There's probably no fame-train that moves quicker than the one you board when you get on American Idol. In as little as five months, you go from struggling young artist to one of the most famous human beings in America. I can imagine it being overwhelming (I mean after all, in just under a month I went from unknown comedian to internationally famous TV Squad blogger, and the literally tens of emails I've received since then have swamped my inbox). To get into the finals, much less actually win the contest, must make for a difficult transition into the world of celebrity.

Even harder than that is maintaining the momentum. For every Kelly Clarkson there's a Reuben Studdard, and there's a kind of second contest after the winner is crowned to see what he or she does with his or her newfound fame.

It's with this is mind, I'm sure, that the latest winner of American Idol, Taylor Hicks, is releasing his first album. It's called Taylor Hicks and it's dropping just in time for the holidays (and, one imagines, the never ending string of American Idol promos that run during said holidays). He was gracious enough to sit for a telephone interview with me to talk about the new album, his recent comments concerning the show, and the worst pre-Idol gig he ever had.