Thu. September 06.2007 11:28 AM EDT
Elliott Yamin: The User's Guide
This American Idol singer might have come in third place, but he's the reigning king of our Top 20 Countdown.
by Lauren Harris
(Sony)
It's not often that the caustic Simon Cowell tells someone that they're "potentially the best male vocalist" that's ever appeared on American Idol. Typically, his remarks run more towards the "You should be ashamed of yourself" variety. But Cowell deigned to compliment third-place runner-up Elliott Yamin, and it turns out Simon was confirming what millions of Americans already knew: the singer is the real deal. Since leaving the show, Yamin's self-titled debut made a big dent on the charts and spawned three monster singles. We caught up with the transplanted Virginian who loves Whitney, pastrami, and...Tiger Beat?
Name: Efraym Elliott Yamin
Born: July 20, 1978.
Biggest thrill as a child: My biggest thrill as a child was singing in front of people, even though I'd get really nervous. I'd sing in my room by myself, to the radio.
Nickname as a kid: People would call me E, or El. That's about it. Or Dub. My first two names begin with E.
Did you sit at the back or front of the class? I was a back of the class cat. The only time I was up front was when I got in trouble and was told to sit up front. I really wasn't interested in school.
First record bought: I think the first record I bought was Whitney Houston's debut album. I remember buying that on vinyl and playing it on my Fisher-Price record player at home.
First gig attended: The first true concert I attended was at my synagogue in L.A. It was Hebrew singing and American singing. They were a big group from Israel. My mother knew the director of the production, and it was my first true concert, where I actually saw people performing and singing on stage.
Describe your first date: I think my first true date, where I was by myself with a girl, was with Jennifer Black. I was in the sixth grade, and we went to see Joe Versus the Volcano. I was definitely sweet on her, but we didn't take it any further than Joe Versus the Volcano.
Last book read: I don't really read too many books. I read the paper and magazines -- I read Sports Illustrated and ESPN, Time and People sometimes. I don't read trash magazines. I read a lot of stuff online. I do most of my reading on my computer.
Last movie seen: Shooter. We watched it on the bus. It was pretty good. I liked it.
Favorite sandwich: I really like pastrami and Swiss on rye. Hot mustard, and maybe a little mayo. Sometimes onions. I'm a big onion guy.
Favorite item of clothing: I'm starting to get into jeans. Decent, really overly-priced, expensive jeans. Before I tried out for Idol, I spent 70 bucks on a pair of jeans, and it broke my bank. I couldn't believe it. But now that I've gotten into the business, and I've gotten some free pairs of jeans, and paid for some, it's amazing how expensive they can be. Jeans are my current clothing thing.
Have you ever been star struck? Oh yeah, absolutely. Stevie Wonder. He star struck me. I've met a lot of celebrities -- most of whom I'm myself around. Let's see, I talk to Zach Braff every now and again. [Arizona Cardinals' Quarterback] Matt Leinhardt -- we talk quite a bit.
Previous jobs: I was a Shoney's Bear for Shoney's Restaurant. I worked for a truck scale company -- at a weigh station where rigs get weighed. I've worked as a short order cook, a dishwasher. I've waited tables, bartended. I worked at Foot Locker for six years. I sold sneakers and was a manager at the end. Favorite time of day: The evening. I'm a nocturnal person. I'm not a morning person, I'll never succumb to being a morning person. There are times in my schedule when I have to get up early on a day-to-day basis, which I absolutely dread. I think a lot of musicians in this business are nocturnal.
Hanging on your bedroom wall? Posters that I ripped out of Tiger Beat? I'm just kidding. I have a really cool picture that was painted by this artist from Richmond, Virginia of the James River, which runs through downtown Richmond. I've got that on my wall to remind me of home. I have pictures everywhere of family and friends.
Ideal vacation: My ideal vacation is just being away from civilization. I haven't had too many real vacations in my life. A couple months ago I got to go to Mexico and we stayed at this secluded place on the beach. It was a hotel, but it only had six rooms. They cook you three squares a day, and all you do is lay by the pool, right on the ocean, and nobody was there to bug me.
Hobbies: I'm a big sports nut. I like to play and exercise. I like to go to professional sporting events. That's one of the perks that this business has afforded me.
What's something that surprises people about you? I wear an insulin pump. I depend on insulin to live.
What swear word do you use too much? Probably the f-word. I drop f-bombs every now and again. I don't walk around cursing all the time, but that's the most frequently used curse word in my vocabulary.
If you could be any character from history or literature? I'm pretty happy with who I am. So I'd be me.
http://www.vh1.com/artists/interview/1568984/20070906/yamin__elliott.jhtml
Subject: Elliott Yamin: The User's Guide 
September 6th 2007, 9:06 pm
