The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
the b-side
Wednesday, October 7, 2020 — 11
YOUR WEEKLY
ARIES
Financial ups and downs cause
headaches this week, Aries, but it’s
within your control to get your
money better organized. Working on
your time management may free up
time to indulge in a
lucrative side hustle,
which will help.
AQUARIUS
GEMENI
Expect strange coincidences or
fleeting corner-of-the-eye glimpses
of otherworldly beings. Your spiritual
growth is moving quickly, Gemini,
and help on this topic from a
sympathetic and encouraging family
member is very welcome.
SAGITTARIUS
CAPRICORN
SCORPIO
CANCER
Events in your social circle take a
surprising turn and you may find
yourself wondering if you really know
someone at all, Cancer, given their
odd behavior. Give everyone the
benefit of the doubt. There’s
method in their madness.
TAURUS
Unexpected news from your partner
puts your relationship in the spotlight,
but there should be cause for joy
mixed with the shock. A tumultuous
week is in the cards, Taurus, but there
are memories to made
here too.
VIRGO
PICES
LIBRA
LEO
Tensions between your work and
home life decrease, finally, thanks to a
boost in your income which makes it
easier to balance your competing
priorities. Look ahead with
confidence, Leo – it just
might be possible to have
it all, after all.
Read your weekly horoscopes from astrology.tv
You’re changing your mind so often
this week that you’re struggling to
keep up with yourself. This intellectual
instability is a good thing though,
Virgo, in as much as it shows that you
are keeping an open mind.
Don’t be afraid to revisit
old opinions.
Someone forgives you out of the blue
– but do you forgive yourself? The
energies this week encourage you to
look ahead and to stop fretting about
the past, Libra. You may have made a
mistake, but so do we all. Be
kinder to yourself.
Romantic surprises and passionate
encounters – what’s not to love about
this energy? It’s set to be a very loving
week, Scorpio, whether you’re in an
existing relationship or looking for
new love. If you’re single, a
friendship may turn into
something much more.
A happy accident or fortunate
coincidence works in your favor,
Sagittarius, but you’re reminded that
you could create more of your own
luck if you were better organized.
Work on clearing your
clutter so that you can
spend more time
manifesting your
dreams.
Fun is very much a team effort this
week, so say yes to invitations and
don’t be afraid to join in. If a travel
opportunity presents itself, Capricorn,
you’ll be busy weighing up the pros
and cons – but don’t take so
long that you miss out on
an incredible chance.
Chaos at work subsides into
something more doable and normal,
but there’s still a lot of hard work to be
done. Fortunately, Aquarius, your
loved ones are very understanding
and will back your need to spend
more time on your career.
Don’t lose your focus.
News travels fast, Pisces, but double
check your facts before you spread
gossip which may or may not be true.
There’s an air of excitement as you
wait for an announcement – and it
should hopefully be good news.
Changing circumstances
benefit you hugely.
WHISPER
“I’m in love with my best friend.”
“Even cowgirls get the blues, but
I’d be happy with you.”
“Whoever’s reading this: you’re
doing amazing & I love you.”
THE B-SIDE: ICONS
THE B-SIDE: ICONS
Icons: A love letter to River Phoenix Twitter stans
and superfans
The world has a thing for
martyrs. People treat it like a rite
of passage if you make it into the
27 Club with Jimi Hendrix and
Kurt Cobain. But River Phoenix
never even got to see his 27th
year.
Phoenix died from a drug
overdose on Halloween when he
was only 23. His death was, and
remains to be, so sensationalized
that you can even watch the
guys at Buzzfeed Unsolved try
to contact his ghost. National
news stations aired the 911
call that his brother Joaquin
Phoenix (“Joker,” “Her”) made
from the Viper Room, the club
owned by Johnny Depp (“Pirates
of the Caribbean,” “Edward
Scissorhands”) where River had
collapsed. Long before social
media, River’s life and death
were treated like a sideshow
attraction between commercials.
River was a reluctant icon.
He hated his own celebrity
(and the idea of celebrity at all),
but he used it as a platform for
his activism that could only be
compared to the likes of Jane
Fonda
(“Klute,”
“Grace
and
Frankie”) or Marlon Brando
(“Streetcar Named Desire,” “The
Godfather”). He spoke openly
and passionately about animal
rights and environmentalism
in a time before there was a
vegan option on every menu.
