Firstly, I feel an apology is in order. The blog has kind of
been neglected as of late, and we haven't been posting as actively as we should,
or would like to. There are several factors to this and most of them are
boring, like having to get back to the real world with actual jobs and stuff.
On top of that, I took a last minute trip to Gibraltar via Spain to see Breed
77 headline the National Day concert as it was Paul Isola's last show. On top
of THAT, I broke my laptop on the way back from Gib (screen isn't working so
I'm having to type this while having my computer hooked up to my TV) and Joobs'
tablet is naffed. Safe to say, technology is not on Invading The Pit's side
right now, but we'll manage!
There were some reviews we were supposed to get to, and I
hope we can still do that eventually, but we have a lot to catch up on before
that.
Today I want to talk about competition and rivalries in fan
bases. Not different fan bases competing and arguing with each other, but
actual drama and rivalries based within fan bases themselves. I'm not going to
single any one particular fan base out, but I'm sure a lot of people reading
this will be able to associate this post with one or two that they may be a
part of, or have been a part of in the past.
I've never understood why people in fan bases feel the need
to compete with others and try to "one-up" them. There's a lot of
this "I'm –insert band name here-'s biggest fan because..." thing that
goes on pretty much everywhere. It's fine for people to want to lay claim to
being the single biggest fan amongst millions in the world if they want to, but
when they start causing arguments and telling other people that they're not a
"true fan" it starts to bother me.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but as a fan of the band, isn't the
main goal to support the band and their music? Bands, obviously, want to have
as many fans as they can possibly get, so why do some fans try so hard to piss
off other fans to the point that they don't even want to be associated with a particular
fan base anymore? When did a "die hard" fan get to decide that
someone isn't a true fan because they've never seen their favourite band live
before? They haven't travelled 15,000 miles to see them, so they don't really
love them! It's silly.
I've done a lot of crazy stuff for my favourite bands, but I
wouldn't say I'm their biggest fan because of it, and I certainly wouldn't tell
somebody that they're not a true fan because they haven't gone to the lengths
that I've gone to. People come from different backgrounds and from all walks of
life. Not everybody can afford to travel to see bands, or go to more than one
show on a tour. Some people can't even get to one show because they live in an
obscure area that their favourite band doesn't even come close to. Not
everybody has the mental capacity to memorise the lyrics to every single song
that a band has recorded. That doesn't make them any less of a fan. If they
support the band, listen to their music, watch their videos and get excited
about the announcement of a new release... they're a fan, and it's not up to
anybody else to tell them otherwise.
The drama in some fan bases is so ridiculous that people are
actually ashamed to be a part of it. Some people don't want to associate with
other fans of their favourite band because the fan base is so crazy, dramatic
and full of people who love to bicker and put other fans down that they're embarrassed
about it. Some won't even admit to liking a band because the reputation the fan
base has is so out there. Nobody should be made to feel bad for liking a band
but not being able to do as much as someone else.
It's great if you can buy five copies of every album to
support the band. It's fantastic that you've seen them 20 times in five
different countries. It's incredible that you've been to at least one show on
every tour in the last ten years. You're one of the lucky ones. You're in the
minority. You're dedicated and loyal, for sure, but that doesn't mean you're
the "biggest fan" in the entire world, and it doesn't give you the
right to call someone a bad fan and say they should be ashamed to be a fan of a
certain band (yes, I've seen that said before). It's impossible for one person
to be the biggest fan. How do you even decide that someone is the number one
fan out of millions worldwide that all have a different story to tell?
Not everybody can make massive sacrifices for their
favourite band.
What about the single mother who can't get a babysitter on
the night her favourite band is playing in her city? Is she a bad fan because
her child is her priority? No.
What about the guy who barely earns enough to feed himself
and pay his bills? Is he a bad fan because he's being responsible and not
spending what he can't afford on concert tickets or CDs? No.
Not everybody has the freedom or bank balance to go above
and beyond for their favourite band. To some people, listening to the music
that they love is enough, and, guess what? They're still fans.
