Why I'm a Fan

When you go to Taylor's forum, there is a section for you to fill out on your profile called:
Why I'm a fan.
I thought I would share mine and give others a chance to share theres.
Why I'm a Fan
The Reason I became an admirer
I have always been interested in the old style of music. Elton John, Air supply, along with many others. Music has always been a deep passion of not only mine, however my family of three brothers and five sisters as well. Music plays a big role in all our lives, one way or another.
I felt stuck in a time warp with my music though. I was craving something new yet I could not relate to the newer style of music. It just did not fit with my own style.
Then I saw Taylor on stage. Like many others, I couldn't take my eyes off of his goofy moves, his soulfull voice and wacky dispostion. I knew right away Taylor and his music is what my inner soul was missing. Then I began to read about him more and more. The more I read the more I liked him.
Not only does this man have the Sweet soul sounds I have missed. I found this man also has the heart and soul of so much that has been long gone in mankind.
He has given me hope that there are others out there who really do care about the human race. No matter if there rich or poor, black or white or even disabled! To me that is the biggest message anyone could send out to the world. Oh I know he is no saint, nor do I ever exspect him to be. However, he appears to be a very kind man with a very kind heart. Who through the love of music, also shares his love for people.
How could I not admire this when it is so rare?
So now I try to give back in what little way I can. I do graphics for other fans who need them. I also run The Real Deal Forum. A forum about Taylor for the fans. I spent a lot of time on this and hope others enjoy it too. It is the least I can do to spread the word of a man that has brought so many souls back to life.

I could go on and on, but if your still reading this..... Then stop by my forum
http://therealdealforum.com

DreamHrt

That was great Jodi
I'll try to put in to words what it's meant for me, but don't think they will be as classy as yours.

When I first heard Taylor, I had no intention of even watching AI, I was in my dinning room and the TV was on Fox, and I couldn't find the controlls to turn the channel, they just were not where they should have been, and then in my quest to find them, I heard this voice saying he wanted his voice heard and when he started sining that was it for me, I could not believe that this guy was not already a recording artist and touring and what not, I could not take my eyes off the TV until Taylor was done and gone.
I'm like you in a lot of way, I LOVED Air Supply, and Cher and all the good singers and for years that music or rather that kind of music can only be heard on oldies stations and I sure have missed it and have missed listening to music. After that first interview with Taylor on AI I knew he had it I hoped and prayed that America would get it right and Taylor would win. He did of course but seeing him on that TV, has changed my live so completely, I've never been to a message board before, had very few friends and was pretty much a loner staying to myself way to much. NOW wow, I joined the AI boards in late May of 2006 and have branched out from there, I'm on the member ship of 2 other boards including this one, I've joined a Support Group that I am very active in and I'm forever surfing the internet just looking for news on Mr Taylor Hicks. I love my life and I have a lot of new friends and new interests and I've went to two concerts one of them I even drove by myself 6 1/2 hours down and 6 1/2 hours back just to see Taylor that is something I'd have never done before.. Taylor not only brought GOOD MUSIC back to live, he brought me back to live and to me he is the best there is... Oh and the mystery of the missing romote control---- when Taylor got done with his audition there layed the remote right in front of me, I honestly think it was fate that made me NOT see them controls.. I really do..

Wow all these view and no posters , come on you guys it's great to tell your story about why Taylor Hicks caught you in the Taylor trap of his.... :) :) :) :)

:D Thanks to Jodi's newsletter I became informed of this topic. Loved reading the above posts. Here is my take on it:

Unlike so many who feel like they were brought back to the music by Taylor I personally have never left the scene. I am a huge music fanatic and keep up with not only the current music but re-live alot of the oldies also. I have lots of favorite artists I like but never felt the excitement I feel and became the addict I am since Taylor Hicks came on the scene. Only one other artist has ever given me this feeling and that is Elvis Presley. Sure I have gone through my giddy years of supporting several artists but for me Taylor goes beyond that with his unique and dynamic way of performing a song. He is so passionate when he sings and it really makes me feel that passion. I have to concur how happy I was he won American Idol because for the first time someone I really wanted to win did.

