American Idol: Waiting On Amanda Overmyer
By Rob Lewis
May 2, 2008

Amanda Overmyer, Indiana's motorcycle-riding "rock & roll nurse," had just been given the news by Ryan Seacrest: she would be leaving American Idol. Loud booing and vitriolic shouts of objection filled the auditorium. Some of the Idol finalists cried, while others looked on in open-mouthed shock.

American Idol: Waiting On Amanda Overmyer (Fox)

Amanda, however, seemed the least fazed of anyone, looking about as upset as someone who had just been told her annual subscription to the morning newspaper had gone up up fifty cents.

She nodded, smiled at her supportive audience and performed her final rendition of The Beatles' "Back In The U.S.S.R." She got a group hug from the ten singers that would now go on tour without her. Then Amanda left the Idol stage.

On American Idol, this is where the story usually ends, especially for a "number eleven." But not so for Ms. Overmyer.

More than a month after her Idol exit, photographers still follow her through airports, autograph seekers approach her as she travels in public, TMZ airs reports on her, and she's lining up gigs on a regular basis.

What is it, then, about Amanda Overmyer that America has discovered, and isn't willing to let go of?

She is a welcome anachronism to many - an attractive, strong female that belts out rock. From her lifelong inspiration Janis Joplin, to Grace Slick, to Stevie Nicks, Pat Benatar and Joan Jett, Overmyer is next in line to fill those shoes that have sat empty for too long. (The most ironic thing about Amanda's run coming to an end after the two Beatles' weeks was that she was probably the only singer of the eleven qualified enough to perform their music.)

Simply put, adults that love to "rock out" are waiting for much more from Amanda Overmyer. And it's the platinum 18-49 demographic that is most intrigued with her (versus the 'Hannah Montana'-loving tweens that have comandeered the last two seasons of American Idol).

We relate to her, her attitude, her Elvis Presley smart-ass smirks and Keith Richards shrugs of indifference. After being spoon-fed a near decade-long media diet of Paris, Nicole, Lindsay and Britney, Amanda is, as Simon Cowell declared, "a breath of fresh air."

Something else she has going for her: Overmyer is as indisputably American as Norman Rockwell paintings and Fourth of July parades. She is a working woman from the midwestern United States, a take-no-guff chick with a sense of humor. She doesn't complain, speaks with economy and sings gritty, bluesy rock & roll. It doesn't get more American than that, and fans are responding.

She has been busy, non-stop, since Idol, performing and making appearances across the U.S. in Los Angeles, New York and her home state of Indiana. She is set to perform on the venerable and storied stage of West Hollywood's Whisky a Go Go on Saturday, May 24th, what will undoubtedly be the hottest ticket in town that night. There has been a steady, month-long report out of L.A. that she is in serious discussions to portray legend Joplin in an upcoming movie about the Whisky.

The notorious votefortheworst.com, universally reviled by Idol-lovers worldwide, has become a satellite fan club of sorts for Amanda. Though the site urged people to vote for Overmyer as a protestation of the show, the effort was always friendly toward the singer. The majority of bloggers on the site admitted to being earnest fans of Overmyer's, giving her the nickname "chile," which she ultimately embraced in good humor.

If you're a fan of Amanda's, don't ever feel badly for her because of her Idol departure. Did you really want her to have to sing Mariah Carey songs? Or dress up in a glittery suit and top hat, grinning with horror as she danced through Up-with-People-esque routines during the AI tour? Neither did she. (Besides, the Idol tour is much more suited to the likes of David Archuleta and Brooke White, and not to someone who knows how much cash it takes to fill the gas tank of a Harley Davidson.)

Amanda will be appearing at San Bernardino, California's Berdoo Bikes and Blues Rendezvous, one of the largest motorcycle-and-music festivals in the country, on May 2nd and 3rd. Then other appearances and interviews, then the historic gig at the Whisky. And while her fellow Idol finalists are dancing and harmonizing the summer away to songs from Cats, Amanda could well be portraying her idol, Janis Joplin, on film.

So get yourself a really good agent, Amanda. Then make that rock album we all want to hear. Hopefully, we will see you on tour soon. But hurry - we've been waiting for you more than twenty years.