‘American Idol’: Jason Castro’s wacky gift

Jason Castro was having a rough week, and the dreadheads knew it.  The loyal fan club, whose website daydreamingboy.com includes downloadable Support Jason fliers,  watched Jason get slaughtered for his rendition of “Memory” and then learned from their sources in the Castro camp that he was coping with a mix of exhaustion and fever chills to boot. 

So what were the devoted fans to do when their Idol was suffering from a high temperature and low morale?  Why, send presents, of course. “We’re always trying to think of things we can do to lift his spirits,” explained Christalle Baxter, known to her fellow dreadheads as “dreadhead No. 1201.”

Concerned that a gift of flowers could worsen Jason’s illness by aggravating his allergies, the dreadheads settled on balloons. Christalle set up a Paypal account, and it wasn’t long before the donations  poured in.

In the end, the dreadheads collected $450 and ordered seven bouquets of balloons from Planet Florist in Westwood. According to Paul Psai, a designer at the florist, it took three cars to transport all the balloons. “It was the biggest order that we ever had."

“I get an e-mail saying, ‘Can you talk to the delivery person for the balloons?’ ” recalled Stephanie Baisey, a loyal dreadhead and friend of the Castro family.  “It’s taken a team of people to deliver these things,” the deliveryman told her, adding that since Jason Castro was not available, he had left the balloons at the site.  When Stephanie asked who’d taken the balloons, the incredulous deliveryman replied, “Lady, who took 'em? Everybody in the building took 'em!”

Planet Florist employees described the order as “very specific.” The balloons were printed with messages like, “congratulations,” “thinking of you,” “thank you” and “get well soon.”  And of course there were plenty of smiley-face balloons.

So don’t be fooled by the implications of their name; the dreadheads are an active bunch.  And when they aren’t busy ordering truckloads of balloons, they are busy inhabiting the unique and complex virtual world they have built around their dreadlocked Idol. 

The dreadheads ride around in virtual tour buses and gather for virtual pep rallies and bonfires in Jason’s honor.  When Jason sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” the group hosted a Hawaiian-themed bonfire, complete with virtual lawn chairs, tiki torches and, of course, virtual firemen.

And although a love of Jason unites the dreadheads, their affections aren’t reserved for their figurehead alone. They have invited Kristy Lee Cook and David Cook’s fan clubs to their bonfires, and they even collected money for David Cook’s sick brother.

According to Stephanie, the site “really represents Jason.”  She describes Jason as a “hey, how are you, everyone’s my friend, kinda guy.” In keeping with that mindset, the dreadheads prohibit negativity on their website, even toward Jason’s competitors.

Despite their share-the-love mentality, however, the dreadheads are none too pleased with the widespread belief that the battle will come down to the two Davids. To them, Jason Castro is the real deal.  “What you see truly is what you get with him,” Stephanie explains, noting that Jason has no vocal coaches or managers picking his songs or telling him what to say.  “He just sang [‘Memory’] because he liked the words,” she says simply, referring to Jason’s decision to tackle the sacred cow from “Cats” during Andrew Lloyd Weber week. “I doubt he even knows what he’s wearing.”

- Stephanie Lysaght

(Photo courtesy Fox)

Comments

[Jean]

LOVE me some Jason Castro!!!

[Nichelle Denise]

That is an awesome article. And yes, we are very proud of Jason Castro. I am glad to be a part of the efforts to show appreciation for him. Last week was hard for him as he was dealing with severe illness and exhaustion (conveniently not mentioned by anyone associated with Idol). But Jason persevered and was humble enough to not let his illness deter him. He powered through and performed as any consummate professional would and brought somber storytelling to his "Memory" performance. He brings a grace and beauty to the stage that is endearing and personable. Jason is real, honest, down to earth, giving, spiritual, full of grace, laughter and love, unfathomable beauty, humbleness and rare, indisputable talent. These are just some of the reasons we love Jason Castro and why we are Dreadheads.

Nichelle Denise (sanggurl)
Dreadhead #52

[Kim G]

Jason Castro is a very talented singer/songwriter as well as a wonderful good-hearted person. No wonder he inspires such caring and thoughtful fans!

[Rose Queen]

I was a witness to the wonderful "The Balloons Are Being Delivered Right Now" thread. We watched it unfold for hours and recieved a picture of all the balloons this morning. Being a Jason Castro fan is quite the experience and even at 47 years old, I'm proud to be a Dreadhead #153, riding bus 4.... all the way to the finale! Nice Article!

[Hanna B]

We love Jason because of his pure, soothing style. His voice brings us peace amidst our hectic days, and he makes us smile with his sincere heart and soul. He's not a rocker or a belter, and that's the way we like him. Go Jason and continue being yourself...we have your back!
Dreadhead #1744

[Julia]

DH1458 from Georgia stopping by to say thanks for the great article. We are truly just one big happy family and support Jason with all our hearts. What you see is what you get with him, and we are very proud of the respect he shows to all he encounters, even when he is being berated for a performance, he still keeps that smile on his face. Jason you keep singing and we'll keep supporting!
Gotta Love Our Boy....
Julia Butler(jayeb)
Tiger, GA

[Kim Williamson]

Thanks for the great article on Jason and his Dreadheads. Jason is truly the real deal. He is really an ispiration to us all. Proud Dreadhead #685

[Elyse/aka Snow]

Dreadhead #590 here,

This article is awesome! So exciting. Thanks to Sooner for all her hard work, and "vote4castro". They deserve so much credit and Dreadhead love! 105 balloons is definitely worthy of such an article. Hahaha!

Thanks for printing this! It really makes our day.

[Lori]

I loved your article on Jason Castro. I was lucky enough to be involved with the balloon caper, and have to admit, we had a blast doing this. Jason Castro has a very special and unique sound, and a huge fan base. I am happy and proud to be one of them.

