Last year I posted a link to the website of Johnny Colla, a musician in Huey Lewis and the News, where he had posted a negative opinion about Bush connected to the recently-begun war in Iraq. I was so taken by it, partly because I strongly agreed with his conclusion, and partly because I was so pleasantly surprised to see him take a political stand publicly. I've followed the News a long time and their public career has generally occupied a space separate from, well, lower-case news. I guess I always assumed they'd remain separate, so I found it incredibly refreshing when he broke down the wall between them.
I think part of my reaction may stem from the validation his comments ended up making on the emotional investment I've made being a fan, or as I'd prefer to put it, an admirer. My problem with the term fan is that it often connotes a superficial, emotionally-driven and irrational attraction to the object of your attention, which has little bearing on anything of substance. Though I still use the term "fan" for shorthand, I'm not comfortable with being one by that definition because it implies a certain cognitive vacancy, a need for someone else's essence to fulfill my life, which must somehow be lacking. A fan who is an admirer, by contrast, can still appreciate the achievements of another but without such appreciation being at the expense of one's own sense of self. For me the equation is that if I'm the intelligent person I aspire to be, I can only justify my interest in someone else's work, and in the person behind it, if they are all intelligent as well.
So when he articulated thoughtful opinions about the world beyond his own career, he demonstrated his own intelligence in a way that made me feel quite proud to have enjoyed his music. I always knew he was talented, but I felt I could be more honest about my appreciation of the music because I could also more appreciate the musician.
Of course, by this reasoning he could have posted anything intelligent for me to feel this way. And it's not like I thought him a dullard before. But there was something about him making the political statement that really appealed to me in a very deep way.
A few years ago I had an epiphany, that the world wouldn't run itself and people who cared about it needed to get more directly involved. I decided to be one of these people (this is the thinking that motivated me to go to law school). But I am no superhero, and I can't make the world better on my own. Other people need to speak up and take a stand as well. When he posted his thoughts, I suddenly felt much less alone in this fight. There are surprisingly few people these days with the courage to stand up for what they believe in. I'm happy he's one of them. (I wish there were more.)
His comments also helped reconcile what I sometimes feared was a conflict: I still like his music, a lot, and I've seen a lot of News concerts lately, particularly since I've begun law school. They are my favorite outlet, some respite from the buffeting and bullying of my legal education. But I am in school for a reason, to make the world a better place. I don't want to be a fan if it interferes with that sense of purpose. When he mixed politics in with his musician persona, it reassured me it didn't have to.
Edited 11/6, and slightly more on various occasions 11/9 - 11/26, 12/19 and 1/22.
Comments (1)
If he had supported Bush, though, would you not have felt somewhat betrayed, or even guilty for liking his music and buying tickets that support him?
And, in that case, doesn't it seem that when a musician takes a public stance he or she always creates problems for his or her fan base because some of them will be disapoointed... And doesn't that, in itself, have negative reprecussions for fandom, since folks might want to enjoy the music but not seem like they are endorsing the political message?
I think that this is why some fans get upset when artists get political, even when they agree with the politics. The fans want to be able to enjoy the music for the music, and be able to keep politics out (ie. one big happy family).
Personally, though, my problem with artists taking political stances is that they often come off as so vapid that it is embarassing both for the artist and for the politicians they support. I don't oppose their taking positions, I just feel a bit sorry for them, since the way they express the positions nearly always demeans them in my eyes.
Mark
Posted by Mark | November 1, 2004 5:12 PM
Posted on November 1, 2004 17:12