ADAM LAMBERT: Why You Should Always "Just Do It" | GREAT MOMENTS

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2:34Hello everyone, I'm Jamie Lang and this is Great Moments. Hey guys, welcome back to Great Moments. Now this week I'm really excited because I wanted to revisit my conversation with the one and only Adam Lambert. Adam's voice, by the way, has taken him to huge heights from singing Bohemian Rhapsody on American Idol to performing it with Brian May at the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. I mean, how amazing is that? Adam was already in the American production of Wicked when he took this huge risk and auditioned for American Idol. And he tells me all about it. Okay, so sit back and enjoy this great moment with the amazing Adam Lambert.

3:11Before you arrived, I watched your audition for American Idol. Have you rewatched it? I've seen it numerous times, yeah. What is your critique on it now? I was really nervous. I was really nervous. Because you seemed a little bit nervous. I was definitely really nervous. Yeah. Because there was so much writing on it. Like, you have to understand that I had been doing theater for like almost 10 years in LA. And like, I'd gotten to a point where like, I finally had booked like a really good professional job. I was in the first national tour of Wicked. Yeah. So the first company that they formed after the Broadway production.

3:44I did that for six months. And then I left. And then a year or two later, they formed a resident LA company of the show. And that was really rare to have like sit down like Broadway productions in L.A. It was very, very few and far between. And I got that gig. And so I was working daily at the Pantages Theater in Wicked as Fero's understudy. So it's like the prince's understudy. So I'm also in the ensemble basically means I was the guy in the back screaming my my balls off, you know, for the notes with no credit. No one saw me. They just heard me. but it was a great job you know and it was like being able to get paid like good money to do theater in LA was such a treat because it was hard to find that kind of theater in LA and I had been toying for years about I should finally move to New York that's where the real theater is blah blah but I was scared of it I knew I didn't have the money this was going to be sort of my my pre preset to go to New York to get in there and to save up some coin but then And each time that one of the guys that playing Firo would get, you know, when his contract would be up or he was sick, it's like they wouldn't promote me.

4:56And I started getting real. I was like, I know I'm good at this part. What the hell is going on? And it was some politics and this and that and the other thing. And I was just so frustrated that I was like, you know what? If I got on TV, I bet they would take me seriously. So I'm going to get on TV. And that summer before I actually auditioned, I went to Burning Man for the fourth time. and I tripped on acid and had this amazing, amazing experience where I saw my fear in front of me for the first time, like as a physical manifestation. Up until that point, I was always coming up with excuses not to do things.

5:32I was always getting in my own way. I was self-sabotaging. I was always that guy that would like not take a risk, whether it would be like dating or whatever. I was just scared. And when I was in the desert in this moment by myself, I like saw my fear. I heard the voice of some higher power. And it was like, this is your fear. Kick it away. And I kicked it away. And I saw it like shoot across the desert floor. And I swear I got back from that Burning Man trip and I was like fearless. Get out of here. It was crazy. I was like, I'm going to say yes to everything. I'm going to quit saying no and coming up with excuse.

6:05I'm going to say yes to everything. I got to put my eggs in more than one basket. it i just gotta go for it because i was a little stuck at that point and it changed everything it changed my entire attitude so i was like yeah tv that's what i should do so they take me seriously now i can actually have i have the balls to do it so i auditioned for american idol and it like i got to the first round i got past it then there was like a second round for producers and a third round and this what you see on tv was the fourth time coming back for an audition singing the same thing uh a couple different things but yeah more or less and in order to get in front of the TV judges at this point, the producers came to me and they're like, well, so here's the deal.

6:43You can't have any professional contracts that are in play. You can't be signed to an agent, a manager. You can't be employed by a theater or a record company. You have to be on amateur status. So I had to quit Wicked. I had to quit my job, which I was doing for eight shows a week. That's how I paid my rent. That's how I got health insurance, all of it i had to quit for that chance to sing for paula randy and simon and cara that year so i that's why i was nervous i was like oh man if i don't get this i'm gonna be pissed like this is gonna suck because i just quit my job did you did you have doubt in your mind at that point or were you just like of course i like had the like oh what if they oh what if they but then but it was like it was like the moment i was like i well this better work out because Because if it doesn't, I'm going to be screwed.

