Texan hated to leave 'Idol'
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
Most-read stories
- Huge Arlington fixer-upper with a shady past could be yours for pittance
- 2 men die in separate Fort Worth motorcycle wrecks
- Four Hurst teens indicted on capital murder charges
- Man died driving home to surprise mom for Mother's Day
- Fired Southlake officer lied, leaked private data, papers say
Most e-mailed stories
- Huge Arlington fixer-upper with a shady past could be yours for pittance
- Schools vie for new teachers at Arlington job fair
- Energy Department says wind could account for 20% of country's power
- Five facts about psychological eating
- Allstate to cut rates in Texas after settlement
Believe what you want, but Jason Castro of Rockwall, who was voted off the popular series American Idol Wednesday night, swears he didn't intentionally flub his performance of Bob Dylan's Mr. Tambourine Man.
"I definitely did not do that on purpose -- I couldn't believe I forgot such a popular line, but I definitely didn't do that on purpose," Castro said during a teleconference with reporters Thursday. "I wanted to win [but] I think what it came down to was my inexperience."
The 21-year-old Castro, who also performed Bob Marley's I Shot the Sheriff Tuesday, was one of four remaining contestants on Idol, which concludes its seventh season May 21. Host Ryan Seacrest said more than 50 million votes were cast Tuesday, which placed Castro and Syesha Mercado in the bottom two.
Perhaps the public felt it was time for Castro to exit stage right: Plenty of rumors swirled around him in recent weeks, thanks in part to a May 2 report in Entertainment Weekly, which quoted Castro as saying "he kind of wanted to go home" and generally portrayed him as indifferent to the competition.
"There was a lot going on that morning -- that [comment] came across wrong," Castro said. "People were thinking that I didn't want to be there but that was never my mind-set."
The former Texas A&M junior tried out in Dallas last summer, making it through the initial throng of hopefuls, and by his own admission, never thought he'd get as far as he eventually did, despite his self-described "uniqueness."
"I've learned I can do a lot more than I thought," Castro said.
"Before this, I wasn't really confident as a performer, and now, I did it for a few months straight on TV. I gained a lot of confidence."
Castro told reporters that he was aware of his large fan base in Texas and that he misses his Rockwall home.
As for his future, Castro remains, as ever, implacably calm, allowing that he presently has no concrete plans once the American Idols Live! Tour, which stops in Dallas Aug. 25, is finished.
"Wherever music leads me," Castro said. "I just want to play music."
pjones@star-telegram.com
