{News: An Idol’s pursuit: Chris Daughtry strives for rocker credibility }

Source: popmatters.com

How do you tell a real rock star from a flash-in-the-pan pop idol?

Chris Daughtry is on the road to find out. “American Idol” made Daughtry famous, and now he’s got a platinum record to his name and he’s taking his new band on a concert tour.

But is it enough? Daughtry longs to make his long-term mark, following in the footsteps of rock bands such as Candlebox and Alice in Chains. To do that, he needs to step away from “Idol’s” stage and establish himself and his music in the hearts, minds and MP3 players of a nation of sometimes-fickle fans.

“We’ve definitely got a strong mainstream pop audience, but at the same time, there’s dudes out in the audience with tattoos,” Daughtry said in a phone interview from Tempe, Ariz., just before sound check for a show there.

The important thing, Daughtry said, is that the fans who love the music and the bands he looks up to - including Shinedown and Three Doors Down - appreciate what he’s doing.

“That was kind of a fear - of not being taken seriously from bands like that” because of “American Idol,” Daughtry said.

Daughtry’s always had the look - the shaved head, the goatee, the intense stage presence. But other Idols have gone idle as often as they’ve hit the big time.

“American Idol” executive producer Nigel Lythgoe said the hugely popular show gives its contestants a platform. It’s up to them how they use it.

“You don’t have to pay any money to enjoy the television show, or to vote, or anything else,” Lythgoe said. “The minute that they become the Idol, or come out of the television show, you’re then asking the public to put their hand in their pocket and buy records, DVDs or whatever. At that point you have to have something unique for your audience.”

Daughtry stood out from the get-go in Season 5 as the token rocker on the pop-heavy show. But so what? “Idol” has toyed with rockers before. Constantine Maroulis and Bo Bice brought bad-boy charm to the show but couldn’t tear up the charts on their own. Daughtry’s steely charisma, though, seems to set him apart.

“I think he’s an all-out superstar,” said John Foxx, the program director and afternoon DJ at KKMG-FM in Colorado Springs. “He was so amazing onstage, I was blown away by him.”

Not everyone is onboard the Daughtry bus, though. Ross Ford, program director and morning guy at local rock shop KILO-FM thinks Daughtry will be lucky to be playing Vegas in a couple of years.

“We gave (Daughtry’s single) a few spins when it came out, and I’ll tell you, it was not well-received by the KILO nation,” Ford said. “I think it’s credibility. He’s a pop guy at this point. I don’t think there’s anything that can save yourself after that.

“I’ve never seen anyone cross over to the dark side.”

If people playing the music on the radio can’t agree, perhaps we can take a more methodical approach to weighing Daughtry’s worthiness to rise to the rank of rock star:

Question No. 1: Do you wear black leather pants in public?

Daughtry - Yes!

It’s a fashion rule as old as Mick Jagger himself: People who wear leather pants in public had better be supermodels or rock gods.

“I had to learn to go with real leather,” Daughtry said. “The first pair of fake leather pants I got were quite ... fitted. I squatted down to do a rock-star pose and ripped them right in the back.”

Question No. 2: Are you part of a band? Do the members play instruments? Does the group have a choreographer?

Daughtry - Yes! Yes! No!

From the Rolling Stones to Nirvana to Nickelback, rock music glorifies the group. The frontman is always the star, but the music is hollow unless the wailing guitars and pounding drums get equal billing with the vocals.

Maybe Daughtry learned something from Maroulis and Bice. Maybe he just knew. But the first thing he did after finishing his album was to get a band together, even if the band’s name is DAUGHTRY - all caps, no confusion.

“I never wanted to be a solo guy,” Daughtry said. “These guys are like my brothers. That was important: To find guys that you can really relate to on the road.”

Question No. 3: Do you sing like someone is sticking a knife in your spine?

Daughtry - Yes!

Think Chris Cornell of, first, Soundgarden and now Audioslave. He always sings as if someone were strangling a puppy in the front row.

On “Idol,” Daughtry made songs from Stevie Wonder and Elvis Presley sound mosh-pit ready. Onstage, he stares down the audience as if they’re reaching for his wallet.

“Songs to me are very serious,” Daughtry said. “That’s my outlet for emotions and intensity. I think people feel the emotion and they feel the sincerity there.”

Question No. 4: Do you spend more time with your drummer than you do with your wife?

Daughtry - Yes!

After his unexpected boot from “Idol” last spring launched a thousand conspiracy theories, Daughtry spent the summer with the “Idol” tour, then spent a few months in the studio working on his album - titled “Daughtry,” like the man and the band - and then putting together the group.

The band’s current tour will play 53 cities in 82 days, and Daughtry hopes to be back on the road in the summer or fall.

“They’re very used to it now,” Daughtry said of his wife, Deanna, and two children. “When summer hits and hopefully we’re doing bigger shows, hopefully I’ll have a bigger bus for me and my family.”

So does Daughtry meet the challenge? The quiz results say yes. Rock radio may have mixed emotions about embracing him, but his bona fides point to a healthy career in music long after other Idols have fallen by the wayside.