7:34Going to American Idol and doing that. And from what I understand, and maybe I'm wrong here, you kept your sexuality to yourself. I didn't really. Everyone knew I was gay. I just didn't really talk about it on air. Because it never came up. I mean, Ryan Seacrest never was like, like dick. It just never didn't. It wasn't a part of the narrative of what we were doing. But everyone knew I was gay. It wasn't a secret. So I came out right after high school. like I said, 18. And I was 27 when I did Idol. Sorry, that's my, because I saw, there was a picture of you kissing your ex-boyfriend and it went to the press and it was on Fox.

8:13Yeah, so it wasn't a public thing that like, but that was the thing is that I had been living for nearly 10 years in LA as an out gay man, living my life. I read somewhere there where you almost say that like, Freddie Mercury is almost a part of you in certain ways. I wish I had known him, you know, I feel like the more I learn about him, like I was watching something the other day about like all of his friends in the 80s that he lived with. He lived in this place called Garden Lodge and he lived. It was like 85. There's like all this video footage. And he's like he had like six guys living there, all gay.

8:50And they all had like nicknames for each other that were like women's names. And they lived in this sort of communal village together. and the way they talk about him like it was the happiest he ever was like he loved it he was so happy he could be himself and like just seeing that and seeing the way he was in some of these little clips I'm like I get that guy I get him like I feel I feel like I have some kinship there that make I can see that I understand that guy because that's how I am with my friends I'm like come over spend the night you know if there's friends from out of town I'm like you know you can use the guest room and like we're very like family oriented house you know and and i just seeing that side of him was like really cool seeing like the human side of him the social side of him not only the rock god not only the brilliant musician and vocalist but like getting a glimpse into sort of his private life is really cool i mean in terms of shoes to fill they have pretty big ones have you seen my shoes i haven't i got like six inch heels baby come on that's why the shoes are so big i'm like well if you're gonna fill freddie's shoes i gotta bring platforms for fuck's sake but but that is and again this goes back to your risk-taking that is a an icon a not as you said not only just his voice the way he was what he stood for all those different things.

10:11And then, and, and you come in and blow it out the water as well in such a great way. How does it even, how do you get asked to do something like that? Well, I sang his song, I sang Bohemian Rhapsody from Queen as my idol audition. So like, I think I got on their radar somehow through that. And then they were asked to come sing at the finale. So I sang We Are The Champions with them at the finale. And then we met and it was like, Was that insane moment? It was so surreal, but I was so wrapped up in the finale that I didn't even know it was happening. I was like, I was completely like, in another way.

10:43I was very overwhelmed with that week because there was just so much to do. Anxiety or? Yeah, a bit of anxiety towards the end, but also just being overwhelmed. Just a lot of material. There was a lot going on. So it was very surreal. I was kind of floating through it a bit. So it's more like, oh, hey, yes, fine. We're doing this. Okay, cool. Yeah. This will hit me later. And it did. And I was like, you know, I remember getting home like And two nights later, just finally getting to veg out in front of the TV and have a glass of wine. And I was like, did that just happen? What is life right now?

11:18And it slowly started dawning on me that last couple weeks before the finale. I was like, things are going to change. This is a big left turn in my life. This is going to change everything. I think my mom actually said, she's like, you know, everything's going to change. Everything's going to be different. I was like, mom, stop freaking me out. But she was right. Right. Everything did change. And then, so yeah, with them, we stayed in touch and they asked like shortly after, like, hey, we should do something. But I had so many commitments with the show. You know, you get funneled into their management company.

