Fame, Celebrity and Reputation

[ This entry originated here » The Games Begin (Sept 3, 2017). ]

» Why the Notion of Celebrity Seems So Distasteful

Regarding your enormous popularity, I was wondering why the idea of celebrity seems so distasteful to me.

[ I like the way that you threw in the line where you rap » "Younger than my exes..." to throw everybody off our trail. Nice work, Tay. Very clever.

I thought for sure that everybody would figure out our little secret when you used the sound of a click pen so prominently in Blank Space.

You have given me much to work with here. ]

And I think that it is because the writer is basically listening to his inner writing voice. And the degree to which you must pay attention to external things .. this distracts from listening to that inner voice.

Does that make sense? I have actually been wondering about that for a long time. The writer does not want to spend his time cultivating and managing an external image at the expense of listening to his internal writing voice.

Some girls help you to see things that were right there in front of you all the time. That's a good trick.

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••• today's entry continues here below •••

» Cormac Looked Uncomfortable on Oprah

I saw Cormac McCarthy being interviewed by Oprah and he seemed downright uncomfortable. I could not help but sympathize.

He didnt even want to do that interview. He did it as a favor for his long-time editor, who had asked him to do it.

When your long-time editor asks a rare favor .. you do it. Even if you'd rather not. Even if it makes you uncomfortable. Even if it is something that takes you out of your comfort zone.

I bet that Salinger knows exactly what I am talking about here.

» Phillip Seymour Hoffman on Surviving Fame

Phillip Seymour Hoffman said (at t=1:45 here) that the artist "fights against" fame "out of survival."

I find it interesting that he uses the word » survival. Was that not an outstanding mini-exposition that he gave there? I am impressed. (I like him.)

Notice how he says that he is at his "breaking point." This is the place where you are going to have an excellent perspective on this thing. I bet that this is the reason why he is able to provide such an excellent discourse on fame. Plus, he is (was) obviously a thoughtful person.

Notice also that he is wearing a plain gray tee-shirt and a worn brown ballcap. I find this very telling.

» Daniel Day-Lewis is Allergic to Fame?

What do you think about this video which says (at t=3:30) that Daniel Day-Lewis is allergic to fame?

Daniel Day-Lewis is allergic to fame

Is he really the only man to win three Oscars for Best Actor?

» Robert Pattinson on Fame and Dating

What do you think about what Robert Pattinson said about dating?

Robert Pattinson talks to Howard Stern about the effects of fame on relationships July 26, 2017

» Narcissism is the Enemy of Artistic Exploration?

What do you think about this article on Sade .. that says » She regarded the project of explication with suspicion. She seemed to operate according to the principle that narcissism was not the precondition for artistic exploration, but was instead its enemy.

This is an interesting statement because the artist is obviously going to need to believe in their talents. Without such confidence, the artist will surely be crushed by the array of forces arrayed against them. No?

You know the forces that I am talking about. Better than most. Much better.

So there seems to be something of a paradox at play here.

Sade only makes records when she has something to say

» Stage Presence and Artistic Persona

I saw Sade in concert. Irvine. I forget the year. Beautiful day. Life was good then.

(I saw Jimmy Buffet at the same place. That was something of an experience.)

She's got that thing. You can sense it. A presence. It transcends her artistic persona.

» Much Firsthand Experience Dealing with Public Reputation

See .. your new album is titled » Reputation. .. which is defined as:

  1. The general estimation in which a person is held by the public.
  2. The state or situation of being held in high esteem.
  3. The character imputed to a person in the community in which she lives.

The very title itself implies fame (or infamy) and a relationship with the public. Certainly no one would say that this word does not apply to you.

Natalie Portman says that everything in the popstar's private life is for public consumption.

Natalie Portman on Vox Lux says popstars' private life is for public consumption (14 Sept 2018)

This firsthand experience at dealing with reputation for a super-public person .. this is the thing that makes it easier for me to write to Ariana.

I know that I have the thing .. so I am naturally careful with it. Tho sometimes, it seems to have a mind of its own.

Ariana is a very public person, but she obviously knows how to work that aspect. She has plenty of firsthand experience.

It's definitely not my comfort zone, but she knows how to make it okay.

The voice is my head said, "Dude, Taylor Swift sang a very nice song for you here .. doncha think?"

I said (to the voice in my head), "That's what crazy people think .. knock it off."

I know that I said that I was ready for it .. and I am .. but I can tell that I am a little freaked out by the implications.

I watch myself dealing with the implications. I respond to the freak-out factor in a number of ways .. but humore is usually one of them.

"What implications?" you ask? I dont know if you could handle it.

Perhaps you can see how the very act of writing this page represents for me a step out of my comfort zone. It feels like I am flirting with danger.

And this danger feels close. Very close. I am actually proud of myself for getting this close. Ariana helps here.

With Ariana, it feels like I am flirting with danger. But with you it feels like I am flirting with fame. And I'm not really sure how I feel about that. Fame is simply another form of danger in disguise.

