Sunday, 1 February 2009

The fame game....

"Fame is like a shaved pig with a greased tail, and it is only after it has slipped through the hands of some thousands, that some fellow, by mere chance, holds on to it!”
Davy Crockett

Okay, I have this theory – as always you can take it or leave it – I’m just throwing it out there for general thought…what is the point of being famous? If you could choose between being famous or having sufficient money to pay bills and do stuff you want to do and having a bank roll set aside for emergencies, which would you choose?

Am I famous? Oh hell no. Do I want to be famous? Nope. What’s the point of it? Vincent Van Gogh painted amazing pictures and cut off his ear. That’s what we know him for. He led a terrible life of depressive illness and he saw no money from his paintings. Sure, he is appreciated after his death but how did that help him in life? The same goes with Marilyn Monroe. She was an amazingly talented woman but she made crap choices due to her mental state and ended up dying too young. What did she get out of fame? Broken marriages, tabloid harassment and trouble with the Kennedys. Look at Diana, Princess of Wales and what cost she paid for fame. It’s trite but fame does not always equal money or happiness.

Yes, I know what you are saying – there are famous people who do quite well and do not suffer. I see one every morning as I get my bucket-o-coffee at Elle’s. Paris Hilton is always in the store – up against the wall and scantily dressed. I always do the eye roll thing. What am I talking about? It’s a signed picture of the heiress-who-is-famous-for-being-rich. The owners bought it in an auction to help out a good cause. Paris was the last item left to buy. Kind of funny when you think about it. So yeah, this woman does fame very well and good luck to her but I have to wonder what goes on in her head? And is it a ‘fame’ most people would want?

If you want to be famous or tell people you are famous – go for it. A lot of the time I haven’t heard of half the ‘famous’ people who tell me how famous they are but maybe that’s how you become famous – believe your own publicity and then maybe you inundate people with your ‘famousness’ and they all eventually get brain washed/annoyed into believing it. But, I have to ask – what cost is fame on you? And in the end does it really matter if only six people know you well rather than six million who haven’t got a clue who you are as a person? Are you just like the dog picture above - take off the specs and you’re still you or do you cling to them because you perceive fame is everything?
