XL REPUBBLICA - how Mika keeps himself busy ;-)

[C. Tyler]

Yes it's a shame because I didn't meet Mika for years and loved living vicariously through others. It always gave me hope and something to look forward to to hear how he interacted with other fans and gave them special access or attention.

 

It was a real shock and disappointment to me to discover that some people view others having access to Mika as something being taken from them.

 

 

 

That's what I always recommend to people who are nervous about meeting him. It takes the pressure off and you don't have to have any regrets about forgetting to say what you wanted to. It's hard to say anything meaningful with people eavesdropping and even filming anyway.

 

1 - The other dangerous thing though, is that when the same people who act that way get to meet the artist, they tend to act as if meeting them once means that they're suddenly good friends.

 

In previous forums/fandoms I've seen a lot of people get the opportunity to have repeated meetings and in turn, they act as if it is their ultimate right to have such opportunities constantly. They act like they're proper friends with these people and are above everyone else for the amount of times that they've gotten to speak to the person/band or anyone they work with.

 

Humbleness is important.

 

2 - Yeah, when I really thought about it, I imagined the only thing that anyone could get out would be "Hi, how are you? Show was great. Thanks." before he gets swept away to the next person!

[Christine]

1 - The other dangerous thing though, is that when the same people who act that way get to meet the artist, they tend to act as if meeting them once means that they're suddenly good friends.

 

In previous forums/fandoms I've seen a lot of people get the opportunity to have repeated meetings and in turn, they act as if it is their ultimate right to have such opportunities constantly. They act like they're proper friends with these people and are above everyone else for the amount of times that they've gotten to speak to the person/band or anyone they work with.

 

Humbleness is important.

 

I find people bragging mildly irritating at worst. I mean if someone wants to think Mika's their bff they can knock themselves out. But the negative reactions to that bragging I've witnessed resemble romantic jealousy and I find that disturbing. Jealousy is a normal human emotion but I don't think it's a rational reaction under the circumstances because we're talking about a popstar here not anyone's boyfriend.

 

And Ingie is right that you are damned if you do and damned if you don't because if you're not providing details (that could come off as bragging, entitlement, elitism, etc.) then paranoid imagination fills in the blanks.

 

The worst incidents I've experienced have revolved around secrets that have eventually come out into the open and not the result of bragging. Some people can't even respect the fact that sometimes Mika specifically requests discretion and think they are entitled to be notified about every interaction he has with other fans.

 

2 - Yeah, when I really thought about it, I imagined the only thing that anyone could get out would be "Hi, how are you? Show was great. Thanks." before he gets swept away to the next person!

 

The thing is you just never know what the circumstances are going to be. You may get a chance to have a great chat but you never know so if you are prepared with a letter you won't have regrets later.

[IngievV]

I think the greatest things happen when you least expect it:thumb_yello:.

[Christine]

I think the greatest things happen when you least expect it:thumb_yello:.

 

Yes that has always been my experience.

[basicamenteyo]

Beautiful freak is an oxymoron. It acknowledges what the term freak actually means. And Mika recognizes that too when he says to Asia that she's not a freak (since he sees her as a beautiful woman). The implication is that freaks are normally regarded as ugly.

 

So I don't understand just running around calling yourself a freak as if the word is not hurled at people as an insult

 

I´ve been reading many posts about this subject. Have anyone checked if the people calling themselves "freaks" are non English speakers?? See, here in Spain being a freak doesn´t mean you are ugly or anything like that. It´s more attached to being fanatic of something (like being an absolute fan of Star Trek and calling your dog Chewbacca or things like that) or being just different. Here teenagers call themselves freaks cause they want to feel themselves different (which makes no sense any more cause now EVERY TEEN is a freak, so they are all the same which is not exclusive any more.... do I make sense??). So maybe that "freak" or Mika freak expression comes from non English speakers. You English speakers say "freak" and you know what it means, but here we adopt the word and we don´t really know the etymology or connotations for the word, so we give it a new meaning according to what we need at the moment... I´m pretty sure we Spaniard started using the word freak to refer to those Star Trek fans. That was the time, at least, that I remember I heard the word for the first time. Like... centuries ago...

