Tuesday 12 October 2010

Being the Fan

I received this comment on my last blog entry:

Why do you like making going up to someone your a fan of,
or someone who's work you respect,
more complicated than it needs to be?
You don't have to have an entire conversation planned out to
go talk to people youre a fan of.. geez.
Otherwise you're going to be writing or saying that alot
more. Just go up to whoever it is next time and stop
overthinking it so damn much. haha
By Anonymous on Whiplash on 10/10/10

I don't always make it complicated. Sometimes I will simply be a fan because I'm in the mood to be a fan, but I mostly just don't like the glaze in their eyes I see as they receive my compliment. When I meet the people I admire, I want my meeting with them to matter and it rarely does. I've seen and met quite a few celebrities or people that I admire very much after living in New York City, so perhaps I'm a little jaded about it.

Is it so wrong to want to be a memory for them, even if it's a faint one? There's no point in being just another face in the crowd full of empty admiration.

I suppose you could say that not saying anything makes you a face in the crowd... but if I am not utterly compelled to say something to them, then I don't see it as a problem for me.

This particular evening was just a little awkward because it was a small bar and we'd constantly lock eyes (the same thing happened the next Monday with a different comedian) - and if we were in a party setting amongst mutual friends we'd probably eventually talk, but because it was a bar, it was just weird.

But yes, I should have just "been the fan" that night. I shouldn't find that position as degrading as I do.

5 comments:

david1082 said...

Constantly locking eyes with a YouTube girl in a bar. That's my dream..... That's my nightmare.....

Cadisawi said...

Do you remember when people saw you in the celebrity light (and those who still do)? How did you react to their fan mentality? I haven't seen many celebrities before so I've never had your experience but you're in the unique position of having seen both sides of the coin.

Security word: Predic

EarleWidrich said...

I completely agree with what you're saying, Caitlin. If I don't have something interesting to say to a celeb, I'm not just going to say something for the hell of it. It just seems weird to me.

Having said that, most of the celebs I see these days are walking around the halls of my work, and we have pretty specific rules about how we treat them, of course. At the end of the day, they are our clients, so pictures and general "fandom" stuff just isn't allowed. So I guess that makes it easier for me to choose what to do, or what not to do.

But in the end, even when I see celebs at TIFF or wherever, I still don't approach them and chat just for the hell of it...unless I feel really compelled to, which is rare.

Cheers! : )

Bilby P. Dalgyte said...

I decided to myself relatively recently that if I see something I want to do or someone I would like to talk to I would just break past any mental barriers and just do it. Go. Things are often only as weird as you make them in your head. So recently I saw the band members of Kyu (new band from Sydney, no one has heard of them not even me until I heard that at a music festival) and I had a brief conversation with them and said that their performance an hour ago had impressed me and it was fun, we even talked about the weather.

Being a fan is not degrading, as long as you are the screaming fan or the obsessive fan. I don't ask for autographs unless they're at a signing table because that I consider to be just too awkward, like I'm just another fan. To stick out you probably just have to be level headed and ask them how their day was. Sure, be a fan but be a person as well. Or just wave and say nothing, does it matter? You don't need to be compelled to tell someone that they're great :) Relax, and even if you're not their memories they're at least one of yours :)

Chris in the Studio said...

I don't think its wrong to want to be a memory for the people you meet and admire. Its human nature. Everyone likes to feel important. The glazed look in the celebrities eyes has not much to do with you. They just get a lot of that sort of thing so they themselves are jaded. Next time try going up to them and humping there leg. This will achieve the desired affect, I assure you! :)

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