Category: Let's talk
last night i was watching a programme on tv about paperatzi photographers! it showed how they followed celebrities, hung around outside their houses, and followed them down the streets in their cards just to get that one, all important, shot. the one that would make them big bucks when they sold it to the newspapers. They showed Rachel hunter out shopping, and the hoards of photographers that followed her around, then after that they showed one of them sneaking on to a film set to get a picture of ... some actress or other who I've never heard of. One followed a well-known brittish soap star around and got the "first shot" of her new boyfriend!
The whole programme got me thinking two things - firstly, why is it that the public are so interested in what celebrities do in their private lives? What is it that makes people go out and spend money on a trashy magazine, just to get a look at Sven Ghoran Ericson's ex getting out of her car outside her house? Do we have such unfulfilled lives ourselves that we have to pay money to find out what, for the most part unimportant people, do in their private lives? and secondly - why would anyone want to be famous! why would anyone want to bring that kind of attention on themselves, be subject to constant scrutiny from the press and from the public! All i can say is - who'd want to be famous!
I guess it'd be cool to be famous and well-known, but I'd want my privacy. I can kind of sympathize with celebs who curse out reporters and photographers.
firstly, I'd like to maybe be known of, but never famous, not that there's really a difference... I guess I mean that I'd like to be known, but wouldn't like the crap that goes with it. Personally, I couldnt' care less what famous people do and I dont' see why it's such a big deal.
Hmm, a few possible reasons I suppose.
I think one of the biggest reasons about seeing how celebs are messing up their lives, even with their fame and money and sense of invincibility, I think it helps us feel better about our lives, realizing even the famous folks are not perfect, they screw up, they cheat and lie sometimes or have bad days, I think often that helps a little when you are having your own bad day. Personally though, I don't read about the celebs and I don't understand the celeb adoring culture, I appreciate the art, not the creator of the art, if you guys know what I mean.
As to why someone wants to be famous .. two words .. money, money, I think. The desire for money is built in to all of uss whether we admit it or not, I think, it provides the sense of security, I think most people have desires to do something crazy that can only be achieved through money which accomanies fame. In addition to that, if you have a tallent you want to grow your tallent, you want to share it with the world, whatever your tallent may be. It's the desire to affect others, all art forms are based on influencing people, create feelings etc. Those who are lucky/enough to get their art out and have it appreciated by a lot of people are happy because that's really te point of their art, fame/money is sometimes, I think, a bi product of this ambition and so, of course you often get people who do not know how to handle that newly found fame and power their art brought them and it can completely rui those folks, just look at Hendrix or Kurt Cobain, to name a few examples.
Cheers
-B
no thank you being anonymous is hard enough..Unless of course you want to be the next Marilyn Manson but could you live with death threats,and the insanity of being implicated in the crimes of others that have no relevence to you, or your music,hmm I dreamed of achieving great things and becoming a symbol of teenage discontent as Manson has definately become,but he's not plagued by self doubt ect.
I also, like SB, don't understand all this celebritty following culture. What also amaizes me is, so many people chritisize how those photographers treate celberitties, yet those same people who chritisize them and buy those magazines. I agree with WB, a big number of people wants to be famous becaue they believe that their tallent should be recognised. Of course there's a money aspect of it too, although in my opinion true artest, especially when it comes to mucic, focuses on dong their job becaue of love of what their doing, of course the money is good, but most of them have to be happy with what they produce. That's why I so much hate this boyband/girlband culture, where money and looks are more important than the actuall tallent, if there's any, well that's my opinion anyway. As for would I want to be famous? I can't see that I'm able to contribute to this societty by doing anything that would make me famous, but if I would become famous, I'd do so not because I'd want to, not because my primarry aim would be to be famous, but to make people aware of the good that I'm doing, of course I would hate being followed everywhere and not being able to sit at a restaurant and heaving a meal without everyone stairing at me.
I think the best thing you can di is become famous as to satisfy yourself and your self esteem.
As for th second question I agree with I.K. I do want my music to influence someone, if only one person would come to me on the street or write me an email saying (I listened to your cd and I felt it expressed my feelings better than I could myself and it provided me with an amazing hour in a boring week) I'd be totally happy and I actually want that, 1 would be enough, if millions would like it, how could I really complain. If my message or music or whatever was so appreciated and made a change in so many lives I'd feel justified for all those silly late hours staying up playing guitar or all the money spent on amplifiers, recording gear etc. Of course I want my music to be noticed, I'm not saying it's good enough to deserve that, it's not mine to judge, and the fame would be a bi product of that, something I would not want but would have to deal with (not that I really have to worry about that mind you). :)
Cheers
-B
I'm really not one who cares much about celebs and their lives. They're humans just like us, so if it's no big deal that your neighbor down the street is getting a divorce, it's no big deal that a celeb is getting a divorce or has a drug or drinking problem. Could you imagine if somebody anonymous got the same amount of attention because of such things? Also, I would never want to be famous. Everybody starts coming out of the woodwork and wants something from you, be it money or autographs or attention or just a piece of the fame. Also, since I'm one who doesn't mince words on my opinions, I would surely have my career ruined if I said something that was an unpopular opinion or that just didn't give people a warm fuzzy feeling. Look what happened to the dDixie Chicks because they criticized the President. It didn't get people into a patriotic mood so they burned their CDs and stations refused to play their songs as a protest.
I've never wanted to be famous. I would like to have the money and some of the other perks that celebs get. It would also be cool because people would listen to and care about what you have to say. However, having people follow me around wanting an autograph and taking my picture would be weird.
Hi Sugar baby,
Well, I wouldn't mind having the money, but I certainly wouldn't want the fame part of it. Some of the ones who are so famous can't even step out the door without having their fans mobbing them. I confess I don't understand it either. When I was young, I had a bit of a crush on Bill Bixby, but I knew it for what it was. I had a crush on his gentle voice, but I would've never acted the way a lot of people do over stars. It's just silly. They're just like anyone elsewho has a tallent, they're just seen on tv, or heard on the radio, but underneath the stardom, they're no different than anyone else.
wonderwoman
I don't really wanna be famous myself. Maybe be a singer or author and have people like what I do, but I don't care about being famous really. Just want people to appreciate and respect me and whatever endeavor I choose to pursue ultimately.
Caitlin