Idol: The Gokey news conference
By Tim Cuprisin of the Journal Sentinel
Feb. 20, 2009

Here’s Fox’s transcript of yesterday’s conference call between reporters and Milwaukee’s Danny Gokey:

Moderator Ladies and gentlemen, thank you again for your patience. We’re back for the American Idol interview call with Danny Gokey. We’ll go for our first question to Jennifer Smith with Fancast.com.

J. Smith Hello, Danny. How are you?

D. Gokey Good. How are you?

J. Smith Good. My first question is how does it feel to have so much support so early on in the competition?

D. Gokey Well, I’m honored. I’m, first of all, honored that people support me. I think very highly of everyone who supports me. It’s just an honor to see that they think this way of me and that they want to see me succeed; people who I’ve never met. I just hope that I can keep them all the way through the competition.

J. Smith How did it feel to have to see some of your friends be disappointed and have to go home?

D. Gokey It’s not fun. I remember watching the show and I specifically would be like, “Oh, come on. Are you serious? This is a competition” when people would start crying and get emotional when people left. But, living it out, it’s a whole different story. You get to really know what happens and you get to know these people. Music is the underlying factor as common denominator and you really connect with these people. They’re genuine and it’s their dream. You want to see them succeed.

J. Smith Great. Thank you.

Moderator Thank you. We’ll go next to Colleen Joyce with popstar.com.

C. Joyce Hello. How are you doing?

D. Gokey Good. Hello.

C. Joyce Good. Okay. Can you take us through your thought process when you picked your audition song, “Heard it Through the Grapevine?”

D. Gokey Yes. The thought process behind that was it showed my range. It was a fun song and the number one thing is it showed my ability. And so, that was actually the whole point of singing that song.

C. Joyce Great. Thank you very much.

D. Gokey Thank you.

Moderator Thank you. We’ll go next to Victor Balta with Comcast.net.

V. Balta Hello, Danny. How are you doing?

D. Gokey Good, and yourself?

V. Balta Good. Good. Thanks for taking the time. So, I wanted to know how you feel also about the reaction that Jamar has gotten. I don’t know if you see too much online or anything, but he’s the one who didn’t make the top 36, who people seemed most attached to and most disappointed by his absence in the top 36.

D. Gokey As you can see from the show that aired it, I was mad. I had a pretty upset look on my face because I expected him to go through. I don’t know– If you pay attention carefully to the tapes, I even said, “I’ll see you in the top 36” after I made it through and we were talking. I mean I was just so confident that he showed his ability and what it takes to get there. And so, disappointment was completely in my mind and heart, but the thing is he received such recognition. I know it’s not the end of the world for him. He has a bright future ahead of him and it doesn’t stop here. It only gets better from here.

V. Balta I really hope you don’t take this as insensitive, but it definitely isn’t, but how are you going to try to sort of balance how much the background story of your wife plays into your future process on the show so that people don’t think that it’s a whole sympathy kind of thing?

D. Gokey People coming in from an outside view probably won’t think it’s too much, but it’s only been seven months since she’s passed. This is who I am. It’s not that I throw it in people’s faces, but I get asked about it all the time, especially like right now. I’m talking about it at this point. In a previous interview that I did today, everybody wants to hear what I have to say. It weighs on my mind a lot though because honestly, this is a sob story I don’t want. I don’t want this story, but it is shaping my life and it’s causing hope for a lot of people knowing that it’s causing hope for my life. I didn’t want to live any more after she passed.

So now, I have my mission set in stone of what I want to portray myself as and just who I am. I don’t have to portray myself as anybody, but as far as being me, but there’s a fun side to me that’s going to come out. And so, people have to stay tuned in. I apologize to everybody if they feel like it’s shoved down their face, but it’s so fresh in my mind.

V. Balta All right. Thanks a lot and good luck with the rest of the season.

D. Gokey Thank you.

Moderator Thank you. We have Mike Hughes with TV America.

