Do I Know You? Why Don’t You Know Me?
I’ve been trying to figure why the “celebrities” who host award shows or turn up on Dancing with the Vaguely Familiar, or show up on “Ellen,” are people whom I have to Google to figure out just who the heck they are. I’m also shocked that a huge attraction like Justin Bieber is absolutely devoid of talent and seems totally vacant.
So, I must be “out of it” and getting old, right?
Maybe not. I have another theory.
Today, fame and infamy are considered equally valuable, just as people confuse “infer” and “imply.” The idea is to achieve “celebrity,” like the oaf Richard Hatch who stripped nude on the first “Survivor” show and subsequently went to jail for refusing to pay tax on his winnings. He’s been in and out of jail ever since, but is apparently considering further “reality” work.
“Celebrity Apprentice,” the dreadful show hosted by dreadful Donald Trump, could be sued for felony use of an adjective. Shouldn’t celebrities be readily identifiable by the general population?
Here’s the problem: EVERYONE was focused on, say, Sinatra in his prime. Parents and kids all agreed he was the ne plus ultra singer (as they did Crosby before him). Elvis and the Beatles changed that, to an extent that we have “stars” today who actually appeal to a vast minority of the known universe (or even of Dubuque). Everyone pretty much agreed that Clark Gable and Humphrey Bogart, or Elizabeth Taylor and Ava Gardner (let alone Marilyn Monroe), were stars. But Toby Maguire? Jude Law? Kristin Wiig?
Social media platforms enable anyone to provide a comment, a video, an audio, a response, virtually without restriction. (I particularly am astonished at women who provide carefully done photos and articulate descriptions of themselves and who routinely use expletives in almost any conversation.) Not many people seem to care if they achieve fame or infamy, so long as someone notices them.
Are people that hungry for attention? Do they believe every nonentity with a microphone is someone worth slavishly following, or that anything they do to create their own microphone is worth it?
I’ve always felt this was silly. It’s not a matter of age, it’s a matter of taste. You can be famous for having good taste, or infamous for having none at all.
© Alan Weiss 2012. All rights reserved.
John Martin
I like this a lot and I’m pleased to see that it’s not just me who feels this way.
My 14 year old daughter is obsessed with celebrity and image. Quite often she will talk about some ‘famous’ person and is horrified to hear me ask, ‘Who the hell is she/he?’
They are always the new, latest thing to hit the screen, charts, or fashion industry. Not at all dissimilar to the one who fizzed out only weeks before! It’s a shame really, as all the kids in the school are judged on who likes who and which girl looks more like which so called celebrity.
But I won’t give up. My daughter is a pretty girl with a brain in her head and I will keep telling her that, as each of these talentless celebs fall back into the abyss of irrelevancy, I will still be there, guiding and helping her to a future of independence and self confidence, where a need for attention and validation no longer matters because I love her for who she is, not what she thinks she should be.
Still, she can give me a headache at times!
Alan Weiss
Are people going to be listening to Snoop Dog in 50 years?!
John Martin
In 50 years people will think Snoop Dog was a kids cartoon!
This is only my opinion and it’s not based on any facts, but when trying to identify what makes a music or screen legend different from the current crop of fade in/ fade out celebrities, the only thing I can think of is that the greats – the ones who are remembered for generations – actually LOVE to perform to their audiences and WANT to be the best they can be. They practise and fine tune their craft, knowing that people pay to be entertained and they want to provide the best entertainment and put on the best show they can for their supporters. Whereas the modern celebrities seem to have an expectation to be loved, regardless of what they do or how they perform- they EXPECT the fans to adore them without having to lift a finger or improve (or rather develop!) a talent.
Just my tuppence.
Alan Weiss
I think some entertainers and athletes respect their fans, and others just see them as dollar signs or even inferiors.
John Martin
I have to agree with you on this.
I’ll never forget the poor and half hearted efforts of the England team in the 2010 World Cup. These guys are asking for £120k – £250k per week and they performed like schoolboys.
Actually, that’s an insult to schoolboys who usually love to play and try their hardest.
Monica Austin Gordon
When my 68-year old aunt mentioned she was a Justin Bieber fan, not only did I question her sanity, but I asked myself if this phenomenon was worth investigating. Once I got past the first five minutes of the movie “Never, Say Never” I was pleasantly surprised! All is not as it seems.
Alan Weiss
I saw a very average talent who, of course, originated on YouTube. No much of a voice, weak dancer, not much personality. He’s just a young kid with a publicity factory.
Jeffrey Summers
“It’s not a matter of age, it’s a matter of taste. You can be famous for having good taste, or infamous for having none at all.” ~ Love it!
