Jason's final words on Idol

Jason Castro's post-show comments from a teleconference Thursday:

On forgetting lyrics: I definitely did not do that on purpose. I couldn’t believe I forgot such a popular line, something that’s like written on your soul. Somehow, it slipped my mind. But I definitely didn’t do that on purpose.

Wanting to go home?:Yesterday, I wanted to win, and the day before. And it’s just – I think what came – what it came down to is just my inexperience. And I just - once we doubled up on songs, I wasn’t really being able to focus. And both my songs were just – my mind was just split, and I just couldn’t deliver either/or, and so I think that’s what it came down to.

This Texan says he loves country. Who knew?: I’ve listened to a lot of Texas country and just being around there, and I don’t know, the likes of Pat Green and stuff. I’m just a big country fan, kind of, and I just love the heart behind it.

Why Idol's so hard (to which I'd say, "Why did you go on it, then?"):  It goes back to – I started playing guitar at my freshman year of college and singing shortly thereafter. And while I was learning, I was teaching myself, and so I would learn songs, but I would never learn them all the way through. So I’d never even learned a song all the way through, and now trying to learn two in a week has just been tough.

His temperment: I’m not always so calm. I am kind of goofy. I think that a lot of people don’t see my hyperness sometimes. I still have fun, but I am pretty relaxed about everything.

Singing two songs is, like, really hard, dude!: I was just feeling me losing that power just because I couldn’t connect with the songs with like the given time, and I really had a hard time when we picked it up to two songs. I just – like I wasn’t committing to either one, and I couldn’t – I just couldn’t connect with them. I couldn’t fall in love with it. You need time for that.

Conspiracy theorists say that Jason mouthed the words "Don't vote" on camera because he wanted to go home. After all, he told EW he was ready to go home: I was saying, “Vote.” And then I said it again because I was kind of trying to emphasize that but nobody heard me, and I remember going and sitting down and thinking about it, and that they kind of have the same syllables, and it’s going to look like, “Don’t vote.” That went through my mind, and I was like, “Dang it.” And I consciously, the second time, I only said vote once, and they were doing the numbers because I thought of that.

On Simon's harshness those last two weeks: That night, I was having fun with my songs. He could say whatever he wanted, and I was confident what I was doing. I had nothing to be ashamed of, and so if you didn’t like it, fine. If it wasn’t what we needed for the competition, OK. And – but, usually – like sometimes, it affects, like if I wasn’t prepared for a song, and I feel like that, like going on stage, and I’m feeling like it’s not the best it could be, and then they say that too, it’s kind of reaffirming my thought. But still, it’s just another day, and it’s just a song. People see past that, and I see past it.

Carly Simon called Brooke White. Dolly Parton called Michael Johns. Our Lady Peace called David Cook. As for Jason, no celebrity endorsements. How could this be?!: Actually, nothing about wanting to work with me, but Chris Sligh [Idol VI finalist] called me the other day. He was apparently hanging out with one of my friends that’s a guitarist who’s doing some studio work in Nashville, and they were hanging out. And I came up in conversation, and he gave him my number, and he was just extending friendship. And I haven’t called him back yet ...

The Cats debacle: I’ve heard of the show, but I didn’t really – by the time I sang [Memory] in front of Andrew Lloyd Webber, of course I knew he was a cat, but when I first heard the song, I didn’t even know it was from Cats. I just heard the song, and I don’t know; I was just trying to find a good song.

A sense of relief to be cut?: [Beyond MY relief, that is:]Yes.  I – yes, I’ve been telling people I was as happy last night as I was when I found out I made the top 24. This whole time, I’ve had a blast, and I was trying, but it’s just really been hard. And that night, I remember before we found out the results, I was just thinking, I was really starting to fear the week ahead, if I made it. How am I going to do three songs? I can’t even do two right, and with the hometown visit, it was just going to be a lot of work, even though it would have been so much fun. I was just freaking out about it, and so that was all building up, and so I was kind of – I was ready to go either way, whatever they gave me. When they gave me that, I just – my natural reaction, I just really felt relieved, like the pressure was off. I loved my time on there, and I would have liked to go farther, but I don’t think I could handle it, so I’m content.

Jason's thoughts on Paula reviewing his second song before he sang it:Well, that was kind of funny. I was just kind of confused, like what’s going on? The second song, mean David, or what does that mean? But I don’t know. It was an honest mistake, and I don’t think it really affected my next performance, but, yes.

Comments

[can't fight this feeling anymore]

Wow. He is like, so intelligent and well-spoken. A genius!

Wait, did I say genius? I meant inarticulate boob.