Through Taylor, I have made lots of new friends through the internet and really appreciate that as life for me in the last few years has been quite tragic. Lots of these new friends give me such a lift and do keep me focused on realizing that life can be fun and enjoyable. Thanks to all of them.

In closing have to say Taylor Hicks is like a breath of fresh air and this devoted fan is loving the fragrance!

Great Post Concertcris, I love reading how Taylor grabs at the heart strings. I did love Elvis and when he died I lost interest in a lot of ways..

wietzema wrote:

Great Post Concertcris, I love reading how Taylor grabs at the heart strings. I did love Elvis and when he died I lost interest in a lot of ways..

wietzema. I really should have added that music is one of the reasons I do stay as strong as I am in many ways.

Appreciate your response and hope others will be posting also.

It seems music does bring out the best in some people meaning the soothing effect. I was big into music until it changed and where I am all you hear is either Rock or Country use to have an oldies channel too but it went to Country as well. So being that I'm not a real rock or country listener just kind of tuned it out.. I'm so grateful to Taylor for bringing the good stuff back...

These are awesome stories. I will share mine soon.
~tyg

So, we begin.......
A few years ago, I was hurt very badly by someone I thought I was going to spend my life with - my daughter's father. When I became pregnant, I got out of there to protect her...but the damage to me was done. In order to keep going, I put what shreds of my heart remained in ice, just buried it deep and ignored it. It wasn't too bad, I guess, but by doing so I lost a lot. I lost who I was. Music had always been my salvation. When I hurt, when I laughed, when I wrote - there was always music. There was always a soundtrack to my life. Suddenly, there was no music any more. Nothing was able to reach that frozen organ inside me. And I had lost my way.
I wasn't able to write anymore, reading - the other great love of my existance - had definately gone by the wayside. My only true feeling was for my daughter, a few friends, my family...but even that was limited. I hadn't laughed in 5 years, hadn't cried since...I was a walking robot - no heart, no soul. Nothing.
I spent quite a bit of time with one of my dearest friend Angie in January of '06. Actually, we just spent a lot of time together and still do. My only other obsession is my schooling. I work hard for my degree even now. I'm getting close to having all I need to support and love my daughter the way she desrves, and when American Idol 5 started, I was enrolled in a music appreciation class. The teacher told us that we could either write about AI or Nashville Star - whom we thought would win and such - for extra credit. Angie was already an addict of American Idol, and I barely watch TV, so I settled in to watch with her.
I was inordinately entertained by the Auditions. Some were just awful, others not so bad. I had always had a good ear and picked out the top 12 instantly...or I should say 11 and the man I knew instantly would win....
"That's the guy who's going to take this." I said absently, studying, not even looking up.
"Him?" Angie said, surprised.
"Yep."
"Why him? You haven't even heard him sing yet!"
"Because you can hear it in his voice - he really wants it."
"Just look at him!" So I did. And my eyes narrowed speculatively.
"Hmmm..."I mused. "A little bit scruffy, huh? Bet he cleans up real nice though." We both held our breath when he began to sing.
"Damn, you might have something here....." she said......
Time marched on, and week after week, I began to feel again. Soon, I was cheering him and smiling every time I saw him. And music came back and my writing can back, and I wanted to do things more.....During birthday week, I was on the phone with my friend Rob, and I laughed hysterically. It made him cry - he said he hadn't heard me laugh in 5 years. That was when I realised that there was something special about this man.
So, after AI, I wanted to go to the tour - which I did. LiMBO was playing after, and with about 80% to 90% of my heart thawed, I went to go see them. And they stole my heart away by treating me like a princess - something no one has ever done prior and since. And I got on the net and made friends....and the rest is what led me here, now. And I can feel again. Sure it hurts, but know what? I can feel it again. And I will always be in Taylor's debt. He gave me back to me....probably the greatest treasure I've ever known.

