No Sugarcoating & No Bullshit: September
Written by Jo Hayes
Sunday, 28 September 2014 04:00
Hello again Uber Rockers, it’s that time again for some blogging nonsense.
This month’s idea wasn’t too chaotic to come up with, it actually started off music related, rather than my usual nonsensical way of connecting the dots to get to something music related.
Two weeks ago, I was one of the lucky few who got to see the Foo Fighters in a tiny venue (well, tiny compared to their usual stadiums). I much prefer their earlier stuff, such as their self-titled debut, ‘The Colour and The Shape’, and ‘There Is Nothing Left To Lose.’ Luckily for me, their set was full of earlier hits.
When I first got into the Foo Fighters aged eleven, many people my age either weren’t into music, or preferred the crap in the charts: now, ask those people my age and many of them would say they like them, but it would probably most likely be their later, more grown-up or ‘refined’ sound.
Speaking to some people about the gig, a couple have commented how I am a ‘true fan’, just because I’ve liked them for many years, seen them in a tiny venue, and prefer their earlier recordings. I don’t know what the hell that is meant to mean, other in the literal sense: is it true I am a fan of the Foo Fighters? Well yes, it is true.
So my point is, what makes a true fan of a band? Or is that just a load of shit, and who really cares? For me, it’s the latter, but it gives me a subject to write, (and maybe rant) about.
A fan of a band to me is someone who likes a band and their music – simple. To me, true fans aren’t those who slag others off for not wearing a band’s tee to concert, or for not owning every single release (including all the B-sides). I guess they could either be so fanatical that they feel insulted or perhaps bewildered that you don’t idolise or worship their favourite band as much as them (much like religion I guess). This is the type that could be called ‘Super Fans’, or the extreme version of these: stalkers.
There are also those who could also be the dreaded ‘Poseur’, or who I dub the ‘Image Chameleon’. I’ve spoken about Poseurs in an earlier blog (probably mentioned in a couple of blogs), who take on a fashionable image, and sometimes the fashionable ideas, and opinions, that come with it. So the Poseurs wear the tee, they have the albums, they’ve done their research, they know what their latest life story, and they love to look down on others who aren’t as seemingly fanatical as them.
The ‘Super Fans’ and ‘Stalkers’ could quite happily exchange conversation with the ‘Poseurs’, until they get to the ultimate question: ‘So what’s your favourite song?’ If we go with Motörhead for example many might say ‘Ace of Spades’, which the ‘Super Fans’ and ‘Stalkers’ may well scoff at, and wonder if they have actually listened to any other song. Essentially, they’re all as bad as each other, probably criticising one another.
I remember being in the pub (back in the small town outside Brighton I lived in during my teens), a few years ago, and Green Day’s ‘Basket Case’ came on. Most people sang along. Some of these people I went to school with, and would often tease me for liking a band with such a name as Green Day. Some of my friends remarked: “They only like them now because they’re in the charts again.” With some of them, it’s probably true, and with the rest, they’ve grown up, and discovered music later than us, it doesn’t make them any less of a fan than me.
Moving on from this, one thing that annoys me with being a fan of many bands – getting gig tickets. If any of the gigs happen to sell out, you can guarantee that there will be some arsehole ticket tout ready to sell you the ticket for at least double the price. There will be those who buy tour T-shirts from these gigs, and sell online at five times the price. I guess if they can, they will, and if they can make a profit, then who can blame them?
I wanted to get a tee from ‘The Holy Shits’ gig in Brighton, but didn’t have the cash – it was £20 there, now £80+on eBay! (On a gig like that, I could perhaps forgive them at such a profit but still…maybe I’m jealous of the tee and the money!)
I was lucky to get a free ticket from a friend of my cousin to see ‘The Holy Shits’, because he couldn’t go, and wanted another fan to enjoy the gig, without them having to pay a ridiculous price. When I couldn’t see Buckcherry last year, I sold my ticket for the price I paid. I guess you could say that is what a true fan is. However, as I previously said, who really cares? Essentially, enjoy the music and don’t believe in a fan hierarchy (that means you ‘Super Fans’).
Until next time…
Jo
Read Jo’s review of The Holy Shits/Foo Fighters HERE