An 'Idol' short cut

Last January, in a classic "American Idol" preseason meltdown, the hyper-emotional Josiah Leming was sent home -- which in his case meant his car.

Now, less than a year later, in one of "Idol's"  unlikely turns of fate, the high school dropout who'd left his ailing mother, out-of-work stepfather and eight siblings in Morristown, Tenn., is back, living the high life in Los Angeles and poised to release his first album on Warner Bros. Records.

"I was kind of down and out," said Leming, now 19, over a burger and fries at Canter's Deli in Los Angeles of his decision to audition for "American Idol." "So it was kind of like, 'What the hell?' Nothing to lose, really."

Despite his diminutive stature, baby face and boyish clothing, Leming is magnetic in person, his naked lack of inhibition at once disarming and electrifying. And then there's that inner heartache.

"All of his emotions go into his songs," said Warner Bros. Records' Senior Vice President of A&R Perry Watts-Russell. "He has that gift to turn pain into music."

At first, it seemed as if "American Idol" would become a showcase for his raw talent rather than another lesson in hardship. At his initial audition, he bowled over the judges with a fiercely passionate performance of a self-written song.

Then, at Hollywood Week, his playful rendition of Mika's "Grace Kelly" led the usually unflappable Simon Cowell to announce, "I think out of all the auditions, this is the one I'm gonna remember." Then the golden boy faltered. At the end of Hollywood Week he was unceremoniously dispatched without explanation. To Leming, however, it was very clear.

"The real story is that the producers didn't like me," said Leming, who lived out of his car during his "Idol" experience.  " 'Cause I wanted to do my own songs, and I wanted to have complete control."

And of the show that brought him to the world's notice, he added: "The producers pretty much control everything. You know, it's all kind of rigged, and hands are coming in from places you don't see. You just see the hand. It's a dirty hand. And you don't want to eat the food that that hand touches."

"American Idol" producers declined to comment for this story.

With his "Idol" dreams dashed, Leming crawled back to Tennessee and waited for the auditions to air. "I applied for a job, like, taping boxes for a postal service or something," he recalled.

Certain that "Idol" producers would omit his segments, he settled back into a quiet life at home. But not only were his performances shown on the Hollywood Week episodes, but his many emotional breakdowns became their centerpiece.

"They would show, like, 'After the break, see this random kid cry,' and then after the break, there I am crying," chuckled Leming.

Asked  about the nonstop waterworks, Leming said, "It was a very emotional time in my life, you know? It wasn't exactly all the edit. I was in a rough place in my life as well, so it was a combination of where I was and the way they put it together and the way people took it in."

But whether it was the tears or the tunes, the minute the episode aired, the calls started pouring in:

" 'I'll make you a nice home-cooked dinner,' " he said imitating a Southern belle.

" 'We got an extra room,' " he added in a second voice.

" 'My mom says you can come stay with me!' " he said with another.

He smiled, still visibly touched. "It was so sweet, but people just didn't understand. I wasn't sleeping under a bridge, eating peas out of a can, you know, washing my clothes in the river."

Leming's phone didn't stop ringing, and soon enough Hollywood called as well. Leming's current manager, Dan Spilo, was first in line.  After Leming's shocking ouster, Spilo tracked him down in Tennessee and the pair enjoyed a long phone conversation. Later, when Leming flew to back L.A. for "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," they met in person.

Soon, Spilo landed Leming a recording and publishing deal with Warner Bros. Records, a feat that could make some "Idol" finalists jealous. Leming's music drips with a deep hurt but remains defiantly hopeful.

On his EP, "Angels Undercover," he sings, "I'm a man now / I can drive a car / And I'm a dropout / I'm nobody so far / But I don't mess with cigarettes or alcohol / Cause I'm the best there is / And they tell me all the winners smoke cigars."

Leming has few confidants at the moment. He has yet to make friends in L.A., and his friends back home can't relate. "People see the surface. They see the record deal and the L.A. and the car," he said. "Even my family's view is a little one-dimensional . . . they can't see everything that roots underneath the tree."

With his EP due out Tuesday, an album dropping in January, an apartment five blocks from the beach and two cars, Leming seems to be living a Cinderella story. But life  has taught him not to believe in happily-ever-after.

"Sadness finds you," he said  as he ripped a sliver of onion in half, again and again, until the fragments covered his plate.  "It doesn't matter where you are, or how much money you've got, or how many people know your name. It'll get you one way or another."

