About 'Desperate' and 'screaming' Chuck fans (and how stupid they are)

One thing I admire about Chuck (other than the obvious writing thing he does) is he's doing a great job of promoting himself. There are a lot of authors out there who don't - they rely on their agents and the occasional book signing.

There are a lot of authors out there that don't respond to fan mail. It's very, very cool that Chuck takes the time to respond to every fan letter (er, barring the illegible ones and the "send me stuff" requests).

The sheer amount of interviews the guy does is amazing.

He's not trying to get people to worship him or anything. He's going beyond the job of writing into the realm of promoting that writing, something authors aren't expected to do.

Hey, he's accessable. That's a great thing.

And it's "schizophrenia". And Tyler wasn't the product of schizophrenia, he was the product of Dissociative Identity Disorder, more commonly refered to as Multiple Personality Disorder.

And I'm pretty sure this board doesn't allow HTML in your signature. But now I'm being picky.

[I]I say we Kidnap Chuck.[/I]

he's in my basement as we speak. i'm dressing up as conan right now, will "interview" him myself and spread videos across the net.

I thought about writing a book about kidnaping chuck.

Pardon me for asking Olpha,, since I don't really care, but

WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?

Chuck's fans that I know on this forum range from 13 to 35.
The age diversity alone should suggest that an intelligent
person grant some leeway for the types of things that are
posted here, and refrain from stereotyping us all.

Many of us are highly educated and literate people.
Some of us have never written a fan letter or even repeatedly
viewed a fan website before this one.

But we come here not only to show our appreciation for this
author, but to engage with other fans in enjoyable and
sometimes even meaningful discourse.

What makes you think you have such superior insight that you
should interpret not only Chuck's literature, but also his innermost
wishes for the rest of us?

Something as condescending as you've written--if it's really
permissible at all--should not be your 2nd or 3rd post [i]ever[/i]
on a website. Come down from your high horse and engage
with us more regularly. Get to know us before you criticize us,

or...

Take your demeaning stereotype of Chuck fans with you
when you shove off.

Cheers.

Gooble gobble, one of us! One of us! We accept you! One of us! Gooble gobble, one of us! One of us! We accept you! One of us!

see in my opinion there are 2 types of fans..and this goes for actors or musicians.

you either are a fan of the persons' works or you are a fan of the person him/herself.

superficially it is a subtle difference but really it's not; they are drastically different. if you are a fan of a person's work, which it seems like you [olpha] are, that's perfectly okay. you like to read his works and you dont really care aobut what he does in his spare time. you go to readings to hear him speak, etc etc. but then again, there are the fans of the man himself. so, yes, they care about all realms of chuck and his "chuckness" but although you might think they are "desperate" or "pathetic", it is really not up to you to judge. it is all relative. so what is pathetic to you, is not to them. there are different levels of appreciation...and i think it is unfair for you to just write them off as being psychotic.

I have to throw some support to olpha on this one, however poorly that argument was presented.

Have you read many of the posts regarding Chuck's appearance on Conan? Dennis has already been forced to respond publicly on this board to individuals who want to e-mail NBC in order to complain about the order the guests were interviewed in!

There is no reasonable grievance these people should be harboring. The hype earlier in the week was unwarranted--despite Chuck being the only confirmed guest 2 or 3 days before the show taped, not a single person should have been taken aback when Quentin and Molly were lined up. But now, instead of people just being cool as fuck with the fact that a terrific late night talk show host willingly brought along a fantastic novelist, representational of a following that extends well beyond people that post or simply visit here on any sort of consistent basis, so many are actually up in arms and threatening to disrupt yet another media outlet that in actuality did nothing but provide a service that we should be extremely grateful for.

