Myrtle Beach Music: Crowds gather during the American Idol auditions in Charleston in 2007.Whether you love it or hate it, you simply cannot stop the phenomenon that is “American Idol.” Over the past decade, the show has shattered nearly every record for viewership and produced a string of superstars, platinum records and Grammy Awards unlike any other program in the history of TV.
But even with all the fanfare surrounding the show, much of what makes “Idol” work behind the scenes is still a mystery to the millions of fans which watch it on a weekly basis.
That’s why one former producer, Dennis Duncan, has decided to shed some light on the musical machine that is “Idol”with a new book entitled “My Idol Time.” In the book Duncan, a veteran musician who has played in and produced bands all over the country, writes about his time as a vocal producer on the show in Seasons 6-10, and working hands on with contestants to record the tracks they would later perform on the show.
With the show holding auditions for its 11th season in Charleston this week, ListenUp had a chance to speak with Duncan for some stories from the show and tips on what will make the judges take notice.
If you’re planning to try out, registration will take place from 7 a.m. today until 8 a.m. Friday at the North Charleston Coliseum with auditions following all day on Friday (more details here).
How did you get started in the music business?
I’m originally from Kentucky, and moved out to L.A. in 1990 on a deal with Warner Bros. with my band at that time Sister Whiskey. We did some touring, which was a great experience but that didn’t last.
After that I stayed in the music business but bounced around quite a bit — I’m sort of an entertainment refugee — I’ve played in bands in Nashville, I was up in Detroit for a little while working with Kid Rock’s people.
Eventually I just kinda fell into producing by default because I was sick of paying for studio time and working around schedules, I just decided to do it myself out of necessity.
How did you end up producing for “American Idol”?
Well I had been still playing in bands and producing the music we made and when the opportunity came up to do ‘Idol’ through a friend of mine it was just a natural progression for me to step into something like this.
I came on board in Season 6. The guy that brought me on board had been there working on Season 5 and I was helping him out at an arms length because at that time the were releasing ringtones but they hadn’t started producing full-length downloads of the performed songs on iTunes.
I was working behind the scenes helping to do these ringtones and when Season 6 came they wanted to expand since the ringtones were doing so well and so they brought us on board and we put together a team of musicians and studio folks to put together those recordings.
Myrtle Beach Music: From left, Reza Rashidian, Season 4 contestant Bo Bice and Dennis Duncan at an Idol afterparty.What exactly was your role as vocal producer?
Each week the contestants would choose their songs on Thursday or Friday and our band would go in over the weekend and rehearse up those songs and record them at Capitol [Records]. Then when Monday rolls around we’d take those musical beds that they recorded and bring in the contestants three at a time and they would record in one big studio with three different rooms going at once.
Initially we’d choose who we wanted to work with, but as the weeks progressed certain contestants would gravitate toward which production team they wanted to work with and I was I guess more of the rock/country guy.
So they’d come in and I’d go over each song with them, make sure they got all the words right, talk to them about how to do certain lines and basically just coaching them through the entire process and producing these tracks that they would then turn around and perform on the show.
But yeah, I talk about that in the book...there was some insight I gave to contestants that I thought they were going to knock it out of the park and they’d fail miserably, you know. You’d think the chose a good song and did a unique version and somteimes it’d just bomb and the judges didn’t like it for whatever reason.
Who were some of the most talented people that you worked with on Idol?
For the four seasons I was there I worked with just about everyone who was voted into the Top 12.
My favorite and the person I thought was the best overall, complete and total package in the studio, on the show, had the look, etc. wasn’t even the one who won. That was Carly Smithson.
I just thought she was the complete and total package.
I break down the whole list of who I think was best and most original in the book as well.
Adam Lambert was great, but you know he kinda became a little bit of a diva towards the end.
And the other cat who was really good was Blake Lewis. He was definitely an original guy. Not really the best singer in the studio, but he really knew how to take and do what he did and spin it in a way that came out right.
Did you ever have any particular moments — run ins with the judges or guest performers — that left you in awe of just how big “American Idol” is?
All the time really. I met tons of stars and I would run into Simon and Paula, Seacrest and Ellen, all those folks. Me and Kara [DioGuardi] used to sit outside the studio and have smokes together a lot.
I mean, none of those cats are gonna call me today and ask me out to lunch, but we were all co-workers really and everyone was cordial and I had a really good time doing it.
By far the coolest guy on that show was Simon. He was super cool and great to hang out with when you’d get him away from the whole machine there at the show.
How would you describe your overall experience working on the show and what made you decide to write a book about it?Basically, every year that it would come up for the ‘Idol’ season to start, the powers that be would never notify anyone until a week or so before the show. So we weren’t sure if we were going to work this season or not.
But when we found out that they were going to change some things with new producers this year, I was sitting around with my brothers and just talking about what to do next and it just felt like I was in a unique position to be able to tell my story and talk about what happens behind the scenes there.
Now I’ve never written a book — I’m a musician — but I just decided to start writing and it came out as a very therapeutic thing for me to be able to talk about my path and my experiences and frame it through the lens of my ‘Idol’ experience.