M. Hughes Hello, Danny. We talked to Michael Sarver a minute ago and he was talking about church music was one of his early points in getting started. How was it with you? Was church the first place you sang, or what first got you going?

D. Gokey Well, I come from a musical family. I have four sisters and a brother. And so, including my parents, there’s eight of us. We would all sing together as kids and we started going to this one church and we’d go up, all eight of us, as a family. My dad would play guitar and we would sing songs in front of the church. So, that’s really where I got started. I didn’t really take it too serious though. It got really serious when I started going to the church I attend now and I was 20-years-old. So, 20-years-old was pivotal in my music career.

M. Hughes That’s the one where you’ve been a church music leader?

D. Gokey Yes, that’s the one. I’ve been there for eight years.

M. Hughes One totally different question. Were those different glasses you had on last night, or have you had those all along?

D. Gokey Yes, those were a different pair that I wore on the TV show. I’ve taken pictures with them, but I never wore them on TV yet. I have a couple more pairs that I want to wear, but they’ve not been approved because our logo is on them. So, I’m kind of disappointed. I’m hoping that somehow, it can be worked out where I can wear more glasses because I love glasses.

M. Hughes Cool. Thanks a lot.

D. Gokey Thank you.

Moderator Thank you. Next, we have Jill Sargent with Reuters.

J. Sargent Hello. Good morning, Danny. How are you?

D. Gokey Good morning. I’m good; thanks, and yourself?

J. Sargent I’m great, thanks. What do you think of this whole new process of the top 36 and having nine people go in one group? It’s pretty brutal. Did it feel that way for you guys there?

D. Gokey Yes, it really is. Here’s how I feel about it. I’ve been saying this since day one. It’s never been harder to get into the top 12, but yet also, it’s never been easier because of the fact that you don’t have to go from 36 or 24 even all the way down to 12. I mean you get from 36 right to 12. So, you skip all that.

But, the thing is that makes it so like gut wrenching is that there’s amazing talent that is being sent home and it’s almost like an unfair shot. It makes sense, but it doesn’t make sense. It’s so hard to explain.

J. Sargent Okay. Thanks.

Moderator Thank you. Next is Daniel Feinberg with hitpicks.com.

D. Feinberg Hello, Danny. Congratulations to you.

D. Gokey Thank you.

D. Feinberg Following up on what you just said; so, nine people went home last night. Who do you think from your group deserves another shot in the Wild Card Round?
D. Gokey Honestly, I think they all do. I really do. I really think that every single one of them does, but I– Only three, at this point, get a chance. So, I mean I’m just so sad to see them go.

D. Feinberg Okay. Sort of an unrelated question; last night, you seemed very calm and cool when you were standing in the spotlight with Tatiana. Was it hard to stay that composed with her being sort of the emotional ball right next to you?

D. Gokey With Tatiana, you expect the unexpected. She really is a great person. I mean she wants it so bad and you see the desire and the passion in her and I think at times, that’s maybe her image on TV. But yes, I maybe looked calm and cool, but I wasn’t on the inside. I have family members say that I looked that way, but I have to be honest, man. On the inside, I feel kind of like a wreck.

D. Feinberg And you just sort of kept the look on the outside?

D. Gokey I really try to keep the look. I try to. I just hope it doesn’t come off the wrong way to the American public or the voters, I should say. I’m not the president, but anyone who’s watching the show. It’s just that my whole thought process at that time was– I was preparing myself to go home. I really was because I just said “Anything can happen. Anything’s possible.” Tatiana showed up that night when she sang and I think she had the surprise element. So, I said, “No matter what, I got my message across that I wanted to get across to people.” I wanted to go out gracefully.

D. Feinberg Fair enough. Well, good luck to you, man.

D. Gokey Thank you.

Moderator Thank you. Next, we have Steve Gidlow with In Touch Weekly.

S. Gidlow Hello, Danny. Congratulations.

D. Gokey Thanks a lot. I appreciate it.

S. Gidlow You must be thrilled.

D. Gokey Yes. It’s awesome.

S. Gidlow I’m just wondering, Jamar was a great support to you and we know that he’s been a great support for you in the past. How is not having him here now to sort of go through this process with you?

