(I posted this a couple weeks back, right after the grammies, somehow it didn't work, so try try again)
If you don’t know, Arcade Fire is a band from Montreal. Tim’s in the band. I know Tim. Well, I knew Tim. He’s a good guy, haven’t seen him in years.
But of course by saying, “Tim’s a good guy” then it seems that I KNOW him. It elevates me to a level of knowing, maybe even being friends with a Grammy winning musician. I don’t really know him that well. Oh, we did some stuff at our church a few times and he really was a good guy, probably still is. But it’s not like he calls me.
A lot of that happens when someone gets to being a celebrity of some sort. People get their fifteen minutes of fame and we want to tag along. We grab a little bit of the fame for ourselves. We say things like “I was his music teacher” or “I used to sit by him in third period chemistry” or “He bought my mandolin, (he did) maybe he used it on the Grammy winning album (doubtful)!”
Why? Is it because it’s an innocent fun thing…kind of a “Well what do you know about that, isn’t that cool!” Or are we desperate to be “somebody”. To be famous, to rise above other people. Is it a bad thing and are we trying to show how important we are?
I have come up with a list of what I call “brushed off by greatness”. Things where I have a thin, okay VERY thin connection to someone famous:
- My mom was James (Scotty from Star Trek) Doohan’s sister’s roommate when they were young nurses. He was a struggling young actor and used to borrow money from them. Ooooooh.
- When I was in grade 9, Catherine O’Hara (from SCTV, and many movies) was a senior. I used to have such a crush on her. Wow. Fascinating.
- When I did my first standup comedy at Yuk Yuk’s in Toronto, I stood up for the wrong introduction. I heard “Jim….” and thought it was for me. It was for Jim Carrey (movie star) who was also doing his first standup try. (“And our careers have pretty much gone the same…”)
- I bought popcorn for country singer Tanya Tucker at Ontario Place. She was dating Glen Campbell at the time but he didn’t buy her popcorn. I did, yup me.
- My family once stayed at the same Holiday Inn as the Ottawa Roughriders of the CFL. My dad and I held the door for the players as they entered the hotel lobby. Practically in the starting lineup eh?
- A guy in my high school who I talked to at least once became the ringmaster for Garden Bros. Circus. I know you’re all a-tingle now aren’t you?
Talk about these things having no real relevance to me. These things don’t make me famous or important! Reminds me of the movie SPACEBALLS, “What does that make you? Total stangers!”
Is it bad for us to grab onto these little moments of interest? I don’t think so if it’s an innocent item of interest. No, not if it’s in the vein of a cool novelty thing. Better than talking about the weather again.
But if we are grabbing onto being special or famous by a remote connection then maybe it’s not good. If we’re trying to elevate ourselves and show off in front of our friends. Maybe look like “Yes, that’s right I’M friends with Joe Famous.” Then that’s bad.
Really, beyond it being a brief novelty, let me say the two words that got me into trouble in Mrs. Guthrie’s 11th grade English class, “WHO CARES?” (got a detention for blurting that out as we were discussing Hamlet)
I love what one guy said on Facebook about Tim winning a Grammy, “Apparently as a child I was babysat by the sister of the guy from Arcade Fire... does that mean I won a grammy?
I’m pretty sure Tim didn’t mention my name at the Grammys. He and his bandmates have worked hard to get the award, I’m sure. Good for them. I take no credit nor do I deserve it. Nor will I be mentioning “yeah, he’s a good guy, oh did I tell you that I know him?”
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