The enthusiasm that a fan of Chuck Palahniuk displays is unparalleled. But at times it seems, so is the lack of common sense and decency. If we all are not careful, we could become an extreme liability to Chuck. Already it seems that he's realizing how the demands we place upon him personally are becoming more of a strangle hold and a burden than an opportunity for him to relate. I personally applaud his initiative to put a halt on his practice of sending packages, and hope that eventually being free of that gives him the breathing room that he desperately seems to need and want, for as long as it is desired.

That's what should be our primary concern and consideration as fans and friends of Chuck Palahniuk. Let him be who he is, AND, allow him this freedom in his own time. Do not send letters of disgust to NBC and to Conan. If anything, respond with affirmation and gratitude. Tell them you really hope they follow through with the invitation that Conan extended to have Chuck back. I really believe that the short stories Chuck is creating will generate even more recognition for his gifts of innovation and will give him prime billing on these talk shows if he feels inclined to make those appearances next year and in years ahead.

We are all right now in a very exciting time. The Diary tour was an unprecedented success. We're riding a wave of anticipation unlike anything many of us have ever experienced before, and the trade-off we should all be mindful enough to comply with is more than fair. Chuck is producing work that we will never forget, never recover from. And all he's asking us to do is wait.

A-Fucking-Men, Testicle Festival.

idiots aside, i'm glad that the lit community finally has someone else besides stephen fucking king they can call a "star".

Yeah, fuck Stephen King....he had his time...I liked him a long time ago, now he's just the dried-up equivallent of Napolean's Penis.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by vigorous puppy [/i]
[B]We all come here for Chuck and stay for each other. That's why we're not the rabid mob of brainless fanatics that some critics want to make us out to be. That's why it's ok for us to yell at the Conan O Brien show for not giving Chuck a better interview. We can take it all [i]too seriously[/i] if we [i]want[/i] to. Like Buddies getting together to watch a ballgame, and yelling out for the home team. That's why we're not pathetic when we cheer for Chuck. It's a group phenomenon. It's something that happens when we get together. Our fanaticism is amplified here in a perfectly appropriate way.

Personally, I can't imagine giving a shit which team gets a ball through the hoop the most times. I have less interest in pro sports than any other heterosexual man I know. But I don't call people pathetic for cheering at ballgames, groaning at ballgames, even screaming at ballgames sometimes. This is our ballgame here. We love Chuck Palahniuk and the way he writes. When we get together, that love gets amplified along with many other feelings as well. It's natural. And it's our thing. And *%#* any outsider who dis's it.
[/B][/QUOTE]
To continue for a moment on that line of thought, that I smuggled
in from another thread:

What I can't explain is what inspires some members to caution
us about our attitudes, enthusiasms, vitriol--[i]any of it[/i]--as if
Chuck's very career hangs in the balance. Surely this is taking ourselves
much too seriously, and in a way that limits freedom of expression.

And as for those "very very desperate" fans who weren't typing
on the internet, but chanting Chuck's name from the studio
audience of the Conan 'O Brien show as Chuck made his entrance,
well, now we can add that Chuck said in a recent audioblog that

he was nervous going out there, also that the studio was
very very cold. So here he is making his first major television
appearance in a studio that almost has him in a shiver besides his
nervousness, and it [i]encouraged[/i] him to hear those fans. He

[i]thanked[/i] them in the audioblog. Chuck is no megalomaniac. He's
certainly not out to make people worship him. That's part of the
reason that many of us not only like his writing, but like the
man himself. He's very very human, humble and down-to-earth,

and he [i]appreciated[/i] the show of support. Just like any other
normal person would. Imagine that. No Tyler Durdan is he. No
ubermensch who spits on the lowly peasants who adore him. But
a scared, freezing human being on a big TV show for the first time.

I'm through pontificating on this. I just want the people who are
working over-time to deride other fans, to get some perspective.
Maybe I'll look like a hypocrite to some for being an uber-corrector,
one who out-preaches other preachers, admonishes against
admonishment, but so be it.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by olpha [/i]
[B]Fan mail, videotaping Chuck's spots on television shows,
worshiping the man is ridiculous.

