Jason Castro may be gone, but he will not soon be forgotten. Whether you loved or hated the singer, who always seemed Âhigh on life, his legacy will live on in the heart of “Idol” fans everywhere. The Post talked to ÂJ-Cas about his time in the competition:
On how he began his music career:
style=”float:right;margin-left:5px;”>
ÂI started playing guitar at my freshman year of college and singing shortly thereafter. And while I was learning, I was teaching myself, and so I would learn songs, but I would never learn them all the way through. So IÂ’d never even learned a song all the way through, and now trying to learn two in a week has just been tough… After my first audition, I did a few more shows, probably about like ten to twelve up and through like the Christmas time from my original audition. But the longest gig I did was like a 30-minute set at a local venue there.Â
On forgetting the lines to a Bob Dylan song:
ÂI couldn’Ât believe I forgot such a popular line, something thatÂs like written on your soul. Somehow, it slipped my mind. But I definitely didnÂt do that on purpose.
… once we doubled up on songs, I wasnÂt really being able to focus. And both my songs were just, my mind was just split, and I just couldn’Ât deliver either/or, and so I think thatÂs what it came down to. On why he made it through the competition:
ÂI at least catch the eye and the ear a little faster than anybody else, and so that was an advantage since I was disadvantaged coming in, but I guess just me was an advantage… IÂm kind of laid back and grounded and everything, nothing really comes as a surprise if you donÂt expect, I think. But I donÂt know. I am like that. IÂ’m not always so calm. I am kind of goofy. I think that a lot of people donÂt see my hyperness sometimes. I still have fun, but I am pretty relaxed about everything…
Â… I think it was the potential and just because I was so new at it. And what I had done so far, I think it just showed enough potential that I could potentially be something. And especially, like the nature of the show, I think I’Âm very much what the show was originally about. I am kind of as raw as it gets.Â
On what makes ”AI” a challenge:
ÂItÂs all about the song. And if youÂ’re trying to make things original, and just, as time goes on, you get less and less time to do that, and it really becomes harder. But, yes, just the day-to-day runnings of things make it hard to do that.Â
On what he has learned about himself:
ÂWell, I’Âve learned that I can do a lot more than I thought. Before I did this, I wasn’Ât really confident as a performer, and I wasnÂ’t doing it a whole lot. And well, now, I did it for a few months straight on TV. And so I just gained a lot of confidence and learned that I can do it, and itÂs cool.Â
On (the potential of) winning ”AI”Â:
ÂAnd I made it farther than I ever had imagined. I didn’Ât really consider it a real possibility that I could win until these last few weeks. And so I did kind of just wander in and see where it would go, and it started going, and then I was like, ÂWell, all right, IÂm here. Might as well be in it to win it. And I was giving it my best. I never necessarily had the mindset in mind of wanting  like winning first place, but it was more of the mindset of every week, I want to give it my best, and that leads to winning it.Â
On being a celebrity:
ÂItÂs kind of a weird thing. I donÂ’t really get it yet. I’ve never been a guy to be star struck or anything, so it kind of takes me off guard when people are so crazy, but itÂs cool. It means they like you, so itÂs flattering.Â
And a note to all you J-Cas lovin ladies out there, the dread locked wonder has a girlfriend back home:
Â[My girlfriend is] from Texas. SheÂ’s back in Texas now. Yes, she just finished school, headed home.Â
– By MELISSA JANE KRONFELD