Interview: American Idol winner Lee DeWyze

On Wednesday night, local crooner Lee DeWyze was crowned this year's American Idol. Today, he took a few minutes to talk to media from around the country about his experiences on the show and about what's next. Here are a few highlights from the call, starting with my exchange with him. Plus, read our interview with Idol runner-up and mom Crystal Bowersox our new family-focused blog, Hipsqueak.

I live in Mount Prospect, so I wanted to thank you for making our hometown so much fun for the last couple of months. It’s been crazy.
Thank you. It was amazing coming back. It was really cool.
Did you know moms are walking around in t-shirts that say "Lee DeWyze shook my cans"?
(Laughs) So I’ve heard. I saw some of those shirts and said, OK…they are really running with that [paint salesman] thing.
So, I was at the Arlington Park show and hometown rally, and you seemed really touched. How much did that move you to go back to Hollywood and just win this thing?
You nailed it on the head right there when you said it motivated me. By the time you get to the last three weeks, you are exhausted. There is so much mental stress going on, there’s so much to think about. You want to win. It’s stressful. But going back home and being able to play in front of everybody. That was the most amazing thing. For me, I play to a live audience. I really get into a live audience when I can build a set and play a set. Seeing all those people come out and support me was so huge. That really allowed me to get a good grip on how intense the situation is. They all showed up–you were there—it was just the most surreal experience. It was supposed to be three or four songs and I ended up going nine or ten. It was like how do you not? They were all there for me. I didn’t want to say, "Alright guys have a good  night." They were there for me and they had been supporting me all the way and I wanted to do everything I could for them. Eventually the plug had to be pulled.
It really gave me a sense when I came back that I was doing the right thing. I’m just way more comfortable now. I’m going to be able to do my thing on my stage and really show everybody what I can do without that dome over me. I’m really looking forward to making an album. I’m really looking forward to touring. And if it wasn’t for the people back home I wouldn’t be here, because when I went back home, it was a big thumb’s up from everybody and when I came back I had rejuvenated energy and I was just ready to do it.

What have you missed about Chicago?
The food, man! The food in Chicago is the best. The thing about Chicago I love so much is everybody is trying to do something. There’s so much going on. I’m not a big club scene guy, but I love going down to the city because there’s so many things to do. It’s just amazing. I used to love going to this place called the Pick Me Up Café. It’s just a great little place in the heart of everything. I love that place, man. I used to hang out there with friends a lot.

What Chicago venues would you like to play?
Obviously we’re doing the tour thing, and I’m excited about that, but I’d really like to go back to some of the places I played before. I got to play the House of Blues one New Year's with the Freddy Jones Band and Collective Soul. That was a really cool experience. There are so many good venues in Chicago. Anywhere, really. I’d love to just get back to Chicago and play. It’s such a good music city. So many of the venues have stories behind them. Just to be a part of any of that is really cool. I played the Metro. I enjoyed that a lot.

We know you love Chicago, but are you going to have to move to L.A. to work on all these things you’re talking about?
I think for awhile I’m going to be doing the tour thing and I’ll be recording at the same time. I think I’d like to stay in Chicago but maybe have a place out here as well. I’d like to be able to go back to where my family and friends are, but a lot of the things I'll be doing are out here, so I’ll probably be hanging out here for awhile. But Chicago and Mount Prospect, everybody out there has been so amazing and the fan support is incredible, so I definitely want to remain as close to home as I can. If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t be here, so thanks to them. It’s weird being out here and calling this home right now because I’ve been out there for so long. But I’m definitely going to make the rounds in Chicago as much as I can.

You’ve  talked about a time in your life you weren’t doing that well and you ended up at Forest View, an alternative high school in Arlington Heights. Tell us about that and what sparked you to move on from that.
When I was younger, a big problem for me was finding a sense of direction as to what I wanted to do. I always wanted to be making music. But, at a young age, I didn’t really care too much about the things that were happening right there in that moment. If I could go back, I probably wouldn’t change much in terms of what I wanted to do and how I went about it, but at the same time, when you’re younger, you make decisions you wouldn’t necessarily make when you’re older. Going to the alternative school was cool for me because I got a totally different outlook on life. It made me realize there’s a lot more out there than whatever problem is going on in my life right now. Going to the other school really opened my eyes to that. If it wasn’t for all the experiences I went through, I wouldn’t be here. It’s all about taking risks and putting yourself out there.

What was it like meeting all the past Idol winners at the finale and during the season?

They’ve been really amazing. Adam Lambert was awesome on the show. He is a real genuine guy, he's original, and he has a good attitude about everything, and he says it how it is. He’s real. I like that about him. I got to talk to David Cook a little bit. He was one of the nicest guys I ever met in my life. A lot of them are very genuine people. They all know what it’s like to be on the other side. I got to talk to Kris Allen, Reuben, I actually saw Carrie for a little bit at the Idol party and she was just so supportive and said, "Anything you need, you know, let me know." She’s been awesome. There’s a line you cross when you get to this point and it’s almost like you’ve joined them. And for me, because I won American Idol, it’s amazing, but it’s also a new beginning and a time for me to show what I have and what I can do. And I look to them for inspiration. They have been through the same process and they have been able to make their mark on music the same way I want to make my mark on music.