Here’s a roundup of stories on creator and fan interaction that might be of interest to fans:
- Star Trek is certainly one of the original geek canons, and in an interview with StarTrek.com, actress Denise Crosby discussed why she made several documentaries about its fans. “[S]ome people didn’t really get what this was all about,” she said. “They were kind of mystified by it all. I’d come back from a convention and friends of mine, who’d never seen an episode of Star Trek, would say, ‘What? They have conventions? People ask you questions? They dress up? What?’ I thought it was a phenomenon that had lasted all of this time, that was unique to this franchise. I thought, ‘Something is going on here. Why is that? Why this show? Why aren’t people having Cheers conventions?'”
- A look at Community fandom would argue that Cheers wasn’t the right type of comedy show. “The rabid Community fans differ slightly from the equally-enthusiastic fans of other sitcoms like, say, The Office or the coveted Arrested Development, in that there’s a level of detailed scrutiny, day-to-day obsessiveness and familial pride in being a Community fan that’s reminiscent of the type of fandom more commonly found attached to mythology-inclined genre shows like Supernatural and LOST, not half-hour comedies.” This may be because the show “chooses to reward a perceptive and diligent audience with episode-to-episode continuity that builds into an arc and pays off…elaborate and consistent inside jokes” culminating in its “ability to understand the type of situations and relationships that geeks are interested in, which makes it truly For-Us-By-Us, rather than reducing ‘us’ into easily quantifiable caricatures…that blatantly pander rather than be informed by the culture.”
- Comedian Steve Martin spoke to NPR about his new book, which was drawn from his interactions with fans on Twitter. “You know, I like the idea that one thing leads to another. You can tweet something completely innocuous, and then find yourself going off on a tangent that’s inspired by a response…When people started responding, I found they were really writing well.” He concludes “I’ve always believed that there are funny people everywhere, but they’re just not comedians.”
If you are a Trek fan, Community fan, a Lost fan, a Supernatural fan or are fannish on Twitter, why not write about it in Fanlore? Additions are welcome from all fans.
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