Friday, March 16, 2012

The Price of Fame

Russell Brand has been arrested following an incident with a photographer.

Who'd be a celebrity? I can't stand Mr Brand myself but I do have some sympathy with celebrities. Once you are outside your own home you are considered fair game, sometimes even when you are in it. The argument is always that if you rely on publicity for your career then the public has a right to access at all times. By the same token though, if you are a teacher, and paid for by the public purse, should members not be able to stop you in the street and insist you spell them a word or add some figures up? Perhaps I can get the postman who lives on our estate to go deliver my mums card to St Albans?

It seems to me that the sensible thing is, when celebrities are working they are on call, when they are not working, just leave them alone. It's not like they are stalked to get a good news story, it is always to try and feed the "publics desire" for seeing rich or successful people suffer. Because these days what passes for entertainment is magazines and programmes full of stories to make the populace feel better at others expense. Watch X Factor in the early rounds, not to hear good singers but to watch "the freak show". Big Fat Gypsy Wedding isn't shown to improve relations between the travelling peoples and the general public. And what's worse is that these people appearing are so desirous of being celebrities they make idiots of themselves just for their 15 minutes of fame.

The Magnificent M sometimes asks the kids at school what they want to do when they are older. No more train drivers, doctors, nurses. Boys want to be footballers, even when they can't kick a ball for toffee and the girls all want to marry footballers. Apparently a footballers wife is a career choice.

Now, if you are at the concert I'm in tonight, could you all cheer really loudly and scream when I sing my solo line. After all, I don't want to be left out. I'll be signing autographs after!

2 comments:

Masher said...

When I'm not at work, I'm regularly coerced by friends and family, and friends of friends and family, to fix their computers, install their surround sound systems, put up their aerials, set up their tellies and look at various pieces of non-functioning electrical equipment for them.
This is exactly the same as celebrities being hassled for their celebrity status when they are 'off-duty'.

Difference is: I've never appeared in Heat magazine.

Brennig said...

I regularly see and interview amateur, unsigned musicians with significantly more ability than Wand Erection, The Wanted or any other manufactured pop act you could name. They're the people with the real talent.