Now, you need to understand, that no matter how I felt about the people in my life, I am continually forgotten and ignored and belittled by them. And that's why I hide from Taylor - I couldn't take it if he forgot me..........
~tyg

Wow tyg what a story, I so understand where you were in that one person place, it's a lonely place but its a safe place as well.. Thank Goodness came along right?? He does touch the heart strings of all of us in one way or another, music hadn't been in my life for years until Taylor came on and I knew in an instant that he would be my idol for all time. Isn't it funny thought that one person can do that, not funny in the laughing kind of way, but in the other way, I think it's because he sings from his heart and his soul and it cuts through the foggyst haze there is, He's taught me so much and brought me so far in such a short time.. I'll always be grateful to him as well.. His eyes melt me completely... I'm so happy that you are feeling again and that you have your life back to be able to enjoy it and the people in it..

You guys have so touched on the reason I chose "To sir with love" for my video.
Tyg, I do understand about being forgotton. Why do you think I push so hard on this forum? To try and plaster news about it, every where I go? Because I feel I have a voice as Taylor would say and I want it to be heard. I do not want to be shuffled through the crowd of forums only to find that what I bust my a$$ doing just turns out to be another place in time well since forgotton.
I want to make Taylor know who I am. I want to make sure Taylor never forgets me. Because my friends I will never forget him. I owe him big for what he gave back to me. I refuse to be an abnoxious fan. I am just an admirer who wants to give something back in return. This forum.
Now if only he saw what it would mean to me, to know that he sees this gift to him from me and said Wow you did that? Although I know it will never happen. It is my dream... as you say, to never be forgotton

never say never Jodi, I'll make a promise to you right here and now, If and I know its a big IF, but someday when I get the chance to see and really talk to this guy your forum will be mentioned and when ever I got to one of his concert and I will believe me I will, this site will be written on a piece paper and I'll get it to him somehow, I promise this to you, He shoud see the work you've done here it is super great and it deserves to be seen by Taylor. As far as being forgotten, this is one of the reason this site is so great, you remember everyone and on the others sites I go to some of them know who I am but I'm not a popular member and I'll tell ya it's hurtfull to be overlooked, I've posted 100's of times on AI and another board and very seldom do most of them even knowledge the fact that I'm there, That doesn't happen here, You treat everyone very fair and it's just a great place to hang out..

I do not belive in "Clicks"
I do not belive we walk alone
I do not belive that Taylor would want us to think one is better then the other, and I sure know God wouldn't. Besides I have been kicked around the net for quite a few years now. I am done being kicked and just felt I should make my own home so that others like me could rest and enjoy and forget about all the other BS that has happened in Taylor Land...
It gives me great joy to know that even if Taylor never heards about this place. I know that there are people just like you who belive in TRD and the love I have for it and them...
HUGS

Super post Jodi, you have a heart and there are so many out there that do not..

Know what I like about us here and my sister site, many of whom visit here sporadically as well? We have been overlooked and forgotten elsewhere - either on the net or in reality or both. But here, we have a home. All are welcomed. All are wanted. No one's left behind.
~tyg

Yup, I'm a Leggie she's a Leggie would you like to be a Leggie to?
haahaaa I do love me my Leggie gals!
http://taylorslegs.com

Well, yeah - we'd love to have all of our girls, guys, creatures, lol....Just come on over and jump on in!
~tyg

How and why did I become a Taylor Hicks fan? Frist, the how! It's was all about the music right at first. I'll never forget settling in to watch the fifth season of American Idol. I was getting bored as I watched so many singers hit and miss with the judges. I was really kinda disappointed with the talent thus far but thought maybe, just maybe someone would wow me. Then it happened. This grayed haired man walked through the audition doors to show us what he had to offer. I'm thinking...wow, this guy is kinda cute. I just hope he can sing. Imagine my surprise when he finished talking the judges and gave us alittle... Ray... Joe Cocker? Was I hearing this right? Randy Jackson asked him to sing something else and my jaw dropped. OMG! I had to quickly read the little banner at the bottom of the TV screen to tell me who this man was. "Hmmmm, Taylor Hicks -29- from Birmingham, Alabama. Gotta make a mental note of this, girl." The rest, as they say, is history. He sang his way into my heart, bringing back fond memories of music I had not listened to for a long time AND just being down right adorable in the process.

