One life, two views

How do Clay Aiken's memories compare to those of his litigious fan?

It's the sort of lawsuit he never would have encountered as a schoolteacher.

Recently a Wake County woman filed a lawsuit that claims Clay Aiken, his mom and others worked to hurt sales of her book, "Out of the Blue -- Clay it Forward: How One Man & His Fans Are Changing the World." The book was marketed as an "unauthorized tribute to Clay Aiken and his fabulous fans."

Author Jeannie Holleman was raised in Raleigh near Roscoe and Amaryllis McGhee, whom Aiken grew to call "Nanny" and "Pop," although they were not blood relatives. The book mixes remembrances from Amaryllis with fan tributes and Holleman's own stories and analysis of the singer's career. The lawsuit seeks damages of least $260,000.

In a statement released by his record company, Aiken said he instructed his attorneys to dispute the lawsuit's claims and to "pursue all possible remedies against those involved in the perpetration of these untruths."

While we wait for the courts to sort all this out, we thought it would be fun to page through Holleman's book and compare it to the perspectives Aiken offers in his own bestseller, "Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life."

On singing as a child

AIKEN'S BOOK:

"... Mom took Granny and me to the Grand Ole Opry. We were touring the stage and one of the people working there asked whether anybody in the group wanted to come up and sing. Mom says I was on that stage quicker than you could drop a bucket.

"I sang 'Mama, don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys.' Everyone laughed and clapped. I don't think it was that I was particularly good, just that I was little and loud."

HOLLEMAN'S BOOK:

"... I was still holding Clayton, and he seemed to be just fine with me holding him; in fact, I was a little reluctant to give him back to his grandmother. I remember him looking at me with those gorgeous green eyes, and yes, there was definitely a twinkle there -- a twinkle that has now become a well-loved part of his persona. He was making the most endearing little noises, and while I can't be absolutely certain about this, I do believe that child was trying to sing to me."

On 'American Idol'

AIKEN'S BOOK:

"Because of 'American Idol,' I finally realized that it's okay to be different as long as I'm proud of my differences. If strangers were proud of me, then why the heck couldn't I be proud of myself?"

HOLLEMAN'S BOOK:

"Looking at him that night, I thought about what a long way Clayton had come in a few short months. He was, quite frankly, still a mite geeky, at least in comparison to some of the bad-boy rock stars out there. But he was on his way to becoming a bigger star than many of those 'bad boys,' and certainly a bigger star than any of us in Raleigh -- especially Clayton himself -- had ever dreamed."

On fandom

AIKEN'S BOOK:

"My fans are loyal and kind and prone to singing along. There are a few fans who tell me they think I'm perfect. To them I say, 'your standards are too low.'

"There are of course, those fans who go too far -- like the ones who throw themselves at the tour bus. Or the ones who drive behind us for eight hours and try to snag an autograph when we stop at the gas station at four in the morning."

HOLLEMAN'S BOOK:

Holleman stopped by the office of Aiken's mom, Faye Parker, to take pictures with a Flat Stanley paper doll. Flat Stanley is a popular children's book character.

"She was not there, so I proceeded to place Flat Stanley in various places around her office, and then I took pictures. The pictures were for a third-grader in California; I participated in this project for a fan of Clayton's...

"I took many pictures around Faye's office, and was amazed that not one single person asked me what I was doing. Could this be a common everyday experience?"

On Aiken's looks

AIKEN'S BOOK:

"...in my life before 'American Idol,' I was never viewed as attractive to other people. No one was interested in me. I moved through the world largely unnoticed. And now all of a sudden, I can't leave my house without someone snapping a picture."

HOLLEMAN'S BOOK:

"Did I ever mention that his eyes are a beautiful light green, kind of like celery or lima beans? All right, that's not very poetic, but it's descriptive."