11:51I had an album to make, a tour with the other American idols to do that summer. My own album, my own tour. So like once the dust settled on my own first project, my, my album, uh, an opportunity came up to perform with them here in the UK for the, the EMAs, I think. Yeah. To do a medley. It was MTV. Yeah. And I was like, fuck, yeah, of course I'll do that. Yeah. I'm honored. And we did it. And the response was mixed. Give me the response. From the band, they were great. Like I, we, we clicked right away. Like we got along from day one, which was very cool. I always felt very safe with them. Fans online were, you know, but he's not Freddie.

12:34I'm like, he's not here. Like, what do you want me to say? You know, I think that there's always been this sentiment of like, he's no Freddie. It's like, no shit, man. Like, I know that, you know, I'm just singing the songs. And I learned really quickly to kind of have to like rationalize it with myself because I'm like, well, no, of course I'm not Freddie, but he's not with us. brian may and roger taylor have created incredible pieces of music they still want to get up on stage yeah they want to perform yes and they should have every right to perform and they need a singer to perform the songs with i'm like yes i can do that i can be i can help you know so you know it i just i love that because most people i just love that um again i'm sorry that fearlessness It's insane, dude.

13:23Well, I think there is a requirement to get on stage and sing the songs of Freddie Mercury and Queen. You have to be sort of cocky. Like, it's the character of the song. Like, most of those songs are a lot of, like, peacocking kind of bravado. It's like, that was that era of rock and roll. Like, you couldn't be like, is this okay? You know, it wasn't like shoegaze. It was like, da-da-da, you know, owning it and being strong and powerful and confident. And so I always get on stage and like, that's the like, that's like the character of the song. That's the like energy of it. I have to step into that, that space, even if I'm completely terrified and feeling nervous.

14:03I'm like, but that's required. Like, that's what this music is. So in a way, it's always been like, almost like playing a role. yeah you know even though there's a lot of me in there it's sort of like me through that lens you know me taking on that that energy that emotion what is the song that you sing and you're just like this feels good i love another one bites the dust i love that song it's just so it's so sexy and it's power and it's and it's hard it's a hard song to sing why why is it when it goes up the octave it's like it's like a very athletic vocal which better do they what is it you know the real bitey part it's high and it's like bite i can get that high give me the note i don't know what it is right now i don't know at the top of my head you ready yeah i'm ready for you are you gonna sing right now are you really yeah yeah do you sing okay so are you gonna yeah i'm try okay wait ready for this i think so i don't think i can do it in front of you i actually i actually oh god yeah it doesn't sound like that that's not the song i think that was star wars but it's but it's i mean what an amazing thing to be able to do and to step into those shoes and to be it's a dream yeah it's a it's a fucking honor really it really has been and it's been it's been over 10 years that we've been on the road together so it's it's evolved for me personally too like i think if i look back at the first couple times we worked together i was like very nervous and overcompensating like hell like i was hitting every note i could i was like i want to change this note i'm gonna scream this one i had so much energy because i because it was all adrenaline and nerves cut to the last five years of touring with them where I feel like I've settled in a different way.

16:02It took me a long time. And that's just growing up and becoming a more seasoned performer and musician. And I can look back about five years ago and be like, okay, that's the sweet spot where I trusted myself more and I didn't have to overdo it. I have to throw everything at every song. Learning that as a singer is a real moment when you're like, I don't have to hit every high note. I don't have to like do runs and melismas on everything because you learn what pulls the audience in versus what pushes them away. And I think for a young, younger singer or somebody in their in their art where they feel they have to prove something like, look what I can do.

16:46look what I can do, that kind of doesn't pull the audience in the same way just trusting it does. Do I am Do la da, do la da Do la da, do la da Do la da, do la da Do la da, do la da Do la da, do la da Do la da, do la da Do la da, do la da

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17:53Too much inventory? Costs climb. Too little? Production slows. Grainger's$2 billion in on-hand inventory helps you get what you need when you need it. So you can help keep budgets balanced and lines moving. Call 1-800-GRAINGER, click grainger.com, or just stop by. Grainger, for the ones who get it done.