I had been pondering doing this for some time, once I felt my collection had been big enough to deem it worthy. Probably the past 18 months or 2 years, but we were so crammed in our place in Luton, it never really seemed doable.
Then we moved to Glasgow, had much more space to display things, Coronavirus happened and Classic Pop took a break from publication.
When they returned after several months of lockdown and seeing them on their Facebook page appealing to readers to put their “superfan” stories forward, I thought I’d finally take the plunge. I emailed them, saying what a fan I was of Simple Minds and showed them a sample of my collection.
They were interested, asked me to fill out a little questionnaire about my fandom and to submit several more photos, including a head shot of myself. All lovingly submitted with care a day later.
It went quiet. Although they were back in action after lockdown, and having recently gone to publishing monthly prior to lockdown, they seemed to have return to a bi-monthly publication. One issue had only just come out, so I was hopeful I had timed it for inclusion for the next issue.
The next issue came out at the end of October and I thought “Oh, wouldn’t it be timely if it was printed in this issue for my birthday?! That would be ssoooo awesome!” Sadly, there wasn’t even a Super Fan article within the Nov/Dec 2020 issue. I was a bit gutted but thought they would publish it whenever they were ready.
In the meantime, the Heart of the Crowd book was just 5 weeks from publication and that hopefully I’d have that to be excited about.
In recent days I had been wondering when the next issue was due.
This morning, I see the postie make his way up the path to the front door. I wasn’t really expecting anything at all. Just some junk, or a bill or two. I heard what sounded like a magazine drop onto the doormat and went to collect it, hoping it was the new issue of Classic Pop (I’m also subscribed to a drumming magazine).
To my joy it was! But the big question was – well questions were: had there been a Super Fan article put in this issue AND more so, would it be MY story?
I went to the “Contents“ list at the beginning of the magazine…and there…
ERMAGEEEERRRRRRRD! A belated little Christmas bonus! And a lovely little extra to ring in the New Year with.
The icing on it is to see my Hunter And The Hunted piece printed in there as it didn’t get to be printed in the Heart Of The Crowd. I am so happy to see that in there.
I never wanted it to be seen as a boastful thing. It was why I grappled about even doing this for so long. But I am proud of my collection and why I am an avid enough fan to collect things. It’s much more than material possession for me. it is so much more about the band and the music and what it means to me and the importance it has in my life.
The whole “Super Fan” thing still doesn’t sit entirely well with me. All of us believe in some degree that we are ALL the “biggest fan” of our favourite bands and artists – and we all are. And there is the stigma of what happened in the summer of 2018 that makes me tread rather warily around the notion of the “super fan” – the “mega fan”, uber fan… diehard, “real” fan.
I’ll never really know what makes a fan a “real” fan – but whatever actually defines it…I am real enough. I live and breathe this band. And they make my existence a happier and more enjoyable one. I can’t remember life much pre-Simple Minds. But life since the summer of 2014 has been … wonderful – even in the darker periods amongst that. They bring light to darkness.
It’s a skewed way of saying thank you.
I actually didn’t read the whole post until 5 minutes ago and understand it a bit more. But I don’t believe in this super fan rubbish.
Like you said maybe everyone classes themselves as a SF. But maybe it would have been more appropriate to you if you asked the magazine to change the headline to Fan.
Like all off us ?
Happy 2021 to you and your family Larelle & no hard feelings for my comments. Its not personal.
Stuart.
To me a super fan is someone that has been there since the beginning. 40 odd years of supporting them, touring with them and still passionate about the music after 4 decades.
Your very lucky in that as a fan who appeared late you have so much out there to make a collection appear over months.
But when I first started there was nothing. I remember when I’d go crazy looking for a blank VHS tape to ram into the video player because they’ve just appeared on TOTP. I just think it’s so easy in this day to call yourself a Super fan.
Or is it just the need to be always in the spot light ?
Stuart Holland.
I?m sure Jim would probably agree with you about the time and support from early on. But age can be a factor that stops so e fans from being therefrom early on – so…a younger fan is lesser of a fan because of their age alone? One of the most passionate fans I have seen in the fanbase is just 16 years old. But I guess he is less of a fan due to his age.
Also, I do wonder if you read the whole post? Perhaps not.
You are entitled to your opinions though.
Happy New Year to you. I wish you health and happiness for 2021.
Stuart, with the greatest respect that’s pish. Larelle discovered Simple Minds later than you, so what? We all have different stories and timelines of how we discover a band’s music. Larelle is consistent in mentioning this and does so again in the article. Reading this blog regularly I’d say she definitely comes under the banner of ‘Super Fan’.
In Stuart?s defence, Scott, he did reply but I wasn?t going to publish it to the blog. I have now. It?s all good. Honestly. I get why those from the beginning of things would feel more like ?hey! I was there from the get go!? about things when it comes to the band. And I can only dream of those things. Can?t turn the clock back.
My site isn?t exactly pro for a start. And if it was AT ALL trying to be boastful or some such, it would be labelled ?THE NUMBER ONE FAN SITE – RUN BY SIMPLE MIMDS? BIGGEST FAN? or similar. But it isn?t.
Anyway, it?s all good.