Alan Weiss
Will anyone be singing my songs in 50 years?! Million Dollar Consulting is in its 20th year….
Kevin Wunderly
I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who doesn’t find Justin Bieber talented. The only thing any of these producers see are dollar signs. As long as 13 year old girls can continue convince their parents to buy his albums and pay outrageous prices to see him “perform”, we’ll have to witness his sub-par performances and ridiculous haircuts. I give him another 5 years until we see him on Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew!
Alan Weiss
The sequence is newcomer; superstar; what’s he doing now; trouble with drugs/alcohol/relationships; public apology and phony rehab; Dancing with the Stars; attempted book; desultory talk shows; celebrity apprentice; rehab.
John Martin
Haha, love it. From B list to Z list THE new, fabulous 12 step program for all aspiring egonuts.
Shallow be thy name.
Kevin Wunderly
John, this sounds like a great book for someone whose been down this road before. I’m thinking Lindsay Lohan or Chaz Bono should lead the way…
Alan Weiss
Talk about celebrities with no talent….
Alex Saloutos
Interesting discussion. Are these “celebrities” the cause or an outcome? I think they’re the result of the proliferation media venues and the insatiable appetite for what the media produces. There really is a lot of cultural pollution in the world. A 100 or 1,000 years ago did we have a world so rich with so many “characters?” I think so. Now, we have so much more media and stimulation. On another note, the new media opportunities have really helped truly exceptional talents who may have gone unrecognized in the past to be discovered when media and the arts were controlled by a few and only selected artists received the promotional muscle to make help them become superstars. It would be great if talent alone was enough, but, as I think you’d agree, sales and marketing play an important role in ones success.
Alan Weiss
John, the New York Jets were like that this year, more concerned about individual performance than the team winning.
Mike Surratt
Great article and very appropriate. I read the book “The Narcissism Epidemic, Living in the Age of Entitlement”; Twenge, Campbell. They develope the idea of Alan’s article into a whole book. Everyone feels entitled to comment on everything on the internet, especially on Yahoo, Bing, Google News. They can’t hold back-no will power. (“Will Power”-another excellent book.) Seems I remember, in the book, the example: when Paris Hilton lost her cell phone, when found, it was obvious her phone; it was full of pictures of herself. Queen of narcissism–love of self to an actual personality disorder. (So, am I “entitled” to write this? You bet. )
Alan Weiss
A narcissist is someone better looking than you are. (I think that was Woody Allen!)
Alan Weiss
Alex, they are cause and effect, and I’m not following your point, unless it’s this: too many non-entities are achieving pseudo-entity status because of self-controlled media. Facebook is simply self-publishing for the untalented in my view. Perhaps struggling to make your talent manifest should be part of the process, and not being a member of the witless Kardashian brood.
Alex Saloutos
I did dash that off quickly. What I am trying to say is there are so many more media channels today and with audiences hungry for their content. So, there are more “stars” born today to feed this demand. The growth in media channels demands it. At one time we had three major commercial television networks and PBS. Now, there are hundreds of televisions channels that are hungry for content. If I can balance a spoon on my nose, there’s a media outlet that I’m sure has an audience waiting. I also agree with your point, pseudo celebrities are able to promote themselves more because of free and self-controlled media.
Alan Weiss
That’s my point, and worse: people are self-publishing their celebrity on the Internet. The only thing sadder than a nonentity promoting himself and someone who chooses to follow a nonentity.
Fabrice Nye
I would not discard the age thing right off the bat. One clue is that I know who Toby Maguire is, and even what he is famous for, I’ve heard the name Jude Law but don’t know what she (he?) is known for, and I’ve never even heard of Kristin Wiig. The other is that I am a bit younger than you (I think). This warrants a test. Ask about those vaguely famous, picking people in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s, and find out if the recognition increases as age decreases.
Just a thought.
Alan Weiss
Good thought!
Marcie Zinn
I’m jumping in here late. I am involved in education–basically, music instruction, but with some “frills.” I’ve done it for a long time now and developed a system out of music and clinical psychology. At first, overall parents were pleased to see what their children were learning. Problems with parents were so sporadic that they were insignificant. Then in the 90’s it started changing with some parents accusing me of taking their child ‘too slow.’ That continues to today, and the percentage has increased. They get irate about it. Long story short, it appears to me that somehow these folks come to believe that they can learn piano without understanding what they are doing (it appears to go faster to them) and their wish turns into a demand, delivered with frustration and anger. The folks who act like this go to other teachers, and I do not know what happens to them, but they definitely believe that they should be able to play elaborate piano pieces within an unrealistically short time.
Alan Weiss
Instant gratification often borders on an illness!