Deep Thoughts

I've been pondering fandoms. I know. I should be working on world peace, but I've been distracted lately.

First, when I say "fan," I am not referring to people who like something a lot. These are people who LOVE something to the point that they have the shirt, cap or other wearable promotional merch, know the jargon, quotes, lyrics, and other uncommon references, and get all fluttery just talking about it.

Here's the theory:

Perhaps we are not actually fans of a particular person, game, character, team, movie, band, song, etc., but rather of the perceived placement of that thing among other like things. I've observed it for years with music fandoms, and then realized it seems to carry through to each of a person's other fandoms as well.

Stay with me, people. Or maybe you should leave now and save yourself two minutes of precious afternoon.

I am thinking there are three types of fans. I'll note that I feel one is no better or worse than the others. Apply these to whatever fandom you wish. Then take it even further, down to subgroups like songs by your favorite band or characters from your favorite movie.

1) The big fan of the most popular one everyone likes.
This person has a penchant for the lead singer of the band, the popular political candidate, the top-grossing movie of all-time, the number one song on the charts, the big football team du jour. They are certain to get enthusiastic support when they mention their love of that thing, which is great for making instant friends with about half the people on the planet. "You love ice cream??!! Me too!!"

2) The big fan of the close second.
Uber-fans of the lead guitarist, the sidekick, the supporting actress, maybe the big hockey team du jour. This fan tends to be an enthusiast of the thing that many people would agree should be the best, but for whatever reason, it it is hovering ever-so-close to the top of the heap. No one would disagree that this thing is great, but they would argue xyz is better. This fan feels a special kinship with other fans because it's not the Captain-Obvious popular thing of the moment. "I LOVED Moulin Rouge." "You did? Me too!"

(I'm this type, with the exception of my unholy love of George Clooney, Sexiest Man Alive. Just saying.)

3) The big fan of the obscure and overlooked.
These are aficionados of the character actor, the show on Bravo that no one watches, the unreleased song from the Japanese version of an otherwise popular CD, that really shy drummer, indie films, unsigned bands, roller derby. Access is the keyword here. This fan may actually chat with a film's director on Yahoo, because they are one of the ten folks who saw the movie. And when they meet another big fan- it is a moment tantamount to finding a long-lost twin. "YES! Blake Berkmanchester is doing a book signing at Quizno's on Saturday!" "WHO?"


It's late, so I'll just leave it at that. I think there's a future obscure and overlooked book in there somewhere though.