TerikKing.com

Photo by Jacob Eubank (www.jacobeubank.com)

Click the Image to Listen Online

Click HERE to download from iTunes

His hair-ness himself, Sanjaya (of American Idol fame) stops by to talk to me this week. We discuss his experiences on American Idol and afterward, his approach to trying to create good music, and his memoir and EP, both entitled Dancing to the Music In my Head.

Imagine, if you will, that you are learning to do something for the very first time, as we all have to do at some point in our lives. Say, learning to ride a bicycle, for example. But here's the rub: in your example, you are doing it while the media contingent covering the Tour de France is watcing you, and comparing your nascent cycling technique to that of Lance Armstrong with every missed pedal, stumble, fall, scratch and scrape. As the media gobbles up your battle with training wheels and broadcasts it to all corners of the globe, the internet weighs in and says, "You suck!" Campaigns are formed around either supporting you or demolishing you. How DARE you try to learn to ride a bicycle, and FORCE us all to watch you? How would you handle that? Would you even WANT to ride a bike anymore?

If you can imagine that scenario, drop the handlebars and add a band, you've got Sanjaya's experience on Season 6 of American Idol. Having a background as a performer myself, I was fascinated by the prospect of talking to him. He did something that I, at age 17 (as he was on the show), could NEVER have entertained doing. (Actually, when I was 17-ish I WAS invited to audition for Star Search, but hardly anyone watched the show at that point so the comparison isn't entirely valid.)

I can't deny that the process of rresearching and reading up on Sanjaya (including his memoir, Dancing to the Music In My Head), reviewing the footage of his performances on American Idol, meeting him, doing the interview, and hanging out a bit afterward, brought me to a place of admiration for Sanjaya. Even though this sort of interview is a bit of a departure for me, I like the kid, plain and simple. (And all who know me know that I'm much quicker to mention NOT liking someone than vice-versa.) We had fun. Sanjaya is an endangered species -- an honest-to-goodness sensitive, gentle, artist's soul. Perhaps even too gentle for today's music business, so I told him to never forget that I've got his back as he goes swimming with the sharks!

Photos by Jacob Eubank (www.jacobeubank.com)

Actually, when I watched and listened to certain other interviewers talk to Sanjaya, I realized that they all seemed to be tripping over themselves somewhat (usually manifested in overtalking) when they interviewwed him. He is pretty charismatic; you find yourself wanting to say a lot of different things at once. But could I have been "taken in?" Moi? Either he is an incredible actor and is chasing the wrong business, or he truly has an overwhelmingly positive personal energy. I'm hard to fool, so I'm guessing he's the real deal.  Sanjaya clearly wants to make music driven by meaning, as opposed to the motive of ego or money. I used to be like that once upon a time, and the world intruded upon my garden of eden. I hope that Sanjaya, unlike me, can find a way to remain in his as long as he possibly can.

And for those who'd find it interesting, his sister Shyamali stopped by the studio while we were taping, and she is just as stunning as everyone said she is. Didn't get any pics with her, though.

Enjoy the show!

CREDITS

ORIGINAL BROADCAST SITE: WNSR - NEWSCHOOLRADIO.ORG

Session Producer
Liberty Dwyer

Session Video
Garret Hurley

Announcer
Angela Veliky

Show Theme Music:

Open Your Mind
Melissa Etheridge
from the Island Records album The Awakening (2007)
Published by Sons of Ridge Road (ASCAP) 

Featured Music:

Rainy Days
SANJAYA
from the EP Dancing to the Music In My Head

Background Music:

Serenity
Roy Hargrove feat. Joe Henderson
from The Roy Hargrove Quintet with the Tenors of Our Time (1994)

My Funny Valentine
Miles Davis (1964)

Cloud People
Sweetback (1996)

Sixteen
Thelonious Monk (Rel. 1994)
Published by Thelonious Monk Music Corp (BMI)

Love for Sale
Dianne Reeves
Published by Harms, Inc. (ASCAP)

Tell Me Who I Am
Sanjaya (2008)
From Dancing to the Music In My Head

Come Rain or Come Shine
David Sanborn
Published by Chappell and Co., Inc. (ASCAP)

Sexyback
Justin Timberlake
Published by Zomba Music Publishing, a division of BMG Publishing

Overjoyed
Stevie Wonder
Published by Jobete Music Co, Inc./Black Bull Music (ASCAP)

A Dream With Your Name On It
Jennifer Holliday
from the Arista Records release I'm On Your Side (1991)

OPEN YOUR MIND Episode 2-2 - Sanjaya