What Makes a Fan?

Photo: Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.turrell/

What makes a fan? Is it someone who spends thousands of pounds a year on their favourite band and goes to see twenty shows? Or is it someone who never sees a live show yet quietly appreciates an artist? Is it someone who is actively involved in a band's fandoms? Or someone who sits somewhere in the middle, never really participating but wanting to be a part of it all the same?

There's no definite answer to what makes a fan, nor should there be. As anyone who loves an artist knows, circumstances differ from one person to the next. Some people have the energy and resources to spend several weeks following a band. For others, anxiety, lack of money, or their location may stop them from attending live shows.

Photo: Bantam10

One of the reasons that I wrote the fan book was to explore the sense of community that springs up around bands. From the local guys playing bars on a Saturday night to the bands hammering away at sold out stadium shows, someone, somewhere will love what they do. And the communities that spring up around them are incredibly important. Not just for sharing news but for the support that they bring to those who reside within them. Support that includes shoulders to lean on during the tougher times of life as well as love and laughter for when things are going well.

People gravitate towards these communities for a variety of reasons, and the internet has made it far easier for us to find those who resonate with us no matter what our circumstances. Our own, local, communities may hold nothing for us and finding a support network can be hard at the best of times. The internet allows us to remain anonymous while also building up friendships with those who share our interests and passions.

As for the communities that surround the Foo Fighters, a quick search of somewhere like Facebook throws up a myriad of meeting areas from the large Foo Family groups to smaller, more niche ones which focus on everything from hotel shares to dating to news pages. All of them are interconnected, not just physically by the people who are in them but also by their love of the same band. It's a world that can, on one hand seem very tiny but, on the other, feel as though it goes on forever. And, like any community, it's moving from being an online village to a sprawling digital city with an ever-growing population.

For me, I found a home among the Foos community. At the time, it was a home that I didn't realise that I needed, nor wanted, and from which I'd constantly try and leave. But it was one that drew me in, one that was filled with the kind of fun, laughter, and love that I'd spent a good deal of time looking for. And, while I might not be the most active, or most talkative, of members I still enjoy the company and camaraderie of those that I meet. In an age where the internet can bring about a great deal of loneliness, these pockets of music fans have proved that they can also be a haven for those who are seeking a place to call home.  

Following the Foo Family

The first time I heard the words “Foo Family”, I was standing in Sound City Studios in Los Angeles. We were talking to the owners when they happened to mention a global network of Foo Fighters fans who referred to themselves as Family.

Those two words were thrust to the back of my mind until November 2014 when I started blogging about a Kickstarter that had recently launched. The crowdfunder in question was aimed at taking action against the secondary ticket market with the end goal of having the Foo Fighters play a small show in Birmingham, England. Unbeknownst to me, that Kickstater was being run by the UK Foo Family and suddenly I found myself as a part of the network that I'd heard about so many months before.

For the world's biggest “I'm not a Foo Fighters fan, really I'm not”, it was like landing on an alien planet. I barely knew the music and only spoke a few words of their language. Yet music truly is an international language and they took me in, welcoming me as one of their own. Due to my own stubbornness, I left and rejoined the group several times, my insecurities flaring because of the unfamiliar territory. Yet they always coaxed me back until, earlier this year, I settled down to write this book.

Getting a writer (or anyone for that matter) to do something that they feel uncomfortable with can be like trying to herd cats. We can be stubborn and awkward. There are times when we don't want to face what our life is calling us to do. And that was especially true with the fan book. I was constantly finding myself redrawn back to the Family and I couldn't explain why. That was until I was speaking to a friend earlier this year and I mentioned an idea I'd had back around the time of the Kickstarter.

The passion that surrounded the Kickstarter made me want to write a book about the fans. I wanted to tell their stories. I wanted to give them a place in history, something to help dull the harshness of the numerous negative entries that litter the record books. Wars, famine, and genocide still happen and will be forever documented. But what about everyone else? Don't they deserve to be able to have a moment to talk about what's important to them?

Music is a way to escape the horrors of the world around us. 2016, while it has had many glorious moments, has also crushed the souls and spirits of so many people. It would be great to think that, in a hundred years from now, someone, somewhere, could pick up this book and read the stories of friendship, happiness, and survival from a group of dedicated and loving music fans.

And so it began. My friend (who shall remain nameless until they give me permission to name them) put the wheels in motion by feeling out the lay of the land. How would others feel about speaking to a complete stranger? Did they want to talk about their love of the band?

The overwhelming answer was Yes. For me, that was a breakthrough and, over the past months, I've told the story of another project that I put to one side. I spent two years hunting for funding for it and, while there was a lot of positive feedback, there was little in the way of any other help. Compared to that, the fan book has been a breeze and, in the past five months, many of the pieces needed for it have fallen seamlessly in to place.

This book wouldn't be possible without the help and support of the global Foo Family and, for that, I am eternally grateful. To know that there are so many kind and loving souls out there makes me feel so much better about the current world we live in. Over the past year, I've been lucky enough to make many new friends and rekindle old friendships. While, in many ways, 2016 has been a harsh and unforgiving year, finding so many beautiful friends has made it easier to bear. If I've spoken to you over the past months, thank you so much. Thank you for answering mine, a complete stranger's, email or phone call. Thank you for your love, kindness, and time. Thank you for the emails, Facebook posts, and Tweets. Thank you for including me in a world that, at times, really does feel alien to me. Your acceptance and inclusion means far more than you can imagine and it's something that this world needs so much more of.

