The Fan Obsession Thread

[JTN 2,030]

I have long been thinking about this. Where does being a "fan" end and where does "being obsessed" start?

At what point does one stop being a normal, healthy fan who enjoys listening to the music of his favorite composer and when does one become obsessed, that is unhealthy, when the obsession takes over one's life and it becomes a toxic fixation over another person whose work one admires? 

 

I'm really curious to hear everyone's opinion on this, in my humble opinion, very serious and important subject matter, because there are certain people who are borderline obsessed with certain composers and they may not be aware of it. 

 

When does being a "fan" become being "obsessed" with someone? How much "love" for someone's work and his persona is still healthy and normal, and when does it become unhealthy, toxic and dangerous? Is there a firm line between a "fan" and an "obsessed person" and if so, where does it lie? 

 

What are the boundaries no one should ever cross? 

[Mr. Hooper 1,792]

Well, if for example you choose to listen to nothing but John Williams in your down time, that's fine with me. It just says you really (really) admire his work. If that extends to following his career very closely, and anticipating any new works, releases, etc., well there's nothing wrong with that either. If you also travel the country (and even the world) to see him perform live any chance you get and spend most of your discretionary income on it, well, that's your prerogative. I'd just call you an "uber fan". Sure, some people might not understand the extent of your passion, but that's their problem, I think.

 

It's when it starts to go beyond a professional interest, and reaches into a public figure's personal life that it gets weird for me. It's when a fan claims some kind of ownership over the person because they feel this strong connection to him or her, and overstep the boundaries by invading the person's privacy. I mean, go ahead and write them a gushing letter of admiration, but don't show up on their doorstep and expect them to invite you in for coffee, or ambush them at the supermarket you found out they shop at.

 

In short, "healthy boundaries" for me means not feeling too personally connected to the artist, and just admiring his/her work from a safe distance, but to your heart's content.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,534]

Collecting JW's music? Attending concerts? Discussing his work?

That's being a fan.

Setting up shop, on his front lawn? Lock you up and throw away the fucking key.

I want to know nothing about the musicians, or authors, or sportsmen and women, or composers, or actors whom I admire. I just want to experience their work.

They are entitled to a life away from the limelight.

[GerateWohl 4,370]

Monocultures are always problematic. There is nothing wrong about being passionate about the work of an artist. 

But there must be always other probably more, also personal fields of interest that deserve and enflame my passion. And it is also not healthy for me to just admire things that others do. I can admire the work of others better if I am at the same time proud of myself and my own achievements in other aereas. 

Everything should be ballanced and have its place. 

[Mr. Hooper 1,792]

@JTW I'm not a psychologist, but by any chance does this questioning have something to do with your wanting to buy 'The Legend of John Williams' 20 CD box set, despite not needing it? 🤔😄

[JTN 2,030]

27 minutes ago, Mr. Hooper said:

@JTW I'm not a psychologist, but by any chance does this questioning have something to do with your wanting to buy 'The Legend of John Williams' 20 CD box set, despite not needing it? 🤔😄

It’s not a questioning. It’s a thread about a topic I’m interested in and am interested in the opinion of other members. 

And no, it has nothing to do with my wanting to get that box set. But nice try. ;-)

 

 

@Mr. Hooper In your opinion getting the JW Box Set means that those who do are obsessed? Honest question, I swear. 

[Ollie 1,059]

Listening, talking, attending concerts and buying CDs are harmless as long as they don’t cause a disruption in your life.

 

if all you do is talk about someone no matter the situation or spend money on the above that is needed elsewhere for life’s necessities, then it becomes an obsessive problem.

 

I’d say trying to meet someone (celebrity) outside of events is not a good thing either. If I live near John Williams, I’m not driving or walking by his house everyday unless it’s part of a normal routine that I have to do in order to get to work or taking a walk.
 

Now if I saw him outside of his house while I was walking, I would probably say high, good morning etc etc. I’d be reluctant to stop and chat though. I’ve encountered a few celebrities in public before and just went about my business without bothering them.

