The Björk Thread

[aermancer]

There's a giant brawl going on in the 4um about how Björk is a total bitch and whether or not you should let an artist's personality effect your view of the music.

Whether or not you think artists should at least grin and bear a one time 30 second meeting with someone who loves their music or you think they should be left alone and that the artist owes you nothing because you've got their music is one thing, but most people agree it's just best not to meet your idols because they probably won't live up to your expectations.

I don't know, if you ever had the chance to meet Stina or your favorite musican would you pass it up or would take your chances on a meeting?

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Was there a particular incident that sparked this giant brawl off, Aermancer? I know Bjork has never been keen on 'meet and greets' with fans, but she's perfectly entitled to feel that way, I think. Artists don't owe their audience a thing except to be true to their creative process.

You're a Tori fan so of course you know how she's handled that over the years - she puts herself out there to meet fans before virtually every gig she does, talks to them, takes requests for the show, etc. She'll spend an hour or more of a hectic day standing in all weathers to talk to people personally, and it's one of the reasons she's so loved by her audience. She's done this ever since the beginning of her career and continues to do so. But it's her choice, she does it because she genuinely enjoys that personal connection with the audience and she values the experience. It's not something any artist should be expected to do.

I've considered getting to Tori gigs early for the meet and greet, but decided against it purely because I think I'd be so nervous meeting her - her music has meant so very much to me for many years, and I don't know how I could possibly express that to her. She must hear the same things over and over again.

[sound world]

I've met-(and occasionally played alongside)-a lot of my musical heroes over the years,and in most cases they don't-they CAN'T- live up to the kind of expectations celebrity seems to demand of them.
I've been listening to lots of Ms Gudmundsdottir of late.I'd say her music/ musical persona seems to suggest that she's a friendly,kooky type with a lot of candour,but that might not be the case at all.It's pretty easy to inflate stories of bitchiness,let's face it.

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I've been listening to lots of Ms Gudmundsdottir of late.I'd say her music/ musical persona seems to suggest that she's a friendly,kooky type with a lot of candour,but that might not be the case at all.

Absolutely, and expecting any artist to 'be' how they 'seem' in their work is probably inviting disappointment. The gulf can be quite wide, sometimes.

It's pretty easy to inflate stories of bitchiness,let's face it.

Yup, and also of course a general tendency to characterise as 'bitches' women who aren't soft and fluffy and instantly obliging, which seems to happen a lot to women in the public eye. I can't imagine someone suffering one of Thom Yorke's infamous rebuffs to fans calling him a bitch in response, for instance.

At the end of the day, artists are human beings with their own individual personalities, just like the rest of us - some enjoy the contact with fans, some don't want to know. There's no right or wrong.

[RobB]

This has turned into a very interesting thread....pity its entangled within a Bjork thread.

I think a lot of fans do expect too mucgh from their 'heroes'. A lot of artists are very sensitive,insecure,shy people and just becasue they might write a song,play a musical instrument or have appeared on the telly,that isn't going to change them as people.
Virgnia Astley is particularly nervy with her fans...even those who co-maintain her official website.
But when you consider what happened to John Lennon (or Jill Dando) or what happened to George Harrison when he was attacked in his own home,its no wonder a lot of these famous people get nervous when they feel exposed to 'fans'.

I actually have a lot admiration for Tori for being so accessible to her fans because her 'public image' is just right to attract that cranks.

[sound world]

There was an interesting article in one of the colour supplements last week about the paparazzi and how things haven't really changed at all since the death of Princess Di.
What was really ironic was that the report was doing exactly the same as the paparazzi-chasing celebs such as Amy Winehouse,but masquerading as a serious article.I found it quite shocking what celebs have to put up with whenever they're in public.
And while we're on Bjork,let's not forget that she had that horrifying experience with a fan committing suicide,so it's hardly surprising that she's wary around strangers-which is what they (we) are.As soon as you're a celeb,you are absolutely prone to being misrepresented.This is alsowhat drove Stina to wigs and evasion,of course-if you read all her interviews it becomes clear that she was totally flummoxed by the sudden media attention after MOAC,and has been cagey ever since.

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I actually have a lot admiration for Tori for being so accessible to her fans because her 'public image' is just right to attract that cranks.

Indeed - it's quite incredible that she's continued with the meet and greets routinely for years, even through the peak of her 'celebrity' back in the mid-90s, especially given the level of obsession a minority of fans are capable of (the ones who stalk her from city to city when she tours, for instance, and turn up at all the meet and greets). And yet she handles these people with the same grace and consideration she shows to everyone who wants to talk to her, by all accounts. She has her security guy with her, but he's never been needed. I think she has quite a gift for handling people.

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And while we're on Bjork,let's not forget that she had that horrifying experience with a fan committing suicide,so it's hardly surprising that she's wary around strangers-which is what they (we) are.

