RFI: Books & Essays on The Meaning of Fame & Celebrity

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Looking for good thoughts on fame, celebrity, death & celebrity & the meaning of fans/fanatics. could be full on cultural studies academic stuff or just a modded up +1 insightful people magazine article.

also, Has anyone read any of these?:

Damaged Gods - Julie Burchill
Celebrity and Power - P.D. Marshall
Idle Worship - Chris Roberts, ed.
Theorizing Fandom: Fans, Subculture & Identity - Cheryl Harris
Illusions of Immortality - David Giles
A Frenzy of Renown - ?
A Massive Swelling - Celebrity Reexamined As A Grotesque, Crippling Disease and Other Cultural Revelations - Cintra Wilson
The Adoring Audience: Fan Culture & Popular Media - Lisa A. Lewis

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Wednesday, 30 October 2002 17:00 (twenty-three years ago)

why wd someone think "Theorizing Fandom" is a good title?

― mark s (mark s), Wednesday, 30 October 2002 17:04 (twenty-three years ago)

because the couldn't think up something like "damaged gods", i guess

seriously sinker, can you think of anything on celebrity worth reading?

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Wednesday, 30 October 2002 17:11 (twenty-three years ago)

starlust by the vermorels

hero worship by thomas carlyle

― mark s (mark s), Wednesday, 30 October 2002 17:13 (twenty-three years ago)

marilyn monroe by norman mailer

dead elvis by greil marcus

― mark s (mark s), Wednesday, 30 October 2002 17:14 (twenty-three years ago)

cripes! that is uncanny! I was just not 10 minutes ago reading an email from a friend about starlust, which I'd never heard of before today!

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Wednesday, 30 October 2002 17:16 (twenty-three years ago)

harold bloom's book on angels and kabbalism

― mark s (mark s), Wednesday, 30 October 2002 17:16 (twenty-three years ago)

A Massive Swelling - Celebrity Reexamined As A Grotesque, Crippling Disease and Other Cultural Revelations - Cintra Wilson

Is great. Nasty, funny, and very vicious.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Wednesday, 30 October 2002 17:51 (twenty-three years ago)

The Big Wheel by Bruce (or Pete?) Thomas was pretty good about life within the state of fame. Very little about the interaction or relationship with the public/audience though.

― tigerclawskank, Wednesday, 30 October 2002 18:26 (twenty-three years ago)

Don't know if it's any good, but the latest Granta is all about celebrity:

http://www.granta.com/latest-issue?usca_p=t

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 30 October 2002 19:18 (twenty-three years ago)

Great Jones St. -- Don DeLillo
Edie -- Jean Stein
Truman Capote -- George Plimpton
Truman Capote has a really good interview with Marilyn Monroe
Andy Warhol's Diaries
Warhol -- Victor Bockris
The Philosophy of Andy Warhol
Lou Reed -- Victor Bockris (not!)
Kurt Cobain's Diaries (these are really good, I just saw them! oh no! exploitation! oh no!)
David Hadju -- Positively Fourth St.
Wonder Boys -- Michael Chabon (and movie)

― Mary (Mary), Thursday, 31 October 2002 00:33 (twenty-three years ago)

Oh, Kenneth Anger's Hollywood Babylon is good too.

― Mary (Mary), Thursday, 31 October 2002 02:38 (twenty-three years ago)

And, for a fictional account of a fan's life: To Major Tom: The Bowie Letters by Dave Thompson.

― Mary (Mary), Thursday, 31 October 2002 02:47 (twenty-three years ago)

Then there's Roland Barthes, Mythologies (help! I can't stop posting to this thread!)

― Mary (Mary), Thursday, 31 October 2002 03:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I've read most of the ones Mary recommends!

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 31 October 2002 03:15 (twenty-three years ago)

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