[krysady]

I've felt bad for a long time and even thought about just leaving because I didn't want all that sh*t. When we didn't report about London, we also got comments about that as if it was mandatory for us share our experiences, while it is basically nobody's business unless we decide to share.

 

I really don't understand why someone would be jealous,or envious for that,unless they are frustrated or mentally ill.I can't imagine what would have happened in London,or anywhere else,to bother me.Really.I'm trying,but I can't.I'm glad when he's interacting with his fans outside of stage,because we can see a different side of his personality,and hearing about random experiences it's always interesting for me.I know that there are fans who never met him,but that's not because you,or anyone else,won a m&g

[Marilyn Mastin]

I've felt bad for a long time and even thought about just leaving because I didn't want all that sh*t. When we didn't report about London, we also got comments about that as if it was mandatory for us share our experiences, while it is basically nobody's business unless we decide to share.

 

Ha yeah I wrote him my very first letter last year because I had so much to say but didn't want to be eavesdropped XD.

One thing I don't like, often about the reports, is that they can tend to be cliquey. For example, one member came on the train with us to Blackpool, for that televised show with other artists, that was in September 2009. We asked her to travel with us so she wouldn't be on her own. she had lunch with us and we made sure she got to the boarding house okay.

We didn't want a fuss, but when she wrote her report, she mentioned how pleased she was to see different people, and mentioned then by user names, but she made no mention of me and Alan. Not even to just say that it had been nice travelling with us.

I tend to notice that a lot. Certain ones get a mention. "It was great to hang out with so-and-so". But not me and Alan if we're at a gig.

[Poisonyoulove]

I´ve been reading many posts about this subject. Have anyone checked if the people calling themselves "freaks" are non English speakers?? See, here in Spain being a freak doesn´t mean you are ugly or anything like that. It´s more attached to being fanatic of something (like being an absolute fan of Star Trek and calling your dog Chewbacca or things like that) or being just different. Here teenagers call themselves freaks cause they want to feel themselves different (which makes no sense any more cause now EVERY TEEN is a freak, so they are all the same which is not exclusive any more.... do I make sense??). So maybe that "freak" or Mika freak expression comes from non English speakers. You English speakers say "freak" and you know what it means, but here we adopt the word and we don´t really know the etymology or connotations for the word, so we give it a new meaning according to what we need at the moment... I´m pretty sure we Spaniard started using the word freak to refer to those Star Trek fans. That was the time, at least, that I remember I heard the word for the first time. Like... centuries ago...

 

We have that expression in the English-speaking world too.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/freak

[IngievV]

One thing I don't like, often about the reports, is that they can tend to be cliquey. For example, one member came on the train with us to Blackpool, for that televised show with other artists, that was in September 2009. We asked her to travel with us so she wouldn't be on her own. she had lunch with us and we made sure she got to the boarding house okay.

We didn't want a fuss, but when she wrote her report, she mentioned how pleased she was to see different people, and mentioned then by user names, but she made no mention of me and Alan. Not even to just say that it had been nice travelling with us.

I tend to notice that a lot. Certain ones get a mention. "It was great to hang out with so-and-so". But not me and Alan if we're at a gig.

 

I think I saw you before the Roundhouse gig, but wasn't sure so didn't say hello. Were you the lady with the cane?

[Christine]

It´s more attached to being fanatic of something (like being an absolute fan of Star Trek and calling your dog Chewbacca or things like that) or being just different.

 

As poisonyoulove says we use it that way too, but I don't know, it's just all sounds like an insult to me. Even that kind of freak I just associate with losers.

 

And to me there is just no getting away from the other meanings which are blatant and harsh insults. Fag means cigarette in British slang but wouldn't it be incredibly awkward if Mika sang "Love is a drug and you are my fag"...?

 

Maybe the whole freaks and geeks culture has become more mainstream now and a point of pride for many but in my generation it was an insult any way you look at it. I would never ever self-identify as a freak and if someone called me a freak I'd slap them.

