Whenever I hear the song “Lyin’ Eyes” on the radio, I always think of my dad because I remember him singing that with the band. I also remember “Peaceful Easy Feeling.” Hmm, they must have been Eagles fans.
David, my brother, was also a great drummer. In junior high, everyone oohed and ahhed his solo drum performance to “Wipe Out” at the school concerts. I was always proud to be his sister. He has now become more focused on the guitar and is now an incredible guitarist. He is presently working on his own CD, writes his own music and is pretty much a one man band because he can play any instrument.
More than learning how to play an instrument, my heart was set on singing. I have loved to sing since I was about eight years old. I went through a phase where I loved the Broadway musical Annie. I made my parents bring me to see the movie in the theater several times. I had everything “Annie”; the dolls and toys, the clothes and of course the album, which I sang to over and over. I even had this weird idea that I was going to round up the neighborhood kids to perform the production of “Annie” in my backyard. Of course, that never happened.
In fifth grade, I went to Nature’s Classroom, an outdoor educational experience, and learned a song that we sang every night around the campfire. I believe it was called “The Garden Song.” I loved the song and I really wanted to sing it. I came home with it memorized and sang it to David. “Inch by inch and row by row, gonna make this garden grow, all you need is a rake and a hoe and a piece of fertile ground.” He learned it on his guitar by ear and by the end of the night, we had made a tape. We gave it to my mom and dad as a gift and they still have it to this day.
David started to interest me in the Monkees and the Beatles. It was good music and of course, as the little sister who looked up to her big brother, I wanted to do everything that he did and like everything he liked. We performed a lot of Beatles’ songs in the basement of our house. Sometimes we fought about who was going to get to sing what songs. I claimed the song “Let It Be,” one of my personal favorites.
I remember being really angry with him for not letting me be part of his rendition of “We Are the World.” He carried on for five minutes singing the chorus at the end, like it would have killed him to let me sing one lousy verse. Brothers! We did come together to perform for the family on Christmas Eve and even at my cousin Suzie’s graduation party, which was mostly just our family and her college friends.
I entered junior high school, joined the chorus and played the recorder, all the usual things that junior high students get involved in. At this time, David and I had a friend, John, who lived about five houses down the street from us. He played the keyboard. We had a goal to make a recording of “Stairway to Heaven.” John played the keyboard, David was on the guitar and I actually played the recorder and sang.
We had a lot of fun with it and a lot of good laughs, and it sounded pretty good. We only reached the part when the song started to get a little more intense: “and as we wind on down the road…” I never really pictured myself as the rock singer and I will probably never be accused for trying.
In junior high, I aspired to become a cheerleader and was crushed when I didn’t make the team. The music teacher, Mrs. C., told me that it was a good thing that I didn’t because all of that yelling would have strained my vocal chords and would have ruined my beautiful voice. I actually bought into that, being the dope that I was. It did make me feel better, though.
My best friend, Kiara, and I were fans of all the same musical artists. We were typical pre-teen girls who wore fifty black jelly bracelets, cross earrings, lace ribbons in our hair, lace gloves with the fingertips cut off and denim jackets. We even tried to get away with the midriff shirts which were looked down upon by our parents. We would have sleepovers and spend endless hours dressing up and performing together and solo, making up dances and pretending to sing into fake microphones. Sometimes, I think that we actually thought we were Madonna or that we could be her if we tried hard enough or sang long enough.
We were also huge Michael Jackson fans. My Auntie Becky got a Michael Jackson impersonator for my cousin Marge’s birthday one year. She told her that in response to her fan letter she wrote to him, he came to her birthday party. She did not believe it, though. We would have sleepovers and wear the white sequin glove, taking turns to see who could do the moonwalk the best. I think David was always the best at it. It worked easiest with socks on the kitchen floor. I remember shopping for the poster of Michael Jackson in the white suit with the yellow vest. That is the poster everyone had to have and I think all of my friends had it. Another Michael memory was going to my friend Tricia’s birthday party to watch the making of Thriller. After that, I did not sleep for about a month.
Being a fan as a kid didn’t end there.
When my family finally got home from whatever that day had in store, there was the mirror. What kid has not at one point in their lives stood in front of the mirror, performing and singing like we were someone important?
My mother walked into my room once and caught me singing in the mirror to Vanessa Williams’, “Save the Best for Last.” I was so embarrassed and completely mortified.
Of course, there were also the millions of buttons that we had on our denim jackets, the countless magazines from which we cut out the smallest pictures to add to our own personal homemade wallpaper that covered every inch of paint on the wall and closet doors. I think that double-sided tape was one of the best things that we had in the eighties. Among my personal favorites were Madonna, Michael Jackson, Bon Jovi and of course, Kirk Cameron.
By the end of the sixth grade, I had made a lot of new friends, including my friend Leslie, who I thought was an excellent pianist.
We would get together and she would play and I would sing. We gave up before we completed the first verse of “The Greatest Love of All.”
