By Scott Shaw
It
has always stuck me as curious how certain people climb on the coattails of the
creative and find their way to fame via using the name, production, and/or the
method created by someone else. In some cases, I believe this is a very
conscious decision to bask in the glory, (whatever that glory may be), of what
some other person has created. In other cases, it is actually to hurt a
specific person by saying negative, untrue, self-serving, or straight out bad
things. But, whatever the motivation may be, whether it be conscious or not,
what occurs is that someone becomes noted for their association with a person
or with a craft that they had nothing to do with creating simply by talking
about it.
This
has happened to me more than once. And, from a personal perspective, I cannot
understand why the other person(s) would let something like that happen to
themselves in the first place. For all they have done is to tie themselves to
me throughout eternity. Sure, maybe they became a bit more famous because of
it, but at what cost? All they have done is hitch themselves to my bandwagon
and they have taken the ride for free. Do people not think that there is a
karma associated with that? Not to be cruel but how young was Gene Siskel when
he died and did you see what happened to Roger Ebert’s face?
Now,
I certainly understand that I am a small player in the grand scheme of things,
so I find it very strange that this would happen to someone like me at all.
But, I guess that is the cost one pays when you create something. People want a
part of it—a part of it for free. They want it for free when they paid none of
the life-dues that I had to pay to get to where I could create something in the
first place.
Since
I was a kid I have witnessed this—ever since the trash magazines were attached
to the cash registers at all the supermarkets, they would say this and they
would say that about whatever celebrity was a celebrity at the time. And, I
guess they still create those mags, though more of the focus has shifted to the
internet. Programs like TMZ have created an empire by doing this—making all of
the talkers on the show famous in the own right—famous for talking about
someone else and what someone else has created.
Certainly,
there have been a few reviewers who have become very famous with their own
newspaper review columns, radio and TV shows; simply for loving or hating what
someone else created. But, what does loving or hating what someone else created
actually mean? The reviewers didn’t do anything—they went through none of the
trials and the tribulations to get the project actualized, all they did was to
love it or hate it. What does that even mean?
Some
people are good at this. I guess they are highly motivated. They set out on a
course and they make a name for themselves by talking about the creation(s) of
others. But, who are these people, what are these people? And mostly, why do
they get to be famous simply because they attach themselves to someone else?
Why do they get to take a free ride on the fame, the notoriety, and the
creative blood, sweat, and tears of another person? What have they personally
conceived and created?
Again,
from a personal perspective, those people who did this in association with me,
did nothing for me. In fact, they hurt me way more than they helped. They never
reached out a hand of friendship, they never asked if I needed any help on a
movie, with a book, with anything… None of them have even met me. Yet, they
believe they know me well enough to judge my work, my thoughts, my actions, or
me. And, what do they get for doing it? Free fame.
Now,
I am not talking about the people who get out there and actually do something
with their life; whether that is making a movie, writing a poem or a book,
playing some music, painting a painting, taking a photograph, kicking a kick,
whatever... If anything I have said or done helps, GREAT, take full advantage
of it! Adapt it and make it your own. And/or, if you want to say something nice
about me, “Thank you!” But, to latch
yourself onto someone just to take a free ride, that is just wrong.
Now,
I have referenced myself a lot here but that is really not the focus of this
piece nor is it what I meant to do. But, you know, free-form thinking and all…
It just kind of happened.
The
point I am trying to make is, do what YOU do. Make your own art form. Or, as
they used to say in the 60s and the 70s, “Do
your own thing.” Don’t jump on someone else’s bandwagon just to make
yourself look like some kind of something. Do something/anything from your own
source of inspiration and creativity. Do it yourself! Create it yourself! Talk
about what you have created, not about what someone else has created. From
this, the new/next art form may be given birth to. Don't tie yourself to and
ride someone else's bandwagon to fame. That just makes you look like you have
no personal inspiration to create something uniquely your own. Create YOU. I've
already created me. Get off the bus and stop taking a free ride.
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