I learned at a very early age that when one takes a look behind the curtain you will often see things unexpected and shatter ones view of fandom. I was still in junior high school when I performed in my first professional musical with two of televisions top stars of the day. What a shock it was to see that they were not this perfect image I had from tv. In high school I worked at the coliseum and was backstage for many concerts and saw dozen of artist before and after concerts.
When I was in college I was able to go to New York to see my idol perform and was invited backstage after the concert. I turned down the chance to go backstage because I had this image of what he was like and I did not want that to be changed by what I saw backstage. I wanted that perfect image to stay untainted.
The first time I realized one of my idols was not the perfect image I had it was hard for me because I was so young. Today it is not a difficult thing to deal with for me. I try to be very careful about the stories I tell and who I tell them too. But it is hard to watch how it hurts those I care about. In recent months I have watched friend lose their enjoyment of shows and actors because they have gotten to close a look behind the curtain and realized that the all powerful OZ is really just a man with faults.
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I know you’re just speaking to fandoms in particular, but that could be said about life in general. It doesn’t matter whether it’s our (the general we/our) teachers, our parents, our friends, or others - favorite actors, musicians, or others in the limelight, etc., - we all have people we put up on a pedestal for a moment or two, or... longer.
Until our bubble is burst.
Regarding episodic TV… well, I watched this one series in particular because I enjoyed it for what it was duing those moments when I was able to sit down and watch it. It had a great ensemble cast most of whom I never seen before, great premise, good humor, and was a genre I enjoy when it’s well-written and well-acted. Then I really got hooked on it and tried to catch it on TV as much as I could; easily done as the series reruns were in really heavy rotation on the cable channel that owned the franchise. Over half a year after catching my first episode of it, I discovered the show’s on-line fandom (something I hadn’t known existed) as I searched for a schedule/listing of the reruns of this show. And for a while had lots of fun learning more about the internal workings of the show and discussing the series with others who enjoyed the popular, but still not-so-well-known to the world-at-large show. And learning about fandom too. Guess everything has a cycle, and you hope you hook up with some wonderful people as you go through the phases towards the end of your personal 'cycle.'
Anyhoo… as part of this fandom, heard interesting things out about the actors, writers and producers and the networks even back then – and I say ‘back then’ because it’s been 3 years now since I became a part of the on-line fandom. Maybe because I am 'older,' nothing surprises me, because it didn’t and still doesn’t. (That old ‘there’s nothing new under the sun’ adage.) But yeah, it can be disheartening sometimes, because, one, you feel sorry for fans, especially teens and young adults whose proverbial bubbles haven’t been burst yet, and two, because you hope that these people creating such a wonderful ‘product’ as they love to call it, would know better and not play what may seem to laypeople like silly games or that they’d do a better job of marketing themselves whether it be at conventions or to the viewing public at large.
But that hope is to expect too much. It’s too much and too unrealistic to expect others to have their act together, because no matter how wonderful that ideal looks and feels, ultimately we lose sight that they’re muddling around trying to get through life just like we are.
We’re all scattered in stages somewhere on the path of life and have to open our own minds and hearts to acknowledge that it is so, and to be wise and mature enough regardless of our physical age to still embrace the goodness in those we ‘idolized’ whose presence we still (or want to still) enjoy in our lives whether it be on the big screen, small screen, concerts or in person.
‘Cause Oz is just a man. Just a man. Or just a ‘Hu’man with all those human weaknesses in the end.
But still capable of giving us joy; the attitude adjustment lies within us.
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