The Fan Chronicles - Collectors

Around my parts, I am identified as the number one Michael Jackson fan. I smile and nod and take the compliment, while inside I can be (given the time) quite tortured by the fact that I am NOT his number one fan. I could take some people to some places on this big ole internet that would make them afraid, lol lol I fancy myself in the upper echelon of Jackson Fans, but to really feel like that myself – I need to UP MY GAME! I need a room that I can use for my stuff. It needs to be out. I need to get me a freaking glove! I need some wall stuff. I need to go to JAPAN to get some of the good stuff! I am a diligent fan, I am a respectful fan and I am a collector of all things Mike.

If you’ve never been a fan of someone or something or some team, then this whole concept can be quite hard to grasp. There are folks who like things as in “I really like football” but then there are fans, such as say my husband, ‘who owns merchandise, who speaks fondly of, and will cuss you out’ about the Lakers. I think all of us have several different likes in the world of pop culture – but there are only pockets of people who truly are into being a fan.

The part of being a fan I’d like to expound upon today, concerns the….COLLECTOR

I know of people who collect solely all of MJ’s music. I’ve seen pictures from someone who has like 25 copies of Thriller, then additional copies of remixes, spin offs, International releases etc. etc. There are those that collect imagery of MJ. They just have thousands maybe even hundreds of thousands of pictures of him. There are those of us who collect a little bit of it all.

We all collect for different reasons as well. Some collect because the items might be worth something. They will buy 2 dolls, one to open and one to remain mint in the box. Others just like having things around that remind them of the person/thing/team etc. they are a fan of.

I collect items that incorporate Mike into my every day life. Nothing is off limits and I like to touch and enjoy all of the things I have. My items remind me of him and allow me to have him with me on a daily basis, if I so choose. After his death, I knew that there would be a market for items, so a part of my goal is to obtain things outside the scope of a normal collector. It didn’t have to be big or expensive, but imagine the feeling when I walked into the Largest Apple store in my community with my Iphone decked out in Mike!! That was fire!

I’ve also started ‘collecting’ photographs. There are so many great pictures of Mike and his Family at my disposal. I just collect them on my computer and will run a slide show at any given time to just examine the pictures and bring them to life in my mind. I want to take it even farther and actually print them out so I can hold them, lol I have several already – and in 2011 will try to get more out of the computer and in my hand.

I daydream sometimes about not having financial constrictions and being able to really ‘collect’ you know like folks who scour the earth for fine art etc. Michael is art to me and there are things and items out in this world that you can own that makes that very clear to you. I can see myself walking along some street in Japan and coming upon a little shop that has a whole shelf with just Michael merchandising. I can bring it even closer to something that might come true for me in 2011 – walking in Harlem, NY and coming across a street vendor who has his Mike wares displayed.

Even the most extreme collector is not crazy or should be feared. Folks spend their money on what they want to. I budget for my Mike acquisitions and even if it takes me a minute – if I set my eyes on something, I will get it.

So the next time you encounter a fan who collects, or even if you see me jumping around about some item I MUST have or just got in – don’t fret – we just being a FAN.