A while back I shared my confessions of a Yogaholic paper with you.
A number of you
took the opportunity to share your feelings on the
topic. Which means that non-diehards can probably skip this issue.
But for
those of you who want to really get to know some of the gang,
here is part two of the further confessions of Yogaholics...the
first part
ran as YM #160.
AND AWAY WE GO...
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Toby1814-at-aol.com writes:
----------------------------------------
Dear
Amanda:
I don't think you are too obsessed. I have a similar story to yours
only with Janet Jackson instead of George
Michael. I have been to
at least 20 shows of Janet's and have met her twice. My family
thought I was insane as I almost lost
my job trying to plan
vacations around Janet's concert schedule. I've seen Janet shows
in New York, California, the midwest
U.S. and Europe. It was like a
drug each time I saw a show. However, just like you, no one looked
at me or my home and said
"Yuck, Janet groupie." It was
transparent to all I met.
I think you are doing just fine. Look at the benefits;
you have met
new people and become experienced in building Web pages. These
are things that many people wish they had under
their belt. Look at
how good your resume will look with "HTML" experience.
Basically, do what you want while you
can. Life is much too short
to play it safe and by other people's rules. Do what suits you.
Unfortunately, as age and time set
in we must all put our playful
youth to rest as we get "real jobs" and start to have families. Once
these things
enter your life it will be hard to sustain Yogmael. If
you haven't already, I believe you will eventually meet GM. Your
paths
are bound to cross, like mine did with Janet. Be prepared
though. See, if you are like me you may be in so much shock that
your
meeting with George will fly before your eyes. Then you will
kick yourself and say, "I should have asked...this and
that." Also
once I met Janet I became a fanatic even more because I felt
special and privileged. What we all fail to
realize is that musicians
are on a time table too. They HAVE to build a fan base before they
are "yesterday's news."
So while they may treat you like you really
are their "number one fan" in-person, they are probably making
someone
else feel the same way when you are not around. It isn't
to be mean, that's just the way business works. I've compared my
Janet
encounter stories with other people's and ironically the
situations are almost identical.
(That's to be expected. AG)
Well
I've rambled enough. I think you are probably more sane than
you know. I can't wait for the issue of Yogmael when you tell your
tale
of meeting GM! It will happen...have FAITH. (O.K. bad pun.)
P.S. When you do meet GM, be sure to tell him to do a Stevie
Wonder
cover album. I'm sick of all these people asking about
Pastime Paradise and the Bagdad Cafe Soundtrack. :-)
***************************
bellaj-at-BIOMED.MED.YALE.EDU
(April J. Bell) writes:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
Amanda,
Just
wanted to say that I LOVED your paper. I definitely identify
with it.
Hello, my name is April and I am a Yogaholic.
--April
***************************
WESTENDGRL-at-aol.com
(Alex) writes:
----------------------------------------------------------
Amanda!
That was an awesome paper. I do hope you
got at least an A+
on it. I think you should send it to Aegean too and maybe
George will get his little paws on it and give
you a call to thank
you for being so devoted and proud of him!! Just a thought....
Good Job.
-Alex
(Or he could
decree me a total nut...whatever the case, it has
been sent his way. AG)
***************************
YOGNZ-at-aol.com
(Yvonne) writes:
-----------------------------------------------
and another listens. his songs do help get through this
life---no
jive.
before i end this letter, here's an experience i had involving the
last concert he did here in
colorado. i had a honda in which the
radio had a lot of static, and the sound would fade out. well after
the concert i was
sitting in the car waiting for traffic to move.
someone had their radio on-blasting it-- the radio station was
playing george'
s songs. i couldn't turn on my radio because of
the static. anyway i final was able to get going in the traffic, i said
"static
or no static i want to hear george" so i turned on the radio---
well, as soon as i turned on the radio the song "one
more try"
started, but to my amazement NO STATIC, NO FADE OUT the
song played perfectly, you wouldn't know that there was
a problem
with the radio. talk about psychic connection. WOW well when
the song ended, the dj got back on and said that was
the end of
the post concert, concert. when the commercial started to play
the radio went back to static and fade out. i just
quickly glanced at
the radio and smiled. so being a yogaholic DOES have its benefits.
as he said at the VH-1 HONORS
"music is a gift from GOD". GOD
ALWAYS gives what you NEED.