Between the unfinished piano music, the half completed version of “Stairway to Heaven,” and never getting through “The Greatest Love of All,” it sounds like I am a very flighty person, never completing a project. Although I could be seen as a jack of all trades and master of none, I actually am a very thorough and organized person. When I don’t complete a project, it drives me crazy. I have sleepless nights walking the floors thinking about all the things that I didn’t finish. I will probably never return to those childhood projects but will always use them as a catalyst to set future goals and to accomplish bigger and better things.
It was Leslie that introduced me to what I thought was the best tape ever created, called Out Of The Blue. From that point on, I discovered my biggest childhood idol, Debbie Gibson. I was a forever fan and the obsession grew every day. When I encountered my first school dance and was introduced to the “Lip Sync Contest,” I knew what I needed to do. I needed to be her.
Two of my friends, Lori and Jan, were willing to be my back up dancers. I spent countless hours in front of the television when I came home from school and after dinner, watching the videos and learning all of the dance moves. I also held several after school sessions with Lori and Jan to teach them all the routines.
As the contest grew closer, I needed a costume. Even though I left this part for the last minute, there it was: the red bandana, the denim jacket, and jeans. These were all pieces that were already a part of my everyday wardrobe.
When the night came, I was so excited. We all got there early so that we could practice in the gym before we were introduced in the cafeteria, which at the time seemed so big. I remember the rush I got when we went on stage. The crowd of teachers and classmates cheered for us and sang along to “Shake Your Love.” We ended up winning second place. The prize was twenty dollars and after splitting it three ways, we all brought home six dollars and fifty cents each. It didn’t matter because we were all so proud of ourselves.
The following year, my friend Melanie and I joined the same lip sync contest, this time performing “Out Of The Blue.” Costumes consisted of black hats and high-waist plaid miniskirts; again, items o
f clothing pulled straight from the everyday wardrobe. We didn’t win that year but still had a blast.
My obsession lasted throughout junior high and most of high school.
I remember having my first boyfriend, Darren, when I was a sophomore, and writing love letters and notes quoting the lyrics from her songs. Thinking that there is a slim possibility that he may still have those is kind of scary to me. In saying that, I don’t think guys keep that kind of crap that all of we girls do.
I did, however, manage to get to two of her concerts.
My cousins Marge and Cielia brought me and my two friends, Kiara and Irene, to the first concert. My cousins were utterly embarrassed by us because we were all dressed up. We, at the time, thought we were cat’s asses but looking back, just asses would probably be a more appropriate description. We had floor seats and could not see a thing, but just the thrill of being there was great.
I went to the second concert with my cousin Tori and we had really good seats. I was a little older and I remember dancing with her through most of the show and having the best time. I actually still have the program from that show. I even remember having to buy these earrings that she was wearing on the cover of the program which were these silver stick figures of a boy and a girl.
Taping the videos on MTV was my favorite pastime. I remember waiting for hours for them to come on and then got so excited when they finally did. I would then watch the tapes over and over, forward and rewind, until I knew them well enough to perform on my own to the music.
I desperately wanted to join the annual lip sync contest in high school and to perform “Electric Youth.” I gathered my friends Tori, Kami and Ava, but we could never quite get it together to perform. Back in the day, that’s what being a fan was all about. It was all innocent and all in good fun.
Today, my cousin Cielia remembers the embarrassment I caused her the night of my first concert. As she laughs, so do I because now having an eight year old daughter of her own, my Debbie Gibson is her daughter’s Hannah Montana.
For all kids, their idols are inspirations to a promising future, whether it is to follow in their footsteps or go to college and start a different career. No matter what they decide, those admirations and memories are always with them and will follow them throughout their lives in some way, shape, or form. For some, it is just a childhood dream but to others, a sought after reality. Whatever the outcome, childhood idols have a great influence on their young fans somewhere throughout their lives. Hopefully, it is a positive, lasting impression.
For me, well, I still wear jelly bracelets and high-waist puffy skirts. Just kidding… but don’t laugh, there is a good chance that we will be wearing that stuff again real soon, as we are still revisiting the bell bottoms and tie-dye t-shirts of the seventies.
Growing Up
1977—Mom, Dave and Me Connecticut
1981—First Grade Play A piece of lettuce in Peter Rabbit’s Garden
1981—Dave and me practicing in basement
1982—Piano Recital
1986—Junior High Play “Ashpet” [Taken from The Landmark]
Debbie Gibson Days
1989—Dave and Me After Disney
1993—Christmas Eve Dad, Dave and me
1993—Dave and Me Spirit of Boston Cruise
Chapter 3
The Fan
Although the star or celebrity gets to live the souped up lifestyle in the Hollywood hills, the fan is the one who is responsible for getting them there. If one of them were to make a movie and nobody was interested in seeing it, or if one of them recorded an album and nobody bought it, where would they be? Without the fan, there is no star.
I am a fan of many actors, actresses and musical artists. As a devoted fan, I look at every one of them as an individual. Although the movie and music star both have their share of obsessive fans, in my opinion, I feel that they also have very different fan bases.
