11/17/2000

"Celebrity"

What is it that makes people care about celebrities, most of whom they will never meet? And how do we decide which celebrities we will like? People who are famous are often people not much different from anyone else. Their jobs or relationships put them in a position that makes them known to millions. Their fans usually admire their work and/or find their personalities appealing in some way. I've always been a sports fan, a TV and movie fan, and a music fan, approximately in that order. There are many celebrities that I admire and follow in the news - Sarah Michelle Gellar, Courtney Love, Veruca Salt, Mike Tyson, Carlos Delgado, Bo Jackson, Arnold Schwarzeneggar and many more. Even though I spend a lot of my time reading about, listening to and watching them, they have a limited impact on me and they are not part of my everyday life in any way like my friends and family. When the only contact you have with someone is through television or some other media, they do not seem as real to you as the people you interact with. When fans meet their hero, it is a special experience that makes them feel more strongly about him/her because for a few minutes they have the attention of someone they care about but who normally doesn't think about them.

Veruca Salt released Eight Arms to Hold You when I was in my 2nd year of university. My friend James had an extra copy of the CD and he gave it to me because he knew I really liked the song Volcano Girls. Last week, I had the opportunity to meet former Veruca Salt band member Nina Gordon at a charity event hosted by a local bookstore. She sang a few songs from her new solo album, Tonight and The Rest of My Life, for a small but enthusiastic audience, and afterwards signed autographs. I bought 2 copies of her CD for her to sign - one for me and one for James. When I got to the signing table, she was happy that I bought 2 of her CDs and flattered when I relayed James' message that she was the heart (not his exact word) of Veruca Salt and it was never the same after she left. I left with a very positive impression of her - a genuinely nice lady and a very talented singer and songwriter.

I'm intrigued at how much meeting Nina Gordon has affected me - I now hold her in a higher regard than any other celebrity, be it athlete, actor, or rock star. Part of it is that I admire musical artists who write their own songs, if they do it well, because it is a powerful expression of one's emotions and feelings. Nina, Veruca Salt, Alanis Morissette, and Jewel all incorporate their experiences, good and bad, into their lyrics offering a glimpse of insight into ...(I want to say their "heart" or "soul" but that sounds lame and trite)...their personality and their state of mind. Our emotional reactions, which are often not expressed, to life events are often more revealing than our physical reactions. But the main reason I like her more now is that for a short time, I had her attention. It is the difference between listening to someone addressing an audience and listening to them address you directly. In the former, he/she is talking to you but not necessarily with you specifically in mind. In the latter you are their focus of attention and that makes what he/she has to say a thousand times more interesting or important because it was meant for you.

Now the question that has really been burning in my mind is why don't I treat my everyday encounters with regular people the same way that I treat my encounter with Nina. Every time someone other than a telemarketer calls you or you receive a letter in the mail, someone took the time to think about you and to communicate something to you. Now, some of these things aren't always what you want to hear or read, but that's beside the point. Almost everyone would rather be remembered than forgotten, so it should be a wonderful thing to hear from someone. Unfortunately it is too easy to take people for granted and I suspect this is why I treat most of everyday interaction with people with no small amount of indifference. On one hand, I'm a little ashamed that meeting Nina has had such an impact on me because she is not really in my life (I'm still very happy that I met her and I always will be), but on other hand with this realization I will hopefully make a conscious effort to gain a deeper appreciation of the people around me and those with whom I've shared memorable and formative experiences.