YOGAHOLISM IS GOOD, VERY GOOD.
talk to you all
later.
yvonne
***************************
Cheshyrr-at-aol.com (Johanna) writes:
-----------------------------------------------------
Dear
Amanda--
I really enjoyed your Yogaholism paper. Your wording was clear
and precise and eloquently explains your
"obsession" with Mr.
Michæl. I have never before observed or experienced such a
connection with a celebrity... I
think you told me once, when I
had first joined Yogmail (I had no idea what I had got myself into!)
"I've followed his
career so closely that I no longer see him as a
celebrity". I'm glad that you do have this connection with him and
his
work, it's rare that anyone should find such a dedicated fan
who is willing to devote large portions of her time-- nay, life --
to a
musician. I think we all understand a little bit more about you now,
thanks so much for sharing!
Always appreciative,
---Johanna
***************************
smm-at-pequod.otago.ac.nz
(Sa') writes:
---------------------------------------------------------
I FINALLY GOT AROUND TO READING YOUR ESSAY - WOW -
THAT
IS ONE FABULOUSLY WITTY AND HILARIOUS READ! I
WISH I COULD WRITE ABOUT SUCH INTERESTING TOPICS AS
THAT ... AS A FORM OF
ACADEMIC APPRAISAL I FOUND
YOUR ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL RESPONSES TO A SELF-
CONFESSED POP FAN, TO BE ACCURATE... I TOO SUFFER
THE
CONTINUAL DERIVING OF BEING A POP FAN, TO THE
POINT WHERE I FUNCTION AS A "CLOSEST FAN". MIND
YOU, I HAVE DISCOVERED
SOMETHING NOVEL, INSTEAD
OF BEING A BANANARARMA FAN, I HIDE UNDER THE
CLOAK OF A GEORGE MICHAEL FAN... SO THAT I NOW GET
"PAID-OUT"
FOR BEING A GEORGE FAN INSTEAD OF A
BANANARAMA FAN. THE CHANGE WAS REFRESHING FOR
ABOUT 2 HOURS AND THEN I DECIDED I STILL
DIDN'T LIKE
PEOPLE, DEGRADING SUCH A TALENTED ARTISTE LIKE
GEORGE. OF COURSE, MY DESK AT WORK, HAS A SMALL
GEORGE MICHAEL
POSTCARD UP THERE BESIDE THE
PICTURES OF GLACIERS, ANTARCTICA, AND POSTCARDS
FROM ENGLAND, PARIS &TC.... ITS A CLOAK TO
HIDE
BANANARAMA. YOU THINK BEING A GEORGE FAN IS
HARD - MAN TRY BEING WHAT YOU ARE TO GEORGE TO
A DISREPUTABLE BAND LIKE
BANANARAMA....
(I will defend the ladies to my grave! AG)
I'M WAFFLING - I'VE JUST HAD CHOCOLATE AND
COCA-COLA (BOTH
I SWORE OFF SO MY THRESHOLD IS
LOW..)
P.S I THINK YOUR COMPUTER SHOULD BE CALLED
SIOBHAN II (THERE'S A NICE BANANA TOUCH
TO THAT ;)
OMEGA IS FAR TOO COMPUTER-GEEKISH !
(Gee thanks...actually there's a Madonna connection to the
Omega. Re: The
Girlie Show and her overdub of the Book of
Revelations during the Beast Within... AG)
SARAH
***************************
MWilson289-at-aol.com
After reading your letter the only response I can
manage is.........OH.....MY GOD.!!!!