Now the why! Taylor has given back to me the music and memories of enjoying good music. Not "rap" or "alternative" or "new age". His singing comes from the heart, as we all know. He is here to entertain us and make us feel good. He is that "down to earth" guy that makes me want to listen to him sing no matter what it is he's singing. Elvis, Garth, Ray or whoever. Even giving me some of himself like in his independent albums, Under The Radar and In Your Time. The man, in my opinion, is simply music from the heart and from the soul. There is no other way to describe it. I keep thinking....Taylor, if you keep singing, I'll keep listening. And I will. I trully believe, if more entertainers would put their energy into entertaining the way Taylor does we, as fans, would be much happier with what we listen to and what we pay to go see. Don't get me wrong. There are alot of very good performers out there but Taylor dances to a different tune and follows his own path. I like that about him. He sets a good example for me of what a person can do when they set their minds to something. Fighting to achieve a goal or reach a dream. That's why I'm such a Taylor Hicks fan.

Here Here! I think you said how we all feel.
The thing I also like about Tay, is that he knows his fans are not only his bread and butter but he also aknowleges how much he has touched our lives and respects that. However I also feel this has been a demon for him. He tries so hard to show his fans that he truly does care and appreshates there support. Yet there are those out there who actually belive he cares about them on a more then personal level. So I feel for Tay. Because as he tries to be the southern gentealman that he is... there are fans who take advantage of that and go way beyond there boundries. I do hope Tay knows there are still some of us fans around that respect him as a person and only want a chance to say hey dude your cool how about a nice CHAT. Why? Because I feel the man has a brain as well as a voice and I just find him interesting and think a conversation with him would make me that much smarter about music!
Okay nuff said guess I could carry on about this topic...

I so agree. The man has intelligence. We as his fans must give him that respect. I'm with you on the idea of sitting and having a conversation with him. It would definately broaden my world.

You know, it can't be easy to go from one point of life, where you are nothing more than background noise at a resteraunt to being noticed in a ginormous way - a listed at parties and such, to where he is now - comfortably between the extremes. That he has handled himself with such poise and grace says a lot about the man he is and the reasons we love him so dear.
~tyg

you all make great points! My reasons for admiring Taylor : He has a unique style and voice, he sings from the heart (and soul) He truly appreciates his background, his journey, and where he is headed. He doesnt know the meaning of "Can't" or "no"...never lets anyone tell him he's not good enough, he keeps moving on...treats all his fans equally no matter what they look like or their financial status, never forgets why he is the American Idol winner, gives credit where its due, he's shy, respectful, playful, energetic, and when he sings my heart and soul rejoice. He has a way of making me feel "regenerated" , musically "fulfilled"......just a few reasons why I admire Taylor :)

brootsie wrote:

you all make great points! My reasons for admiring Taylor : He has a unique style and voice, he sings from the heart (and soul) He truly appreciates his background, his journey, and where he is headed. He doesnt know the meaning of "Can't" or "no"...never lets anyone tell him he's not good enough, he keeps moving on...treats all his fans equally no matter what they look like or their financial status, never forgets why he is the American Idol winner, gives credit where its due, he's shy, respectful, playful, energetic, and when he sings my heart and soul rejoice. He has a way of making me feel "regenerated" , musically "fulfilled"......just a few reasons why I admire Taylor :)

AMEN!

You know, that's a lot of why I stay a fan. He has enormous charisma, but he could sing to a mop, and I'd be equally enchanted. Here's the deal, though. I stay a fan because of his heart, the heart that echoes in all of his fans and brings us along. I'm actually a part of something. Not thrrough someone else thinking I should be there, or joining up because I want to be there but no one else does. I belong, I'm wanted, needed, valued, listened to - by Taylor, I believe down deep in my heart, and by all of you. That's what keeps me coming back, day after day. Belonging to someone, someplace, with someones who really want me there. Because my heart strings were plucked and they have yet to stop vibrating.
~tyg

Add to that....feelings of love. Not only by Taylor but by the wonderful sisters here and everywhere that I've made new friends and opened my horizons. Taylor has let me see that I should never give up on a dream or a goal. Fight like hell to dream it, accomplish it, live it. He's my inspiration.