Article in Cleo
I bought Cleo yesterday to read on the train and discovered an article on bandslash. I've typed it up for those of you who care, but not enough to go out and spend money on something like Cleo. Somewhat unsurprisingly, it mentions LJ, which made me giggle. I'll keep the post public so if you want to share the link around or c&p it anywhere, feel free.
Celeb Blog Fansites
What's hotter than boys with guitars? Boys with boys with guitars, apparently. Jenny Valentish investigates.
Ever had a creative girlfriend who would fuel your fantasies about Robbie/*NSYNC/The Backstreet Boys by inventing stories about them on the way to school? If the answer's no, hey - bad luck. But even if you had to rely on your own fertile imagination, it's likely you player the starring role.
But right now, there's a growing internet community of women writing pervy stories about their favourite bands and posting them online. There's a twist, though. Instead of writing themselves into the tales, these girls write about the male band members getting it on - with each other.
The genre's called "band fiction" - or bandfic - and it's spreading like wildfire across LiveJournal communites devoted to bands like Franz Ferdinand and Foo Fighters.
While some gay men post stories, the majority of contributors are young, straight women, and the tone of the vakstage tales ranges from erotic to a downright dirty R18+.
"I've been writing stories like this since I was 13," admits Nikki, a 24-year-old Russian who teaches English. "I thought I was the only miserable pervert in the world who did it. But when I finally went online to Google my favourite bands, I discovered I wasn't the only one."
Unless the gossip mags are losing their grip, none of these musos are actually gay. So why write it? Part of the appeal of bandfic may come down to bands being such a boys' club. Women rarely have an "in" to such worlds, unless they're groupies or musicians themselves. "On a slightly more superficial note, it's hot," Kate adds. "Straight men love it when two girls get it on, so why is it so weird for women to think that two men getting it on is any less hot?"
While many of the writers like to meet the bands they fantaise about, most hold back from revealing their secret online hobby. "I'm often found hanging around after a gig, looking for the tour bus," admits Andrea, a 30-year-old tattooist from the UK, who enjoys putting Metallica in compromising positions. "I've been fortunate enough to meet several guys I write about, but I haven't tiold them. Not because I'm ashamed, but because it's not the sort of thing you can throw into a five-minute chat!"
Many admit non-bandfic friends find it difficult to understand the appeal, but what of the bands themselves? While NY rockers My Chemical Romance have declared they find the whole thing creepy, others see the funny side. Franz Ferdinand dedicated a song to the girls who run their bandfic LiveJournal community "slacken_ties", leading some fans to assume the band's homoerotic song Michael is a nod to the bloggers.
But perhaps the last word should go to Nick Zinner, guitarist with indie rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs, who's been paired with male musos, including Interpol frontman Carlos D and Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti (ex-boyfriend of Drew Barrymore), among others. "I've seen those stories," he laughs. "Like me and Fabrizio and stuff? I think they're great. What's more alarming is the specificness of them. One basically described my apartment in perfect detail!"
Celeb Blog Fansites
What's hotter than boys with guitars? Boys with boys with guitars, apparently. Jenny Valentish investigates.
Ever had a creative girlfriend who would fuel your fantasies about Robbie/*NSYNC/The Backstreet Boys by inventing stories about them on the way to school? If the answer's no, hey - bad luck. But even if you had to rely on your own fertile imagination, it's likely you player the starring role.
But right now, there's a growing internet community of women writing pervy stories about their favourite bands and posting them online. There's a twist, though. Instead of writing themselves into the tales, these girls write about the male band members getting it on - with each other.
The genre's called "band fiction" - or bandfic - and it's spreading like wildfire across LiveJournal communites devoted to bands like Franz Ferdinand and Foo Fighters.
While some gay men post stories, the majority of contributors are young, straight women, and the tone of the vakstage tales ranges from erotic to a downright dirty R18+.
"I've been writing stories like this since I was 13," admits Nikki, a 24-year-old Russian who teaches English. "I thought I was the only miserable pervert in the world who did it. But when I finally went online to Google my favourite bands, I discovered I wasn't the only one."
Unless the gossip mags are losing their grip, none of these musos are actually gay. So why write it? Part of the appeal of bandfic may come down to bands being such a boys' club. Women rarely have an "in" to such worlds, unless they're groupies or musicians themselves. "On a slightly more superficial note, it's hot," Kate adds. "Straight men love it when two girls get it on, so why is it so weird for women to think that two men getting it on is any less hot?"
While many of the writers like to meet the bands they fantaise about, most hold back from revealing their secret online hobby. "I'm often found hanging around after a gig, looking for the tour bus," admits Andrea, a 30-year-old tattooist from the UK, who enjoys putting Metallica in compromising positions. "I've been fortunate enough to meet several guys I write about, but I haven't tiold them. Not because I'm ashamed, but because it's not the sort of thing you can throw into a five-minute chat!"
Many admit non-bandfic friends find it difficult to understand the appeal, but what of the bands themselves? While NY rockers My Chemical Romance have declared they find the whole thing creepy, others see the funny side. Franz Ferdinand dedicated a song to the girls who run their bandfic LiveJournal community "slacken_ties", leading some fans to assume the band's homoerotic song Michael is a nod to the bloggers.
But perhaps the last word should go to Nick Zinner, guitarist with indie rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs, who's been paired with male musos, including Interpol frontman Carlos D and Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti (ex-boyfriend of Drew Barrymore), among others. "I've seen those stories," he laughs. "Like me and Fabrizio and stuff? I think they're great. What's more alarming is the specificness of them. One basically described my apartment in perfect detail!"