When looking at my own fandom in regards to idol culture I always wonder if there is a thing as 'too much' sometimes I ask myself if spending hundreds upon hundreds of pounds on merchandise is a good idea or if its totally pointless and a waste.
When I was young boy (around 11) I developed a huge crush on Gillian Anderson from the X-files, I amassed a huge amount of X-files related material including videos watches magazines and cd's.
I can remember Gillian featured in mens magazines like FHM and Esquire, the local newsagents wouldn't sell me these magazines because I was too young for such material ... thankfully I asked my mother to buy the magazines for me, which she did.
I still have this magazine somewhere in a box and it remains as a relic of when my idol complex started, apparently this magazine is now a collectors item and worth a fair bit of cash ... but unfortunately I cut the magazine up so I could add pictures to my Gillian Anderson scrapbook ... I wish I had a picture of my old bedroom because the walls were littered with posters of her, to some people it might of seemed creepy but that's how I rolled.
Getting a little older (around 13) I then developed another mild obsession with the violin player Vanessa Mae
Just like with Gillian I started buying anything I could relating to Vanessa, mostly music tapes and magazines that featured interviews with her.
I then took up learning to play the violin which I got pretty good at, then I progressed to learning the viola which is kinda the same but a little bigger .
I still listen to her music from time to time, it reminds me alot of my past, the good times and the not so good times.
Here is a performance that I've always loved, I did have this on VHS back in the day and the tape got so worn down it was virtually unplayable.
And getting a little older (15+) I became slightly taken taken with the bass player Talena Atfield from the metal band 'kittie'
I made a website when I was around 16 dedicated to her, I can no longer remember what was on the site, it was probably total garbage but I thought it was cool at the time, the site might still exist somewhere ... who knows?
My fandom didn't make me take up the bass guitar but I did end up dating a girl that looked almost like her, the relationship wasn't that great so I dumped the girl lol.
The next girl that became victim to my fanboyism is none other than Kago Aibon
She is the key reason why I am here now blogging everywhere and spending countless amounts on H!P photos, cd's, posters, dvd's etc etc.
My fandom has kind of died in regards to Aibon, this was mostly due to the repeated 'scandals' that happened.
Life after Aibon was no problem because there was another idol to take her place ...
Kusumi Koharu
Kusumi is my number 1 Musume, yet she also shares the podium with my other number 1's thus being Yajima Maimi, Chinami Tokunaga and Maasa Sudo.
I always wonder if my love for Japanese idols will die one day, of course I have no idea but I highly doubt it, I enjoy too many aspects of idol culture for it to disappear.
Personally if I wasn't a wota I have no idea what I would do online ... maybe I would go outside more and walk my dogs?
Not bloody likely.
4 comments:
I was thinking along much the same lines awhile back, I was ordering a ton of C-ute photos and realized the folder I keep them in was all full, I then looked for a folder and seeing the cost I said "I don't need a new folder I can keep them all in their little bags for the minute", in which the response from y friend was "You don't need the photos either".
We then looked back on all the little obsessions I've had in the past, and two have really stuck out amongst all of them are Horror Films and Pokemon, both of which have died a death in my interest in them, both being that I feel neither are as good now as they were back in the day.
But H!P fandom is something that has really caught me and I wonder if it will ever let me go? I have more interest now than I did when I started and my interest in music outside of JPop (although it has spanned into KPop and CPop now) isn't even comparable to any music I've listened to before.
I'm slightly curious if in 2-3 years down the line I'll have a cardboard box crammed full with my H!P merchandise sitting next to all the music I used to listen to whilst in Uni.
And as for the net...it's almost the only thing I use the net for H!P and Idols, what else does anyone need?
"Talena Atfield" Thats what her name was? I totally fell for her When they came out. Then she was gone and they sceamed alot. I don't know how much I obsesse, more of a collector. I know that if I started to get some of the H!P photos I've seen I wouldn't be able to stop, and my house just doesn't have the room. Comics, RPG's, action figures, models, CDs, DVDs, stuff is everywhere.
I've started to curtail my spending habits but I'm still going nuts. Wanna get a bunch of the concert DVDs, the new albums are coming(I broke down and pre-ordered Buono!, and best of Berryz)
@ Paul
In regard to photo albums I found a really good way of keeping them, in asda (or my asda at least) they sell clear white plastic photo holders, they hold about 30 photos and cost merely 50p, I'll be sure to include them in my upcoming 'gets' post.
And I also had a huge thing for pokemon ... but thankfully I was into it before it even came to the UK, ... I spent so many hours doing link up battle with my gameboy during college ... I think I still have a snorlax teddy somewhere around the house.
I wonder if when we are old and grey we will look in the loft and find all our old H!P stuff and feel a warm fuzzy glow? :)
@ Rick
Yeah when she left they became kinda sucky, I saw them a few years ago and they had some dude with a beard playing bass, worst swop ever.
I can kind of imagine your house, my friends house sounds exactly the same, wall to wall of games and figures, and good job with getting buono and berryz! I've cut down alot recently on spending because I'm trying to save ... but theres always something I have my eye on.
Kago is an idol goddess as far as I'm concerned. She embodies everything good about idols. I pretend like the returning Kago has simply stepped down from her thrown. It makes the reality of the situation easier.
Post a Comment