Q&A Justin Guarini
Ian D'Giff, Freelance OK
The Journal News (Westchester County, NY) October 24, 2002
An idol's time
He's the smooth movin' pretty boy who had Paula Abdul grinning like a smitten
kitten every time he took the stage. Though Justin Guarini lost to Kelly
Clarkson in the final round of "American Idol," there is no denying
that the kid is still destined for fame. With a sculpted face a la Smokey
Robinson and a head of hair that would make Sideshow Bob jealous, Guarini and
his fellow "Idol" finalists are in the middle of a cross-country tour
that brings them to Nassau Coliseum on Sunday night. The Line caught up with
Guarini in Cincinnati, where he dished on the steamy looks coming from Abdul,
whether Simon Cowell continued to play the jerk behind the scenes, the state of
his love life, the truth behind his ultimate musical goals and that
picture-perfect mop-top swaying atop his head.
Time to fess up: Were you spiking Paula's drink with Spanish Fly before each
show?
"No, man. (Laughing.) She was just amazing and very sweet. From the moment
I walked in and met her the first time, she and I just clicked in the sense that
she understood what I was trying to do. She's a sweetheart."
C'mon, she looked like the cat that ate the canary every time she laid eyes on
you.
"Hey, it's an honor to have Paula Abdul being the way she was to me.
(Laughing.) That's like, wow, you know?"
I could only imagine. How old were you when "Straight Up" was a big
hit on MTV?
"I don't know, but I know I was old enough to think she was hot."
(Laughing.)
Let's talk about Simon. When the cameras stopped rolling, did he stay in jerk
mode?
"Well, my take on that is that on the show it was 80 percent him and that
other 20 percent is that extra little oomph for the show. My point is, that's
him. You know, he's being completely honest and that's the way he has to be in
this business. In terms of him off the show, he's still got that swagger and
shake, but he's a nice guy. That's Simon, he is himself on the show. He's just
got that thing. I don't know what you call it, a swagger or whatever, but it's
hilarious. With the show, that's what first captivated everyone. It was like,
'Oh my god, there's this British guy who's slamming people on TV,' so he's an
integral part of the show. He also, then, serves as that lesson for us, because
there are going to be people out there who do make those kind of comments to
us."
Are there any finalists who you just can't stand?
"Uh, no, actually. See, we're all a big family."
Really? C'mon now.
"I mean, we have our moments when we need to be away from one another or
where we have misunderstandings like anybody would. But, we have open channels
of communication and if anything ever arises we deal with it on the spot and
don't let if fester. So, it's not all roses all the time, but the majority of
time we all have great working and personal relationships."
Did you have a girlfriend before the show?
"You know what? No. It's one of those things where right now I've really
gotta focus on what I'm doing in life. But, it's also one of those things where,
yeah, I can't wait, believe me, I cannot wait to settle down and have a family
and have my own studio and just produce stuff for other people, you know. This
is great, but I don't want to be married to this industry, you know? Right now,
I'm just single and happy. Actually, I am married to my music right now."
That's very interesting. Is getting a studio and producing other artists your
real goal, as opposed to becoming a pop idol?
"Yeah, that's my long-term goal. Really, what I want to do is give others
the opportunity that I've been given. There's just so much talent out there, I
want to go out and find it."
Finally, and I've got to ask you about it: the hair. How long does it take to do
and how much of your success do you attribute to it?
"I always joke around and tell people that if my hair could sing, I'd be
out of a job. I just have to have a sense of humor about it. For me, it's real
easy; I just slap some water on it and it does its thing. But it's real easy
because I can't really control it. It really just does its own thing, so I
figure I might as well let it flow."