He doesn't ask for paparatzi or to change the idols of screaming N'sync fans over to himself... He's a WRITER, now give him that dignity and space.

I thought that people having read the books would be able to see this...but there are very very desperate, ridiculous people on this forum, chanting his name and most likely just pissing him off.

Some folks seem to think he's some sort of Tyler Durden...

When Tyler Durden being the manifestation of psychitsophrenia was NOT just a funky gimic. It's the truth.
There's a quote that goes, "Only you can save yourself, no one else can even begin to."
And that is what I regard as the true theme to Fight Club, and what Chuck wants to say to the world...

So take that message and leave the guy alone. :')

Cheers
*Clink clink* [/B][/QUOTE]

Blah blah blah.
Unless you are Chuck using a clever nom de keyboard for commenting about how tired you are of people liking you you're not qualified to comment. We're allowed to admire a guy and the work he does, as far as I know he likes hearing from fans and meeting them. WHO THE FUCK WOULDN'T??

Screw you, you fucking loser. Who the hell do you think you are? You can't think you can speak for Chuck, that's as bad as all the crap you mentioned in your post you complete asshole.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Vendetta [/i]
[B]Blah blah blah.
Unless you are Chuck using a clever nom de keyboard for commenting about how tired you are of people liking you you're not qualified to comment. We're allowed to admire a guy and the work he does, as far as I know he likes hearing from fans and meeting them. WHO THE FUCK WOULDN'T??

Screw you, you fucking loser. Who the hell do you think you are? You can't think you can speak for Chuck, that's as bad as all the crap you mentioned in your post you complete asshole. [/B][/QUOTE]
a-fuckin-men!
olpha, you're a complete idiot.
may all your future children have digusting birth defects.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by izen [/i]
[B]a-fuckin-men!
olpha, you're a complete idiot.
may all your future children have digusting birth defects. [/B][/QUOTE]

Glad you concur, I thought I'd cussed too much to be taken seriously.

So harsh. I do suspect that Chuck is on the verge of pop-stardom though.

can he sing?

When I saw him read at Borders there was a board advertising his impending appearance. It was standing on a piano. I thought Chuck was going to tinkle the ivories and give us a song but he didn't even go near the piano, I was a little disappointed but he was great anyway.

At least one older (a tad) than 35. Day One: It's a bit rough in here... I do wonder if I shall toughen.

Mahayr

it never ceases to amaze me when a newbie comes on here to lambaste us all about how to be good chuck fans.

in my time here i've seen many, many people like you come and go, olpha. they've ranged from the tweaked-out anarchist type to the desert-shaman let's-all-worship-chuck type to, yes, the "worshiping [sic] the man is ridiculous" type.

since you are new, let me enlighten you: we are not interested in your opinion on how to be good chuck fans. we are all fans in our own way, and you can just deal with that. however, if you have anything of substance to add to the conversation, like, say, something specific about his work, that would be much appreciated.

I think I read somewhere that Chuck said if he puts himself on a pedestal and separates himself from his friends then he won't have any thing to write about. Something like that.

Honestly, I can't say if Chuck enjoys being so popular or not. I don't read minds. I don't know him. I've never met him, most likely I never will. He's a person, not just the embodiment of his books.

I did think it was awsome on Conan when everyone is chanting, "CHOKE CHOKE CHOKE!"
Of course, thats my favorite chuck book.

... they were chanting "Chuck"...

Of course, other than the numerous amount of atrocious typos, there were some things wrong with your post. Excuse me if anyone else pointed this out, but usually screaming N'Sync fans don't have much time to read in between breaks from drooling all over the television screen. :rolleyes:
People who are fans of musicians or actors are the teenyboppers and mindless fanatics you're looking for; you won't find them here. People who are fans of authors are usually people who tend to do a lot of [I]thinking[/I], something you don't seem to do much, since you deem it right to stereotype Palahniuk fans.
Pardon me if worshiping an author is so wrong, but I think this man is a wonderful author and also a very friendly and sweet person (and YES, I have met him!) so I think he deserves all the fanaticism he receives.
You're trying to put down a very large group of people who you claim to be a part of; this is not the best way to establish yourself in a community. Congratulations, everyone hates you now.

