MEGALOMANIA - LANGUOR - VOT(ARIES)
The past few days have been rough for me, so in a way I'm seeking some type of encouragement (or discouragement). My questions are in regard to your fans. You see, I have been a loyal fan for 9 years now. You've been a distant friend who has seen me through many events in my life. I discovered your music at a time when I began questioning the orthodox nature of my home and school, so logically you had a great impression on me. I was never the type of fan who sought a copy of every cd/mag/shirt/etc with the MM moniker on it nor the type to attempt seeing you over 18 times in concert, but more of the type to delve dangerously deep into your message/meaning. (I also refer to you for great recommendations in film, literature, music, etc. La Fee is tasty, though my choice is Mari Mayans.) To a degree I used you to define who I was, and at other times believed that you somehow had a piece of my mind. I had blinders on for a long time, unable to interact with people unless they were fans as well. The recent talk of children and insanity has stirred up old emotions in me. From '96-'99 I believed that I might perhaps be a missing gear (sigil?) in the machine that was Marilyn Manson. The basis of my belief stemmed from the Tetragrammaton, numerology and synchronicity which climaxed when I was 18 years old ('99). When you said that you felt as if half of your life was being spent in déjà vu, I empathized with you. I could list numerous personal accounts of mindblowing "coincidences" but for the sake of brevity I will spare you. In the end, I pushed it all away, concluding that I was going mad or suffering from delusions of grandeur. Although loyal in conversation and in heart, I had absolutely nothing to do with Marilyn Manson anymore soon after. I skipped college and ventured into the music industry, with mild success, but I soon became jaded by the mathematics of music, and I lost touch with my passion for listening to other's music. It was an honest attempt to stand on my own two feet, but in the end I much more preferred being a fan. Since my departure, the intense interest in Marilyn Manson has been rekindled (thanks to the golden age), and I have adopted a new reckless Peter Pan attitude. How irresponsible of me. Yet, my fellow fans have given me lots to think about over the past few days. One day I'm accused of not "having a life of my own" and the next I misread the significance of Mickey Mouse ears and I'm somehow not a worthy fan. At times I feel like I'm not going far enough, other times I feel like I'm taking it way too far. I'm quite capable of forming opinions of my own, but at a point of vulnerability the actions of fellow fans have only perpetuated my confusion. We all have our own definitions of madness. I'd like to know what yours are. How far is too far? Does there come a point in the idolization where you feel as if your toes have been stepped on? Can you respect a fan who assimilates your personae? (Or to an extreme, believes there is a cosmic force linking you together?) Does it annoy you that in the past I may save sought refuge in you, or that now I may be seeking approval? I may submit this more than once. Please don't interpret my persistence as insistence. In a crowd of thousands, I'm simply trying to better my chances. Love, Charlie. |