I’m sure a lot of us remember Kate Mossman’s Word article about her teenage obsession with Queen. She has used this as the basis for a documentary on obsessive fandom, to be shown on BBC4 at 9pm tonight. More details here http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/may/29/when-pop-ruled-my-life-preview
Kate Mossman Documentary Klaxon
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Aye, she was on Today this morning being interviewed by John Humphreys along with a Depeche Mode superfan. It was entertaining if only for J H taking up his standard pose when the “modern world” comes calling.
Have I mentioned she once made me a cup of tea in the Word office? I wonder if she talks about an old man’s obsession with Kate Mossman. The restraining order comes to an end soon.
Should be a really interesting show, that article on Queen was excellent – and I’m not a fan of their music at all.
Let’s hope Beany gets a mention tonight!
I wasn’t as impressed as I’d hoped by this – interesting but not too insightful. In fact, the two main things which jumped out at me were possibly acidental:
1. Mention of the Manics’ Richie and how he was therefore frozen in people’s minds at that time in his life, like Ian Curtis and Kurt Cobain: so is fandom something to do with holding things in time and not growing old?
2. How the Manics (again) fans would know each other by their dress, make-up etc – a sort of uniform by which fans could recognise each other and yet (with no irony acknowledged by the speaker) “a way of standing out from the crowd”. So there’s also something about the contradiction of being apart but accepted?
I enjoyed the show but I’d agree with Douglas that it wasn’t as insightful as I’d hoped. Some bits reminded me a little of Philomena Cunk’s ‘Moments Of Wonder’ on ‘Newswipe’.
I thought Mark Ellen’s idea about pop videos and what they meant to fans was very well-observed. And I loved Kate’s flowchart of consequences for what would happen if she ever met Roger Taylor – ‘doomed to lunacy’!
Was a little lightweight. I thought Mark Ellen’s comments were a little uninspired “How did the 80s differ from the 70s”? Er videos. “Thanks Mark”.
Surely the point is that this kind of obsessive fandom is always there when puberty becokons? And no mention of Frank Sinatra in the 40s, Elvis in the 50s. It didn’t start with The Beatles.
beckons
Yes when she mentioned the birth of fandom I though that Sinatra or poor old Johnny Ray would get a mention – he moved a million hearts in mono. Our mothers cried, who’d blame them?
And they couldn’t fine a member of the most devoted of fanbases – Mozza \ Smiths?
It was Cunk-ish, true
Yes, who can forget old JR? Cunk-ish? (@dogfacedboy)
I should say I enjoyed her personal reminiscing although, of course, some of the details of her obsession were not new to me. As usual a number of the Talking Heads detracted rather than enhanced the tale, I’m putting Wakeman in the former category. Glad I saw it though.
Yeah those were the best and maddest bits. I couldn’t give a damn what Simon Price and his silly haircut have to say about anything. Even Mr Ellen was perfunctory although possibly his more outlandish stories about Incredible String Band or Roy Harper hit the cutting room floor.
And I would have liked a cameo from Roger Taylor ala Peter Gabriel in Brian Pern’s ‘Life In Rock’ but I have no doubt they asked him
My favourite bits:
1. The bits with Alan Johnson
2. The bits with Dave Hill
3. The bit where Ms Mossman talked about making a cup of tea for Beany in the Word office -although this was rather brief: blink, and you’d missed it.
It’s still on iPlayer so I shall be watching this later!
@carl and I, with the seemingly absent @pedr0, hung out with La Moz in the bar at the Leicester Square theatre before a half empty (and brilliant) Daryll Scott gig. Just sayin’.
I watched it on catch up & enjoyed it. Maybe it lacked depth, but I enjoyed it all the same.
Still here Twang!! Just busy and yes a great night
I’ve yet to watch it. I find the obsessiveness of fandom strange. I’ve never been so single-minded, always been a bit of a gadfly in my musical tastes.
Kate was on TV here in New Zealand last night. There’s this series on the Prime Channel called “Prime Rocks!” which focuses on one act. Last night’s one was about Genesis. There was one act of treachery where the onset of punk was soundtracked by a really tinny recording of Anarchy in the UK over some photos of generic punks. In comparison, Genesis songs sounded powerful and sumptuous.
Yes, it was kinda disappointing really. It seemed to miss loads of opportunities (exploring puberty; the cult of Moz; the social significance of tribes etc) & was a surface-skimming exercise. Oh well…