While that isn’t explicitly the focus of either film, a pair of recent documentaries about singer-songwriter Elliott Smith ( Heaven Adores You) and West Coast radio personality Marco Collins ( The Glamor & The Squalor) are two attempts at making sense of success in the music industry and the whiplash that shortly follows. That sense of belonging fans can get so quickly is rarely available to the artists they are appreciating. The relationship between artist and fan is complicated, even more so when the 24-hour news cycle of message boards and social media continue to celebrate, churn and dissect even after that artist’s career has ended or changed dramatically. For artists whose lives and work stand as the foundation for such communities, the demands of fandom in the internet age can be deeply alienating. There’s a similar unarticulated tension in the irony that one of the most pointed critiques against the internet as a tool to better connect us coincidentally also stands as one of its greatest defenses: what it means to be part of any community is entirely subjective. The greater concern there, typically, is fear of sparking a lawsuit, not going against the artist’s wishes. Although it isn’t unique to music fandom, what you can often do there is download an artist’s entire life’s work – including “rare” B-sides, live shows, demos and outtakes – as a cluster of digital folders nanoseconds after the itch to do so arises. You can connect and bond with other fans, get a sense of participation through sharing fan art and fan videos, and even bask in the illusion of proximity to the artist you love through social media. The internet is great for a fan of stuff. If you like what you see, grab the magazine for less than ten dollars, or subscribe and get all future magazines for half price. This column is a reprint from Unwinnable Monthly #83, the Love issue. Keep Your Things in a Place Meant to Hide
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