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frenzy of renown
I knew the phubbbs. They're on 5 b's now, aren't they? This, as much as
anything, is making me feel older.
But I like being older. You should try it. :)
(I've noticed that a lot of people around 40 right now like to say
they're still as much of a kid as they were at 18. And I always think,
"You wanna be eighteen forever? Teenagerdom was nutso baby. Live in the
now.") (Okay, maybe I don't think exactly that, but I do like being the
age I am.) (The first time I thought of this was when I was student
teaching under the supervision of a 45 year old woman who desperately
wanted to be ten years younger. It was . . . graceless. And
gracefulness is where it's at.)
About fame:
There's a kinda interesting book called _The Frenzy of Renown_ by Leo
Braudy. I think he could have made this a really interesting 100 to 150
page book. Instead, it's a 600 pager and gets a little wearisome. But
it is an interesting sorta tour through fame as a concept, as it has
developed and changed over time.
I think we use famous people as part of out contemporary mythology. That
is to say, we attach stories and emotions to famous people. No matter
what size the fame. If you see somebody in an OtR shirt, you know
they've identified with the virtues of the band (or maybe its vices). If
you're also an OtR fan, you can guess (with some accuracy) that you'll
have a few things in common with that person. The way stars use their
fame to signify, to actually become part of the art, is part of what
popular music is about these-here-days. And OtR is part of that, though
not on the scale that ol Britney Spears is. But consider: OtR's image is
remarkably consistent, in terms of visual and musical tastefulness and
interest and depth. The image is part of the appeal. (On this: read
Daniel Boorstin's _The Image_ and high-falutin'-French-theorist Roland
Barthes's _Mythologies_.)
So anyway, people who do popular kinds of music want to be famous partly
because it will add new elements to their art, not to mention financing
it. (E.g., Bill Mallonee's music might not be better if he was
mega-famous, but he could at least afford a band and more comfortable
travel . . .)
But then there's also that thirst for recognition. Another topic. I
will leave it alone, lest my two cents swell to ten.
That is all,
Fred
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