It was roughly spring of '02 and I was eagerly awaiting graduation from high school. A friend of mine, who we will call "Kramer", had dropped out of high school and gotten mixed up with some college aged kids that were paying him to go around the country to hastle celebrities and athletes for their signatures.
One weekend he asked if I'd be interested in the possibility of meeting a then red-hot on the charts Ja Rule. I'm not going to go into heavy details on all of the goings on over the course of that weekend but I will say that by 4 a.m. on Sunday morning I was in a lavish hotel lobby standing next to a heavily inebriated Ja Rule having my picture taken. With one hell of an epic story to tell at school on Monday morning!
I knew at that moment, for me life as a fan would never again be the same. I now knew how to penetrate that invisible wall that exist between fan and celebrity. Whether it meant waiting in a dark alley behind a concert venue, standing on a sidewalk outside of a hotel, whatever. If I was a fan of your work and wanted a signature or a picture I could get it without breaking a sweat or my wallet. And the great thing is that most of the time the personality in question was eager to oblige with a smile and a "thank you for being a fan".
So, fast forward to the present. I'm a little older now and it's not quite as cool to be pushing slightly passed your mid 20s harassing celebrities. Although, there are exceptions, ofcourse.
Anyways, as I am planning a trip next month to Jacksonville, Florida for the Cult Fiction Drive-In convention for "legitimate" autographs I am blown away by the outlandish going price for the signatures of "celebrities" who have not been relative for atleast twenty years.
Not saying that a celebrity should not be compensated for their time. That's what I thought the whole appearance fee and free travel accomodations were for. Hell, I am not even opposed to them charging for a signature or a photograph. So long as it is within reason.
The guest list at this con has grown so impressive that the three or four signatures I had originally planned on budgeting for has grown to seven or eight. At an average of $20 a pop that is one hell of an expensive weekend. Especially when you tack in the cost of purchasing the memorabilia that you are asking them to bless with their John Hancocks. Even at around $10-$15 per signature that adds up quick. Not to mention the cost of admission just to go to the event.
As a fan it seems a tad insulting that personalities who would otherwise be working at a Wal-Mart and forgotten about have the nerve to price gauge the very people who have ressurected them from obscurity and keep their names afloat through fan sites, blogs, etc and only really want the opportunity to tell that person how much their work has meant to them. Fans of comics, horror, sci-fi and all things otherwise fantastic are unique because we never forget our heros. Unlike fans of other varieties who seem to have a more what have you done for me lately approach to fandom.
This is not to say that I am not going to still go to Jacksonville and have the time of my life come hell or high water. If worse comes to worse I got a $5 bill for every guest in attendence to snap a quick photo with me, if that isn't good enough then a free handshake and a, "you were awesome in **insert film**, thank you for the memories" will suffice. There should be plenty of vendors in the dealers section willing to take my money. If that isn't the case either then I have found a few bars and clubs in the area that I guarantee will be willing too!
I just can't bring myself to part ways with my hard earned money in exchange for a signature that is priced way beyond market value, especially when I have gotten things signed for free from names at the peak of their careers.
This may sound sort of pessimistic but I am just trying to get my complaints out of the way in advance so that I can give a less political or heavy handed account of my travels to the show when I get home.
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