Careful the Hand You Bite: Did Chris Sligh Say Too Much?

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America demands a lot of it's Idols. They demand that their Idols have great voices and senses of style, of course, and America sure like it when there is a big evolution in an Idol over the course of the season. America doesn't mind when their Idols are confident, but it doesn't like them cocky. And America sure doesn't like it when they think they've been used.

All of this became relevant in the past few days as Chris Sligh's post-elimination comments filtered through the media. Chris claims that he considered quitting American Idol a couple of weeks ago, that he never wanted to win in the first place, and that he is relieved to have been voted off. It's also been revealed in the last week that Chris was kicked out of his college, but he responded to that news by saying he wanted to leave college anyways.

Something reads a little false here. Because, lest we forget, Chris Sligh is the guy who supposedly grew his hair long specifically so that he could stand out on American Idol, clearly appeared to try to charm with his wit, and spoke openly of viewing the competition from a strategic perspective. That doesn't sound like a guy who didn't want to win, or at least do well, in the competition.

It seems clear to me that Chris is going into overdrive trying to maintain his "indie rock" credibility, and he feels the need to do this by distancing himself from the show. In theory, I don't have a problem with that -- I am not one of those people who poo-poohed Kelly Clarkson or Jennifer Hudson for not thanking Idol in acceptance speeches. They have both acknowledged the show as a launching pad in dozens of interviews, and don't deny that the show's impact got them to where they are. I don't think they need to be forever indebted.

The big difference between Jennifer or Kelly and Chris, however, is that Chris hasn't gotten anywhere yet. He hasn't sold millions of albums, or picked up an Oscar -- he's about 4 days removed from having lost to Sanjaya Malakar and Haley Scarnato. And if he is to achieve the level of success that he clearly thinks he is capable of achieving, he is going to need the support of those who voted for him on the show (clearly a diminshing number considering his relatively early exit).

The problem is, his comments are a slap in the face to those people who spent time voting for him to reach the Top 10, to get the opportunity to tour. They had invested time and energy in joining the 'Fro Patrol, and I'll bet if you asked any of them whether they wanted Chris to win the competition they would have replied with a resounding "yes!" The people who vote for the contestants on this show (and I admit I have not been one of them this year) take this show very seriously, and they invest in the outcome. How they feel they have been acknowledged can have a direct impact on how long the support of these fans will last.

And let's face it -- Chris is the kind of pop star who could really benefit from a show like American Idol. Like Taylor Hicks, he is a personality who happens to sing well (although Chris did not show nearly the chops that Taylor did during his tenure on the show), and showing his personality would have helped him greatly in amassing a fanbase. I just don't beleive Chris was ready to leave the show yet, or that he was "relieved" to have been voted off.

Bottom line, I'd advise Chris to watch what he says, and perhaps blow a little smoke up the collective butts of his fans. He's gonna need them down the road.

Monday Morning Update: Chris has responded to several of the things that have been written about him, or quotes that have been attributed to him, on his blog, which you can view by clicking here.