Cover Story
Valley of the doll
Bowie-adoring, Pokémon-loving songster wants to be the most famous boy in the world, no matter what Simon Cowell tells him
Doug Coombe
Published: October 26, 2011
"You know when you see those people at the end of auditions on TV and they get mad when the judges say no? It's because they've been through all this crap to get there. They're not going to tell you that on TV because they want you to think they're crazy. But, they've been through a lot of crap and spent a lot of money to be there."
That experience didn't sour Gholston. He believes there's something deeper, and that he has it. Besides, people remember this guy and what he has to offer beyond the glam; his vastly improving musical sensibilities — as beautifully cockeyed as they are — see him cranking out one catchy tune off the end of another. He also wants to be famous, of course.
"I've been saying since high school that I want to be the most famous boy in the world," Gholston says. "I've been doubtful about my skills and talent up until, like, the 12th grade, when I first got into music and performing. Now that I've been out of high school for a while now and accomplished so much in such a short time, I have absolutely zero doubts that I can accomplish whatever I want. Under the circumstances, a lot of people are going to know me [from embarrassing myself on national TV]. It's not my intention to try and be some attention whore and exploit myself. I want them to see that I understand that I made a mistake auditioning for that show. Just because you can't make it in front of Simon Cowell and L.A. Reid doesn't mean you aren't any good; you're just not their kind of good."
Duane "the Teenage Weirdo" appears Nov. 5 at at the Painted Lady, 2930 Jacob St., Hamtramck; 313-874-2991. Eric Villa is also on the bill. Doors at 9 p.m.; $5.
Duane's personal faves:
Madonna
Madonna
(1983) Sire
David Bowie
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972) RCA
Hilary Duff
Hilary Duff
(2004) Hollywood
Ashlee Simpson
Autobiography
(2004) Geffen
Britney Spears
In the Zone
Jive (2003)
Culture Club
Colour by Numbers
Virgin (1983)
Outer Spacist
Tape
(2010) Dub Ditch Picnic
Soft Cell
Non-Stop
Exotic Cabaret
(1981) Sire
The Beatles
Please Please Me
(1963) Parlophone
Lindsay Lohan
Speak
(2004) Casablanca
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