(no subject)
What does it mean to be a fan?
There are a lot of bands that I like-Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Muse, My Chemical Romance, Green Day, DJ Shadow, Portishead. The list goes on and on. However, I am a fan of only one band right now: AFI. To me, being a fan means that I not only enjoy the music the band produces, but I also give them my loyalty, which can be expressed in a number of ways:
Even if I think another band put out a better album or music video, I would still vote for “my band” when it comes to award shows, because I want to support them in everything they do
I buy all of the band’s albums, regardless of what the reviews say
I take the time to find out about the band’s history. This usually means that I can rattle off all sorts of random facts and quotes about the band, even though I can’t remember half of what I did last week or what I had for lunch yesterday.
Related to the point above, I keep up with current news on the band, usually on a daily basis. I read all their articles and reviews and watch their all interviews and videos (basically anything I can get my grubby hands on). When I run out of information, I’ll usually move on to fanfiction to feed my hunger.
I spend an obscene amount of time just thinking about the band: interpreting lyrics, analyzing their personalities, recalling random quotes, getting their songs stuck in my head, wondering what they are doing, etc.
Before AFI, I’ve only been a fan of one other band (the Backstreet Boys, if you must know). In order for me to become a fan, I must not only enjoy the music, but also admire the band members as individuals. They have to show sincere appreciation for their fans, who make it possible for them to make a living doing what they do. They have to be hardworking and humble. They have to have artistic and personal integrity. They have to have passion. They have to do it for the music, not for the fame or the money. I have to believe that they are good people (or at least they have to give me the impression that they are good people), because if I’m going to declare myself a fan-if I am going to buy in to everything they stand for and support them in every way I can-then they had better stand for something good. I don’t need them to be saints, but I doubt I’d be able to give my loyalty to a band if I knew that the members banged groupies left and right, smoked crack all the time, started media wars with other bands, trashed hotel rooms, ate babies for breakfast, or basically acted like pricks. Do I idealize them? Yeah, probably, but it’s my loyalty that makes me give them the benefit of the doubt whenever I hear negative things about them. It’s kinda like love, in that I need concrete proof before I will believe anything bad about my loved ones. For that to work, I need to feel like they deserve it. You could say that being a fan is like being in a relationship built on trust: I trust them not to disappoint me with their creative effort or their scandals, and they trust fans to be there for them and support them in whatever ways we can.
So, what does being a fan mean to you?