That was an incredibly personal
letter to write to all of us. I
admire you and I don't even know you!!!!! You were willing to look
inside yourself and admit
what people like myself only allow
ourselves to think about in our deepest darkest mind. I would be
lying out of my ass if I
denied to you for a moment about my
fantasy. I don't think there is a yog fan out there who doesn't
image herself being slowly
seduced by the master himself. I have
never given much thought to the yog convention because I thought
that no matter how
much you guys like george , you would not
understand the warped desires I hide in the back of my mind.
After reading your
letter, I think you might just understand.
(I have very few secrets anymore. AG)
If you do plan to go to
England,,,,,PLEASE......PLEASE I beg
you....let me know......Nothing would stand in my way of that trip.
I would be right
beside you leading the troops to heaven. (i mean
GEORGE)
This letter probably makes no sense. I will write later after my
mind
settles down for a moment. Thanks for sharing a part of
your soul. I won't forget it.
Catherine
***************************
BoydstonR-at-aol.com
(Rose) writes:
----------------------------------------------------
Amanda
I wanted to send you a quick note about your
Yogaholism Paper.
It was great! I really enjoyed reading it. As always, how can we
expect anything less...
Thanks for all
you do.
Rose B
***************************
oliver-at-centralperk.com (Oliver) writes:
-------------------------------------------------------
Hey
Amanda,
Just finished reading your Yogaholism paper. Great work! It
was an entertaining read and gives the reader a lucid
view of
what goes on in the mind of a 'real' fan.
Keep up the great work.
Oliver
***************************
clegend-at-ix.netcom.com
(Cherylyn) writes:
--------------------------------------------------------------
Hi All,
I did not reply to the
Yogaholicism article. I was not sure how
to put my thoughts into words, or if they even went along with
what you were trying
to say. After listening to the responses
and a few GM interviews, Well here goes. ..
I totally agreed on many points of
your paper. Although I have
listened to GM since the beginning of Wham, I have not been
such a big enthusiast as you and I am
sure many out there
reading this. Growing up I did not go to concerts or buy albums.
This kind of carried over into my
adulthood. I can proudly say
that I have now purchased (and beg and "borrowed") several
videos, CDs and
tapes of Wham/GM/AR. I want to purchase
his, I believe two books? but they are not available here in the
states. (Also I
have a major cheap streak!! I know, I know, he
is worth it! But still!! :0)
I think your paper says something about
"acceptability" in our
times. Today you have to listen to the "in" artist, you have to
dress like the
"in" crowd or you are not accepted. I get the
impression that George is not the kind of person who does things
just
because people tell him to and neither do we his fans!
If he can go all the way to court knowing he was going to loose
but
striving to make a point than I believe it is up to us to try and
live up to similar standards. He did not accept Sonys
image of
what his career would be so he chose to walk the hard road for
what he believes in. So must we. It is not just that
we are
standing up for our favorite artist. We are sounding a warring bell
to those in the big chair that we have the
intelligence and desire
to choose our own music and our own acceptability regardless
of the mainstream ideas and all that hype
they throw at us
I know his music will always be the one I look for in the store. On
the web, his information pages will
always be my
do not have to follow main-stream music. We need to remember
that a "LITTLE" obsessive is O.K. because
sometimes it takes
that extra effort, that standing out there and saying no, or rather
yes as the case may be, to an artist
who stands for what he
believes.
Like Popeye said "I am what I am and that's all that I am" and
what I am is I
am not an "Obsessed" 30 year old fan. I am a
woman who knows what she like to listen to. I have finally
learned that
if I want to be accepted by the world than I follow
everyone else and forget(lose)myself. If I wanted to be accepted
by who
really matter ME!! than I follow my own heart.
Chery:0)
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To Wrap it Up:
MY THANKS TO
ALL FOR THEIR SUPPORT! I knew I couldn't
be the only one out there with such impeccible taste...
Anyone wanting a copy of
the paper, please drop me a line. I'll
be happy to e you one.
"So you don't approve? Well who asked you to?"