Fanatic or aficionado???

August 2, 2002 11:11 AM

Fanatic or aficionado??? 3000 photos, 30 concerts, three oil paintings, and more. Obsess much? If he didn't already live with his mother, he should shack up with the hostess of the now defunct 24 Hour Church of Elvis.
posted by illusionaire (23 comments total)

His license plates spell out "CHER GOD.''

Fanatic.
posted by ColdChef at 11:28 AM on August 2, 2002

How about Loser?

Or possible Should-Be-Hospitalized-Or-Shot?
posted by xmutex at 11:39 AM on August 2, 2002

But what does his wife think about all this? I mean, this guy is in his forties, he must be married right? I wonder why they don't mention what she thinks.

Maybe he's divorced. What other explanation could there be?
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 11:46 AM on August 2, 2002

I like how he says, ``Luckily for me, I haven't experienced Cher burnout, which has allowed me to enjoy the fruits of Cher's long career labor.''
posted by peachwood at 11:47 AM on August 2, 2002

Thanks a lot!
I have this picture in my head now of a 40 something, goofy looking guy singing along and dancing to a bad techno remix of "Do you believe" in the basement of his mothers house. eeeekkkkk!
posted by bmxGirl at 11:53 AM on August 2, 2002

``I can drink with Cher,'' he says, pointing to a Cher cup, ``and even sleep with Cher,'' pointing to a Cher pillowcase.

*puts hand in shape of L on forehead*
posted by adampsyche at 11:57 AM on August 2, 2002

I mean, this guy is in his forties, he must be married right?

I think that is a baseless (and rather offensive) contention.
posted by rushmc at 12:13 PM on August 2, 2002

How about Loser?

Perhaps, but he hasn't had an easy life, y'know. He was born in the wagon of a traveling show, and his momma used to dance for the money they'd throw. His poppa would do whatever he could...
posted by jonmc at 12:20 PM on August 2, 2002

I mean, this guy is in his forties, he must be married right?

I think that is a baseless (and rather offensive) contention.

Maybe so. I just think this kind of obsession must be a real pain to that special lady in his life. If he's not married, I'd at least like to hear what his girlfriend thinks.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 12:22 PM on August 2, 2002

I mean, this guy is in his forties, he must be married right? I wonder why they don't mention what she thinks.

Umm, he loves Cher, lives with is mother and is 'single'. Gay, much?

Or perhaps you've never heard of us, PinkStainlessTail. Come over here and let me tell you a little bit about our organization...

Joking. Sort of. But I love people like this. We all find a way to get through life, and this is his. More power to him!
posted by evanizer at 12:24 PM on August 2, 2002

Clearly, the nature of the story implies he has no wife, girlfriend, friend, or clue.
posted by xmutex at 12:24 PM on August 2, 2002

***Hands cigar to Evanizer***
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 12:25 PM on August 2, 2002

Cher burnout... film at 11.

Cher is coming to the Pepsi Center in Denver in a couple months. Tickets start at $60/seat. A person here at work bought SIX in the club level. But then, she's in her 20s and is probably going for different reasons.

We tease her mercilessly, though.
posted by jazon at 12:27 PM on August 2, 2002

You've all got it wrong. He has a huge misshapen head, two grotesque faces, and was in an "X-Files" episode a while back.
posted by chuq at 12:32 PM on August 2, 2002

NOW YOU CAN BE A JOURNALIST! HERE'S HOW!

1. Find a kook.

2. Write half-assed, smug, faux-repertorial article featuring kook.

3. Publish in "Entertainment" section.

4. All done!

5. Extra credit: You could always just go ahead and die.
posted by Skot at 12:33 PM on August 2, 2002

His obsession sounds a little bit creepy. What will he do if she actually retires and he can no longer get his fix?
posted by caddis at 1:10 PM on August 2, 2002

His obsession sounds a little bit creepy. What will he do if she actually retires and he can no longer get his fix?

Don't worry, there are backups.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 1:13 PM on August 2, 2002

His obsession sounds a little bit creepy. What will he do if she actually retires and he can no longer get his fix?

If she retires, he can set up surveillance on her house so it won't seem to him that she has "retired."

If she dies, I'm sure he'll be first in line to steal the corpse, preserve it, and add it to his collection as the "Ultimate Piece of Cher Memorabilia."
posted by illusionaire at 1:33 PM on August 2, 2002

Seen her live 30 times? That's not particularly impressive. I've seen one artist 60+ times. People I know have seen bands hundreds of times. Literally. There's a lot of obsessive fandom and collecting around and this guy does not surprise me at all. Yes, perhaps it's a little creepy. It's also passionate and dedicated and an aspect of human nature that continues to fascinate me.
posted by prolific at 2:02 PM on August 2, 2002

But do you have oil paintings and Barbie dolls of that artist? I think there's a fine line between enjoying an artist's music and putting their name on your license plate.
posted by illusionaire at 2:22 PM on August 2, 2002

That's nothing....I used to work for a fan club for a band years ago, and have seen fans of all sorts. Folks like this guy, who collect anything and everything, who plaster their walls with posters and pictures, who spend every spare cent on picture discs and bootleg albums. Who name their pets after the band or their songs, who have personalized license plates and actually buy a birthday cake and have a party on the lead singer's birthday. It's not always the 45-year-old with no life that lives with Mom that does it, either. I've seen couples who met and married through the fan club and both share a passion for the same band, and I've seen families where one spouse or the other was a fanatic, and the other spouse indulged them and came along for the ride.

There are worse things this guy could do....at least he has an interest in something, a hobby that keeps him busy. A lot of folks have nothing and try to soothe the ennui with booze or drugs.
posted by Oriole Adams at 2:48 PM on August 2, 2002

Um... what she said.

I may not have oil paintings, or Barbie dolls. But I quit college, wrote a biography, run the website... etc. It's a little more productive than collecting tacky memorabilia, but it's equally obsessive passionate.

My closest friends are all similarly afflicted. And there's no one who laughs louder about it than we do ourselves. We see others who don't laugh, whose tastes are tacky, whose horizons are narrower, and they take it all too seriously, and sometimes we ridicule that. But we shouldn't.
posted by prolific at 3:12 PM on August 2, 2002

Fanatic or aficionado?

Why does he have to be one or the other? Why couldn't he be an afanaticionado? Or a fanicionatic?
posted by Shadowkeeper at 3:24 PM on August 2, 2002