 

I don’t think buying the new 20 disc box set is obsessive if you can afford it. Like I said in the original thread, if it came out 20 years ago, I’d be all over it. But now, no, I don’t really need it. I’ve got well over 90% of what’s represented on that set.

[Jurassic Shark 12,079]

Give me five years to take a degree in psychiatry, and I'll get back with an answer.

 

8 hours ago, Mr. Hooper said:

Well, if for example you choose to listen to nothing but John Williams in your down time, that's fine with me. It just says you really (really) admire his work. If that extends to following his career very closely, and anticipating any new works, releases, etc., well there's nothing wrong with that either. If you also travel the country (and even the world) to see him perform live any chance you get and spend most of your discretionary income on it, well, that's your prerogative. I'd just call you an "uber fan". Sure, some people might not understand the extent of your passion, but that's their problem, I think.

 

It's when it starts to go beyond a professional interest, and reaches into a public figure's personal life that it gets weird for me. It's when a fan claims some kind of ownership over the person because they feel this strong connection to him or her, and overstep the boundaries by invading the person's privacy. I mean, go ahead and write them a gushing letter of admiration, but don't show up on their doorstep and expect them to invite you in for coffee, or ambush them at the supermarket you found out they shop at.

 

In short, "healthy boundaries" for me means not feeling too personally connected to the artist, and just admiring his/her work from a safe distance, but to your heart's content.

 

Is it okay to keep JW in one's basement? Asking for a friend...

 

9 hours ago, JTW said:

I'm really curious to hear everyone's opinion on this, in my humble opinion, very serious and important subject matter, because there are certain people who are borderline obsessed with certain composers and they may not be aware of it. 

 

Hey, I'm not that obsessed with Stephen Oliver's Lady Jane score.*

 

 

 

 

*with the best ever track named The Hunt!

[Naïve Old Fart 9,534]

No it's not!!!!!

[Jurassic Shark 12,079]

Get the JW fan for only $999!

 

[Mr. Hooper 1,792]

4 hours ago, JTW said:

@Mr. Hooper In your opinion getting the JW Box Set means that those who do are obsessed? Honest question, I swear. 

Honest answer: I was just teasing. If you can afford it and won't have to go hungry for awhile by cutting back on groceries, then by all means buy it with my blessing. 😄

 

3 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Is it okay to keep JW in one's basement? Asking for a friend...

As long as he's made of cardboard.

 

(Is this your friend?)

 

 

 

[JTN 2,030]

1 hour ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Get the JW fan for only $999!

 

Only if it comes with a legacy.

[Jurassic Shark 12,079]

1 hour ago, Mr. Hooper said:

Is this your friend?

 

The one made of cardboard? Yes. 

[Mr. Hooper 1,792]

2 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Get the JW fan for only $999!

 

Wrapped with sound-dampening acoustical wood! 👍

 

1 hour ago, Jurassic Shark said:

 

The one made of cardboard? Yes. 

You don't mind if we analyze you for the purpose of this thread, do you?

[ThePenitentMan1 744]

10 hours ago, Ollie said:

I’d say trying to meet someone (celebrity) outside of events is not a good thing either. If I live near John Williams, I’m not driving or walking by his house everyday unless it’s part of a normal routine that I have to do in order to get to work or taking a walk.

 

Now if I saw him outside of his house while I was walking, I would probably say high, good morning etc etc. I’d be reluctant to stop and chat though. I’ve encountered a few celebrities in public before and just went about my business without bothering them.

 

This thread reminds me of the recently-bumped thread about the brass duet rendition of Star Wars on JW's lawn.

[Mr. Hooper 1,792]

2 minutes ago, ThePenitentMan1 said:

 

This thread reminds me of the recently-bumped thread about the brass duet rendition of Star Wars on JW's lawn.

I thought it was cute, but I cringed a little for them... I guess they get a pass cuz they were young, and I bet they practiced hard for that moment. I don't know. This is a grey area for me. lol

[ThePenitentMan1 744]

Just now, Mr. Hooper said:

I thought it was cute, but I cringed a little for them... I guess they get a pass cuz they were young, and I bet they practiced hard for that moment. I don't know. This is a grey area for me. lol

 

The trumpet was young (and I think a prodigy?); the flugelhorn was his instructor.

