Singer Blake Lewis on Monday and we talked for thirty minutes about a whole lotta stuff…his very hot new single off his album, “Heartbreak on Vinyl” which is #3 On Billboard’s Club Charts and #7 on Billboard’s Dance Radio Airplay…his upcoming Seattle gigs on April 17th at Silver Platters and Neighbours…some dishin’ about the current season of American Idol, where Blake was surprisingly candid and a whole lot more. Here’s Part One of the interview and I hope to have the next part up Wednesday or Thursday, (It takes a loooooong time to transcribe an interview!)

Blake Lewis: Hello.

Michael Strangeways: Hi Blake! Where are you, out of curiosity?

Blake: I, uh, am in {Blake names a certain Seattle suburb where he lives}.

MS: Oh, ok, so you’re in the area…you’re experiencing the same hideous weather I’m experiencing right now.

BL: Yeah…it’s not too bad.

MS: It’s ok….so, what’s going on with this gig on the 17th at Neighbors?

BL: Yeah…it should be fun

MS: And you’re doing Record Store Day, too?

BL: Yeah, it’s going to be a fun day. Heading to Silver Platters I think around 3, 3-5, something like that…

MS: Is that the Silver Platters where the old Tower Records used to be?

BL: Silver Platters–the one at Northgate Mall.

MS: Oh, the Northgate one, ok.

(We then have a bit of a dull discussion about suburbia…)

MS: How many interviews have you been doing? I’m on your Facebook page and you’re like “oh, I’ve been doing a lot of interviews”…(in a funny voice)

BL: (Blake laughs) I love interviews…I love talking to people.

MS: Oh, that’s good. Um, and bear with me, you’re my first phone interview so it’s kind of a new experience for me…I’m trying to hold this speaker phone and my very cheap Memorex Walgreen purchase from last night…uh…

BL: (Blake chuckles)

MS: Uh, I’ve not listened to the new song until I heard I was going to do this interview and then I heard the new song and It’s really cute! (Writer’s Note: I can’t believe I said “Cute”…Ugh!)I really liked the song, Heartbreak on Vinyl, (Note: Blake says something while I’m blathering, probably thank you, but there’s static and my loud voice…) It’s one of those dangerous songs that get stuck in your head and you’re like: (I make an odd “song stuck in my head noise” which sounds like “did-uh-did-uh-duh” or something similarly odd…)

BL: Ha, ha—DANGER! (in a robot voice)

MS: Yeah, it’s an ear worm song! And the song is influenced by your love for…?

BL: Well, actually by Silver Platters, um, you know…Easy Street… if any of these places closed down I would be heartbroken…I mean, it’s already happening…I wrote the song about Seattle, IN New York…I was walking around Union Square and I always stop in there, my friends studio is right around the corner there, I always walk through the park and go to the Virgin Megastore there…

MS: Right.

BL: I’m an awesome buyer of music, so, um…last time I went there, I guess it was April of last year, about a year ago and it was being torn down, you know, and I walk inside and the cases are empty and I was like (gasp) It was like the last of the big, kind of corporate chains.

MS: Right…You would think Virgin would last forever…I mean it’s Richard Branson…it’s like THE cool big chain record store…

BL: Yeah, and so I started walking the park and I started writing the song and I got to my friend’s studio and really wrote it…I was so inspired, you know?

MS: It was really fast.

BL: I just had the theme in my head, you know, thinking of Easy Street , EMPTY! If Puget Sound had no more music in it, it would be devastating.

MS: I don’t think that will completely ever happen.

BL: No, but it’s the end of an era…

MS: What are your favorite record stores on the Hill?

BL: I buy vinyl from Platinum, always…

MS: I don’t think they’re going anywhere.

BL: No…I buy my {break?} and my trance there…I go to Jazz Times in Fremont…I’m a Fremont kid for sure…I used to play all those clubs there…Nectar, back in the day…Tost…

MS: So, here’s a good question, I know you’re blogging for, uh, what is it, is it Entertainment Weekly you’re blogging for?

