Celebrities setting boundaries & fans disrespecting those boundaries is a tale as old as time. Chappel Roan has recently skyrocketed to superstardom & even more recently spoken out about creepy "fans" crossing the line with her personal life. But does this not come with the job?
Random B!tch
This analogy sucks because you are not a random person, you are Chappell Roan. I know that’s a stage name, but Kayleigh Amstutz IS Chappell Roan. To answer your question, no I wouldn’t ask a random lady for a photo but I MIGHT ask somebody who has created art that resonated with me or helped me through a tough time. You were a “random bitch” but now - to some people at least - you are Chappell Roan…..
The analogy sucks but the sentiment behind it is fair & logical. I think the emotion behind it’s delivery is one of frustration. And just to back track, I would never ask somebody who’s art I loved for a photo if I happened to run into them in the wild. I’ve only waited around for a band one time. Queens of the Stone Age played here in April, it was the 6th time I saw them. Josh Homme is my guy, I love his band & his music with my whole heart. I had seen on the subreddit (r/QOTSA) that they were meeting fans after the shows on this tour, so I thought well screw it why not stick around & get a fist bump. Couple things, we waited…. for way too long. Josh & Troy also didn’t come say what’s up that night. The rest of the band did, I got some fist bumps. But also there were people waiting screaming “Josh… do a sign? Jon Come do a sign?” I felt so dirty just being in a group with these people. And to be honest, I’m glad Josh didn’t come out. For one I think he was drinking pretty heavy that night. But also, Josh has this mystique about him that could have been broken that night & that’s not a world I’m trying to live in.
That word mystique . That’s what was so cool about rock stars & musicians was they had this mystique about them. Nowadays that is harder to obtain because you’re supposed to build this lore for a fanbase to latch onto. I think Chappell Roan is very interesting in this way. She has very clearly tried to set up her career that Chappell Roan is the performer you love & Kayleigh is “some random bitch”. But Kayfabe is dead. Kayfabe is a wrestling term, before it was common knowledge that pro wrestling was scripted, if you saw Hulk Hogan out in public he had to be Hulk Hogan. Heels couldn’t travel with baby faces back then because it would ruin the illusion.
I think this is an apt comparison because Pro Wrestlers sit in this odd space that people only know them for their characters, when they do press they do them (mostly) in character. Even if they aren’t in character they are still referred to by their ring names. Tom Cruise doesn’t do interviews as Maverick. That Para-social bond people have is harder to break.
So the sentiment here is that Chappell Roan wants fans to separate Kayleigh from Chappell and to stop coming up to her when she is going about her day asking things from her. Some people want to be famous, some people accidentally get famous & then there is everybody in-between. I don’t think “Pop Star Fame” was what Chappell Roan was striving for. I obviously don’t know her but I can certainly understand the feeling of “can I just have one second….” Maybe fame isn’t for her they say. You know what, maybe it isn’t. But that doesn’t have any effect on what she actually does, which is make music. I think this is something that has been normalized in the age of Taylor Swift, that this type of Stan Culture is okay. Obviously Taylor Swift didn’t invite Stan Culture but the cult of Taylor Swift is certainly a real thing. You can find out where her parents live to prove your love for her. Which is fucking insane.
Stan Culture
Sitting outside of a concert venue & scream crying is not normal behaviour. Finding out what hotel room somebody is staying in, is not normal behaviour. There are so many examples. I keep going back to pro wrestling, but it’s chalk full of examples. There are countless stories of wrestlers being stalked at hotel rooms or airports. Sasha Banks made her stance clear stated “I tweet out the arena that I will be preforming at, I don’t tweet out what hotel I am staying at….. if you’re at the venue, I am so happy to see you & sign things for you…..”
One of the saddest ones I have seen is an exhausted Rhea Ripley asking “if she can go now.” Not all of these people are fans. Some are autograph bandits that are just looking to use you to make money. Mark Hoppus handled one recently like a total legend, using the classic “name 3 songs”. Josh Homme has had it out with them before, after allegedly take plenty of photographs this dickhead told Josh “do you know how much money we’ve made off you tonight”. Dave Grohl, the nicest guy in rock has also set boundaries, “…only sign if it’s for charity.”
Something else that I think gets lost is that people aren’t always on. Chappell is from a small town. Her hometown & my hometown have similar small populations. I live in a bigger city now, but a lot of times I find it to be overstimulating. I grew up being able to get out of my house & not see a soul. To truly be alone with your thoughts & nature. To go from that to superstardom, even if a piece of you wanted it, could still be overwhelming.
The problem in life is that you will always have assholes. You will always have people that think the rules don’t apply to them. Something I would like to maybe make a video on is concert etiquette. Since the pandemic it’s become this recurring issue that people go out & try to make the night about them instead of watching & experiencing the thing they paid to watch & experience. The performers are there to preform, the audience is there to enjoy the performance. But your good time shouldn’t ruin other peoples good time.
Can Chappell Roan Solve Stan Culture?
I mean, no. I think it’s societies duty to stop putting people on such high pedestals and stop digging so deep into these artists. Enjoy their music, enjoy what they create but don’t expect too much outside of that. But I would also say to Chappell, whether you wanted superstardom or not, right now you have it. Putting up boundaries are important & I hope people respect them. But you are no longer “some random bitch”. People are going to recognize you. People might say what’s up & ask for a picture. That is something that should be expected. But no you don’t have to like it. You can say no & people should respect the no.
A few years ago I was at a cottage on Lake Huron & my brother and I took out some Kayaks. But it was wavy that day and the waves are crashing into the kayak to the point that it’s starting to sink the kayak. I am not an experienced kayaker but I am a pretty experienced swimmer. We were close enough to shore that I got out and swam this kayak to shore. We get up on some rocks and waves are crashing, I’m trying to get some footing and I’m slipping on these rocks & the waves are still crashing, I’m banging toes & I just scream out “Can I have a fucking second”. That, I believe is a good analogy of what Chappell Roan must be feeling.