 

IIRC one of them may have been a neighbor of JW.

 

But yeah, without those factors, it wouldn't have been nearly as endearing as it was.

[Datameister 2,044]

I don't think you'll find many firm lines in this. But I would think that relevant questions include:

• How much of the person's time is spent thinking about the music/composer?
• Are they causing financial hardship for themselves or others?
• How's their social life?
• Is there any inappropriate, creepy, or illegal behavior involved?
• How do they feel and behave if they are forced to focus on other things for a while?

Ultimately, if you're not hurting anyone, I say go nuts. For myself, JW's work is one of a number of things I'm deeply interested in, but those interests haven't hurt me or anyone else. Sometimes I'll use the word "obsessed" to describe myself, but I think it's a healthy obsession.

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

40 minutes ago, ThePenitentMan1 said:

 

This thread reminds me of the recently-bumped thread about the brass duet rendition of Star Wars on JW's lawn.

Those guys should be in jail

[Faleel 5,353]

2 minutes ago, Not Mr. Big said:

Those guys should be in jail

Still? Wouldn't they be out by now?

[Mr. Hooper 1,792]

 

26 minutes ago, Datameister said:

• Are they causing financial hardship for themselves or others?

Like dipping in your kids' college fund to go see Williams in Europe... Time to ask yourself some questions!

 

14 minutes ago, Not Mr. Big said:

Those guys should be in jail

 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,534]

Who are the real  obsessives?

The fans who buy JW's music, or the companies which fawn over JW, trawl through his scores, pick out every last note of a score, remix it, remaster it, package it, and sell it, just to get money?

[Faleel 5,353]

2 minutes ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

Who are the real  obsessives?

The fans who buy JW's music, or the companies which fawn over JW, trawl through his scores, pick out every last note of a score, remix it, remaster it, package it, and sell it, just to get money?

the companies which fawn over JW, trawl through his scores, pick out every last note of a score, remix it, remaster it, package it, and sell it, just to lose money.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,534]

I'm not sure they would do it if they knew they would lose money.

No-one goes into business expecting it to fail.

There might be a narrow profit margin, but they come out of it fine.

[A24 4,338]

Isn't 'obsession' a teen phenomenon? Teens that start screaming and become hysterical during boy band gigs?

[ThePenitentMan1 744]

59 minutes ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

Who are the real  obsessives?

The fans who buy JW's music, or the companies which fawn over JW, trawl through his scores, pick out every last note of a score, remix it, remaster it, package it, and sell it, just to get money?

 

If you're talking about the specialty labels, aren't they mainly doing it to preserve the music of JW and many other film composers?  The money is more or less just a means to that end.

 

If you're talking about Disney with their Demasters...  lol.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,534]

The Mouse is among the most evil and avaricious organisations on the face of the planet. I don't put any value in anything they do, anymore.

Yes, the speciality labels could be regarded as preserving film music, but I still maintain that they are making a pretty good living out of it. Not that that's bad, of course, but ultimately, it's the punters who pay the price... sometimes in more ways than one.

[Richard Penna 3,694]

My definition is probably lower than others' as I'm very composer/artist agnostic, i.e. I rarely feel the urge to own everything by an artist (happens occasionally, but that's the exception).

 

The point where it starts to bother me is when some individuals have clearly been unable to handle some 'other' composer handling an assignment, usually because they are completely convinced that their chosen composer is so flawlessly talented that in their mind that no other composer or methodology is acceptable.

 

Also a worrying trend recently of small numbers believing that their musicology and orchestrational knowledge is so vastly superior that they have the right to tell others that their tastes are inferior, simply because they're obsessed with a composer they believe has the gold standard of composing talent, and won't acknowledge any flaws in their work.

[JTN 2,030]

4 hours ago, A24 said:

Isn't 'obsession' a teen phenomenon? Teens that start screaming and become hysterical during boy band gigs?

You’d be surprised how much it’s not just a teen phenomenon. Just as many adults are obsessed with famous film composers. Obsession has nothing to do with age. 

