In the third and final installment of our interview with the delightful Jason Castro (click here if you missed parts 1 and 2), the dreadlocked dude discusses the worst thing that ever happened to American Idol (the dreaded Swaybots ™) and whether or not he envisions following in the footsteps of the show’s most successful fourth-place finisher, Chris Daughtry. Hope you all enjoy!
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Comments (1-30) of 89 Add your comment
I thoroughly enjoyed your interview with Jason. Are you planning on writing an article expanding on your impressiosn of Jason after the interview? There is so much misconcesption about Jason “out there,” some of which has been perpetuated by TPTB at Idol, some of which you, yourself, perpetuated with your reveiw of the Top 4 (“he gave up” “he let his fans down”), all of which could negatively impact Jason’s opportunities for a record deal. You seem to be a true fan of his (who briefly lost his way) and what you write NOW, after having had a chance to get to know the real Jason, could go a long way towards righting some these wrongs done to him adn help keep his momentum alive. WE need him to come out with his own music as soon as possible and a good record deal is imperative. Please consider writing such an article.
I just love him. He doesn’t have a pretentious bone in his body, is so sweet and bashful and had a wonderful voice. He was sorely missed this week on Idol. What a boring show it was without him. Now they got their D vs D finale. How mundane. Jason, you are the real winner!
Thanks so much for the Jason Castro interview. He has something that’s real and natural and it appeals to people of all ages. I listen to his music and it just puts me in a better mood. Best of all, he’s very humble and grateful for all the attention he has received. I hope he has a long and wonderful career.
I have really enjoyed the interviews with Jason. I have not really watched AI except for the first season but started to watch this season because of Jason. I enjoyed that he was a true newbie who did not take himself too seriously. And at the same time, I also enjoyed how he aimed to connect emotionally to songs and have really enjoyed his studio recordings. Add his lack of guile and that made me a big fan.
Michael- I think you did a great job in the interview (as you have with the other contestants). You have been a fan of Jason all season, and I think fans can have weeks of disappointment when they are invested in someone. I have enjoyed how honest you have been about your ups and downs of fandom with Jason. (And the other contestants as well, but in particular with Jason.)
I hope the best for Jason and really hope that he finds contentment in the music industry. I really enjoy how he needs and wants to connect to songs at a deeper level and can only wish him success.
Sigh… Oh, and you looked really cute, too, Michael.
Here’s an idea, Slezak. Since Jason said he got a kick out of the group songs, you could do a (funny) mash-up of them this year, and dedicate it to JC – cause his fun-loving spirit seems to be the best way to take them… Vive la cheese!
- was thinking, for example, of Jason’s last group song, Reeling in the Years, where at the beginning, he high-fives DC and slides into place…
and then there was that cheesetastic DC/MJ chest bump. We’re talking gold in them thar group songs!
… and loved your finale trailer. Bring it on!
Great interviews Slezak!! Thanks for digging into the real issues (swaybots!) that interest us instead of yet ANOTHER question about his dreads (yawn). Yours and Rolling Stone have been the two standout interviews since Jason’s departure. You dug beneath the stale flotsam to actually look for some “new” news. THANK YOU! And you’re killing me with the hot molten lava trailers, effects, Bambi and teletubbies!
And that’s the kind of fans everyone wants, the ones who are ‘moved by the music’, not starry eyed one’s just adoring him because he’s cute. Those swaybots are a total manipulative embarrassment to the show and I hope we don’t see them there next year.
Thank you, Michael Slezak!!
Thanks for asking Jason a serious question about his music! What a radical you are! Asking him how he came up for the arrangement of the Mariah Carey song was an AWESOME idea. I’d like to point out the fact that he came up with his own unique arrangement. He didn’t cover somebody else’s cover. Jason is an incredibly unique and talented artist who knows what he likes and what he’s about.
To be fair the swaybots are just a bunch of bimbo sorority girls bused in from nearby schools and they’re mandated to do the ridiculous arm waving and general squealing. I hope Uncle Nigel wises up and gets rid of the pit from hell for next season. I loved this interview of Jason, the dude is humbled and completely unaffected unlike some of the previous people we’ve seen.
I was an adoring fan. Jason was a dissappointment. His looks and charm didn’t give jim the dedication necessary to be a great singer or rocker. He became lazy and instead of giving his all back to his tremendous fan base. . . he was out there goofing off. What a disappointment!
Thanks, Michael. Great interview. Jason is a true gem. It was refreshing to see raw, undiscovered talent, with a passion for music on American Idol for Season 7. Jason made the season worth watching. I wish him well for the future. I look forward to buying his music.
I hope that the swaybots will be banished next season. They were irritating to us, the TV viewing audience.
Michel, aquaeyes26’s suggestion for a follow-up article by you on Jason was an excellent idea. Please do it. Thanks.