Maybe he knew that PETA
booked him because of his name
as the precocious 17-year-old
nominated for an Oscar, but he
swallowed his pride because it
was what he believed in.
Humility isn’t always included
in definitions of masculinity.
River could have performed
the
hypermasculinity
of
contemporary stars like Arnold
Schwarzenneger,
Sylvester
Stallone, Patrick Swayze or Tom
Cruise, but he didn’t. This isn’t
to say that he wasn’t masculine;
he could play a young Harrison
Ford in “Indiana Jones and
the Last Crusade” with all
the heroism we knew from
the action star, but with this
added fragility that’s difficult
to achieve in a short, ten-
minute cameo. River brought an
intense, overwhelming amount
of
vulnerability
that
would
underscore, rather than negate,
his strength in each and every
one of his roles. He made male
tenderness iconic.
“Stand by Me,” based on
the Stephen King novella “The
Body,” is meant to be an ensemble
film, but River’s performance as
a tough but well-meaning kid
from a dysfunctional family lit
him up on everyone’s radar. The
story started the “You wanna see
a dead body?” trope as a group of
middle school boys search for a
local boy’s corpse in 1959. River
may not be what most people
remember most about the movie;
it’s more recognizable as a clear
influence of friendship-centered
adventures like “The Sandlot”
or “Stranger Things,” and as
a parallel to other adjacent
films like “The Goonies” or (of
course, because of its source
material) “IT.” Director Rob
Reiner
(“When
Harry
Met
Sally”) captures the playfulness
and devastation of childhood
through the image of some boys
walking down railroad tracks
together with the dramatic irony
of their knowledge that it was a
train that killed the boy they’re
looking for.
At its core, “Stand by Me” is
about love. And while the other
cast members did an amazing
job, there’s just nothing that you
can compare to River’s delivery
of the line: “I just wish I could go
someplace where nobody knows
me.” He admitted to using fake
tears in the scene (he was only
15 years old and it was his first
major role in a feature film), but
you believe it when he says it.
Maybe it’s that boyishness that
had everyone magnetized to
the screen. He was a kid in 1986
pretending he was in 1959, and
you wonder if he was thinking of
himself as his father, if this spoke
to that feeling when you first
see your father cry, when death
stares you in the face, when, for
the first time, you really, truly
understand empathy.
I can’t help but wonder if
“Stand by Me” was River’s way
of reckoning with his childhood
in the same way it is for everyone
who watches the film.
THE B-SIDE: ICONS
Icons: It’s Dolly Parton’s world
If you asked any American to
draw a picture of Dolly Parton,
they’d probably scribble the same
thing down. Big lipsticked smile,
big blonde hair, big gaudy heels
and, of course, her iconic big
boobs. She is the image of camp in
a way that only someone with her
sass, confidence and incredible
charisma could pull off, much less
trademark in the way she has. She
may have made her mark on the
music industry with a song called
“Dumb Blonde,” but Parton is
nowhere near it.
She knows what she’s doing
at every moment — building her
legacy step by step with a vigor
which mirrors that of competitive
cheerleaders
and
pageant
Pomeranians. In Dolly’s words, “It
takes a lot of money to look this
cheap.” Her sparkling individuality
(and rhinestones) may have set
Parton out at the beginning of her
career, but it is what has kept her on
the map as times have changed.
The enduring image that Parton
has created over her long career has
permeated every era, surprisingly
even this one, as her star rises
with those who grew up listening
to her and those who follow her
on Twitter alike. For someone
so brash and unapologetic, it
is impressive that Parton has
maintained this universal appeal
throughout the years, especially
given the polarizing nature of
celebrity today.
She’s a classic American icon
with an even more American story:
from the one-room cabin she was
born in to a multimillion-dollar
empire including theme parks and
cookware, she’s the poster child for
working your way up, no matter
the obstacles. Everyone loves Dolly,
and if her track record means
anything, they will continue to love
her forever.
On the heels of her recent
holiday release, A Holly Dolly
Christmas, Parton has been on
a lot of minds lately. It’s the first
Christmas album she’s recorded
in 30 years and reminds us of the
overwhelming warmth that her
clear, beautiful voice brings to
listeners. The songwriter began
her career as country musician
Porter Wagoner’s “girl singer”
on his variety show, developing a
working relationship that lasted
decades, but soon found her own
path and eventually split to build
her career as a solo artist. In fact,
Parton wrote “I Will Always Love
You” after leaving Wagoner’s side,
reportedly during the same session
that “Jolene” was also thought up.