[GerateWohl 4,370]

2 hours ago, Richard Penna said:

Also a worrying trend recently of small numbers believing that their musicology and orchestrational knowledge is so vastly superior that they have the right to tell others that their tastes are inferior, simply because they're obsessed with a composer they believe has the gold standard of composing talent, and won't acknowledge any flaws in their work.

I think, it would be rather a sign of self-obsession and arrogance if I claimed, that a degree in musicology and composition was required to judge my poor taste in music.

[A24 4,338]

 

59 minutes ago, JTW said:

You’d be surprised how much it’s not just a teen phenomenon. Just as many adults are obsessed with famous film composers. Obsession has nothing to do with age. 

 

So there are just as many obsessed adult film score fans as there are obsessed teenager pop music fans? Hmm, I think comparing revenue numbers will contradict this.

[GerateWohl 4,370]

37 minutes ago, A24 said:

So there are just as many obsessed adult film score fans as there are obsessed teenager pop music fans? Hmm, I think comparing revenue numbers will contradict this.

He didn't say that. Just that there are adults, who are no less obsessed about their idols than teenage fans. He never said, they outnumber the teens. 

 

By the way. The guy, who paid $799 for a Dial of Destiny soundtrack CD on eBay, might have an obsession issue. Or he is just bad at being an economic fan. 

[A24 4,338]

I thought he said that there are 'just as many' adults who are obsessive over film scores? I always thought idol obsession is at its strongest during teen years. That doesn't mean adults can't be obsessed with a music idol but I do notice that some people from my age group are less fascinated with music than when they were young. 

[JTN 2,030]

39 minutes ago, A24 said:

I thought he said that there are 'just as many' adults who are obsessive over film scores?

That's not what I said. You even quoted me before, read it again. 

[Mr. Hooper 1,792]

3 hours ago, Richard Penna said:

The point where it starts to bother me is when some individuals have clearly been unable to handle some 'other' composer handling an assignment, usually because they are completely convinced that their chosen composer is so flawlessly talented that in their mind that no other composer or methodology is acceptable.

Yeah, and it gets weird when the fan becomes a complete devotee and starts identifying himself with a "camp"... "I'm camp Williams!", or "I'm camp Zimmer!", and it's to the exclusion of all else.

 

I guess that's mainly a product of the internet, where likeminded people huddle together, and you'll see these factions bicker in the comments sections and pit composers against one another, until you now actually have "Hans Zimmer vs. John Williams" concerts. lol

 

I don't know where this need comes from to argue about who or what is "best" or "greatest"... I'm personally leery of anyone who claims that something is "the best" without adding "IMHO".

 

Anyway, isn't it enough to know that so-and-so or such-and-such is your favourite? Maybe ask yourself why you feel the need to convince others that your tastes are better.

 

I can imagine that it's because a fan identifies so much with the person or thing that to hear someone say it's somehow inferior feels to them like a personal attack.

 

But to be fair, we've probably all felt that to some degree. When you hear some philistine say that film music isn't "serious" and has no place in the concert hall, I bet your blood starts to boil a bit. lol

 

 

[Mr. Who 919]

8 minutes ago, Mr. Hooper said:

Yeah, and it gets weird when the fan becomes a complete devotee and starts identifying himself with a "camp"... "I'm camp Williams!", or "I'm camp Zimmer!", and it's to the exclusion of all else.

 

I guess that's mainly a product of the internet, where likeminded people huddle together, and you'll see these factions bicker in the comments sections and pit composers against one another, until you now actually have "Hans Zimmer vs. John Williams" concerts. lol

 

I don't know where this need comes from to argue about who or what is "best" or "greatest"... I'm personally leery of anyone who claims that something is "the best" without adding "IMHO".

 

Anyway, isn't it enough to know that so-and-so or such-and-such is your favourite? Maybe ask yourself why you feel the need to convince others that your tastes are better.

 

I can imagine that it's because a fan identifies so much with the person or thing that to hear someone say it's somehow inferior feels to them like a personal attack.

 

But to be fair, we've probably all felt that to some degree. When you hear some philistine say that film music isn't "serious" and has no place in the concert hall, I bet your blood starts to boil a bit. lol

 

 

Completely agree with this!

