Fanatical

I think I was starting to miss Chuck Klosterman.  Not that he went anywhere; it's just that I sort of forgot to look at anything he's been writing for one of the six dozen outlets that he pens his various and sundries for on a daily basis.  But he does come up with an interesting little article for the Guardian about the uber-fan.  You know who you are:

As I've said, I am not an authentic fanatic; I lack grit. But I spend a lot of time thinking about fanatics and I've concluded that the following 10 artists have the most dedicated, least rational fan followings:

1. Slayer
2. Tori Amos
3. Sublime
4. Kiss
5. Bruce Springsteen
6. Black Sabbath (particularly the Tony Martin era, for some reason)
7. Jimmy Buffett
8. Iron Maiden
9. Guided By Voices
10. Morrissey

The obvious follow-up question, of course, is why. Why do these particular musicians engender such sincere, unadulterated idolatry? In the case of Sublime, the answer is the evergreen popularity of recreational drug use; in the case of Springsteen, working-class optimism. But the other examples are more complex. My suspicion is that highly prolific artists - especially ones slagged off by cultural elitists - unknowingly present themselves in such a way that audiences recognise elements of themselves within the sonic iconography. If a musician a) ignores public criticism while b) producing a substantial body of work, an unwavering fanbase will self-select itself. They will see the artist as extra-human, will feel they "understand" how that artist's music reflects (and replicates) their own experience, and will immerse themselves in the musician's catalogue. The Smiths did not exist to be liked by anyone; either you loved them or you didn't care. Within the idiom of fanaticism, there is no benefit to emotional caution. You have to go all the way.

Comments

[bdr]

God, everyone on that list sucks.

Except GbV. I'll hunt you down and cut out your knee tendons if you say anything bad about GbV.

But really, I'll never understand why Tori Amos fans just don't listen to Kate Bush, whose every idea Amos brazenly stole.

[Jeff]

Springsteen would be an exception to the suck list. I have to agree with Chuck about GBV's fans. They are an interesting bunch. I think the Hold Steady, if they stick around, will probably have similar fans. At least I got that impression when I saw them live.

Amos is a notch or two less annoying than Kate Bush. Something about Bush used to send me into a hypnotic trance followed by a pounding headache coupled with a desire to shoot unicorns.

[billectric]

This is actually something very important for me to remember as a writer. I know there are people out there who will love my books, even though other people don't seem to "get" them at all.

[Jimmy Beck]

How can the Grateful Dead and Phish not sit atop this list? What about Tom Jones and all those panties?