The Power of "Modern" Celebrity & Less Serious Stuff

The Modern Celebrity Culture

So if you follow my Twitter ( twitter.com/AOWWaterborn ) you will know that I found out late yesterday that Kat Von D was going to be at a Barnes & Noble here in Boston signing copies of her new book High Voltage Tattoo.

Now for those of you who may not know who Kat is, she was a secondary "star" on the reality TV tattoo show Miami Ink. After a few seasons on that show, she moved to LA and was given her own show - you guessed it - LA Ink (these producers are creative - no?). Now I have tattoos and found both of these shows to be mildly intereting, mostly for the stories that people would tell when they came into the various shops to get ink work done.  I liked the fact that each new tattoo had a specific story behind it and that they did not show drunk idiots coming in to snag flash (pre-rendered, mass-produced designs) off the walls. Personally, I would have been more interested in these shows if they concentrated solely on the stories behind the tattoos. But like every other "Reality" TV show, there was too much attention paid to the drama between cast members, so I quickly lost interest.

On a personal note - As some of you know, I have several tattoos. Each of my pieces was designed by me and marks a specific milestone in my life. My tattoo serve as reminders of where I have been and have usually come after some hardship or down time in my life. I rarely get a new tattoo when I am happy. I guess I associate the pain with some form of cleansing ritual. The Japanese call such ritual cleansing Mitsogi. As an aside, if you want to read a great book about one man's similar philosphy regarding tattoos, check out 7 Tattoos by Peter Trachtenberg.

Anyway, so I figured that I would go and check out Kat, if for no other reason to take a look at her book and say hello. Well I get there one hour before she was to start signing books and was amazed by the line of people waiting to see her.

The line started at the B&N door.

Continued Down the Hall

And around the corner

I was floored. So I talked to a few people in line to find out how long they had been waiting and why they wanted to see Kat. The lady in the front of the line had been there since the mall opened at 9:00 am this morning. She had also picked up a bracelet guaranteeing her first place in line several days previously. This woman was in her mid to late 30's and did not seem to be what most would consider to be a "typical" Tattoo enthusiast. She wore regular jeans and a blouse (no leather or particularly flashy clothing) and had no visable tattoos. When I asked her why she was so into Kat, she told me that she loved the show and really felt connected to Kat in many ways. After talking to several others in line I began to see a trend. Many of the people who had waited more than six hours to see the reality TV Star and newly minted author felt personally connected to her in a rather strong manner. I found this a bit disturbing for some reason. I have absolutely nothing against Kat Von D. I happy for her that she is garnering so much attention. However, I just don't get why and how people become so attached to others that they have never met, but only seen on a television screen.

Now I have stood in line for the better part of a day to see movies, get good seats at concerts and even to grab a new gaming console on launch day, but I have never dedicated so much time for a chance to meet a single person. Heck, even when given several opportunities to meet one of my all-time heroes, Henry Rollins, I decided to move on as I did not want to dedicate such an expansive amount of time just to say a few words to someone who get this kind of attention all the time. One time, while working at a large public aquarium in Tennessee, Michael Stipe from R.E.M. came into the facility. Since he was who he is, the management gave him access through the employee areas so that he could duck in and hout with less attention from the general public. You should have seen the staff, everyone was falling over themselves to try and get in position to "accidently" run into Mr. Stipe and say hello. I could have cared less. I did walk past him while going down some back stairs and said hello in passing. The guy looked at his feet and kept walking wihout saying a word. I don't blame him, considering all the fuss that was being made that day. I feel that these celebrities are just people who have caught some good (and often not so good) breaks. This makes them lucky, in some cases hard-working and dedicated, but no more special than anyone else.

So my question is this - Am I missing something here? Have you ever stood in line for 6 hours or more to meet someone or have something signed? If so, who and why? If there is someone who you would camp out for days to get a chance to meet, let me know about it. Help me to better understand this Cult of Personality that makes absolutely no sense to me.

Now for Something Completely Different

Nygel on the Run (or Ride)

I was driving around this past weekend running errands with my dog Nygel in the car. As some of you may have read in previous blogs, Nygel was diagnosed with canine diabetes a few months ago and has been having some hard times lately. But we have him on insulin and he is doing pretty good for a 12 year old Rottie/Lab mix of 110 lbs. This guy is the best pooch that I have ever known and makes me grin every time I see him stick his head out the window to enjoy the simple pleasure of the wind in his face and to check out girls (oh he IS a ladies man, no doubt) and other dogs. He reminds me of the important things in life. Enjoy the small stuff, slow down, take a nap and always give love when you can. It does comes back to you.