Who the fuck is this bitch barking at?

Um, gee, maybe if you'd read, you'd know.

You have probably all forgotten about this...(which would be a good thing.)
This must have been a long time ago.
I must have been on something.

There must have been some kind of reason for me to say what I said.
And I said what I said without much thought or consideration...
(like the person who said: may my children have horrible birth defects. Thankyou.)

I am not a newbie, nor was I when I posted this. I have been reading the forums for a while, but rarely posting...
I WAS a contributor to the writer's workshop...And I'm now saving up to join the new community.

My post was naive. If I had a point, I should have backed it up with ctrl+c, ctril+v....

Though I do think the idolatry of writers should differ from the idolatry of musicians/pop stars/celebrities/The Pope...There should be more dignity and understanding, there...
We should learn from the mistake of placing people high above ourselves.

This is one of the first times in history that writers are being admired this way while they are still alive.

Chuck's writing expresses a dignity that screaming fans just would not do justice, I
guess...

And now that I've expressed myself a little more clearly...I hope I'll have healthy children...

Why did you bump this thread? It's like "hey, you don't remember me, but let me remind you what a dumb thread I once made!"

Anyway, see you around and hopefully you'll save up for the shops.

[QUOTE=olpha]You have probably all forgotten about this...(which would be a good thing.)
This must have been a long time ago.
I must have been on something.

There must have been some kind of reason for me to say what I said.
And I said what I said without much thought or consideration...
(like the person who said: may my children have horrible birth defects. Thankyou.)

I am not a newbie, nor was I when I posted this. I have been reading the forums for a while, but rarely posting...
I WAS a contributor to the writer's workshop...And I'm now saving up to join the new community.

My post was naive. If I had a point, I should have backed it up with ctrl+c, ctril+v....

Though I do think the idolatry of writers should differ from the idolatry of musicians/pop stars/celebrities/The Pope...There should be more dignity and understanding, there...
We should learn from the mistake of placing people high above ourselves.

This is one of the first times in history that writers are being admired this way while they are still alive.

Chuck's writing expresses a dignity that screaming fans just would not do justice, I
guess...

And now that I've expressed myself a little more clearly...I hope I'll have healthy children...[/QUOTE]

If you've spent the amount of time here that you claim, then no doubt you've seen that this is (in general) far from a place for "Screaming Fans" to blether on endlessly about their Fuhrer.

As for the "idolatry" of Chuck. First of all, there is no doubt that Chuck has appealed to a generation of younger readers who wouldn't normally pick up a book. His voice has resonated with many people on the fringes of society, as well as more conventionally "literate" and "educated" readers.

In that sense, it's not surprising that he attracts a bit of fan-boy worship.

Having said that - part of the reason that I personally stay around a net community for Chuck, read his books, his essays and his articles, is that he finds a way to de-mythologise the life of the writer - and encourages you to find the same strengths within yourself.

If anything - he helps to burst the bubble of "placing people high above yourself"

This is hardly a blog site filled with people drooling over how cool Chuck's new haircut is, which book we keep under the pillow, and how many thousand times we've read Fight Club.

I think that what you say is fair enough - but to apply it to this rich, diverse and HIGHLY INTELLIGENT net community is utterly misjudged.

Anyway - I wish you well if you choose to stick around and get involved.

(By the way...what ever happened to "Testicle Festival" - the King of usernames)

Yeh. Yeh we all know that the name "The Cult" is definitely an exageration.
We are MOSTLY all more mature and intelligant than that, right?
More intellegant than Nazis, I hope...

but only mostly...

is all that I was saying.