 

Here teenagers call themselves freaks cause they want to feel themselves different (which makes no sense any more cause now EVERY TEEN is a freak, so they are all the same which is not exclusive any more.... do I make sense??).

 

Yes it makes perfect sense...just like a huge group of people calling themselves Mika freaks. There's nothing individual about it.

 

I really don't understand why someone would be jealous,or envious for that,unless they are frustrated or mentally ill.

 

I could write a doctoral dissertation on the madness I've seen. It's unreal.

 

I tend to notice that a lot. Certain ones get a mention. "It was great to hang out with so-and-so". But not me and Alan if we're at a gig.

 

Aw shame Marilyn I'm sure you're both lovely

 

Were you at Sadlers Wells? There must have been literally 150 MFCers in the lobby before the show and I didn't get a chance to say hi to even half of them and I felt bad about it because everyone was talking in the weeks before about meeting each other, etc. But it was just impossible.

[basicamenteyo]

As poisonyoulove says we use it that way too, but I don't know, it's just all sounds like an insult to me. Even that kind of freak I just associate with losers.

 

And to me there is just no getting away from the other meanings which are blatant and harsh insults. Fag means cigarette in British slang but wouldn't it be incredibly awkward if Mika sang "Love is a drug and you are my fag"...?

 

Maybe the whole freaks and geeks culture has become more mainstream now and a point of pride for many but in my generation it was an insult any way you look at it. I would never ever self-identify as a freak and if someone called me a freak I'd slap them.

 

 

LOL until this moment I thought fag was the slang for gay LMFAO

[Christine]

LOL until this moment I thought fag was the slang for gay LMFAO

 

It is. It's slang and it's an insult. The fact that the word has other meanings is totally overshadowed by the fact that it's also such a harsh insult. Which is how I feel about the word freak. I mean look at the synonyms for it in that definition - mutant, crackpot, weirdo, deviant, aberration. Who would want any of these words to be associated wiith Mika or Mika fans? Yes there are also innocuous meanings like eccentric, maverick, nonconformist - but I think freak is just a poor word choice to express those qualities in a person.

[basicamenteyo]

It is. It's slang and it's an insult. The fact that the word has other meanings is totally overshadowed by the fact that it's also such a harsh insult. Which is how I feel about the word freak. I mean look at the synonyms for it in that definition - mutant, crackpot, weirdo, deviant, aberration. Who would want any of these words to be associated wiith Mika or Mika fans? Yes there are also innocuous meanings like eccentric, maverick, nonconformist - but I think freak is just a poor word choice to express those qualities in a person.

 

"mutant" and "deviant" are... yeah, then I think it´s what I understand at first. I can say I´ve learnt English here, and so, I´ve learnt the meaning that "we" give to the word in this community... I never thought of freak in the way you just said. Now I do. I don´t consider myself a freak (not even in the great and positive meaning of the word) and of course never called myself a Mika freak...

 

....

 

Now it sounds so disturbing...

 

Seriously, the more I study this language the more I realise that I won´t be able to speak it correctly unless I move forever to an English speaking country. I wonder whether Mika has a spare room

[Christine]

I don´t consider myself a freak (not even in the great and positive meaning of the word)

 

Well that's the other thing, I don't identify with it anyway. The internet has a way of making one feel a freak for having a normal childhood, being fairly social and conforming to society because that's what humans do to feel like they belong. I mean I guess I have fairly radical ideas that don't make me fit in on a certain level. I am an atheist, I don't like babies, I think working is for suckers, etc. but I don't feel the need to spend my life railing against it.

 

It makes me sad for Mika that he still expresses what sounds like a deep sense of unbelonging because the qualities that made him not fit in as a child are what make him such an interesting adult.

 

Seriously, the more I study this language the more I realise that I won´t be able to speak it correctly unless I move forever to an English speaking country. I wonder whether Mika has a spare room

 

That's how I felt even with British English. My parents used to watch Coronation Street and I couldn't understand half of what was going on. It's not just the accents but the vocabulary and the cultural references. I didn't even realize how much of it I was mssing until after I'd lived in the UK. Your mind has a way of just filtering out what you don't understand - at least I find that with television.