Parton shows up like this
constantly in the history of country
and pop music, permeating the
industry with her charm and sass,
no matter the occasion. She has
hundreds of compositions that
bring in millions of dollars a year, a
theme park called Dollywood in the
Smoky Mountains for family fun
and classic Southern hospitality,
a spa, a deal for personalized
greeting cards with American
Greetings and, soon, a cookware
and home decor line with Williams
Sonoma.
The
woman
does
everything, and her personality has
eclipsed her music in some ways,
despite its legacy and importance
in the development of American
country. Her singing voice may
have established Parton in the
public eye, but now her speaking
voice is what keeps her there. Dolly
Parton is a person, sure, but she is
also an image, a feeling and a brand.
These business ventures and
Parton’s hold on the public sphere
have spurred somewhat of a Dolly
renaissance in the past few years,
even as the singer hit 74. For an
older woman to keep that kind of
relevance in the increasingly sexist
and ageist world of celebrity is quite
a feat, and her popularity doesn’t
seem to be waning anytime soon.
Read more online at
michigandaily.com
Read more online at
michigandaily.com
MARY ELIZABETH JOHNSON
For The Daily
CLARA SCOTT
Daily Arts Writer
DYLAN YONO
Daily Arts Writer
Growing up, one of my favorite
songs of all time was Eminem’s
hip-hop classic “Stan,” which tells
a twisted tale from the perspective
of a genuine superfan (or perhaps
“stalker-fan”). Stan as depicted
in the song is not the kind of fan
anyone would want to identify
with — he doesn’t get a happy
ending.
It came as a surprise to me
when I started high school and
saw the word “stan” had entered
the lexicon of celebrity fandoms.
Stanning is a level of devotion to an
artist beyond that of your everyday
fan. It’s not quite the devotion of
the term’s namesake; most stans
firmly disapprove of stalker-like
behavior. So what does it mean to
be a stan?
“It’s kind of unhealthy to be
honest,” Engineering sophomore
Sophia Do said between laughs.
“It’s a bit of an obsession.”
To stan means to love and
support an artist in everything
they do. It can take the form of
supporting their music doing well
on the charts, or feeling happy
when they see their favorite
artist do anything, down to the
most innocuous activities. Stan
communities exist for virtually
every popular artist, and they even
have their own demonyms. Justin
Bieber stans are Beliebers, Taylor
Swift stans are Swifties, Harry
Styles stans are Stylers and BTS
stans are ARMYs, just to name a
few.
Do, a K-pop fan, stans artists like
BTS, Red Velvet and BLACKPINK.
K-pop fans in particular have a
reputation among other fandoms;
they’re
widely
perceived
as
some of the most devoted stans.
According to Do, it’s a consequence
of the Korean idol industry tightly
controlling their artists’ images.
“Idols have a persona they put on,”
she explained. “It’s not actually
them. Which makes people more
curious.” The limited genuine
interaction that K-pop idols can
have with their fans gives them an
air of mystery, and it bolsters their
stans’ enthusiasm.
Where K-pop stans revel in
every glimpse of their idols, if
you’re a Justin Bieber stan, he
might just Cash App you.
“The Biebs follows me on
Twitter,”
Engineering
senior
Isha Mishra said. “That was
exciting. I remember I cried when
it happened.” To promote the
release of his latest single, “Holy,”
Bieber partnered with Cash App
to give away 250 thousand dollars.
Mishra tweeted her Cash App,
and Bieber sent her 500 dollars. “I
was over the moon. I was crying,
crying, crying.”
Mishra is a part of Stan Twitter,
a subgenre of Twitter in which
stans connect to talk about their
favorite celebrities. They’ll share
their favorite celebrity’s pictures,
talk about their music and stay
up to date with what their icons
are doing, often on a day-to-day
basis. It’s a boiling pot of tweets
ranging from fiery hot takes and
firm opinions to impassioned
celebrity adoration. Much of the
dialog is between people who
don’t know each other in real
life, but connect online over their
common stanhood. It contrasts
with “local Twitter,” stanglish
(stan slang) for “normie Twitter”
where users follow their real-life
acquaintances (locals).