Despite his success, Leming feels out of place in Los Angeles. "[L.A.] confuses me," he said. "It's all, like, kinda glitz and glam, and I don't dig it. It's like, it's beautiful on the face, but there's nothing underneath. It's money and greed and sex appeal. And just no core values."

Lysaght is a Times staff writer.

<a href="mailto:stephanie.lysaght@latimes.com">stephanie.lysaght@latimes.com</a>

(Photo by Stephen Osman / Los Angeles Times)

Comments

[rigel]

The young man has been given a second chance at success. He should relax and play the "L.A. game" before the novelty wears off.

[Matt]

what is so shocking about his ouster? he turned in a terrible performance of Stand By Me, was emotionally unstable the night before the performance- why would the producers or the judges be wrong to think that if he couldn't handle audition week, he wouldn't be able to handle the pressure of the weekly LIVE tv show? that said, his performance of Grace Kelly was awesome.

[LaSexorcisto]

"what is so shocking about his ouster? "

Considering some of the non-entities that did make the top 24 (like "Dude who looked like Ellen DeGeneres" and "That one dude with the long hair"), I'd say yea, it was surprising they let him go. Of course we don't have the benefit of seeing every single performance during the auditions in Hollywood so we don't really know what went on and under what circumstances. The producers definitely play favorites and manipulate the way these "stories" unfold.

I actually didn't like Josiah on the show a whole lot but from what I've heard of his new EP, this guy's the real deal. Idol made a big mistake. Good for him.

[Annie]

Good luck, Josiah! Take care of yourself out there... people prey on the lonely.

However, Josiah's Idol outser was no shocker. He's not Idol material and would have been a problematic contestant regardless of wether you believe his rebelious side of the story or the emotional lability that we saw on television. This doesn't detract from his artistic merits, but does indicate that he doesn't work well with people. I'm glad that WB gave him this break.

[WWP]

First let me say I wish this kid well. He's very talented. But I have to agree with others that his ouster was hardly "shocking" nor was he let go "without explanation". I note that it was the writer, Stephanie Lysaght, who makes these comments, not Josiah himself.

But Lysaght's histrionics and hyperbole aside, Josiah choose to go his own path on the AI auditions, which was totally his perogative, of course. But when you refuse to play a game (and IS a game) by its rules, you had better be able to hit one out of the park. And that just didn't happen during the auditions. Hopefully, with this second chance and a better ability to deal with and understand the pressures that will come with this kind of career choice, Josiah will rise to the potential he has as an artist.

[Matt Buguy]

As moving as his story is, something disappointed me about Josiah Leming's words in your recent article about him, "An 'Idol' short cut", in the Oct 28, 2008 LA Times.

On one hand he criticizes people, including his own family, of seeing the one-dimensional surface of his story and his success, and that they "can't see everything that roots underneath the tree". Yet he immediately follows that thought with his take on L.A., saying that "it's beautiful on the face, but there's nothing underneath. It's money and greed and sex appeal. And just no core values." In saying this, he is blatantly guilty of the same thoughtless characterization he is accusing other people of doing when they view him.

Being an L.A. native, I object to his clichéd criticism of this wonderful city. L.A. is a vast canvas that offers up hope and opportunity to millions, providing them a shining, sun-drenched setting where they can create the kind of life and career they want. There are roots all over this city, and the ground is very fertile. I think that Josiah will find that to be true if he just takes the time to get to know L.A., and not just judge it based on his brief experience here so far.

Count your blessings, Mr. Leming, and remember what L.A. has made possible for you. Many of us continue to struggle to achieve the kind of success you have found here. I wish you luck in your career, and hope that you see the irony in your words. We Angelinos will accept your apology when you are ready.

Matt Buguy
Multimedia Artist/Photographer/Musician
Los Angeles

[Chucklehead]

Kids his age continually make mistakes and misrepresent themselves when they speak. I think we were all there, so we should understand. Asking a teenager to remain consistent for a year's stretch, let alone avoid offending anyone, is unrealistic They are teenagers after all, not budding politicos. Josiah is new to this game and is not yet used to the idea that he has to carefully monitor his every word, lest it be analyzed by masses of people desperate to find any flaw.

The bottom line is that Josiah has a truckload of talent and charisma, and his songs are genuinely good. That he hasn't been properly neutered to speak as a politically correct puppet does not concern me in the least. I rather like artists who are occasionally offensive. It tells me that they are still more human than robot.