One cannot turn on the telly these days without being bombarded with stories about celebrities gone bad...one need only mention the first names of these folks to get an eye-roll and a 'what a shame' comment: Britney, Lindsay, O.J., Jacko, etc....the list is long. Why is the public so fascinated by these stories? Why do guys that would never have bought a Britney Spears CD know intimate details about her 'private' life? The band Living Color had a song about this phenomenon: "Cult of Personality".
Someone once asked me if I would like to be rich and famous....I told him I would love to be rich but would not want to be famous. He asked me why....I used (as I often do) a Beatles example. After the Lads hit the big time, they became so famous they couldn't go anywhere without causing a huge stir...it became a question of safety, for both the Beatles AND their fans. Paul, when asked years ago what he missed most about their pre-fame days, replied, "Riding on a bus". Sounds kinda mundane, but think of this young fella who went from being a normal kid to being mega-famous...he can't even take public transport anymore. With every brand of freedom, there is a price...the Beatles eventually had more money than most anybody, but the price was a loss of the freedom of anonymity, of movement. Why would anyone want to make that trade? People think of fame and fortune as an answer, but it really just asks different questions.
It seems that most folks want to be remembered as something special, at least to the ones they love and care for...still others aren't happy with just that. They want the whole world to know their name and be famous. I think it was Oscar Wilde who said this: "Fame? Why it is the very crumbs of greatness." It sounds pretentious, but there is a truth in there: Greatness isn't measured by how many people know who you are....rather, I suspect that greatness is measured in other, more subtle ways. I had a teacher in 7th grade, Mr. Folsom, who was the first adult outside of my family who treated me as an adult, even though I had a long way to go to actually be one. It changed my view of myself and inspired me to be worthy of such respect. I'll always remember him for that...greatness on a small scale, but greatness nonetheless. I may have been the only kid he affected that way, though I expect not. He was not a famous man, world leaders did not speak in hushed tones about him, photographers didn't hound him when he left to go to school every day...but he was a great man in the eyes of this student. I hope that when my days are done there is one person who thinks of me that way...I think the world would be immeasureably better if that were the kind of fame more people celebrated instead of hearing about Billie Joe Armstrong's rehab. Just a thought