If the writer is conscious of eyes watching him .. how can this not affect his writing? I think this is why I like to write to an individual person (tho published to the entire Web). This technique lends itself to a more-intimate style of writing .. no?

If I think about it .. uh, it's probably better if I dont. I heard an actor say that being conscious of people watching is what makes for bad acting.

» When the World Wants to Meet You

Sometimes I give Ariana shit when I write things like, "You are so going to get us in trouble, girly."

I do this, in part, as a play off of when Andrew and Philip came and told Jesus that "The Greeks want to meet you."

And his response is something like, "That means it's time. Let's do this thing .. this redemptive thing."

If you knew that celebrity and popularity meant curtains for you .. then you would probably try your best to suppress celebrity. No?

» Strangely Natural

The statement: "Okay .. I am going to do this cool thing for you .. but dont tell anybody who I am." .. this statement feels surprisingly natural. Curiously natural. Strangely natural.

Speaking of Jesus .. I wonder if Joaquin Phoenix knows what I am talking about here.

I bet that Michelle Pfeiffer knows what I am talking about.

Speaking of things that are strangely natural .. I couldnt help but notice your use of the line » "I see how this is gon' go."

Because I use a similar sentiment myself. The effect that your lyrics there have on me is .. uh, I probably shouldnt say any more along these lines. I am already in enough trouble .. for stealing fire from the gods.

I dont mind telling you about the voice in my head that is saying, "Dude, you are writing to Taylor Swift. Have you completely lost your mind?"

Maybe I have.

I can also feel something telling me to relax and just go with the flow. I do not know where this flow is heading .. but I can feel that it is bigger then me. (Ariana knows what I'm talking about.)

Remind me to describe the feeling that comes with such a thing. Very interesting. Very different. Somewhat scary.

» A Full-Spectrum Experience Would Naturally Include a Degree of Fame

The writer has a thing where something inside him leads him to experience a representative sampling of all that life has to offer.

And not just the nice, pretty, enjoyable aspects of life, either. Rather I am talking about a full-spectrum experience, which includes the ugly, uncomfortable parts, too.

There is a question posed by Thoreau that goes like so » How can a man sit down to write before he has stood up to live?

I paraphrased it a tad. For clarity. And to remove the judgment found in the term 'vain'. Thoreau should not be calling anybody 'vain'.

I find this question valid because it suggests the very concept that I am addressing here .. that a diverse and richly-lived experience .. is one of a writer's most valuable assests.

I can see that fame is naturally going to be a part of this experience .. but probably not too big of a part, because it is not a very big part for most people .. and the writer wants a representative experience. More or less.

» The Artist Keeping their Artistic Eye on the Artistic Goal

Because the idea here is not to become famous, or to become rich, or to pursue any of the things that the world tells you to pursue .. but rather (for the writer, anyway) the goal is » the ability to speak to whatever it is that you need to speak to.

I bet that Hemingway would back me up here. And I am confident that you would agree when I say that some things are more difficult to speak to that others.

» The Rub with Being a Writer

See .. this thing right here .. of ever-broadening the scope of the conversation to which the writer can speak with the authenticity of existential insights .. this is the rub with being a writer.

I can see this now. I can see clearly this thing that I kind of knew was there all along. Although I dont know how I knew. Writer's ESP maybe? Who knows?

I am speaking of deep writer things here. And I am not sure how far down this road you are able to come. If you were able to come this far .. then I would be impressed.

I know that many will find this notion fanciful, and as a pursuit of the impractical .. but we all need to be guided by our own inner compass, and not be a willing slave of the system.

Call me old-fashioned .. but, if you are going to speak to a thing, then you should possess some firsthand experience along those lines. (I bet that Keke would concur.)

» Is Fame Addictive Like a Drug?

Speaking of a full-spectrum experience, what do you think about what Bill Maher said to Russell Brand at t=1:45 here .. that » "fame is the worst drug of all" ? [ I like Russell. ]

Perhaps worth noting here is Fergie's reaction when she was informed that her Double Duchess album was sitting at the #1 position on iTunes. [ I already have a Fergie page. ]

» The Artist and Huevos Rancheros

I have long felt that something I call 'huevos rancheros' is a key component to kicking artistic ass.

Huevos rancheros is balls, ranch-style. The bold, sassy ease-of-confidence that comes when someone is following their own inner artist .. and who is not afraid to take risks in doing so.

Now certainly the artist needs to be able follow up their huevos rancheros with bona fide artistic talent .. but artistic huevos certainly suggests that the artist does indeed possess the goods necessary to bring the artistic thunder.

This new song today speaks such artistic huevos rancheros to me. And my spidey senses suggest that you are not bluffing .. that you do indeed possess the necessary skill sets to execute effectively.

The end. ■ (For now, anyway.)

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This page contains a single entry by Rad published on September 3, 2017 9:03 PM.

The Games Begin was the previous entry in this blog.

Opening Doors that have Long been Locked is the next entry in this blog.

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