Great interview Michael. Now I have to go back and listen to my Jason Castro playlist on my ipod. Good luck Jason. I’ll be waiting for your CD.
I think you hit the nail on the head. He was never in it to win, just to get noticed. I guess that’s ok but he’s too passive to make it in this business for any length of time. He might sell an album or two, then he’ll be done, content to serenading his friends around the fire.
Thanks Michael…can’t get enough of Jason…can’t wait for his album. Would love a follow-up interview to see how he is progressing.
I believe that Jason is just a down to earth -what you see is what you get kind of guy which is what I love about him. His sense of humor along with his unique personality lets me believe that there is more to him than just his singing. He stayed true to his own style of music which I appreciated. Hopefully we will be seeing more of Jason Castro in the near future!
Have any of you ever heard a song for the first time on the radio, from a total unknown, and it really clicked with you? Well fact is, if you had never set eyes on Castro and heard his Idol tunes for the first time on radio, you’d be saying..Big Deal! You seem to be more enamored by his appearance and personality than by his actual music. He has you under some kind of Idol spell and sadly enough, you’re all acting like a bunch of teeny boppers drooling over David Cassidy… ugh! It’s mind boggling!
It’s about the music people…..the music!!!
Thanx michael for that interview, i think all of his fans were waiting for that. PLease PLease do a follow up interview to see how he is doing and when we can expect an album. Love ya jason Good Luck!!!!!!!!!!!
Who’s David Cassidy?
Michael, I take back what I said about your other blog on Jason. I hope you learned by speaking with him that what you posted in your other blog was just not true. The interviews were great. Now I hope you will consider doing another interview with Jason because I cannot get enough of him and I am a 50 something lady, no teeny bopper. I can’t wait til his CD comes out. I think Jason will be around for a long long time and will outshine any of these contestants that are left including the final 2. Syesha is a distant memory and should have gone a long long time ago, certainly before Jason, lyric flubs and all. (I don’t think she really came in #3 at all…whats she have? 5 fans?) He’s an artist, she is just a common singer with no particular talent.
What a great interview, Michael. I read you ever season!….You can’t be disappointed in him anymore. You heard how much effort he puts into his music…far from lazy. He’s intelligent, honest and so refreshing. He answered you questions in just those way, intelligently and honestly. Can’t help but believe that, given the chance, he can only get better!!
Michael – you’re the man ! I want to be the president of your fan club!That’s what we were waiting for – really good questions.
I can’t thank you enough.
But why was it 3 parts ONLY??? Can we have Jason here everyweek for the rest of our lives???
Pleeeeeeeeease – Think about it.
Love you Michael, GREAT job.
excellent excellent michael. i second the many pleas for a follow-up article… return some of that love castrocopia’s been sending you. truthfully, i love all your articles and would very much be interested in an editorial of some sort on what you saw in your time with jason coupled with your previous impressions of his artistry. he was so many people’s idol this year. i don’t think he ever gave up, but its not surprising if he was starting to burn out on the idol machine.
A lot of cougars on here. Ewwww!
You swooners really need to get a life. This pretty boy is a flash in the pan who doesn’t take music seriously enough to make it big. Sorry, but the truth hurts.
First, I hope by the time I hit cougar age, they come up with a better word. Second, your truth is not necessarily the truth. Third, oh, forget it, life is too short. He’s a talented handsome guy. He’ll figure it out or he won’t, but no reason to get mean or weird about it.
Thanks Michael! There were only a couple interviews w/Jason that could even be considered substantive in the least; this was one of them. Thanks to the ugly IDOL media spinning machine, Jason was one of the most misunderstood of all the contestants and yet one of the most beloved by his fans. I hope you were able to realize after the face to face that it is possible for a person to give it “everything” and still walk away w/a smile…
Jason’s just got a tremendous sense of self, integrity, and a purpose that goes far beyond the Idol stage. It may be hard for the gen’l public to understand -a public that was so quick to judge him merely b/c of his hairstyle & laid-back personality but his artistry and heart was able to shine thru loud & clear for all those that were truly listening… And judging from his consistently stellar iTunes sales, Jason fans are DEFINITELY listening.
LOVE you Jason!! Just waiting for that CD to drop! And looking forward to “our future together” too!
It IS about the music. Jason Castro has a unique and beautiful sound to his voice. His style reminds me of Jack Johnson whose music is being played on many radio stations. Castro has a voice WITH a message that so many artists are lacking. And to think that he is only 21. He will only get better once he gets into his groove. Ray Lamontagne, one of Jason’s favorite artist’s music is also being played on an alternative rock station here in the northeast. Love the guys sound and style. Slezak, kudos to you for recognizing an original and up and coming artist in Castro. He is what music should be all about.