[JTN 2,030]

12 minutes ago, Mr. Hooper said:

I can imagine that it's because a fan identifies so much with the person or thing 

That's called obsession. ;-)

[Mr. Hooper 1,792]

Just now, JTW said:

That's called obsession. ;-)

 

You've just decided which score I'm going to listen to today...

 

[Jurassic Shark 12,079]

4 hours ago, Richard Penna said:

Also a worrying trend recently of small numbers believing that their musicology and orchestrational knowledge is so vastly superior that they have the right to tell others that their tastes are inferior, simply because they're obsessed with a composer they believe has the gold standard of composing talent, and won't acknowledge any flaws in their work.

 

Okay, I admit Zimmer's work is flawed.

[JTN 2,030]

Are we allowed to ask what is being obsessed about a film composer? 

Are we allowed to criticize or even talk about someone who is literally obsessed about another person?

 

Are we allowed to discuss fan obsession anymore?

 

Is criticizing, pointing out fan obsession an “attack”?
If so, why? Why isn’t it what it is: pointing it out, stating a fact based on countless evidence? 
 

Why are certain people protected and others not?
Why is it tolerated? 
 

When being a fan of a film composer stops being a hobby of listening to their music, or maybe attending their concert, and it becomes an obsession when you feel that they are your exclusive property, that you, in some form or another, own them and have to know everything about them, you find and talk to everyone in their surroundings, their friends and colleagues, pretend as it is “important work” that you do in order to preserve their life and work, when you put more time, energy and money into “celebrating” the film composer than into other, truly important things that could help you move on with your life and your work, when you dedicate podcasts, websites, arrange fan events to a film composer, when you dress like him, try to think like him, literally everything you do in your life is to have him take notice of you, to appreciate you, to like or even love you, and when you neglect everything else, your friends and family, your own life, is being obsessed. And it’s wrong. It’s toxic. It’s a psychological problem that will eventually consume you if you don’t put an end to it. It will hurt your thinking, your emotional health and your personal connections. If anyone knows someone who shows the aforementioned symptoms, tell them to seek professional help, because their behavior is abnormal. 
 

Fan obsession can even lead to aggressive and dangerous behavior, where the disappointment in the unreciprocated love and devotion for the idolized person can turn into self harm or harming others, mentally or even physically.

 

Being a fan should be enough for a mentally healthy person, without the urge to know as much about the artist as possible, or to interact with them, only listening to their work, and not crossing any boundaries that could turn into obsession.  

[Holko 9,526]

Ah, clever subversion of the thread title, being obsessed with a fan!

[GerateWohl 4,370]

Let's look at this from annother angle.

A guy I know, in his profesional life a technical consultant, is in private as one of his many hobbies obsessed with historical research about Napoleon Bonaparte. He runs an own website about it, visits with his family historical places around that, discusses with others about new scientific publications around the topic.

At the same time there are hundreds of professional historians dedicating their whole life to the research on such a topic.

Almost everyone working in science has a certain kind of obsession for the subject, to which they dedicate their professional and big amounts of their private life.

And this kind of obsession can be very fulfilling and productive.

 

Can obsession be toxic and destructive? Of course it can. When you are neglecting your duties, your family, your health, your social life, your children etc. When it goes hand in hand with drug abuse. There might be some other factors. Many artists are and were known for that. But you really have to dig deep into the private and social life of such a person to be able to estimate that.

 

So my point is, obsession in itself is like many things neither good or bad. It depends on many factors. I on my end don't see myself in the position to make any remote diagnosis on anyone that I just know form the output of their hobby in social media. And I always would be very careful to do so. As I remember reports and statements from professional psychoanalysts in news articles being asked about their assessment on the mental health of famous celebrities or politicians, that they would not dare to come up with such diagnosis without having talked to these people directly in a few analytical sessions.

 

What I could come up with would just be some projection of what I want to see in a person and interpreting everything that person does in a certain negative direction. But why should I do that? Isn't that somehow... toxic?

 

[JTN 2,030]

13 minutes ago, Holko said:

Ah, clever subversion of the thread title, being obsessed with a fan!

