Bravo! Awesome post, Ram! Keep em coming! Totally agree!
--- In arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com, Ram Motipally <mramvina...@...> wrote:
>
> Friends,
>
> I have been seeing some of the mails since Endhiran music has been released.
> There have been good, bad as well as outright ugly emails. This had me
> thinking,
> who are we as fans, what role do we have and since we are in a group, is
> there a
> decorum we need to follow ? Do we just allow all opinions or do we try to
> always
> be appreciative. I do not know all the answers, but this set me across a
> thought
> process which I wanted to pen down here.
>
> Since this is a AR fna group, what is the dictionary definition of a fan ?
> (reproduced from m-w.com)
>
> Main Entry: 3fan
> Function: noun
> Etymology: probably short for fanatic
> Date: 1682
> 1 : an enthusiastic devotee (as of a sport or a performing art) usually as a
> spectator
> 2 : an ardent admirer or enthusiast (as of a celebrity or a
> pursuit) <science-fiction fans>
>
> If we take this definition, we are more or less (most of us) enthusiastic
> devotees/admirers or enthusiasts of AR, right ? And to enlarge this, we
> should
> be admirers of his entire body of work or his body of work over the total
> duration. Now, this does not mean we have to admire every song or album that
> he
> has ever churned out. At the very least this means that we need to have a
> context of the man, his music and his entire body of work. We need to be
> sensitive to the fact that the music is an input of many people like the
> director of the movie, producer, context of the movie, scene, emotion etc.
>
> Are we really fans of AR or his music, if we just react to every song and
> album
> as a standalone piece of work ? Isnt that primarily a function of our like or
> dislike ? What has AR and his music got to do with our like or dislike ? Let
> me
> give the example of food - I love avakai (kind of pickle in andhra). If I
> feed
> it to my american friend, telling him it is the best thing in the world, he
> will
> run away ! Now, most of my american friends enjoy steaks (beef), I can never
> ever eat one ! Does this mean avakai or beef is good or bad ? Absolutely no,
> it
> is just a function of my like/dislike, my upbringing, my culture etc.
>
> Now, what does one do if you dont enjoy a certain AR album or song ? If we
> are
> just reacting to our like/dislike at that point in time, then we will praise
> the
> song we like and rip the song we dont like. Infact what is happening is the
> individual is just reacting to his/her like/dislike, AR or the song has
> nothing
> to do with it. This will happen for any song or any musician they will hear.
> But
> if you are really a fan, you will go with a positive intent to enjoy the
> song,
> because you know the musician and his large body of work and know that you
> can
> expect quality stuff. You are patient, you invest more energy as you are a
> fan
> and take all possible efforts to not miss the quality music, you have
> experienced in the past. It is possible that you might still not like the
> music.
> I have not liked many of AR's songs or albums. Many times it is also a
> function
> of how I am feeling at the time. I might be neck deep in work issues and not
> find the effort to enjoy the music. Or I might be going through some personal
> issues and not be in the right frame of mind to enjoy AR's music at that
> point
> in time. Sometimes when I revisit the song after many years, I start to like
> it.
> Sometimes being in a forum like this and listening to others opinions helps
> me
> enjoy the music even more and discover other nuances, that I think is the
> best
> part of my being part of this fan group.
>
> So, what is a good responsibility to have as a fan ? If one is really a fan,
> I
> think the following should apply:
>
> 1) The fan will take reasonable efforts and invest energy to enjoy each new
> piece of work. This is owed by the fan to himself/herself for having known AR
> and his music for a long duration.
> 2) Please be generous with praise. But be a little understated with
> criticism.
> Never be blatantly nasty with criticism, if that is what you want, please go
> to
> some other group.
> 3) If you dont like the song/album please use decency in expressing it.
> 4) And finally AR does not owe anything to anyone. So any opinions of what he
> is
> doing, what he should do and how he should do anything are totally uncalled
> for.
> At best suggestions/recommendations can be made.
>
> To summarize, if you really believe you are a fan, please act responsibly as
> one. If you are not a fan, but just like to listen to some work or AR and
> rip
> some, then please do so with decency. If you are outright malicious and only
> intent is to criticize AR or his music (there are some here) please stay away
> from this group.
>
> I hope atleast some of you will agree with these views and that too after
> Gopal
> allows this post.
>
> Cheers !
> Ram
>
