Q&A: Chris Daughtry

Did you drink a lot?
No, and growing up I was never exposed to drugs. We drank beer, and a couple of my good friends were also friends with Jäger. I tried that a couple of times -- I had my share of going to bed with my head in the toilet. On tour now, it's strictly beer.

Playing your first big shows, it must be hard to come down after a gig.
Yeah. We stay up until about 4 a.m. Four of the five guys on the bus are married with children, so it's a bunch of dudes hanging out. We'll have a few drinks, but last night it was all about Talladega Nights.

Shake and bake!
Yeah, shake and bake [laughs]. The night before, we watched Pantera DVDs until 5 a.m. We realized how rock-star we are not.

Do your late-night conversations ever veer toward renaming the band?
No! We joke about it all the time. People ask, "How'd you come up with that name?" and I say, "It came to me in a dream, and I thought it was a good word. Then I was like, 'Wait, that's my name! It's perfect!' "

What is your favorite lyric?
> One that comes to mind is from the Live song "Lakini's Juice": "I rushed the ladies' room/Took the water from the toilet/Washed her feet and blessed her name." It's bizarre, but it stands out.

Before Idol, you tried out for Rock Star: INXS. What was that like?
When I heard they were coming to Charlotte [North Carolina], I sent them an audition tape of, oddly enough, "Voices Carry," by 'Til Tuesday. They e-mailed me immediately, and I got a private audition -- no waiting in lines. Then I did "Desire," by U2. I don't think the band was digging my style too much.

What was it like having Slash guest on "What I Want"?
I was expecting him coming in too cool for school, not wanting to have anything to do with anybody from American Idol. He was the nicest, most down-to-earth guy -- and he had no top hat -- so I was disappointed from the get-go [laughs]. I could hear him out the door just ripping it. I finally said, "Do you mind if I watch you shred in here?" He was laid-back, asking me, "Do you like that solo?" I was like, "Dude, whatever you think!"

In your liner notes, you also thank Lisa Marie, Priscilla and Elvis Presley. Why all three?
I met Lisa Marie and Priscilla when we went to Graceland [on Idol]. They were so cool to me.

Sorry, I missed that one.
It's OK, you didn't miss much [laughs]. Kidding! Anyway, the night I got kicked off the show, Lisa Marie was the first to call me -- I had to hold the phone about a foot from my face because of all the f-bombs she was dropping. She was really pissed! Priscilla called me ten minutes later and said, "You did Elvis proud." [Daughtry had performed "Suspicious Minds."] As I was thanking both of them for the encouragement, I couldn't leave Elvis out. You've got to thank the King, right?

Do you still wish you'd won? No way.

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