For Mishra, Stan Twitter is
a home, a place to escape to. “It
gives me a sense of community,”
she said. “I tell them my everyday
life, any time I have a problem
or something, they’re one of the
first people I’ll go to.” Even if she
only gets to see her friends from
Stan Twitter at concerts, their
friendship is genuine. “I love them
so much. We send each other
things for our birthdays. We talk
all the time. I just consider them
my friends, not just like, ‘oh, I met
them on the internet.’”
Harry Styles stan and Nursing
freshman
Delanie
Schreiber
echoed Mishra’s fondness for
Stan Twitter. “It’s nice to be in
a community of people who feel
the same way that you do and are
excited about the same thing,”
Schreiber
said.
Like
Mishra,
Schreiber has also made long-time
friends on Stan Twitter only to
meet them years later at concerts.
Making friends and finding a
community is as big a part of stan
culture as the idols themselves.
For many, friendship with other
stans naturally goes deeper than
a shared interest. “Harry Styles
isn’t just music, you stan for Black
Lives Matter, you support gay
rights, because so does Harry
Styles,” Schreiber explained. “If
somebody supports an artist that
supports those, you know that you
have the same views and interests
on things.”
Even though most of these
artists are hugely popular, for a long
time, being a stan was sort of like a
niche hobby. Stan communities on
Twitter or other social media help
bring like-minded people together,
but finding that space in real life
can be tricky.
Do always felt some judgment
from her peers for listening to
K-pop. But today, K-pop is at the
forefront of mainstream — BTS’s
“Dynamite” is sitting comfortably
at the top of the Billboard Hot
100. When she first came to the
University her freshman year, Do
joined a K-pop dance group on
campus with her roommate. She
didn’t end up sticking with it, but
her roommate did and made lots of
friends through it.
There are numerous K-pop
dance groups on campus, and
though not every person in a dance
group is necessarily a devout stan,
it’s still a great way to find people
who appreciate the same artists.
For stans of Western artists,
finding other stans doesn’t even
need a dedicated space for it: Stans
are everywhere.
Even in her first month on a
mostly virtual campus, Schreiber
has already met other Harry Styles
fans. “I’ll meet people that I won’t
know that they’re a Harry styles
fan, and then they’ll mention a
little thing,” she said. “And I’m like,
‘Oh? Are you a Harry Styles fan?’
and we just click.” Recently she
connected with another Nursing
major who recognized her Harry
Styles t-shirt. Amid all the usual
freshman year small talk — the
tiresome monotony of who-are-
you, where-are-you-from, what’s-
your-major — finding someone
with a shared interest was a
breath of fresh air for Schreiber.
“You’re immediately in a different
conversation, it’s not awkward,
you have something to talk about,”
she said.
Stan culture and the stan
community is a place of comfort
for many. Still, like any large
community, it’s not without its
problems.
LSA
freshman
Pranav
Balachander stans artists like Dua
Lipa and Taylor Swift, but he’s
hesitant to call himself a stan. “I
don’t necessarily engage in the
typical stan culture behavior that
you see on Twitter, but I am a stan
of these artists,” he explained.
Though they find solidarity in
their respective stan communities,
all
of
my
interviewees
acknowledged the capacity of
stan culture to be toxic, both for
the stans and the celebrities they
follow. Balachander has seen that
toxicity play out on Twitter in
many forms.
One of the biggest provocateurs
of conflict and competition among
stans is actually the Billboard
Hot 100. “Stan culture almost
unilaterally focuses on charts
without looking at the bigger
picture,” Balachander said. Charts
like the Hot 100 or Billboard
200 rank singles and albums by
somewhat
objective
measures
of record sales and streaming
numbers. When artists don’t do
well on these charts, “they’re
automatically branded as flops,”
he said. (When they do rank
highly, they’re “smashes.”)
For stans, it’s natural to want
to see your artist do well. “The
whole fanbase kind of rejoices at
their success,” Do said. “And then
you feel like it’s a big community
and connected to all these people.”
But by the nature of the charts, for
one artist to be at the top means
displacing another. And if an artist
doesn’t chart, or their rankings
slip, then competing stans are
quick to call them a flop.
Read more online at
michigandaily.com