BL: USA Today.

MS: USA Today! Oops! Well…close!!! Well, let’s say you didn’t have that gig, would you still be following “Idol” you think?

BL: Well, probably not…honestly…I’ve never watched it before…this is the first year I’ve actually watched, EVER, in my life!

MS: Right.

BL: So, uh, I’m really not impressed at all with this year.

MS: I kind of think it’s peaked…what do you think?

(A longish pause from Blake)

BL: I…think…that…Simon…really doesn’t care anymore.

MS: Well, he’s got the new show for next year (Note: The American version of “X Factor” debuting in 2011) so there’s speculation that he’s just phonin’ it in.

BL: I dunno…there’s only a couple of people I liked and they’ve already gone home! The four people I liked…

MS: Makes it hard!

BL: {unintelligible on recording—argh!}…Didi Benami went home last week and I really liked her vocals…though the song she picked was terrible.

MS: That’s always a problem.

BL: And, Lily Scott didn’t even make the Top 12…I dunno, I mean, it’s tough. I have a different perspective from being on the show but at the same time, it’s not the same show…’cause when I was on the show, which is Paula, Simon and Randy, and now it’s not even that whole thing….it’s not the same thing I experienced…

MS: Yeah, it IS weird…you know Paula is Paula but she was kind of important for that show. She kind of tied that show together…it was like two big brothers and their little sister and she was kind of crazy, but…

BL: She had very smart things to say, like every episode and people would hound on her for saying something stupid but then the next comment she would say would make more sense than Randy so…and people would overlook that stuff, you know?

MS: Yeah, yeah…and I think that’s kind of what’s missing from the show now, they don’t actually have a performer, a musical performer, on the panel anymore..I think you need to have a real singer on that panel.

BL: I agree and I also don’t think there’s a really good performer on the show, as a contestant…no one knows how to use the stage or use the camera…

MS: Yeah, I don’t see that many “Stars” this time…I mean, some seasons, “Ohmigosh, that guy IS interesting; THAT girl is interesting” and always there’s at least easily two or three that are least INTERESTING; they may not be the most talented but they’re DIFFERENT…

BL: They don’t like the different ones; they get sent home early!

MS: I know I’m going to sound like a total ass-kiss, but I didn’t watch Season 1 or 2 and a bit of Season 3 and then you’re season 5, or was it 6?

BL: I was Season 6.

MS: That’s right. Your season was interesting because YOU were different, ‘cause it was like “Who’s this little dude; he’s got tattoos and he’s beat boxin’ and what’s that all about?” and you had Sanjaya obviously, and, Jordin was cute and Melinda was talented and unique and, uh, uh, Chris Sligh was different and Chris Richardson was, you know, “He’s so cute!” It was kind of a good mix that year, I think.

BL: {Unintelligible!}…It would have been a good show if we could have played instruments that year, too because EVERYONE, all the guys, played multiple instruments…

MS: That was a good move on their part, I think to bring that element in (NOTE: Idol allowed the contestants to play their own instruments the following year, in Season 7) because you know, everyone on that show is not just a singer, they’re musicians.

BL: {Unintelligible!} me, that’s what they told me!

MS: Well, maybe you influenced them to make some changes

BL: The next year the producers are like, yeah you can play instruments and I’m like “Great, thanks for not letting me play!”

MS: (I’m LOLing)

BL: (in mock outrage)What about ME?

MS: Well, you know, you’re a groundbreaker. Someone has to do it.

BL: I ended up on a show I got second place on so I was definitely…

MS: It is what it is…

Some juicy stuff there, and there’s more to come in the next installment including a discussion about the infamous PhotoShop photo of Blake and his Idol cast mate Chris Richardson; Blake’s favorite Prince song; Blake’s encounters with Lady Gaga and so much more…Oh, and I fill in the blanks for him about “Parliament House” the infamous gay resort in Orlando where Blake will be performing in June…I advised him to not perform in a towel…Stay tuned for more dish…

-Michael Strangeways