AL: I didn’t know what it was going to be. I didn’t know what the bus was going to be like, and it’s surprisingly comfortable. I didn’t think I was going to be able to sleep and I can actually fall asleep on that thing. It’s like being rocked to sleep like a baby. It’s just a lot. It takes a lot of energy, and it’s not just the actual getting on stage and doing your set. That’s not the most tiring part. It’s the interviews and the meets and greets — we do one before the show and one after the show. I always try to sign autographs after the show for all the fans. And I want to do all that. It’s just — it takes a lot of energy.

SFBG: You probably got the most amount of attention out of anyone while the show was on, and you’ve cultivated a fairly distinct image. Do you feel pressure to keep that up now that the show’s over?
AL: No, not pressure. I mean, I guess now I’m feeling that there is an expectation for this album that I’m working on that’s coming. I feel that looming in the distance, but I’m also really excited about it. I think I’ve been given this opportunity to kind of do something a little different, but the expectation’s high. So I’m just trying to deliver a good product.

SFBG: I mean, not to single you out. It’s just that you were clearly the contestant the tabloids found the most interesting. Is that hard, the gossip blogs and the like? You’re pretty open, but…
AL: Yeah, I’m really open. I think after the show ended, there was a little window of time where it was a little intense and kind of freaked me out a little bit. Like, I kind of stayed in my hotel a lot. I didn’t leave. I was very reclusive for about a week or two, and then I was over it. It just takes a minute to get used to. I mean, no one can really prepare you for all that focus, you know, that’s put on you. Going to the doctor’s office and leaving and getting ambushed by about 14 paparazzi, is not something that anyone is really prepared for, I don’t think. So, you know, it just takes a moment to adjust.

SFBG: And you’re from LA originally, right?
AL: Yeah, and that’s helped, too. Because seeing it from the sidelines — because I’ve seen it, I’ve just never been the subject of it. And I’ve been around the culture. I have friends that are celebrities. I have hung out with people that have been at that focus of paparazzi, leaving a club and having cameras fly out. I’ve seen it. It’s just never been about me.

SFBG: Yeah, I grew up in LA myself. I think it’s definitely a different culture there, because seeing celebrities is more expected. There’s less of a mob mentality.
AL: Yeah, it’s doesn’t get as like, “Oh my God!” Yeah.

SFBG: But being on the road, going to all these different places, it probably gets a bit…
AL: Yeah. And the other thing that’s interesting being on Idol, it’s different than a lot of other celebrity situations because people call in and vote. So people are more invested, in a way, because they’re responsible for how you do on the show. So I think there’s also a feeling of gratitude that I want to get across. And then there’s also this partial ownership, this possessiveness that the fans feel toward all of us, and that’s interesting.

SFBG: Just to touch briefly on the coming out in Rolling Stone. When you’re a celebrity and you come out, there’s kind of this expectation that you’re going to be a gay artist or a gay role model. How do you balance that with focusing on the music?
AL: You know that’s really interesting, because that has been kind of a conflict for me. I don’t really—the way I live my life is not defined by being gay. That’s just my sexuality, you know what I mean? I have interests that are outside the gay community and outside of being gay, including my musical tastes. So I don’t really concern myself with being a gay anything. I’m just happy to be gay. Does that make sense?

SFBG: Yeah, totally.
AL: I want to make an album and that’s just who I happen to sleep with.

SFBG: But I’m sure you’ve felt that — that as soon as you come out, you get lumped together with all the other gay spokespeople.
AL: Yes. I think that times are rapidly changing and it’s good to be part of a progressive movement. And I think that hopefully I will be part of a new wave of people that don’t focus on the sexuality at the center of our artistry, ‘cause it’s not. It’s not the center of my artistry. It just so happens that that’s my preference, you know what I mean? I really want to get out that. I really want to get a sort of universal thing happening. I want it to be, like — it’s like when hip-hop was becoming more commercial and more mainstream. It wasn’t about black and white anymore — it was about music. I mean, white kids listen to hip-hop now equally. It’s like a universal sound. And I feel like, in a way, there’s something to be taken from that for us. It doesn’t matter. If you’re a straight dude living in Kansas, you can listen to my album. It doesn’t have anything to do with your sexuality. It means you like the music.

SFBG: I was a bit reluctant to ask that, because I figured you’ve been asked about it a lot.
AL: No, no, but it is interesting.

SFBG: Are there questions, though, that you’re already tired of hearing?
AL: There’s one question that always cracks me up. It’s, “What do you have to have with you on tour?” I’m like, what the fuck does that mean? What do you think?

SFBG: Is there anything you haven’t been asked that you want to talk about?
AL: Actually, that question is getting old, too. (laughs) “Is there anything that no one’s asked you that you’d like to answer?” Sorry.

SFBG: No, it’s fine.
AL: I don’t know. I think, I’m just looking forward to this album. I’m having fun with the tour. I’m having fun with the paycheck. Trying to get enough rest. Finalizing ideas of what I want to do when it comes time to promote my album, and being inspired by certain artists out there on the scene right now. I keep talking about her, but Lady Gaga is like rocking my socks right now. There hasn’t been an artist in a while that has had balls like her. She is just so aggressively creative.

SFBG: Have you been in touch with her at all?
AL: I met her, yeah, when she came and taped on Idol. And I’ve been working with one of her producers, RedOne, who did “Just Dance” and “Poker Face,” and have kind of passed along some messages through him.

SFBG: Toward an eventual collaboration maybe?
AL: Maybe! That’d be great. Just moreso, me being like, “Tell her I love her!" And, "Tell her she’s so great!” Kind of obsessive, fanatical type commentary.

SFBG: Would you ever go back to theater in the future?
AL: Yeah, I would. I don’t think that’s what I want to do right now. I think I want to try this recording thing for a while and see if it works out. I think it’s definitely a possibility in the future. I’m not turning my back on it by any means, but I feel like this has been a transition for me to kind of go into a new field.

SFBG: Have you had any downtime to do anything fun in the Bay Area?
AL: Well, I had one — the first night we got in, we had the night off, and my castmates that were in Wicked with me in Los Angeles are all up here now, almost the exact same cast. So we went out. We had drinks together and had a little reunion, which was nice.