D. Gokey Well, I really can say this, and I hope you will take it the right way. At this point of the game, it’s easier now. Even though I want him to be here, but I feel more emotionally stable. I wanted him to be here, but I’m glad he was in Hollywood. I’m so thankful he was in Hollywood because in Hollywood, what people don’t know is that Hollywood was very, very tough for me. I put on this face, but I was miserable on the inside. Only he knew that because I poured my heart out to him.

But since Hollywood, as crazy as it sounds, but I’ve let go of some things that I was gripping on to so deeply. I think letting go of the toxic emotions tied to the situation has really set me free to be able to start enjoying this. It just so happens that even though he’s not here, I’m at that point.

I never forget the memory of my wife, but the hurtful emotions that were really tying me down, especially during Hollywood week with all the pressure, the producers, and all the pressure that’s put on you from the show because you’re herding all these kids around and all that talent there. Do you know what I’m saying?

S. Gidlow Yes. I noticed last night that there was a tribute paid to your wife because they showed a photo of her; one of your friends had one. Do you keep a memento with you when you perform of her?

D. Gokey Keep a what?

S. Gidlow A memento, a photo or something like that?

D. Gokey No, I really don’t. But the thing is, she’s in my heart. You can never take that away. I really don’t hang on to charms or anything like that or any mementos. I have, obviously, pictures at home, but she’s so deeply engrained in my heart and mind that she’s a part of who I am.

S. Gidlow Well, we’re all rooting for you. Congratulations.

D. Gokey Thank you so much.

Moderator Thank you. We’ll go to Tim Cuprisin with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

T. Cuprisin Hello, Danny. How are you doing?

D. Gokey Hello. Good to hear from you again.

T. Cuprisin Pardon me; my voice is a little bad. I have a cold, which I know would be much worse if I was a singer than if I’m a reporter. Let me ask you sort of a serious question. You are a guy who really strategies this thing that you’re doing. You’re thinking it through. You think out the songs and you have an end game and you have, as you said earlier, a mission set in stone. Can you ever just relax? Do you relax when you’re singing? Do you forget the strategy? How do you deal with that?

D. Gokey Well, it’s kind of hard to relax in this competition. I want to relax. I really, really do. I do have a mission. With the top 36; I believe I’ve talked to you before, right?

T. Cuprisin Right.

D. Gokey I told you I had my mission set in place because I figured if that was going to be my last time, at least I was going to get my message across. Well, I feel like I’ve gotten my message across. But now, I want to lighten up and just have a little fun with it and enjoy the ride because now I’ve made it to the top12. I still have it mapped out in my mind what I want to do and who I want to be, but I just want people to enjoy– I don’t know. I guess maybe sometimes the consensus is that people are getting tired of my story or whatever. That’s totally fine, but it’s such a fresh thing right now. I want to be able to appear to people just on a fun level too and also the deeper level that I showed them.

T. Cuprisin Now, have you had a chance to talk to your pastor since yesterday? Have you had contact with him and if so, how did that go?

D. Gokey Yes, I talked to my pastor yesterday and he cried. He cried on the phone. That never happens, but he was so emotional. You have to understand; he was there the whole entire process of my wife and he saw how much it devastated me. To see a person’s life right before your eyes transform from such a low point to now a high point, it’s emotional. He apologized. He said, “I’m so sorry for crying.” He was so happy for me, and he’s a big part of who I am. He’s a huge mentor in my life. He’s never taken anything from me; he’s only given to me and I just love it. It’s been awesome.

T. Cuprisin Great. Good luck to you.

D. Gokey Thank you.

Moderator Thank you. Next, we have Matt Whitfield with Yahoo!.

M. Whitfield Hello, Danny. Congratulations.

D. Gokey Thank you.

M. Whitfield I just wanted to mention that the judges have seem to shower you with praise ever since your first audition. I was wondering if there was anywhere you think that you can improve going forward.