[Poisonyoulove]

Maybe the whole freaks and geeks culture has become more mainstream now and a point of pride for many but in my generation it was an insult any way you look at it. I would never ever self-identify as a freak and if someone called me a freak I'd slap them.

 

 

Are you as bothered by the word geek? Because a few generations back it meant a carnival performer who would bite the heads off chickens. But the meaning has completely changed.

I'm a geek (current definition), and you know, when I was a child I was the artsy weirdo off in my own world. I got called a freak (among many nastier things) by kids who, over time, I increasingly viewed as close-minded jerks. So that's why I take freak as a compliment.

 

But when people call themselves Mika freaks, all I ever took that to mean was they were a bit obsessed with Mika. I don't get the impression that people consider the "obsessed fan" use of the word to be all that negative anymore.

[Christine]

Are you as bothered by the word geek? Because a few generations back it meant a carnival performer who would bite the heads off chickens. But the meaning has completely changed.

 

But the meaning of freak has not completely changed. It's not a few generations removed. Just because there are now additional uses of the word doesn't mean the circus freak meaning is defunct and no one uses it anymore.

 

This new freak-is-a-label-to-wear-with-pride thing is a very novel concept (or I've been living under a rock for 40 years ). The only time I've heard the meaning of freak altered amongst my peers (and even people 10 years younger) is when they are talking about sex.

 

I'm a geek (current definition), and you know, when I was a child I was the artsy weirdo off in my own world. I got called a freak (among many nastier things) by kids who, over time, I increasingly viewed as close-minded jerks. So that's why I take freak as a compliment.

 

Yes when you consider the source I suppose it is a compliment.

 

But when people call themselves Mika freaks, all I ever took that to mean was they were a bit obsessed with Mika. I don't get the impression that people consider the "obsessed fan" use of the word to be all that negative anymore.

 

Yes if someone said in the 1980s that they were a Michael Jackson freak that's exactly how I would take it. That they just mean that they are more fanatic than the average person about Michael Jackson. But in this era where fandoms are nicknaming themselves - Little Monsters, KatyCats, etc. it makes it sound like you're calling yourself a Freak with a capital F if you know what I mean.

 

And if people want to do that they can go ahead but it's not something I would choose to associate with Mika or MFC myself.

[IngievV]

We had this freak thang going on after the observer interview and that lasted a couple of months but I haven't bothered with it since 2010 .

[RAK1]

Are you as bothered by the word geek? Because a few generations back it meant a carnival performer who would bite the heads off chickens. But the meaning has completely changed.

I'm a geek (current definition), and you know, when I was a child I was the artsy weirdo off in my own world. I got called a freak (among many nastier things) by kids who, over time, I increasingly viewed as close-minded jerks. So that's why I take freak as a compliment.

 

But when people call themselves Mika freaks, all I ever took that to mean was they were a bit obsessed with Mika. I don't get the impression that people consider the "obsessed fan" use of the word to be all that negative anymore.

 

Does that make Ozzy Osboune a geek then?

[nas]

is it too late to have a poll to rename the fandom?

 

[RAK1]

is it too late to have a poll to rename the fandom?

 

 

If we do that, can we put "Team Mates" as an option? Like he addressed us in Debs video from Iceland.

[camille*]

If we do that, can we put "Team Mates" as an option? Like he addressed us in Debs video from Iceland.

 

Or lovers?

 

(I'd prefer Team Mates )

[RAK1]

Or lovers?

 

(I'd prefer Team Mates )

 

Kylies already taken that tag:wink2:

[Christine]

Does that make Ozzy Osboune a geek then?

 

Ha!

 

is it too late to have a poll to rename the fandom?

 

 

Maybe we should do one for fun although I'm afraid of the outcome.

[camille*]

Kylies already taken that tag:wink2:

 

Oops! Well I guess we'll have to go with Team Mates then...

[Christine]

I'd be willing to compromise with Beautiful Freaks.