Dreadhead #1557 / Bus #32

[Lis]

Not only does Jason have the dreadheads firmly in his corner, my 82 year old mother is crazy about him. The granny vote may prove formidable indeed; she voted for him twice last week!

[DC]

Jason and David C. are my favorites. I didn't realize that Jason was sick Tuesday night. At the beginning of the season when several of the girls were sick, they mentioned every week that the girls were performing while sick. Why couldn't they have mentioned that Jason was sick? Being sick is probably why he wasn't on his game that night. My favorite performance of his was Somewhere Over the Rainbow. I can't get it out of my head. I'll take Jason's version over Kat McPhee's anyday. Jason is lucky to have such loyal fans.

[Trish]

Dreadhead #154
Thank you so much for this article. It truly captures what our sentiments for Jason are. He is such a great guy, talented singer/songwriter and compassionate person, that it was an honor to be part of this gift for Jason. We see the beauty that is Jason Castro and hope that more people get the opportunity to experience his artistry as long as we can keep him on American Idol...and beyond.
Trish
Rockwall, TX

[Barbara Jonusaitis]

I have been amazed by the number of views to the little thread telling everyone that Jason Castro's gift balloons were arriving. The thread moved so quickly that it is to 122339 views after 24 hours. This all on one little thread of one contestants page on the AI site. The Dreadheads are remarkably enthusisastic and well mannered. group.

Jason Castro is such a unique singer, very listenable, that I really want to support him as much as I can. His studio versions of the songs he sang live on AI are absolutely wonderful .After not downloading one song for two years I have Jason's songs for my Ipod. I am no kid and I really like his work. Hankie DH 1560

[Julie B.]

I am very Happy that Jason Castro got all of those balloons from his Wonderful fans, The Dreadheads. And I hope Jason enjoys them all. We all Love you Jason!

Julie B.

[Jessica]

This article absolutely made my day. Being a dreadhead is like being part of this HUGE family that never stops growing. We are a force to be reckoned with - but we'll always play nice =D

#1653

[Linda H.]

Thanks for an excellent article on Jason Castro, and the lengths the Dreadheads will go to in support of him. "Operation Massive Balloons" was our way of helping to lift his spirits after a rough week of illness and criticism. He is a truly talented musician and a caring and inspiring person, who has earned his large and loyal fanbase, and deserves our votes and support. I'm proud to be among these fans who'll be able to say that we were there at the beginning of what surely will be the long and successful career of Jason Castro!
Linda H. (LindaRas)
Dreadhead #1289

[Linda H.]

Thanks for an excellent article on Jason Castro, and the lengths the Dreadheads will go to in support of him. "Operation Massive Balloons" was our way of helping to lift his spirits after a rough week of illness and criticism. He is a truly talented musician and a caring and inspiring person, who has earned his large and loyal fanbase, and deserves our votes and support. I'm proud to be among these fans who'll be able to say that we were there at the beginning of what surely will be the long and successful career of Jason Castro!
Linda H. (LindaRas)
Dreadhead #1289

[Shanna]

What an amazing article....thank you so much!
ShannaRP dreadhead #506...:)

[Maria]

Thank you for this article. It's lovely to see. Jason has a beautiful voice and connects with his songs emotionally in such a touching way. He's a true amateur and to me epitomizes what American Idol used to be all about -- finding undiscovered talent. The studio versions of his performances are incredible. He really has a unique and wonderful recording voice and I can't wait to buy his first C.D. He's also a great person who has behaved with grace and class on this show even when criticized, and he's having fun and is such a breath of fresh air. We Dreadheads adore and support him for so many reasons and we definitely have his back (I'm looking at you Randy Jackson & Nygel Lythgoe).

[Beth]

Hey, i'm dreadhead #1364 from Alabama, thanks for the great article. The reason i am such a huge fan of Jason Castro, is because he seems so down to earth, humble, and has been such an inspiration to me, and i love his style of music, and the way he puts so much expression, and emotion when he sings. Jason you are doing great job. You have my vote every week!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Tim L]

I don't get it. In my opinion, Jason Castro is one of the least talented and, frankly, strangest people ever to make this far on American Idol. Why on earth are people continuing to support him when there are clearly more talented people on the show? I am utterly baffled as to why he gets any support whatsoever. He is NOT GOOD. His performance of "Memory" was a total trainwreck, and he should be embarrassed that he didn't know what play it was from.

"His voice brings us peace amidst our hectic days, and he makes us smile with his sincere heart and soul"? Good grief.

[Soba]

How convenient idol does NOT mention his illness during the show. If David Archuleta got sick then there would be a worldwide press release.

His performance was amazing even while being sick. Some contestants were praised for being "human" and restarting their songs yet being sick is not considered human at all.

[Kateri315]

Thank you for the wonderful article....so nice to read positive words of our Daydreaming Boy.....and nice of you to include us Dreadheads and our tireless efforts to keep Jason in there....the Dreadheads support Jason as well as ALL the contestants .....we always open our "doors" to everyone during our Bonfires and PepRally's....our motto applies to more then just American Idol

Spread the Love, No Time for Hate, Jason Castro for Idol in 2008

again....Thank you
DH #3

[Gayla aka letsdovintage]

Thank you so much for the great article on Jason and the dreadhead community. There is always a party going on somewhere in Castroville - but we are serious about our love and support of Jason. Not only is he an incredibly original, greatly talented performer, but also a fantastic individual. There's so much to love about Jason and we are discovering something new each day. Dreadhead #1330, Bus 27

[Kariann1]

Thank you so much for the article and for letting people know the Dreadheads totally support the talented Jason Castro. I am a Grandma to four little ones. The 5 year-old LOVES Jason. #336