The thread always had this title. 
 

 

10 minutes ago, GerateWohl said:

A guy I know, in his profesional life a technical consultant, is in private as one of his many hobbies obsessed with historical research about Napoleon Bonaparte.

Napoleon Bonaparte is dead. 

[Ricard 2,245]

1 hour ago, JTN said:

Are we allowed to ask what is being obsessed about a film composer? 

Are we allowed to criticize or even talk about someone who is literally obsessed about another person?

 

Are we allowed to discuss fan obsession anymore?

 

Is criticizing, pointing out fan obsession an “attack”?
If so, why? Why isn’t it what it is: pointing it out, stating a fact based on countless evidence? 
 

Why are certain people protected and others not?
Why is it tolerated? 
 

When being a fan of a film composer stops being a hobby of listening to their music, or maybe attending their concert, and it becomes an obsession when you feel that they are your exclusive property, that you, in some form or another, own them and have to know everything about them, you find and talk to everyone in their surroundings, their friends and colleagues, pretend as it is “important work” that you do in order to preserve their life and work, when you put more time, energy and money into “celebrating” the film composer than into other, truly important things that could help you move on with your life and your work, when you dedicate podcasts, websites, arrange fan events to a film composer, when you dress like him, try to think like him, literally everything you do in your life is to have him take notice of you, to appreciate you, to like or even love you, and when you neglect everything else, your friends and family, your own life, is being obsessed. And it’s wrong. It’s toxic. It’s a psychological problem that will eventually consume you if you don’t put an end to it. It will hurt your thinking, your emotional health and your personal connections. If anyone knows someone who shows the aforementioned symptoms, tell them to seek professional help, because their behavior is abnormal. 
 

Fan obsession can even lead to aggressive and dangerous behavior, where the disappointment in the unreciprocated love and devotion for the idolized person can turn into self harm or harming others, mentally or even physically.

 

Being a fan should be enough for a mentally healthy person, without the urge to know as much about the artist as possible, or to interact with them, only listening to their work, and not crossing any boundaries that could turn into obsession.  

 

You're the one who's obsessed with Maurizio. Saying that another member has a mental illness is a personal attack. You've done this repeatedly.

 

I will politely ask you that you stop breaking this fundamental rule of our forums. Thanks.

[JTN 2,030]

I did not say in my previous post that @TownerFanhas a mental illness. I was talking about being obsessed for another person IN GENERAL. 
There is a saying: if the cap fits… 

 

What I don’t understand is why you and others speak for @TownerFan ? Can’t he speak for himself if he feels like he’s attacked? 
 

Because I wrote to him long ago a Private Message saying what I thought about him, to him, DIRECTLY, not behind his back. 
And now in this thread I was talking about fan obsession in general, yet I’m being accused again for attacking @TownerFan

 

I too am polite, asking politely to please stop accusing me of attacking @TownerFan. He doesn’t need protection, because he is a grown man who can defend himself if he feels like it or if he’s attacked, which I did not do. I expressed my personal opinion about how toxic and unhealthy being obsessed about a film composer can be, in general. I’m sorry if what I wrote, is true for @TownerFan, again, if the cap fits. But is he capable of defending himself if he feels like being attacked, or is he protected by others for no particular reason other than to attack that member who expresses his thoughts on fan obsession? 
 

However if you still insist that by expressing my thoughts on this matter I’m breaking the fundamental rules of this forum, I will stop talking about this matter because heaven forbid that I hurt anyone’s feelings let alone the fundamental forum rules.

 

So I’m politely asking you, are we good? 
 

 

[Trope 527]

@JTN How do you feel about historians who study the personal lives of classical composers (or any other artist) in immense detail, researching their private letters/correspondences, analysing their draft manuscripts, and interviewing surviving collaborators/family members/friends, all for the sake of gaining a greater understanding of the artist as a person, and thus being able to appreciate their art/music on a deeper level?

