The Secular Religion of Fandom
The Secular Religion of Fandom
Pop Culture Pilgrim
- Jennifer Otter Bickerdike
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Jennifer Otter Bickerdike 2016
First published 2016
Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form, or by any means, only with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2015950622
British Library Cataloguing in Publication data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978-1-4739-0779-9
eISBN 978-1-4739-1267-0
Editor: Chris Rojek
Editorial assistant: Delayna Spencer
Production editor: Vanessa Harwood
Marketing manager: Michael Ainsley
Cover design: Jen Crisp
Typeset by: C&M Digitals (P) Ltd, Chennai, India
Printed and bound by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon, CR0 4YY
To Mary McPherson for being a truly uplifting, open, beautiful, gracious, courageous soul. Thank you for letting me be in your life.
To the mighty Chris Rojek for being an unerring source of inspiration, support, knowledge, therapy, vino, friendship and overall amazingness. I am forever in awe at my luck in knowing you.
About the Author
Dr. Jennifer Otter Bickerdikeis a Senior Lecturer in Music and Brand Management at Buckinghamshire New University. She has over 20 years of experience working with tastemakers and cultural provocateurs such as Facebook, Interscope Geffen A&M, Sony Music, Universal Music and Video Distribution, and L.A.M.B. She has helped create and implement marketing and promotion plans for some of the worlds most iconic artists, including Sting, U2, Eminem, Dr. Dre, Gwen Stefani, Pearl Jam, Rage Against the Machine, and a little band called Nirvana. Jennifers first book,
Fandom, Image and Authenticity: Joy Devotion and the Second Lives of Kurt Cobain and Ian Curtis, was published in October 2014 by Palgrave Macmillan. Her work has been featured in several collections, including Mike Grimshaws
The Counter-Narratives of Radical Theology and Popular Music (2014, Palgrave Macmillan) and
Spirit of Talk Talk (2012, Rocket 88). She was profiled in one of her lifetime heroines books, Marlo Thomass
It Aint Over Till Its Over (2014, Atria Books), celebrating fearlessness and reinvention. She was also featured in a documentary on David Bowie for Ultimate Classic Rock, titled
30 Years of David Bowies Lets Dance, and made her television debut in 2014 in the Channel 4 documentary
Frozen at Christmas. She is currently editing a new book for Headpress on Joy Division fans, titled
Joy Devotion: The Importance of Ian Curtis and Fan Culture. Her next project will be writing a book and producing a documentary movie on famous groupies from the late 1960s.
Other books by Jennifer Otter Bickerdike:
Joy Devotion: A Year of Trash, Trinkets and Tributes at the Ian Curtis Memorial Stone (2012, Blurb.com)
Fandom, Image and Authenticity: Joy Devotion and the Second Lives of Kurt Cobain and Ian Curtis (2014, Palgrave)
List of Figures
Acknowledgments
This would not have happened without my fabulous publisher, Chris Rojek, who has been an inspiration and supportive force throughout my entire life in the UK.
Thank you to all of my friends and family around the world who endlessly believe in me and make me feel like anything is possible. This book could not have happened without you. Special big hugs and kisses to Chris Baptie, Adrian Bossey, Alix Brodie-Wray, Gail Crowther, Niamh Downing, Leslie Dotson Van Every, Dan Heichel, Melissa Hidalgo, Krista Thorne-Yocam, Tom Ware, and the McPherson family. A special huge thank you to my family at the Oregon Music Hall of Fame (www.omhof.org) for changing my life so radically Janeen Rundle, Inessa Anderson, Marc Baker, Bill Frith, Randy Hunzeker, J. Michael Kearsey, David Little, Geoff Metts, Wayne Pierce, Penny Williams, and especially my most worshipped and wonderful friend Terry Currier.
For the man I did not think existed my wonderful, smart, and endlessly supportive husband James I love you more than words can say.
Introduction: Mecca for Muggles
About a year ago, I was at Kings Cross Rail Station in London. I am usually running late, completely focused on not missing whatever train or tube I am supposed to be on, so often utterly clueless on anything going on in my surroundings. This particular day, I was uncharacteristically early. I walked around, browsing the various shops and eateries that were on offer. At one end of the train station there was a huge snaking line. Curiosity got the better of me, and I got closer to have a better look as to what the attraction was.
It was a queue for Harry Potter. Harry Potter is, of course, the protagonist of the phenomenal series of books of the same name written by J.K. Rowling. The stories follow Harry as he leaves his English home to work on his inborn abilities of wizardry at Hogwarts, an exclusive school that teaches the necessary skills to succeed in the world of magic. Starring Daniel Radcliffe, movies based on the texts have spawned a global franchise, consisting of theme parks, toys, an entire online community dedicated to writing their own adventures of fan fiction using the Potter characters and a non-profit, the Harry Potter Alliance, whose mission is to turn fans into heroes (The Harry Potter Alliance, 2005).
So what was the line for? No, not to meet Mr. Radcliffe or any of the other Hogwarts attendees who starred in the immensely popular films. The line was to have your picture taken next to the Platform 9 3/4 sign, fashioned to look like the very same spot where Harry starts his incredible adventure in both the books and the films. Though it was the middle of the week in the early afternoon prime working hours the line never dropped below 100 or so fans. This is not a surprising number, according to one of the guest services assistants, Harriet, who works at the site. Since opening on December 15, 2012, the platform hosts at least a thousand visitors day (Harriet, 2015), with an increase during school holidays (ibid.).
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