An Interview with American Idol Contestant Sean Michel

Who is Sean Michel? Well, you will probably remember him as the Jesus look-alike who auditioned for American Idol in Memphis singing "God's Gonna Cut You Down," by Johnny Cash. He's also a really interesting guy with a great heart.

I talked to Sean Michel last week and found out that there's much more to him than long hair and a great voice. Sean, who works as a caregiver with the physically disabled, is quite the musician. He is the front man of a band bearing his name, and based on the few tracks I listened to, their demo album "Sketches" is an incredible work of art.

Interestingly enough, Sean had never even watched American Idol before he auditioned. "It was kind of a joke, actually, going to the try out. It was kind of a last minute deal, and it became a little bit more serious."

Sean Michel's band mates have been very supportive of his American Idol pursuits, and I can see why. Even just the short audition clip that aired last week has already brought the band a lot of attention. Sean and the band's bass player, Nick, were invited to a local radio station last week, and they have also doubled the number of friends on their Myspace Music page. Sean has been fairly humble about the American Idol publicity, and has no plans of ditching his band. "God might want to use this somehow, maybe to help the band. If anything ever happens, it's only to help the band do what God has called us to do as musicians. We are trying to keep a straight head about that."

Sean proved that American Idol is definitely not just about the pop look, as he walked into the audition proclaiming that people say he looks like Osama Bin Laden, or Fidel Castro, or Jesus, or a homeless person. One of the few great rockers so far this season, Sean nailed his audition and was pushed on to Hollywood week, where we will get to watch him continue to rock.

Sean feels that it was a combination of his look and his voice that helped him get through to Hollywood. "They're looking for pop idols and I think I freaked them out a little bit," commented Sean, "I'm sure it's my voice more than anything, and then the way I look was kind of a shock factor for them."

As for that original look, "they haven't mentioned anything Sean remarked, "I think it's really sad when they try to turn you into something, and you have to fit that mold."

To be honest, Sean seems pretty tired of talking about the way he looks. A true class act, Sean knows that it's not about what's on the outside. "In the past few days, people have been making a lot of buzz about the way I look and stuff, and it's kind of ridiculous. I'm not mad about it or anything; I think it's kind of funny, but at the same time it's just something for people to talk about for few days until it fizzles down."

While many will note Sean's unique look, to Sean it was important to mention how no one is really unique. "We all look different on the outside, but inside we all struggle with the same stuff. Everybody pretty much gets tried of themselves and tired of people around them. We're all pretty messed up on the inside, and we're trying to cover it up with courteous smiles, the way we dress, the way we look. A lot of us are trying to act like we have our acts together, but really we don't. The only thing unique about us is how much God loves us despite who we are."

In fact, for Sean Michel, the best part of the American Idol experience has been getting to know the other contestants, and seeing what God has done in their lives. According to Sean, the American Idol auditions are "like summer camp. You're with these people all the time, 24/7, hanging out, and you become really close friends, just like that."

As much as he enjoyed the people, it seems that Sean has experienced some frustration with the show's musical directions. He wished that they could, "just trust the fact that what's in my heart will be good enough. You've got to trust the artist as an artist." He also found some difficulty in "getting used to what life is like in front of cameras. I can't stand t.v. cameras."

Considering that Hollywood week has already happened, which we at home have not yet seen, I would say that Sean Michel has a good chance of making it to the finals, where he would definitely have my American Idol vote each week. Either way, I have no doubt that Sean Michel and his band have a great future ahead of them.