Wasn't that when she fled London and hid out in the mountains in Spain, where she partly recorded 'Homogenic'? She was completely freaked by that, understandably. And she has a small child to think about as well - I can't imagine the fears you must have as a parent when you're in that situation.

[RobB]

And she has a small child to think about as well - I can't imagine the fears you must have as a parent when you're in that situation.

Didn't Bjork hit a photographer when he attempted to photograph her son?

[RobB]

This is also what drove Stina to wigs and evasion,of course-if you read all her interviews it becomes clear that she was totally flummoxed by the sudden media attention after MOAC,and has been cagey ever since.

Interestingly the 'World Is Saved' booklet photos feature Stina sans wig (maybe she was getting fed up with these rotten sods who started to call her Wiggy? [angel] ) so maybe she's getting a bit more confident with age?

[aermancer]

And she has a small child to think about as well - I can't imagine the fears you must have as a parent when you're in that situation.

Didn't Bjork hit a photographer when he attempted to photograph her son?

eh, it's pretty well agreed upon that she just flew off the handle for no reason when the reporter greeted her and used her son as an excuse. just a bad case of the mondays probably

anyway, here's the post that had everyone on the 4um and their mother in a frenzy:

so yeah last night i met Bjork. it was disgusting. there's absolutely no excuse for how she acted last night. seriously. only 5 people waited to see her afterwards. i've met her before so i wasn't bothered about pics or anything, i just wanted to give her my card with the http://www.bjorkremixes.com on it.

so she came out and saw us. she looked at us for a few seconds and then turned her back walking off pretending to act drunk singing out loud being stupid and i thought i'm not having that after waiting so i called her name and she ignored me so i was like "excuse me i just wanna give you this card it's http://www.bjorkremixes.com if you can check it out that will be great" and she said "oh thank you" and then just flicked her back on me as quickly as she could. so cold.

i saw Mike from Incubus there and he was really cool! i asked him if he got my message on myspace about joining the site and doing some Bjork covers on the guitar and he said he received my message and it sounds cool and asked me to explain to him how it all works. he said he will create some samples and have the remixers work with it, doesn't have much time to do full covers right now. he introduced me and La Velle (who was with me) to his people, which was nice but anyway Bjork was out of order. she really needs to understand if it wasn't for her supporters she wouldn't even be there at the brand new Nokia theater. there was no warmth, not 1 bit of appreciation. just very cold hearted. she was all laughing and joking with others but people who waited to see her she just turned her back. why act like that? seriously why do it? it's really not that cool. if people spend money on me, loving my creativeness i'm not gonna treat them like that. i just wont. there was nothing wrong with how i approached her. i didn't have my camera out, i didn't ask for a pic, i didn't ask for an autograph, i wasn't all in her face, i just gave her my card.

i wish you guys were there to see what i'm talking about instead of just reading some message on the 4um.

100% cold

here's the link if you wish to read through a jillion stupid replies

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eh, it's pretty well agreed upon that she just flew off the handle for no reason when the reporter greeted her and used her son as an excuse. just a bad case of the mondays probably

If I remember rightly her son was sitting in the airport trolley she was pushing as she was surrounded by a mob of reporters, wasn't he? I think in a situation like that her maternal instinct would be on high alert. Just speaking as a mother.

She obviously must have been feeling under a great deal of pressure to suddenly go apeshit like that, so I don't think we can really say it was for 'no reason'. I'm sure she saw it differently.

so yeah last night i met Bjork. it was disgusting. there's absolutely no excuse for how she acted last night. seriously.
so she came out and saw us. she looked at us for a few seconds and then turned her back walking off pretending to act drunk singing out loud being stupid and i thought i'm not having that after waiting so i called her name and she ignored me so i was like "excuse me i just wanna give you this card it's http://www.bjorkremixes.com if you can check it out that will be great" and she said "oh thank you" and then just flicked her back on me as quickly as she could. so cold.

What an arsehole. The poster, I mean. 'I'm not having this'? WTF? And she takes the stupid card despite his/her rudeness, and says thank you for it, but she's 'cold'? Ugh. Someone needs to learn some respect for other people's boundaries. And some manners.

she really needs to understand if it wasn't for her supporters she wouldn't even be there at the brand new Nokia theater. there was no warmth, not 1 bit of appreciation. just very cold hearted.
100% cold

What utter bollocks. She doesn't owe 'her supporters' any 'appreciation' - she makes music, she offers it to you at a price, you choose to buy it, and that's where the transaction ends.

[sound world]

I hope the jillion replies were in the same ilk as wot Beth said.Can't see any problem myself.The guy had obviously built his hopes too high.
It's the same old perspective thing.Fan thinks 'I know everything about you,you're my hero/ine,THEREFORE you owe me something,I assume'.When you look at it like that it's absurd.

Hey Aermancer,when is your avatar finally going to finish shaving??

[aermancer]

she's letting her beard soften up before she has a go at it

[aermancer]

Bjork allegedly attacked a paparazzi in New Zealand a few days ago.