While I'm hoping to have the book in some kind of finished state in the next few weeks, there's still time to get involved. If you'd like to be interviewed, please send me a message over at the Facebook page or email me at:

rae@raegee.co.uk

Take care and have a very Happy Christmas!

This Is Just a Tribute - Update 1

I thought it was about time to give you an update on the two projects that were launched in July.

The first is a book dedicated to some of the world's hardest working tribute bands. Of the two books, this is going to be the one that takes the longest to put together because, while both books are a labour of love, I want this one to be something that everyone is proud of. All of the bands are being hand picked by myself and my family and I'm focusing on one interview at a time. This gives me a chance to research the band and to customise the questions to them. Thank you to everyone I've spoken to in regards to this book and thank you so much for your kindness and generosity. I'm looking forward to seeing a lot of you in the coming months.

The second book is one that I spent around eighteen months debating whether to write and is dedicated to documenting the stories from Foo Fighters fans. It's a fun piece to work on and everyone's love, joy, and enthusiasm are making it a pleasure to put together. There's currently 15 interviews for this book. Ideally, I'd love to get between 20 and 25 so if you'd like to take part, please feel free to email me at:

rae (at) raegee.co.uk

Alternatively, you can answer online at:

https://goo.gl/forms/BCcONjAxMBX1yffB3

If you want more information on the fan book, you can find the original post here:

http://veetu-industries.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/this-is-just-tribute-part-2.html

A few people have asked why I'm writing both books side by side and the main reason is that I like to stay busy. It's also easier to record interviews when all the equipment is set up rather than putting it in to storage and taking it out a few months later.

At the moment I'm saving transcribing the recorded interviews until later in the year. My apartment currently feels like a blast furnace and I'd rather not be sitting right next to an equally hot computer! So the transcribing is a job that's going to be done when the nights draw in and all I want to do is curl up with a cup of tea.

To every person I've spoken to so far: Thank you. Your passion and love for what you do are the driving forces behind these books. You're the ones who keep the music going and support it along the way. 

We all need a bit of this. :)
(Tea is optional!)

This Is Just a Tribute - Part 2

I'm sitting here, watching Sonic Highways, and trying to unlock the secret to the popularity of one of the world's biggest rock bands. There's a notebook on my knees and a cup of tea to my left. The recorder I use for interviews sits at my elbow with an XLR cable dangling from its rear.

Because I've got a(nother) confession to make. Despite what the walls of my flat (apartment for my American friends) say, I'm not the world's biggest Foo Fighters fan. Bar four or five songs, they're not really the kind of music I normally listen to. Sorry, guys, but you're more likely to find me in the pit of a Megadeth concert than a Foo Fighters one.

I have to admit that they do look very cool!

But I'm not here to pick the band apart. There's a number of reasons why I have the absolute utmost respect for them. This is a band that rose from the ashes of another to take on a world that was favouring auto-tuned pop music. This is a band that is comprised of a bunch of hardcore music fans, their own love radiating out to those who come in to contact with them. This is a band that will go to the ends of the Earth, quite literally, to have a few moments sharing the stage with their heroes. They are the ultimate music lovers band and their passion has obviously crossed over in to those who follow them.

Which is why I've added another book to the roster of ones that I'm working on. At the insistence of some of friends, I'm writing a book that's centred on the fans and tribute bands that follow this band wherever they may roam. And, damn, these are some passionate fans. Never, in all my life of being a music fan, have I seen anything like it (which is surprising because metalheads tend to be a pretty passionate lot, too). These are the people who live and breathe the band and, because of that, it makes them instantly, and attractively, lovable. I've made a good number of Foo friends and their unadulterated love makes me smile and warm to them. I have absolutely no problem sitting down with them and having a coffee while listening to them wax lyrical about all that is Foo Fighters. They're beautiful and enthusiastic and, as such, definitely warrant their stories being immortalised in print.

So this is it. I know there's a few of those friends reading this and I want to thank you for everything. For loving me even though I have a tendency to go running back to the Megadeth fandom whenever a new tour is announced. For always looking on the positive side of life. For championing my writing. For lifting others up in their time of need. You're wonderful, amazing people and this book is a dedication to all that you are and all that you do.

Would you be willing to be interviewed for the book? Feel free to leave a message over on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/thequeenofsteam/?fref=ts) or email me at:

rae (at) raegee.co.uk

I know there's a few questions that may come up so here's that information for you, too:

• How will you interview me?
  All interviews will take place over the phone. We'll arrange a date and a time and I'll give you a call. If you have Skype or FaceTime Audio, even better (for some reason FaceTime Audio seems to be a lot clearer than a normal phone line).
• I live in the States/Australia/Japan etc. Can I still take part?
  Absolutely! I can arrange my schedule to fit in with the time difference.
• I play in a Foo Fighters tribute band. Can we take part, too?
  Yes! Yes! Yes! I came across an inordinate amount of Foo Fighters tributes while I was putting together the contact list for the tribute bands book. The sheer number of active bands covering the Foos music far outstrips anyone else on my list (be proud of yourselves for that!) and was one of the many reasons that I wanted to write this book.
• How do we know that you're legitimate?
  I have several published books and picked up a couple of awards along the way. I've also worked on screenplays, anthologies, short stories, and copy for websites, blogs, and products. I work in healthcare during the day and write in the evenings. I also use some of my spare time to work with reading and creative writing projects in local schools.

This is a book that I'm really looking forward to writing and I look forward to talking to you all. Until then...

Oh sweet ignition be my fuse,
You have no choice you have to choose.
Bid farewell to yesterday,
Say goodbye I'm on my way.