5 tips for 'Idol' success
Duncan offered up these ideas when asked for advice to aspiring idols. For more details on the auditions in Charleston beginning today visit AmericanIdol.com or check out additional insight at Duncan’s MyIdolTime.com.
No. 1: Be ready to impress quickly
The thing most people don’t know who want to come audition is that you really only have about 20-30 seconds to impress them. I do have some videos on my site that has some more insight on what you can do to prepare yourself for that.
No. 2: Maintain eye contact
One of the most important things is eye contact. They line you up four at a time and you sing for about 15-30 seconds. If you show confidence with that eye contact that will go a long way. If you’re singing your song and you’re not starting down those judges they know you’re not confident in what you’re doing.
Myrtle Beach Music: An auditioner poses during the 2007 Charleston auditions.No. 3: Look the part
Most people don’t realize that looking the part is one of the most important things. You’ve got to go in looking like some character or representing some vibe that is what you’re all about.
And don’t think you have to spend a big budget on your wardrobe...you can cut some pictures out of a magazine of what you’re trying to go for. Say you want to look like Lady Gaga, you can get a lot of that stuff at a second-hand store and then just accessorize it so that when you show up they can already picture that you look the part.
You could sing a so-so song, but if you’re confident and look that part that might be enough to get you through to the next round.
No. 4: Choose three songs
It’s tough to give specifics on choosing the right song, because everyone has to do their own thing, but in a broad brushstroke of advice, the best thing to do is to choose three songs — like a ballad, a midtempo and an uptempo number.
When you go to these auditions there’s a lot of external factors that could throw your game off. While you’re standing something might really bum you out and all you’ve got planned it a happy-go-lucky song and it might just kill your vibe and that could kill your opportunity, so you’ve got to be ready.
If you really want to do it right, prepare three songs and find out what key works best with your vocal or your style and take those songs to somebody who plays guitar or piano, have them prepare a half a verse and a chorus and break it down acoustically and put that on your iPod or MP3 player and practice it to yourself and just master it.
No. 5: Don’t give up
Don’t let fear get in your way. If there’s one thing I’ve learned is that it’s OK to fail. You’ve got to learn what works and what doesn’t and the only way you’re going to know is by failing.
A lot of very talented musicians and singers out there never take the chance, because they are afraid. I came from a small town in Kentucky and if I would’ve listened to some of my friends or family I would’ve never had the opportunity to do all of these things and prove them wrong.
At the same time, listen to those friend or family who will give you good solid feedback but if you don’t get out and try you’ll never know.
Just be prepared as best you can and then roll the dice...if you don’t make it the first time go out again. Go hit all the singing shows “America’s Got Talent,” “The Voice,” “Platinum Hits,” whatever. Just go out and give it a shot.
No. 1: Be ready to impress quickly
The thing most people don’t know who want to come audition is that you really only have about 20-30 seconds to impress them. I do have some videos on my site that has some more insight on what you can do to prepare yourself for that.
No. 2: Maintain eye contact
One of the most important things is eye contact. They line you up four at a time and you sing for about 15-30 seconds. If you show confidence with that eye contact that will go a long way. If you’re singing your song and you’re not starting down those judges they know you’re not confident in what you’re doing.
Myrtle Beach Music: An auditioner poses during the 2007 Charleston auditions.No. 3: Look the partMost people don’t realize that looking the part is one of the most important things. You’ve got to go in looking like some character or representing some vibe that is what you’re all about.
And don’t think you have to spend a big budget on your wardrobe...you can cut some pictures out of a magazine of what you’re trying to go for. Say you want to look like Lady Gaga, you can get a lot of that stuff at a second-hand store and then just accessorize it so that when you show up they can already picture that you look the part.
You could sing a so-so song, but if you’re confident and look that part that might be enough to get you through to the next round.
No. 4: Choose three songs
It’s tough to give specifics on choosing the right song, because everyone has to do their own thing, but in a broad brushstroke of advice, the best thing to do is to choose three songs — like a ballad, a midtempo and an uptempo number.
When you go to these auditions there’s a lot of external factors that could throw your game off. While you’re standing something might really bum you out and all you’ve got planned it a happy-go-lucky song and it might just kill your vibe and that could kill your opportunity, so you’ve got to be ready.
If you really want to do it right, prepare three songs and find out what key works best with your vocal or your style and take those songs to somebody who plays guitar or piano, have them prepare a half a verse and a chorus and break it down acoustically and put that on your iPod or MP3 player and practice it to yourself and just master it.
No. 5: Don’t give up
Don’t let fear get in your way. If there’s one thing I’ve learned is that it’s OK to fail. You’ve got to learn what works and what doesn’t and the only way you’re going to know is by failing.
A lot of very talented musicians and singers out there never take the chance, because they are afraid. I came from a small town in Kentucky and if I would’ve listened to some of my friends or family I would’ve never had the opportunity to do all of these things and prove them wrong.
At the same time, listen to those friend or family who will give you good solid feedback but if you don’t get out and try you’ll never know.
Just be prepared as best you can and then roll the dice...if you don’t make it the first time go out again. Go hit all the singing shows “America’s Got Talent,” “The Voice,” “Platinum Hits,” whatever. Just go out and give it a shot.