Maybe You Shouldn't Meet Them...

I make a lousy fangirl. I've been aware of that for some time now. I do not like to meet famous people (especially those who are my age or younger) under the guise of being a 'fan'. I prefer to do it as a journalist or as a businessperson.

Some of the gals I know from the blog went to a convention in Chicago this past weekend where they met some of the people from the show we all watch together. And some of the gals were disappointed that one of the guys seemed standoffish, while others reported he hadn't been feeling well so he wasn't his usual self, while others said he's generally shy so this whole setup tends to be uncomfortable for him.

A digression that ties in: my mom is a huge race car fan. There was an opportunity to meet her favorite driver, and she didn't go. I asked her why. The gist of her response was basically, what if I didn't like him as a person?

That's stuck with me. Why meet them, in the fan perspective, if it turns out they're not going to be very nice? I mean, sure, it's the risk you take when you meet anybody, and I would never say somebody shouldn't meet someone they've long looked forward to meeting. (I drove to Kentucky to meet a horse. Yes, really. But there, the emotional stakes are much smaller. Cigar came to his stall door when I called to him, but I bet he was really hoping I had a peppermint. I didn't take that personally.) I also get that meeting fans can be tiring and stressful, and if you have a bad day it can have repercussions. I get that these guys don't have to go to these conventions. They can take the day off.

So what happens if you're disappointed? Even more so, what happens if you're disappointed and have the opportunity to share it with other fans? I mean, I guess I'd definitely say so if I met somebody famous and he or she was really rude. But does it end up coloring what other people end up thinking about this famous person? Sure.

I guess I'm of the state of mind that if someone is really famous, it would depend on how much it matters to me that they're really nice, and it would also matter HOW I'm meeting them. If they come to my office, I'm in a professional setting, and I feel a little more confident than if I'm going to a convention, where I'm obviously a fan. Interviews are another setting where I have some measure of confidence. I once interviewed Robert Goulet, who was really nice, and I also interviewed Lions running back TJ Duckett and was impressed with his professionalism, especially toward a female interviewer. Then again, I interviewed two Tigers pitchers who obviously thought I was a lightweight, but when I went over to talk to Robert Fick (when he was with the team) he was really nice.

Of course, I had no emotional stake in whether these guys were cool or not, but it was a bonus that they all were.

It also depends on who that person is, too. I'm a lot less likely to meet a matinee idol than I am a jockey, for example - the fan base is smaller and more specialized, and I have never been good with the person I'm meeting thinking, "she must think I'm hot." Or something along that line.

All of that said, I'm glad I didn't go to the convention, even though everybody who went reported having a good time. That makes it easier for me to enjoy the characters and not have a memory of how the actor was, or of how he was supposed to be.