Tyler Grady certainly wasn’t the best singer ever to appear on AI. Nor was he the most innovative.

What he might have been was one of the most outspoken AI contestants ever.

On his way out the door on Thursday night he basically told the judges that the constructive criticism he received came way too late.

During a conference call on Friday he wanted to clarify that a bit:

“First, I’ve seen I’m getting heat in the media and I want to let everyone know I meant no disrespect in that (what he said).

“I was shocked with the criticism. I was just expressing myself. I’m not bitter at the judges, that’s kind of silly.

“As a contestant you begin to realize how difficult it is to be in a situation like that. You begin to appreciate performers.

“I respect the judges and feel they are well qualified to critique the performers. But you can’t turn on your fans. You can’t change up and irritate your fans.

“Ellen said I lacked honesty and charisma on stage. She misinterpreted me. My band, Wailing Waters, shows I am consistent on stage.

“You need to stick to your guns, stay true to yourself. Honesty is everything.

“I have no excuses as far as blaming the judges for what happened on the show. I don’t blame the judges at all. You need to stand up for yourself and go out with some dignity.

“No, I didn’t get much airtime coming into the show the other night, but Clarkson and Allen didn’t have that much air time going into their first live performances.

“I can’t explain why I was eliminated. I didn’t get enough votes. That’s why I got eliminated.

“American Idol is one of the best educational programs you can get into. You can’t buy into it. There is no better school for a performer. It’s a phenomenal crash course in the entertainment business.If all goes well you’ll see a record from my band soon.”

Following, courtesy of mjsbigblog.com, is the Top 24 interview with Grady:

http://www.americanidol.com/videos/season_9/tyler_grady/get_to_know_tyler_grady/