10 Bizarre Habits Of Highly Obsessive Fans
As a super-fan, I’ve had more than enough of my share of people pointing out things I do and reminding me that normal folks, well, they just don’t do that. My thoughts are usually, “Hey, it’s not hurting you. Mind your business, passionless soul-sucker,” but as a human who can empathize with other humans, I see where their alarm surfaces.
For the purpose of this list, I’m talking about the harmless stuff fans do. Things like invading bands’ privacy and personal space are on a different, more sinister level, and I think we all—mega-fans included—can see that pretty clearly.
1. MOBILE NOTIFICATIONS
So what? Maybe regular folks don’t receive text messages every time their favorite artists tweet or whenever a new article about them surfaces on Google. I’m just keeping up with my news beat, obviously.
2. MUST. BUY. IMMEDIATELY.
Yes, we realize that show or that item we’re pre-ordering might not sell out and we could wait another day or so, but why risk it? If you’ve ever couch-dove for change to fill your bank account just so you could pre-order a limited edition album package the minute it went on sale, you know this feel.
3. PARODIES AND JOKES
There’s something about loving an artist that very, very oddly goes hand-in-hand with making fun of them (in an endearing, non-malicious way, of course). Perhaps it’s because fans observe their faves so closely that they’re able to translate and communicate nuances of their personalities into often-hilarious caricatures. (Fall Out Boy and Panic! At The Disco fans are particularly astute in this field.)
4. SPAMMING
“LET’S TREND IT! #HAPPYBIRTHDAYHAYLEYWILLIAMS #HAPPYBIRTHDAYHAYLEYWILLIAMS #HAPPYBIRTHDAYHAYLEYWILLIAMS #HAPPYBIRTHDAYHAYLEYWILLIAMS #HAPPYBIRTHDAYHAYLEYWILLIAMS #HAPPYBIRTHDAYHAYLEYWILLIAMS #HAPPYBIRTHDAYHAYLEYWILLIAMS #HAPPYBIRTHDAYHAYLEYWILLIAMS #HAPPYBIRTHDAYHAYLEYWILLIAMS #HAPPYBIRTHDAYHAYLEYWILLIAMS #HAPPYBIRTHDAYHAYLEYWILLIAMS #HAPPYBIRTHDAYHAYLEYWILLIAMS #HAPPYBIRTHDAYHAYLEYWILLIAMS #HAPPYBIRTHDAYHAYLEYWILLIAMS”
5. USING THEIR FACES
“Hmm. What do my fans look like? It’d be nice to see the people who like my music,” the artist says as she logs onto her band’s social media conduit only to be met with a timeline of icons featuring her own face staring back at her. “Oh…”
6. GIVING ARTISTS CREDIT FOR OUR OWN ACCOMPLISHMENTS
On a slightly more serious note, many fans credit music for helping them through tough times. “[Band Name] saved my life” has always been a resonant sentiment among fans—like it or not. With time, many of us come to realize we could have never done the things we credit our bands with without our own hope and motivation behind it.
7. RENAMING YOURSELF AFTER BANDS
While Facebook might be nipping this one in the bud by no longer allowing users to use a name that is not their legal one, it’s been interesting seeing how some have sacrificed their known identities to adopt conglomerates of artist names and song lyrics. We see you, Clarissa BierSykes, Johnny Ringo and Sarah SeptemberEnds.
8. NAMING PETS AFTER YOUR FAVORITE BAND
“Hey, why is your dog named Squidgy?”
“Uhm, well you see… It’s a long story involving Of Mice & Men and a toy squid.”
“Say no more, dude.”
9. WAITING. LOTS OF WAITING.
For some of us, lining up early for the show is as much a part of the live experience as the performance itself. Although that is nothing new, people still walk past lines for shows and can’t grasp that we’ve camped on a sidewalk for 12 hours just to be in the front.
10. TRAVELING
This facet of fanning-the-fuck-out tends to raise fewer eyebrows, but a few nonetheless. It seems almost unfathomable to many of us that someone wouldn’t travel for shows, despite not actually having the means or time to do so. For fans, the sacrifice is worth it.
This article was sponsored by Journeys.
