‘American Idol’ season two runner-up Clay Aiken was on ‘Larry King Live’ on Saturday (September 3) for their ‘How You Can Help Katrina Victims’ special broadcast. “I guess the thing that has struck me the most are did strike me the most in March when I was in
Indonesia was the amount of hope and resilience and just the attitude of recovery and rebuilding that was
in Indonesia in March,” Aiken said. “And I think that a thing that really is resonating with me is the possibility of that
here, because the American people were without a doubt the most generous they’ve ever been when it
came to the tsunami. And it’s amazing. The American spirit is really amazing. And knowing that that type
of help from the American people helped rebuild areas like Indonesia and Sri Lanka and Thailand, and is
going to be able to do that here as long as people step up and support in whatever way they can.” Read on for a complete transcript.
KING: Joining us from Raleigh, North Carolina, is my buddy, Clay Aiken.
Clay, of course, the multi-platinum recording artist, the 2003 “American
Idol” runner-up. He was raised in North Carolina.
And you work with UNICEF a lot. UNICEF does some work internally, do
they?
CLAY AIKEN, SINGER: No, actually UNICEF, Larry, is an organization that
has a mandate to work outside of the U.S. They work with governments in
developing nations, and they do work on projects and governments with developed
nations as well when they’re asked by the governments. So, they’re not
necessarily focused in the United States.
KING: So, what are you doing with regard to this tragedy?
AIKEN: Well, you know, I think what’s interesting, and obviously I’m
like most Americans have been glued to the television for the last few
days taking a look at the damage and really feeling somewhat helpless,
because I’m not able to be there and help out and to be involved in the
clean-up and the rescue process. But one of the things that’s really struck
me while I’ve been watching TV is the similarities, and it’s hard to draw
a comparison obviously, between this and the tsunami.
But I was in Banda Aceh and Lilbo (ph), Indonesia, in March of this
year. And it’s amazing to look at some of the images on TV this week and
see some very similar sights that I saw in Indonesia.
But I guess the thing that has struck me the most are did strike me
the most in March when I was in Indonesia was the amount of hope and resilience
and just the attitude of recovery and rebuilding that was in Indonesia
in March. And I think that a thing that really is resonating with me is
the possibility of that here, because the American people were without
a doubt the most generous they’ve ever been when it came to the tsunami.
And it’s amazing. The American spirit is really amazing. And knowing that
that type of help from the American people helped rebuild areas like Indonesia
and Sri Lanka and Thailand, and is going to be able to do that here as
long as people step up and support in whatever way they can. Obviously,
monetarily is the most important right now.
KING: Have you given personally?
AIKEN: Absolutely. You know, I think it’s something that I wish I had
the time to do, but monetarily really is the way that people — that’s
needed right now. We obviously have to trust those organizations, like
the Red Cross. Oxfam is an organization that works outside of the U.S.,
similar to UNICEF, but it’s working inside the — is mandated to work inside
America as well. Oxfammaerica.org, you can go to for that.
But those organizations are the ones that we really have to trust to
be able to do the work. I’ve seen the work that UNICEF does elsewhere.
And I know that other organizations that work in the United States are
able to do that same type of amazing work that UNICEF does, yet do it here.
And so, I think the best thing to do outside of sending — instead of
sending, you know, nonperishable food and clothes right now, we have to
be able to trust these people with our money…
KING: Yes.
AIKEN: … and donate to that cause that way.
KING: Thank you, Clay Aiken, as always.
AIKEN: Thank you very much, Larry.