I've tried. I really have. It's futile.

Mere words cannot express how much I dislike this new look. So, I definitely have a bias, but I think still objective enough to think this image makeover - and it's much more than a new hairdo, isn't it? - it's a major mistake in marketing.

Image is part of the deal, part of what sells the product. It communicates who you are and who you want to be as an artist and a person. People develop feelings about it, whether it's a true reflection of who you are or not, but it's certainly easier to sustain if it is.

For three years, Clay has cultivated an image. Was it not who he is? The quirky, geeky-chic guy who loves his God and his Mom and whose layers of shirts matched his proclaimation that he'd never encourage people to see him as a sex symbol.

It's true. Sometimes images need updating. But, there is a spectrum along which an image can be refreshed while remaining consistent with the past.

This guy? This isn't credibly Clay. Many fans will look at the cover of ATDW and no longer feel that they know this guy. They'll think, "Ah, they changed him, even though he said they never would." They won't feel the same buying this guy's CD, no matter how much they might like his voice, because they won't feel they know him anymore. It's just the way people are.

True. Lots of fans and other people love the new look. But, it's obvious many do not and for others, it will be disconcerting, offputting, unsettling. Is this intended? I doubt it. Not for this ablum.

So, it seems a decision made without thought, without proper consultation, without consideration of the big picture, without recognition that the image is the packaging and the packaging matters. It matters a great deal.

One question I will ask Clay when I win the Clay and a vial truth serum contest: Who are you?