Constantine Talks AI, the ’80s, and Rock of Ages!

americanidol.com had the opportunity to chat with Constantine Maroulis regarding the Off-Broadway play Rock of Ages, and he was nothing if not enthusiastic about his role in the unique production.  Constantine plays Drew, an ambitious young rocker who's chasing the dream of becoming a big rock star, a role he says he can relate to even more so than the perception that people seem to have of him.  Constantine admits that he was a tad awkward growing up--not necessarily your stereotypical nerd, but he fell "somewhere right in the middle."  But one thing he's always had is the drive to make it in the business.  The best part about the play, according to Constantine, is that the stellar cast and crew get to perform songs from the '80s, as that is when the scene is set.  Having grown up in that era, Constantine couldn’t be more thrilled to sing songs by the likes of Journey, Bon Jovi, Styx, and many more, calling the songs by these bands very "hooky!"  He admits that he and his fellow actors pinch themselves daily, as they can't believe they get to perform such fun, amazing numbers. While Constantine is definitely feeling fortunate to be a part of a production that he refers to as "quite a blast," he admits that life isn't exactly glamorous for the Off-Broadway actors.  He joked with us that it can even be a bit humbling, as they all share a single dressing room!  This is also the first time that Constantine has helped to create a role from the ground up as opposed to coming in as a replacement and, although it's extremely rewarding, the hours can be grueling.  Toward the end of rehearsals, he was logging 14-hour days, as the play has close to 2,000 cues for the crew to learn!  To boot, he is doing eight shows a week and, while it's not easy, he calls it "quite a ride!"  He also says that his previous productions have prepared him well for the taxing schedule, and that he is "so blessed to have the most talented and coolest cast in New York" surrounding him. Constantine says that the writer, producers, and crew alike have definitely "embraced the over-the-top nature of the '80s," and because that era is inherently kitschy, it's not surprising that the crowd has embraced it as well.  Although Constantine says that the reaction to the play seems to differ from west coast to east coast, the common denominator is that people love to get involved.  Although it wasn't a planned thing, audience members just started singing along with the production at some point, and now many of them even arm themselves with Rock of Ages lighters!  When looking out at the audience, Constantine says "It's really quite moving!" Although Constantine says he wants to put a heavy focus on his music career moving forward, he will never be one to stick to only one thing.  He likes to have a hand in a lot of different arenas to keep things exciting.  He learned a lot from releasing his first album under his own label, Sixth Place Records, and he says that he is glad that the music industry seems to favor the artist these days.  However, he would love to take on more partners this time and receive help from "a lot of the young and aggressive people" in the industry.  He also wants to focus on the songwriting aspects while coming up with big hooks to make it a commercial success. Constantine would love to return to the Idol stage to perform at some point, and he admits that perhaps the biggest regret he has about his AI experience is that the judges didn't see him as a recording artist as much as they thought he was an entertainer.  He also wishes he was perhaps a bit less timid in his song choices when on the show.  When all is said and done, however, he said he's glad things went the way that they did that year, and he almost wishes he could go through it again because it was so much fun!  When asked what season he thinks has yielded the most talent, he admits that it might sound biased, but he is most impressed with season four, as he calls it a "pioneering" year.  He goes on to call it the "most significant" because it was the first year that they allowed older contestants, and it was also the beginning of the digital age.  With the live band and the show getting a little bit more experimental while still maintaining its recipe for success, he thinks that season four opened up more opportunities for the following seasons. We sat down with Constantine just before the release of his first album--watch the video now!