punishers

there are the fans.

there are the super-fans.

there are the punishers.

fans: fans are cool. they show up, they dig the band, they know the songs, they buy the merch. they will drive up to 2 hours to see a show even if its not their first one. they clap and cheer and are generally well-balanced music lovers who have found something they like, and are willing to put a little effort into soaking it in. after the show they nod and smile and pleasantly get in their cars and bop away. they are the fans. love the fans. one out of every 500 fans suddenly and unexpectedly morphs into a superfan.

superfans: superfans make it fun. in hindsight. most of the time. superfans will drive 7 or more hours to see a show. they come to the club early with an offer to take them all out to pizza. they show up during sound check with a batch of homemade oatmeal cookies. they grab the set lists off the stage after the show and have intense talks with brad the merch guy. they know all the words to all the songs and are on very intimate terms with a few tracks on a record or two. they wait around after the show to get autographs and photos and to attempt to engage in any small conversation with any of the guys, trying desperately to appear like normal people, not freaky fans, and certainly not punishers.

punishers: punishers take my breath away. when they emerge from the cocoon that is their private life out into the open air, they know what they want and will do almost anything to get it. they are tunnel-visioned, focused on one thing and one thing only: to connect with the band. these people want,on some deep level, to force a bandmember into a very meaningful relationship and they want that to happen immediately. getting an autograph isn't enough, getting a picture wont cut the grey poupon, no way. they always want more/ that's the jelly in the donut. if they radar-lock on one of the guys and wind up having a super-awkward "conversation", this will not appease. they will continue to lurk in the shadows with wild shining eyes, hungry, following, pursuing, determined to have one more interaction, make one more connection with someone.

if a punisher isn't receiving the response they had envisioned for 10,000 lonely hours in their room, they get weirdly offended and will start to accuse the punished of something crazy like they're a jerk and think they're so great and don't take time to talk to people. this will all happen before the band, finally having loaded out, with a collective sigh of relief, lands in the safety of the bomb shelter that is the van, shellshocked and questioning their very existence. wondering if its worth it.

the band is being punished for being a good band. punished by the punishers.

anyone can be a punisher about anything. if a person always wants more and never lets up, when a person is never satisfied no matter what, they are a punisher.

they are not, in any sense of the word, by any stretch, in any country, just another yoko.