What is a typical fan? We all know what the definition of fan is, right? According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, a fan is, “A person who has a strong interest in or admiration for a particular sport, art or entertainment form, or famous person.”. In our case, we have a strong interest in Duran Duran. Okay. That makes sense. Then, what does it mean to be typical? According to the same dictionary, typical means to have the “characteristic of a particular person or thing.” Okay. The question then becomes: Do you have the characteristics of a Duranie? What are the characteristics of Duranies? This feels like very dangerous territory because Duranies are a large and diverse bunch. On Valentine’s Day, Rhonda posted the youtube clip of “Sh*t Duran Duran Fans Say.” Obviously, this video did exactly what I’m talking about here by trying to summarize the characteristics of “typical” Duranies. Here’s the clip again to refresh your memory:
So, what were the characteristics mentioned in this clip? I made a list. It probably isn’t complete but would make for a good place to start. By the way, the clip is a lot funnier than this boring list so watch it!
Characteristics of a Typical Duranie:
*Wears fedoras
*Wear Duran Duran t-shirts
*Loves Duran Duran
*Claims to be the biggest Duran Duran fan in the world
*Judges other Duranies in terms of their fandom (“she’s not that hardcore”, “she didn’t even know they released an album last year”)
*Has knowledge on current band projects
*Has been a fan since 1981
*Wants “to do” Simon despite being married and having children (I assume this could apply to other band members)
*Saw them perform and thought were brilliant
*Knows their history (used to perform at the Rum Runner)
*Has family members ask when going to be over the Duran phase
*Claims band has been an inspiration (to form a band, study a certain subject in school)
*Gets excited over new pictures on a blog
*Thinks the band members look hot
*Gets excited over Simon’s and John’s tweets
*Screams, squees and squeals over the band
*Asks when the next album will be out (hello Durantime!)
*Wishes for material to be released on vinyl
*Misses Warren
*Bids on Duran items on ebay/collects Duran items/buys more than one copy of Duran products
*Competition (bidding on items only because other fan is interested)
*Talks about buying tickets
*No longer a member of the fan club or states that it will be the last year of the fan club
*Camping out for a signing and points out that there is a line
*Can’t believe that others would camp out for a signing but is doing it now or did it in the past
*Gets tickets and asks others where they are sitting and points out that they have better seats
*Thinks that 10th row seats aren’t good enough
*Gets annoyed that Simon never tweets them
*Plans on sneaking in a camera to the show
*Talks about other fans (“can’t believe she wore a Duran t-shirt!”, “heard she gave…to the sound guy”, “she got so drunk”)
*Claims that a band member looked right at them for real
*Gets backstage passes or asks how other fans got backstage
*Asks other fans if they are following the band back to the hotel or claims that they don’t do the hotel thing anymore
*Defends the band members (“Nick is not gay”, “Andy was not the ugly one”, “John is not the dumb one”)
*Explains that they are not gay
*Claims to not be hardcore anymore as now grown up and had to move on
*Sees tour dates and plans time off of work (*snort*)
*Tells band that they love them and ask them to sign records or body parts
*Drinks wine
So, now, is this list complete? Are these the only characteristics of a “typical Duranie”? What was left out? What wasn’t accurate? How many of these characteristics do you fit? Seriously, I would like to know. Personally, I think that I have heard or seen many of these qualities during my time in Duranland. I would also say that many of them could be used to describe me. Many can’t, though. What I think is even more interesting is the contradiction that this clip shows, which I do think is accurate. On one hand, Duranies will claim that they aren’t hardcore and they would never think about following the band back to their hotel and on the other, they did at one point. On one hand, they say that they have “grown up” while still spending hours on the phone talking about them. My point here isn’t so much the hypocrisy that I see (but will blog about that, at some point) but how fans might fit a lot of these but not all of them. Heck, they may not fit any of them. For example, can male fans who are straight relate to these characteristics? Then, is there really a typical fan, a typical Duranie? I bet there really isn’t except for one thing and one thing only. A typical Duranie is a person who is a fan of Duran Duran.
-A
I cant be a proper fan! I dont like being called a Duranie, hate that word, and I only am guilty of 4 things on that list of typical Duranies! Guess I cant be a fan if thats a typcial fan?
That's exactly my point. If we need to fit those characteristics, I doubt that any of us would be real fans!
-A
Oh dear, I have more “Nos” than “Yeses” Gasp. Horror! Scandal! How could I possibly call myself a fan, much less a Duranie? Granted, had I such a quiz in 1984, the scales would be tilted much, much more to the side of the yeses. But alas, things do change in different ways for different people.
In the 80's my fandom level would have mattered a lot more to me than it does now in 2012. But why then and not now? Duran Duran was THE focus of my life in the 80's. I wanted it all. If their name was on it, I had to have it. God forbid if I miss an article, poster or little metal button… Information and merchandise wasn't as easy to come by, and thus each magazine, each interview was highly anticipated. Nothing was worse, then, than going to the Jiffy store and finding the next month's magazines hadn't yet come in, or they were new and there was no mention of Duran Duran meaning 30 more days of waiting. Now with information just a few clicks away, the anticipation isn't there as much. Maybe I take it for granted now that I can later find whatever it is I miss. For example, I really wanted to get the Harper's Bazaar with the Duran Duran article. But I never saw it in the stores. Ah well, eventually someone will post the article and photos and all will be right in my universe. Thankfully there are still shows and new music to anticipate.
Now, I have other things in my life that matter, even if by just a little, more than Duran Duran, and I have more interests than I did when I was younger. It doesn't mean I love them any less, I just express it differently. Perhaps I can judge my own fandom (and I feel I'm the only one who has the right to judge me, just has I have no right to judge others) by a different quiz — things that I would choose over Duran Duran.
When I look at it like that, there's really not much that would keep me away from a show in my city as typically scheduling can be done around a show. However, if I had a vacation planned before the concert schedule came out, the vacation would triumph over a one night stand with the band, though with any luck I'd be able to go to a different show in a different city.
In the end it's not important to me any longer what other people think. If it makes someone else feel better to judge me on my fandom, have at it. I wear big girl panties now (no comments from the peanut gallery!!!!) and can laugh it off. I'd be lying if I said I didn't recoil in horror of some of the things fans tweet to the band, though I'm quite sure they care not what I think of them any more than I care what they may think of me.
Very nice job, Amanda. You showed very well by spelling it out that there really isn't a Duranie mold that we all need to fit. Each individual person makes up a different part of the fandom and the fan community realllllllllly wouldn't work if all fans were the same.
But I have to say I can appreciate the really intense fans. They help keep the fire burning. Just remember – if the fires burn out there's only fire to blame.
You got it. There is no mold that fans need to fit whether you fit a lot of these characteristics or none of these. 🙂
-A
I think the list deserves an addtion – “when travelling for shows, books hotels based on hypothesis on where the band may be staying”. I would say I do or have done about 1/2 the things on your list. The one I've mentioned here is in the yes list as well.
TG
Um, big THUMBS UP from me on that one, TG…. 😉 Of course *cough cough* I've NEVER done that….
Right. I'm sure everyone is buying that. ;D -R