Cool News From www.claytonaiken.com ( just got it in an email )

Read the Time article on Clay ( link provided about 2 posts below this one ) in order to understand this "mission". It's hilarious and ingenious!


Operation Vanilla for a Change (aka Let Clay Be Clay) -- care of Good Baby Brush from the CA.com website ( my favourite! :))

The mission couldn't have been accomplished without the relentless and creative efforts several very special Clay fans ( I won't name them here -- just know this was a team effort from the wonderful citizens of the PRoC) for their strategic planning, phone-calling and propaganda, er, letter-writing efforts. Thanks to all of them for letting me come in and play.

The first phase of the mission was to hit Robert Sanders and Steve Ferrera of RCA (and staff) with 10 pints of Ben & Jerry "Vanilla for a Change" ice cream. We found a B&J close enough to the executive offices to deliver, and the group came up with this note:

"Even revolutionaries get hungry, so take a break and enjoy a full seduction of the senses with this fully flavored "Vanilla for a change." Let Clay be Clay."

Next phase was to get a batch of vanilla to Clive Davis, but we hit a snag. His office isn't with the others and the Ben & Jerry's we were dealing with couldn't be pleaded or bribed into delivering that far away. Fortunately the intrepid Joel (at another B&J even farther away) was willing to be coerced into hauling his butt across town by taxi to deliver the goods!

5 pints of B&J Vanilla for a Change, cups, spoons, napkins, and of course, the note:

"To Clive Davis and staff:

Those on the edge don't follow the crowd. Try some "Vanilla for a Change," and Let Clay be Clay.


We followed this up with an oh-so cordial note to Josh Tyrangiel of Time Magazine (cc'd to his Managing Editor):

"Mr. Tyrangiel,

We want to write to thank you for your recent story on Clay Aiken. What we feel you may have overlooked is that Clay Aiken actually has a very sophisticated and internet-savvy fan base. Our tastes in music aren't pedestrian, quite the opposite. We feel that when the envelope has been pushed so far that those on the "edge" produce music as monotonously rhythmic and sexual as bad pornography, perhaps the true edge lies in the other direction.

Put simply, we've been starved for the cool, clean, sensual taste of vanilla...

And we're not alone. There is a reason Clay sold over 900,000 singles and why thousands of fans worldwide are meeting on October 14th to celebrate the release of his first album. It IS
a revolution.

If Clay Aiken is indeed vanilla, he's a richly textured delight to the senses. Clay's fans appreciate a fine vanilla and have made our tastes known by having some excellent Vanilla ice cream delivered to the executives of RCA today. We sent cartons of Ben & Jerry's "Vanilla for a Change." It just felt appropriate."


The ice-cream was delivered early this afternoon and we just got word from someone in the RCA offices that they're all delighted and laughing and got the joke and the Time references immediately.

This was a great success!


You bet it was, GBB!
This is "hot off the presses", so to speak. There'll definitely be a feature on this sometime in the near future, so remember you got the news pretty early here! If you want to get in on the buzz on the Net, just go to CA.com. :D