 

3 hours ago, JTN said:

When you put more time, energy and money into “celebrating” the film composer than into other, truly important things that could help you move on with your life and your work [...] and when you neglect everything else, your friends and family, your own life, is being obsessed. And it’s wrong. It’s toxic. It’s a psychological problem that will eventually consume you if you don’t put an end to it. It will hurt your thinking, your emotional health and your personal connections. If anyone knows someone who shows the aforementioned symptoms, tell them to seek professional help, because their behavior is abnormal. 

Also, I don’t know anything about your personal relationship with Maurizio, but shame on you for suggesting that he is guilty of neglecting his family, friends and personal responsibilities IF your above statements are based purely on unsubstantiated assumptions without a shred of real evidence to back them up.

[Richard Penna 3,694]

2 hours ago, GerateWohl said:

Can obsession be toxic and destructive? Of course it can. When you are neglecting your duties, your family, your health, your social life, your children etc.

 

I have a very niche obsession which over a few years I shared with someone on the other side of the world (long story... one of those endless searches for stock music used in a TV show) and my co-searcher admitted to me once that he was starting to have problems a bit like this. He was so obsessed with searching endlessly that he was starting to neglect basic social activity and family interactions.

 

My limit on this subject has more been at the level of those making detailed edits of the prequels, for example, i.e. searching for the best sources, making careful edits, and celebrating when a new source of music is found. A lot more detective work and internet research is needed for my thing, and I wrote a blog based on our findings, but I've always been very conscious of when it's time to switch off and go and do something else, like any hobby. It's partly helped by another group of obsessives looking for stuff from a different TV show (with overlapping music usage) and nowadays I just let them do the hard work 

 

Thankfully I have a personal distraction in the form of a website I run, which occasionally needs attention and has rather a lot of bodges to iron out gradually.

[Jurassic Shark 12,079]

48 minutes ago, Trope said:

How do you feel about historians who study the personal lives of classical composers (or any other artist) in immense detail, researching their private letters/correspondences, analysing their draft manuscripts, and interviewing surviving collaborators/family members/friends, all for the sake of gaining a greater understanding of the artist as a person, and thus being able to appreciate their art/music on a deeper level?

 

Just want to point out the obvious difference between a trained historian and a fan.

 

2 hours ago, JTN said:

Napoleon Bonaparte is dead. 

 

He could have been a good composer!

[JTN 2,030]

13 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Just want to point out the obvious difference between a trained historian and a fan.

Exactly. If the intention of a scholar is purely to study the work of an artist is perfectly fine.
And also, if it’s a deceased artist whose work one studies, is completely different from someone obsessing over a living person whose attention one desperately wants to get with every action of his/hers. 
 

 

13 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

He could have been a good composer!

BonaparteFan; 

NBFan

[Thor 7,508]

4 hours ago, GerateWohl said:

Can obsession be toxic and destructive? Of course it can. When you are neglecting your duties, your family, your health, your social life, your children etc. When it goes hand in hand with drug abuse. There might be some other factors. Many artists are and were known for that. But you really have to dig deep into the private and social life of such a person to be able to estimate that.

 

I think that's the crux of the matter. Obviously, fan obsession (heck, any obsession) can be unhealthy. That's why we have movies like THE FAN or MISERY. When it's taken to the extreme, and the line between reality and fiction is blurred.

 

I do think most people manage to navigate that limit pretty well. At least in my own life, I've never encountered any "scary" individuals like that. I've READ about them, like that guy stalking Spielberg some years back, but not actually met anyone. Not that I'm aware of, anyway. Unless you count autograph hounds etc.

 

Finally, there's the question of research legitimacy and invasion of privacy. I'm well aware I tread that line myself, when I go into such detail about Williams' early life, for example. That particular thing combines three interests of mine - John Williams, artist beginnings (I edited a magazine on debut films a few months back that also nurtured some of that) and genealogy (I'm very much into researching my own lineage, but as an extension of that have an interest in the genealogy of other people too, at least those I have some connection to). The important thing here is SELF-CENSORSHIP, i.e. know what's appropriate to share and not.

 

And ideally, whatever findings one encounters in one's research, will reflect on the way we approach their work too (for example, knowing that Williams has musicians all over the place in his family, certainly informs his early schooling in that area).