Testicle Festival?

testicle festival's long gone.
in other news, chuck is still in my basement.

do you force him to wear your broken glasses?

[QUOTE=olpha]Yeh. Yeh we all know that the name "The Cult" is definitely an exageration.
We are MOSTLY all more mature and intelligant than that, right?
More intellegant than Nazis, I hope...

but only mostly...

is all that I was saying.
[/QUOTE]

So....some of us are Nazis?

Heavens!

[QUOTE=Vendetta]When I saw him read at Borders there was a board advertising his impending appearance. It was standing on a piano. I thought Chuck was going to tinkle the ivories and give us a song but he didn't even go near the piano, I was a little disappointed but he was great anyway.[/QUOTE]

One of my jobs at Borders is to arrange events (or get the store ready for events others have arranged) and put up signage, all that good stuff. This past January, we had scheduled an all-day piano playing marathon in which local kids in music programs from different schools would play to raise money for the county's literacy program. We cordoned off an area with crowd control bands, had this gorgeous baby grand delivered, and I made a little cardboard stand-up that read [I]This piano is for scheduled event only; please do not touch. [/I]. Stood my little stand up on the piano, and the next day, of course, we had to cancel the event due to snow (in Cincinnati a quarter of an inch contistutes a return of the ice age--although we will go out for gum during a tornado [well shucks, you just drive around the funnel cloud]). The piano was never played by anyone and went back to its piano house a few days later. But my sign is still standing on a table in the cafe [I]This piano is for scheduled event only; please do not touch. [/I] We've got a running pool as to when it will finally happen, but as yet not one customer has asked "what piano?"

And they say people don't read any more. In a book store.

My experience of fans, if compared to Chuck's, is that of half a thimble-full if you took that half thimble full and set left in Death Valley for a week in high summer and then ran over the thimble with a pavement rolling machine. Still, it is a very bizarre experience to have strangers approach and make remarks about something you whipped up on the basement computer as a way of avoiding yardwork or laundry. Readers' sincere embrace of your dorky little books is beyond flattering. You can only blush and a giggle and offer a hugely heartfelt "thank you." It makes you want to buy them presents. Those packages some of you have received in response to your letters--Chuck would probably offer you each a kidney if you needed it and the blood-type matched and he had enough to go around. Writers are nothing without their readers. The minute a writer forgets that simple truth, he becomes a Stephen King widget maker. A jerk, jerking off. Not a writer. Most good writers fill their books with inside jokes and carefully-crafted personalized shoutouts to particular readers. We live to serve our readers' delight. A reader (family and spouses don't count; they lie) is a stranger who has taken precious hours out of his or her life and invited our dreams into their heads. It is an honor and an oddity. The printed page is just the delivery system--what happens between a writer and reader is the ultimate intimacy. It is easy to blur the boundaries, from both sides of the page, even after the book is closed. That is the hazard and the glory of the job.

Any writer who deigns to consider a fan 'desparate' or 'stupid' is actively slitting the wrists on his career. At Chuck's rock-star level of popularity, from a writer's generally solitary-by-nature perspective, this fame thing probably feels alternately surreal and terrifying. Fame isn't something that happens to you, it is something that happens to how other people perceive you. A sort of critical mass of awareness, it gains a life of its own. He has worked damn hard for to acheive this level of visibility for his books, but now the visibility has him in its sights as well as the books. "Hey, Jane! How do you stop this crazy thing?"

I'm keeping that piano sign. If [B]glamhoth[/B] ever lets Chuck out of the basement and Chuck is able to appear at my Borders, I'm going to let him hold the sign during his entire appearance. [I]Please do not touch the piano[/I].

Thank you for participating in my daily procrastination ritual.

Wow, here's one from the laundry bin of remember when! I was barely two months old as a Cultist when this thread pissed me off. I'm glad to see it's getting funnier.

they were chanting my name?

shit i knew people thought i was a good writer, but day-um