While looking for other stuff I found this...it's old but enjoyable

INTERVIEW
PeopleTalk: John Stevens
By JANE KWIATKOWSKI

6/6/2004

John Stevens IV. Now that's a name that commands attention - not only in Western New York, but across the country. Ever since his string of appearances on "American Idol," the smooth one from East Amherst has purred his way into the hearts of a nation. And it's not over. This summer - just about the time he turns 17 - the singer with the infrared hair goes on tour with the other idols. After that? He'll finish high school.

PT: How old were you when your voice changed?

JS: Ninth grade. I was a tenor, so I couldn't hit the low notes, and then the low notes started to get lower and lower, and my voice got more smooth, and I hit this whole Frank Sinatra thing.


PT: You are smooth. Where does it come from?

JS: I don't think I got it from anyone in my family. We're all pretty different. I think it's what I liked. I watched movies all the time. It's the whole Rat Pack thing. I idolized them, and from them I got this style.


PT: Does music soothe your soul?

JC: Yes. It expresses how I feel.


PT: Could you see yourself living in L.A.?

JS: No. That city's just too plastic for me. Everything is so perfect - and the weather. I need my four seasons. I need Buffalo weather. Buffalo is my kind of town.


PT: Who is the nicest person you have met in this whole process?

JS: (Canadian singer) Michael Buble. He was on "The Wayne Brady Show", and "The Wayne Brady Show" shares the studio with "American Idol," so we had all his stars right across the hall from us. So I got to meet him, and that was amazing, meeting another crooner. He's 27. He gave me his phone number. He wants to do something in the future with me.


PT: What do you think about the William Hung phenomenon?

JS: How do I say this? Interesting. It's kind of funny. He's not a good singer, and he got a recording contract. And I think his CD is out there basically to mock him. Someone gave it to me. He absolutely loves the music industry, and in the words of Randy Jackson, you have to give him props for it.


PT: When you first tried out, how many people were ahead of you in line?

JS: There were 11,000 people in line, and I was probably in the first 2,000. Everyone was just sitting there singing to themselves. I was one of the few who was not singing. We had sleeping bags and chairs and mattresses. From noon Saturday. And they started moving people in Sunday and auditioning Monday.


PT: What happened when you made the first cut?

JS: Sweaty palms. It's a rush of panic, anxiousness, anxiety - the whole shebang. Your heart stops beating. And that moment is the greatest feeling you'll ever feel. And the worst moment, at the same time. You have everything rushing to your head. You have words to worry about but yet you don't care because it's so great. And when you sing, it makes everything go away.


PT: Did you cry when America voted you out?

JS: If I remember correctly, I did cry but only because other people were crying. When they were doing the goodbye package, and my grandparents were shown, that's when the tears jumped out.


PT: Can you vote for yourself?

JS: Yes. Everyone did except me. I refused to vote for myself.


PT: What is the last song you'll ever sing?

JS: I would hope that it's "My Way."


PT: What I meant was, what song will you never sing?

JS: Oh. Probably something like rap, or rhythm and blues. The genre is off-limits to me.


PT: What's the last CD you bought?

JS: Frank Sinatra's "Where Are You?"


PT: Do you get paid for "American Idol"?

JS: We get paid for each show we do, based on the amount of time we were on air. And they give us money for our clothes and food and stuff.


PT: Did anyone suggest a makeover?

JS: They tried to do the hair. Originally, it was more slicked over, and a little bit longer. They updated it.


PT: Do you think "American Idol" has run its course?

JS: I think it did what it was supposed to do. It's found entertainers. I think it has entertained millions of people, and it's done its job on television. I think some of the twists have made people mad with the show. The controversy has made the show less appealing, but I think it will continue.


PT: Would you do it again?

JS: I can't. But it changed my life forever. With the knowledge I have now, I would probably do it again.


PT: If not entertainment, what?

JS: Probably teaching. Get my master's in music. That's my back-up.


PT: What have you gained?

JS: Insight into the music industry. I got to see every detail, everything that happens in the music industry. I got to work in a recording studio. I basically have a doctorate in the music industry. I've got knowledge that I will keep with me for the rest of my life.


PT: What's your next step?

JS: I have a tour this summer. I would like to go to the Berklee College of Music in Boston. And sometime in the future, I would like a record deal or movie part.

http://buffalonews.com/editorial/20040606/1019829.asp

When John came on at IDF with Jessica typing his replies

http://idolforums.com/index.php?showtopic=148571&st=20