Tuesday, May 5, 2009

What is the difference between being a fan and liking a Band.

This strictly my opinion so it is okay if you think I am wrong.



To help me explain what is the difference between being a fan and liking a Band I will need to use an example and what greater example to use then one of the biggest bands around today, Kings of Leon.



As you may already know I am a Kings of Leon fan. I have just about everything they have put out and some stuff they did not release. I have been a fan of theirs since 2004, yes; they have been around before "Use Somebody" came out. Recently they have gone from underground to the public eye. A lot of the people in my town "LOVE" Kings of Leon but only know one track, Use Somebody. If you only know one or two songs you like them. If you go to shows, know the odd ball songs you might be a fan.
Its like this: I saw a girl who was wearing a Rolling Stones tour t-shirt (of course a re-issue but these days thats all you can find at Hot Topic or Target). I asked her if she was a fan, she replied "Oh yeah, big time." I proceeded to ask her what her favorite song is she answered with "Can't Get No Satisfaction." I asked her what other songs she liked but thats the only one she liked. She did not know any others.
I was DJ-ing for a friend of mine before he played a set, a group of mid-20s girls were sitting at a table near by. They started talking about KoL (Kings of Leon) then they broke out into singing "Use Somebody" (KoL's second single off their most recent album "Only By The Night"). They went on yelling "play Use Somebody." I did not have that record in my stash that night for a reason, because people like these girls. I told them I will play some Kings. Later on that night, I played early tracks by Kings, only a handful of people knew what was playing. The girls at the table told me to take the record off and play some Kings of Leon. Liking one song does not make you a fan. It means you like one song out of their 58+ song catelog.
My cousin Taylor, God bless him, came over to my place and saw all the KoL stuff I had but had no clue they have been around since 2002/03. He told his sister about Kings and she looked at him and said "Ummm, Rex has been preaching about them like three yours ago, he has pictures with them." Next thing I know I bump into Taylor and he introduces me to a female friend of his, he tells her Im a Kings of Leon fan. She has the nuts to say "Oh really, we are their biggest fans." Taylor looked at her and shook his head and said "No, we aren't (enter chicks name)."
Jay-Z has an amazing track called "99 Problems" I like the track, I also like a few by Outkast but it does not make a fan. It just simply means I like the songs. I am thrilled that Kings of Leon are finally making way in the US it just sucks to go to a show and watch half the crowd only enjoy "Sex on Fire" (their first single off Only By The Night) or "Use Somebody." Twist, dance, pump your fist along to great tracks like "Wasted Time," "King of the Rodeo," "California Waiting," "Molly's Chamber," "Soft," and "The Bucket." Recently, Caleb (lead singer) told a crowd sitting down at their show to "get the f*ck up, this aint a show at the State Fair." He caught them only enjoying two songs (Sex and Use). Also, Jared (bass player, Caleb's younger brother) mentioned in an interview that most of the wishes they did not write Sex or Use because of the crowds.

Like the band because of Sex and Use, those are good songs, but don't call yourself a fan because Kings hate crowds who just like those tracks.

1 comment:

  1. Nice post! I would say this is a great compare and contrast essay!

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