Features

This is a little salute to the down-trodden heroes of music and of any manner of things (be they human or inanimate) that have admiration from peepskind. Yes, I talk of The FAN – no, not the type that blows wind in your face! - but the so-called, often younger, person who is a FANatic about s`one or s`thing; in this case, Artists of the performer kind.

They spend hours on making videos, songs, poems, forking out money they have not got on lavish gifts, and go through absolute torment physically and mentally to get closer to the object of their desire.

My life as a Fan

Rather than name names or get sued, I will give you a few examples from my own fanhood days, a catalogue of a so called Fan’s ups and downs.
(By the way I do hate the word fan, and try not to call myself or anyone one very often, cos I now find it undermining and subservient sounding to people).

I am now in a position where I have met a lot of my Idols, and most times now I could still go and see anyone I liked, but I guess I am a bit older and wiser and lazy and boring now - maybe.
Having worked in various outlets of entertainment already, including being a Dresser - which included some work with the infamous Chippendales (a male stripper cabaret group) - I have seen and heard most things(!), and although I still love Entertainment nothing much makes me go “wow!” any more so to speak.

However there has been many a time when I was a FAN that it was very diff!
I was very star stuck and madly in love with a fair few Pop Stars and Actors and ended up very the worse for wear. 
In fact that is why if I can I will always try to help supporters of, say, Robbie, or anyone like him maybe, to get nearer if the situation arises and I am in the position to help, even if only an autograph maybe. That gives me a good feeling - as much as doing it for myself in a way.

It’s tough being a Fan

We have all been there… upset and ignored, our gifts and letters gone UN-acknowledged. 

I nearly even ended up in a prison cell many years ago through being mad on a lovely guy who was an Actor and directs now I think. He used to play in Bread (a comedy series), and he also owned a bar, so me being me, I went to visit him at his wine bar, which was in a small village.
Anyway I got there and of course he was away in London or s`where. To cut a long story short, I was stranded in this small village on my own in the middle of nowhere. The Police came to help me because being a young girl on her own they do, and they took me back to the local Police Station and were really nice to me - but then this small Police station had to shut at 11pm! So everything went to the main Police station in Maidstone - including me, whom they took there to wait for my next train back to B`mouth in the morning.

This was no little village Police station; it was very lively, and they said rather than sitting up all night I could sleep in a bed in the cell, which they showed me. However I decided to sleep on a chair in the interview room.
I can remember being so naive and gullible that I went for a walk with a man who came in to get food or whatever, but then s`thing made me turn back and go into the Police station and let’s just say the guy was not quite as sweet and innocent as I thought. Boy was I frightened.
Next morning the Police put me on the B`mouth train home again and that was that.

Apart from this I have only been stranded overnight twice, once with Take That, would you believe, but it was with my Mum. We got back to our coach station and had missed the coach home and had to stay in the London Transport Office, where at least it was warm and we had drinks till the next coach …
Another time my coach went without me at Fleet service station when I was phoning home, but the ladies in the 24 hour shop looked after me till the morning coach - that was Duran/Duran I had been to see I think.

Then last but not least to see Robbie himself. I went to see him at a competition winners thing or s`thing but anyway after a lot of trying (and I admit non-entitled trying), these two ladies in charge said I could watch it, but this Head Security man, who had already stopped me, was determined he would not be overruled - and I would not get in. The ladies left me with him, and went in themselves and sure enough, once they had gone he was not going to give in. He was making excuses about his boss not giving him permission and what not and I just gave up - and was very upset and hysterical a bit I think. I just ran back to the coach station and got on the coach at my usual B`mouth stop, and as if I was not cheesed off enough, it turned out that I had not looked at the number, and the Driver had not read my ticket prop, and I ended up stranded at a closed Bristol coach station!!! Lucky enough the coach security phoned their head office and the bus company paid for a taxi back home to B`mouth straight away - another two hours to get back home.

Here’s to Fans…

These days however, I am boring, and no way would I go through all that again for a simple crush - even if it was for dear Robbie – but, and I mean this, good luck to those who do!

Do you too have experiences of being a Fan? Let me know on the messageboard below…