I'm reading a book that Brent Spiner wrote. It's a comedic noir mystery. In the book, Brent is a version of himself, during the heyday of Star Trek the Next Generation, playing Data. He finds himself stalked by an obsessed fan. It's called “Fan Fiction”.
It got me to thinking about stories of fandom and fans and those they love…and maybe get obsessed with.
FANDOM GONE AWRY
There are multiple stories about this, including some classics I still need to see. There's King of Comedy with Robert Deniro and Jerry Lewis where an aspiring comedian kidnaps a successful one, The Fan with Laren Bacall and Michael Biehn (later remade with Deniro and Wesley Snipes), Big Fan with Patton Oswalt, where a football fan is beaten up by his idol. And Play Misty For Me, where Clint Eastwood is a radio DJ stalked by a listener.
A favorite of mine is “Misery”. That one's on my list for this October's scary thriller/horror viewing. A famous novelist is held prisoner by his “number one fan”. Great movie. Scary and brilliantly made from top to bottom.
It was talked about by everyone when it came out, and watching it now, with not only Internet revealing more about celebrities than ever, not to mention the possibility of many regular people becoming celebrities to a degree, it's quite thought provoking.
There's a paper thin line between a superficial kind of “love” and a just as superficial - but still intense - HATRED. Celebrities - they are seen by many, but they have no way of knowing who's watching them!
And like I said, many of us have a level of that kind of exposure these days. Brrr!
FANDOM GONE AWRIGHT
Funnily enough, this brings to mind another favorite, GALAXY QUEST. A cast of actors from a cancelled Star Trek type show who are taken to space by a race of aliens who believe they really are the heroes they used to play on TV. Just like Misery, it's pretty much a perfect movie. In this one, the fans give their heroes a new vigor in their lives. Aside from the alien fans that need them to step up and be real heroes, there's a small role for a loving, human fandom as well.
Hey…Galaxy Quest about actors from a Star Trek-type show…brings us full circle to Brent Spiner's novel “Fan Fiction”. Whaddaya know!
The book's not bad so far!
Are there any obsessed-fan stories that work for you? What do you think of the world of celebrity and fandom?
See you next time!
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Banes at 12:00AM, Aug. 29, 2024
4 likes!
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EssayBee at 7:16AM, Aug. 31, 2024
Gunwallace--Funny you mention that. When I was dating the beautiful woman who's now my wife, I bought Perfect Blue when it came out on VHS, and we watched it probably half-a-dozen times in a month or so. (One of our earlier dates was to see Princess Mononoke in a small art theater during its criminally horrible American theatrical release--one more reason Harvey Weinstein is such a douchebag.)
Gunwallace at 2:06PM, Aug. 30, 2024
I took a second date to the movies. It was Perfect Blue. Let's just say it wasn't a good date movie. However, things worked out okay. We got married. We even own a copy of Perfect Blue on DVD, but have never re-watched it. Galaxy Quest was such a fan-positive movie. Quite amazing, really. Patrick Stewart loved that aspect of the movie.
EssayBee at 9:01AM, Aug. 30, 2024
Perfect Blue is awesome. Satoshi Kon (RIP) remains one of my favorite anime directors (and his movie Paprika is one of the few examples of a movie being better than the book). The Dark Knight Returns takes fandom to dark and light extremes. On the dark end, you have the former Mutant gang members becoming the Sons of Batman; on the light end, you have Carrie Kelley following her Bat-fandom to become the new Robin. (Although Carrie's arc could be considered dark, depending on the lens you look at the story.
usedbooks at 7:09AM, Aug. 30, 2024
One of the first Anime movies I saw (on VHS in the 90s) is called Perfect Blue. It's about a j-pop star who gets into acting, and a fan stalks her. I didn't like it at the time. It's really intensely violent and creepy. But well done. Galaxy Quest is definitely more my vibe. The series Monk also has a recurring super fan character played by Sarah Silverman.
plymayer at 8:22PM, Aug. 29, 2024
Jerry Lewis stopped signing autographs when fans followed him into the men's room.
PaulEberhardt at 7:02AM, Aug. 29, 2024
"My Name is Nobody", a spaghetti-Western comedy from the early 70s is a wry example that you might say manages to bridge both categories. Nobody (Terence Hill) is a big fan of an ageing gunslinger (Henry Fonda). At first he just seems to get on his nerves, but as the movie goes on, it becomes clearer and clearer that there is a method to the madness, and that... no, that'd be a spoiler. Just watch it for yourselves. While not exactly a blockbuster it's still some nicely done fun.
bravo1102 at 5:20AM, Aug. 29, 2024
There is supposed to be a story arc in Belle's Best with obsessive fans. In fact that is the backstory of Trisha Foley's first husband inspired by the story of Dorothy Stratton. These things do exist in real life and long before the internet.