A movie star like Brad Pitt or Julia Roberts is much harder to come by. I feel that they are more stationary and the chances of meeting one of them is slim to none, unless you live in Los Angeles or New York, which are still two very big places. I do know of some fans that were lucky enough to be in the same area when they were filming a movie and got to sneak a peak, which could definitely be a very exciting experience. Most of our exchanges with them involve watching them on the big screen, where you don’t get to know the actual actor, Tom Cruise, but instead as the character of Maverick or Jerry Maguire, “Show me the money!”
Our relationship with television celebrities is the same. Do we really know Jennifer Aniston? The answer is no. We knew and loved her in the role of Rachel Greene, one of our best Friends. We do get to know a little about these big stars on talk shows but as everyone knows, a five minute segment is not a lot of time to really get to know a person.
Last of all is the media, magazines and tabloids, and one never knows if what is printed is ever really the truth. Of course, we all buy them and read them because we love a little good gossip every now and then. Let’s face it; we will never get to know even a small piece of who these people really are any more than they will ever know us.
The recording artist, in my opinion, is quite different. Many musical artists tour around the world. Some of them are actually more accessible to their fans and sometimes on a more personal level. They are also not playing the role of anyone but themselves. What you see is what you get. Going to a concert for a fan is a moving experience. Just being in the same vicinity as someone you are a die-hard fan of, whether the seats are the best in the house or the worst, produces a rush I am sure that most people have experienced.
Personality definitely comes out through song and dance and many fans can relate to lyrics in songs that are sung by their favorite artists. I have always believed that music is what feelings sound like. Most artists who take the stage at a concert will talk to their fans and occasionally even bring them up on stage to be part of the show. There are also backstage passes or meet and greets, where fans can hang out with the stars of the show, get autographs, pictures and other memorabilia.
These types of exchanges between a fan and a celebrity make a fan feel important, but sometimes also very vulnerable. This is because they allow us to get closer to them, like an invitation to come up on stage or at a meet and greet. When you get the chance to get that close to someone who on a daily basis seems untouchable, it gives us hope that they will somehow let us into their world in some way or another.
I guess maybe it is a good thing that I have never been the recipient of backstage passes or lucky enough to attend a meet and greet. I would definitely think that, hey, if I can get this close to Justin Timberlake, maybe I can ask him to go out for a cup of coffee. I certainly would not do that, but undeniably, we would all like to think it’s a possibility.
Although I am a fan of a lot of actors and actresses, on a more personal note, I seem to be more taken with musical artists. I have not been to many concerts, probably less than fifteen, which is a lot to some and so little to others. They have all been very different experiences. This is because there are also different types of fans. As fans, we also like to be looked at as individuals. I am a different type of fan to each artist that I admire. In speaking about these different types of fans, we can all probably put ourselves into one or more of the following categories. I have encountered each type of fan at every show that I have ever attended.
Let’s start with The Confused Fan. As a fan of the band or artist that we are fond of because we heard one of their songs on the radio that we liked, we will buy the whole CD for just one song if the single is not available. After buying it, we realize that the other tracks are just okay, and then after burning the song we originally liked onto a mix CD, it gets shelved.
Now that we are living in the millennium, we may not even buy the whole CD but download the one song from iTunes, the artist still making a profit. It turns out that we are actually more a fan of the song than the actual artist.
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br /> I can easily recall some of the CD’s that I bought that fit this category while I was growing up. Now come on, you can admit it; everyone has rocked out to the great “Tubthumper” by Chumba Wumba, sung along like a child to the addictive “Mmm Bop” by Hanson, or has strut their stuff to one of my personal favorites, “I’m Too Sexy” by Right Said Fred. The list goes on but we must not forget the unforgettable, everybody say it now, “Whooomp, There It Is.”
Then, there is the Run of the Mill Fan. This type of fan will buy the CD and love almost every song on it. We consider them a favorite artist and in time, we will probably own all of their releases, including the greatest hits CD, which usually includes all of the stuff we already own. The recordings of this artist then get the privilege of being kept in the CD holder in the car because it is listened to on a regular basis. When tickets go on sale, we are definitely going to be there to see this artist live in concert. We will gather friends and family who are also interested in this artist and will go to the show to have an exciting night out.
I would say that most of the shows I have been to fit into this category. Some of my personal favorites are Madonna, Mariah Carey, No Doubt, Gwen Stefani, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith and the Cranberries.
I remember going to see the Cranberries at the Boston Pavilion, now the Bank of America Pavilion, with my husband, Bryce, and brother. We had the worst seats ever but it did not matter because we were there. It was freezing cold and anyone who knows the Pavilion knows that it is an outdoor show. We were all bundled up in layers but we had the best time listening to the music, singing along and dancing to try to keep warm. On the way home, we were still excited. We talked about the show, how great it was and how we all had the best time. It evolves into an unforgettable night as we return home, hoping for a new CD and the chance to see them again.
Reaching Out to the Stars Page 2