Local songster Keith Macpherson has his priorities straight. First, he's going to make it into Canadian Idol's Top-3 -- no further. Second, he's coming back to celebrate with the 'Peg over suds. Third, he's going to replace the $100,000 worth of equipment Philadelphia bandits ganked from outside the hotel he and Renee Lamoureux (aka indie pop duo Easily Amused) were staying at after a May tour date. And finally, he'll milk the duo's newfound fame, courtesy of CTV.
"Vote for me until I get to the Top-3, then I'll come back and buy everyone a beer," deadpans the charismatic 27-year-old Idol contender, set to perform against 10 other Top-22 males in tonight's live episode of Canadian Idol.
Macpherson says he and Lamoureux -- who've been making tunes together for 10 years -- auditioned in the "glorified karaoke contest" as a joke while killing time before a Toronto gig in April. Lamoureux didn't make it through ("maybe they reached their quota on girls") and Macpherson made the semi-finals, but says Lamoureux isn't upset about her loss since she'll still be reaping the benefits of his Idol success.
"This Idol thing's been really cool for exposure," he says, adding fellow indie talent might not approve. "I admitted to my hometown that this is definitely a huge sellout move coming from the indie world. But at the same time, from an indie perspective, I think this is definitely a huge marketing tool and has the opportunity to become really substantial to an artist.
"There's so many people driven by fame and being well known. Doing this for so long, I know there is a fine line. For me, I personally in the long run want to have a long term career. Regardless of what happens I'm going to keep writing songs and making records and touring."
But hey, the publicity might earn Easily Amused enough bucks to restock their stolen van and trailer. Either that or they'll make The Sopranos pay for it.
"We thought maybe The Sopranos stole our gear," says Macpherson, who saw several cast members of the mafia crime show dining in a cafe while cruising for suspects with the PPD the day after the theft.
"I drove around in the back of a Philadelphia cop car looking for a stolen van. I looked like a Philly convict from Canada."
Macpherson pipes up on Canadian Idol's 90-minute males-only performance episode tonight on CTV Ch. 5. The 11 Top-22 females ham it up tomorrow, and the viewer voting results of both episodes will be unveiled on a half-hour episode Wednesday. The process continues each week until July 12, when the Top-10 is announced.