D. Gokey Oh, absolutely. I know I can improve. I want to improve. I want to clean up my vocals. That’s what I want to do. I notice when I’m singing I sometimes get a flat and sharp here. That really bothers me because I know that I can do a clean performance. But on the other hand, I like taking risks when I’m singing. I don’t like to just be in the safe box, singing a song, but I want to, so to speak, jump off the bridge and somehow land on my feet. Sometimes, I kind of lose my footing when I’m coming back down.

So, that really is my strategy – to clean up and become more professional. Also, like I said before, I want to loosen up a little bit, not be so nervous.

M. Whitfield One other random question; are there any guilty pleasures you’re listening to in your iPod right now?

D. Gokey No, not really. I’m a big fan of salsa. I love listening to salsa. There’s also this group called Family Forest Five that is like a heavy metal rock group. I just love listening to that stuff. I don’t sing that kind of music.

M. Whitfield Right. Thank you.

D. Gokey Thank you.

Moderator We’ll go next to Antonia Blyth with US Sixteen Magazine.

A. Blyth Hello. I hope you can hear me. I have kind of a bad connection.

D. Gokey Okay. Yes, I can hear you kind of.

A. Blyth I was just going to say I feel like you must have been really nervous standing next Tatiana. Did you think at that point that that might be it for you?

D. Gokey I did. I really did. I prepared myself mentally while I was up there, while Ryan was talking. I said, “If this is it, I am going to go out gracefully” and just thankful for the opportunity. I’m telling you; you just never know. In this competition, you just can never be too confident. I mean I want to be confident, and I want to portray like a level of confidence, but man, sometimes, you just don’t know. So, I prepared myself. But, thank God, I didn’t go home.

A. Blyth Yes, absolutely. You’re being very open about your feelings and your grief. I just wondered if your wife had lived to see your success now what do you think would be her reaction?

D. Gokey Oh, my wife would just be telling all her friends. She would be going to the story, trying to buy clothes and trying to get herself all cute and just telling people that she’s going to go watch me on the show. She was spunky and she was just so cute and she had a little attitude there herself. She’d be so happy. She’d just be so happy.

A. Blyth That’s wonderful. Thank you. Best of luck.

D. Gokey Thank you.

Moderator Thank you. Next, we have Andrea Dresdale with ABC News Radio.

A. Dresdale Hello, Danny. You have an excellent voice. Congratulations.

D. Gokey Thank you so much.

A. Dresdale Danny, a lot of people who have been blogging about the show in the media seem to think that you’re getting a lot of attention in terms of the way the show is editing, like more than every other contestant, like the producers are really trying to push you forward. In watching back the shows, do you feel like you’re getting that amount of attention?

D. Gokey Honestly, I do feel like that I was highlighted. There’s no getting around that. I didn’t do anything to get that. I can say this; I’m grateful that they would do that. I have no control over it. I know everyone’s not going to like me. That’s goes without saying, but it’s a bummer when people are just real mad about it. I had nothing to do with it and I hope people can see past that and just see that I genuinely just love to sing and that’s what I want to do.

A. Dresdale Well, as a follow-up to that, say you advance far enough in the competition that you did get a record deal and you made an album, do you think you would be a Christian artist because it’s so important in your life, or do you think you’d go for a rock pop thing?

D. Gokey Honestly, I don’t know yet, but the answer I’m leaning towards right now is it would be out in the mainstream market. That’s where I want to be. I think I can have a lot of affect on it. I mean there are a lot of good Christian singers, but I think I would like to go out and do something with my box. I can just be a Christian who sings mainstream music instead of having to be a Christian who has to somehow just sing Christian music. I believe that I can just be a singer who is a Christian.

A. Dresdale Okay. Great. We’ll be watching. Thanks.

D. Gokey Thank you.

Moderator Thank you, and ladies and gentlemen, we are out of time. Danny, do you have any closing remarks?

D. Gokey No, I don’t.

Moderator Okay. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, that does conclude our conference for today. Thank you for your participation and for using AT&T Executive Teleconference. You may now disconnect.

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