Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam - io9 Comments

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

xenakis333 — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 18:34:35 PDT

@ithidet: Oh my God yes! Everything by Bilal, pretty much everything published by les Humanoïdes Associés, Valérian (although that one did make it to the screen in a way, in the Fifth Element)... even my childhood love: Yoko Tsuno!

xenakis333

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

Byronotron — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 05:37:03 PDT

It's been in the air for quite some time now. I think it all goes back to the X-Men cartoon in the nineties. Girls watched it. Girls started knowing things about other things I liked because they watched X-men. The movies were hits because girls went too, and then spider-man went googolplatinum because well, it's spider-man. And when a geek icon makes Sony that much money? You bet it's going to become chic. Also, nerds will buy ALL of that senseless merchandise, just because, well, it exists.

Byronotron

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

Jakus — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 04:27:08 PDT

Im too wyrd to be accepted as mainstream, as least now i will look like im mainstream, that is until i open my mouth.

Jakus

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

aspiringexpatriate — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:26:11 PDT

@Ghede: The short-brimmed fedoras have been counter-culture mainstream for about a year and a half in the US. Longer in the UK. Blame Pete Dogherty.

And as for my blanket statements, it looks like I was called out as talking out my arse about actors and their geekiness.

Oh right, I was. I dunno, authentic something or whatever has never made sense to me. Sure, it's annoying that others are wearing fedoras, but I'll still wear mine.

aspiringexpatriate

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

braak — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:15:15 PDT

@zenpoet: I try to keep my people's traditional domination of trade and exploration on the down-low.

braak

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

zenpoet — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 14:23:03 PDT

@braak: I like it. So obscure as to be "inscure," which we all know to be more-than-obscure.

And in space, everyone speaks Dutch. S'prised you didn't know that.

zenpoet

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

mechagrue — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 08:51:35 PDT

In the future, everything you are will become a commodity. No matter how obscure and unlikely it seems, everyone will be a popular fashion statement at some point.

My bet is that Furry Couture is The Next Big Thing.

I was going to make another joke, but I just looked at the clock. Time for the BSG streaming episode!

mechagrue

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

braak — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 08:26:58 PDT

@rikchik: In Space, we all speak phlegmy dialects of English.

braak

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

rikchik — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 08:07:48 PDT

@braak: Of course! Once you get past the amazing coincidence of most of the aliens out there being humanoid, it's not much more of a leap for them to be Scottish. Er, Scottishoid.

rikchik

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

DSTRYA — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 08:01:20 PDT

Ok everybody, let's just ride this thing out. They ruined rap, they ruined punk rock, they ruined tattoos, they ruined anime, they ruined toys, they ruined my memories of childhood by turning the whole thing into a movie. but soon some other aspect of sub/anti culture will start to make money and the owners of production will move on to exploiting it and making it normal and safe and everywhere, and geekdom will be geekdom again. then we can go back to the comfort of being a niche market.

DSTRYA

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

braak — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 07:15:51 PDT

@rikchik: I especially like how he's got weird Scottish and Welsh phonemes in there, but no "X."

braak

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

kevinjwoods — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 07:15:03 PDT

Personally I have never found that being told I look like Peter Jackson has done anything for my love life, although I did once meet a woman in a supermarket who told me that her sister (who I had met once) had my picture on her fridge for a year.
I also have an genuine ewok which is embarrassing for a guy in his 30s to admit i admit.
And what about Geekdar where you can spot a real geek across a crowded room, example when i went to see transformers (at the worlds tallest cinema apparently) in the elevator someone spontaneously mentioned about how she had spent years waiting for this to happen somehow knowing i would grok it.

kevinjwoods

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

braak — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 07:13:14 PDT

@rikchik: Oh, that Marain is pretty cool.

I had a friend in college who did an alphabet that was designed such that any letter could be rotated or inverted to make a different letter in the alphabet.

braak

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

braak — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 07:07:53 PDT

@rikchik: Bwah-ha-ha! Shhhh! It's a secret.

braak

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

rikchik — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 06:56:50 PDT

@braak: That's a Finder mark, right? Awesome! As for Marain, here's some info on it, from Banks himself: [www.pcplayer.de]

@Slatz_Grobnik: Thanks. The seals sound good too.

rikchik

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

ithidet — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 02:11:20 PDT

WAIT how do you judge the authentisity of a comic?

ithidet

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

ithidet — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 02:10:48 PDT

@xenakis333: yeah i could list the authentic books left but
1) it would take WAAAY to long
and
2)they are french.

ithidet

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

ithidet — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 02:08:20 PDT

@Log1c: as long as sports exists id say no

ithidet

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

hitmouse — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 01:11:32 PDT

No authentic comic books? I need some Valerian movies please.

hitmouse

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

Slatz_Grobnik — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 23:23:07 PDT

@rikchik: Okay, the Ur-Quan Dreadnought tattoo? Way too good an idea.

Admittedly, the plan was for a pair of Rassilonian seals, one original series and one new series.

Slatz_Grobnik

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

Macloserboy — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 20:40:30 PDT

@Epaminondas: Add me to this list. I don't get the geek love at all. Everything about her screams total bitch and rumors from the Veronica Mars set don't exactly change that. It's why I respect Sarah Michelle Gellar more. She refused to suck up to her fanbase.

Macloserboy

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

Blue Oyster Cultist — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:16:21 PDT

@Annalee Newitz: Okay, I could buy that.

Blue Oyster Cultist

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

modernboy — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:03:56 PDT

@aspiringexpatriate: James Franco??? really?? Wasn't he the one who said he never read a Spider-Man comic before being cast. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

modernboy

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

modernboy — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:02:48 PDT

@Annalee Newitz: Re: Kristin Bell's fandom. She really is kind of a geek. My friend who runs another geek website and podcast (geekscape.net) worked with her years ago and then interviewed her not long before she was cast in Heroes and she was just totally cool and knew some shit. She's an awesome chick. Less awesome now that she is dating Dax Shepard, but still kinda awesome.

modernboy

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

Annalee Newitz — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:40:41 PDT

@oldandintheway: Soon you will be controlled by an elite cabal of glamorous fans and you'll need to know where they buy t-shirts.

Annalee Newitz

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

oldandintheway — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:29:02 PDT

So, please explain to me again...WHY is any of this important??, and just how does this affect my everday life??

oldandintheway

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

Plague — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:16:16 PDT

@bonniegrrl:
is cute

Plague

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

xenakis333 — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:15:29 PDT

"Any authentic comic books left?"

How about Sandman?

xenakis333

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

Ghede — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:00:39 PDT

Yes, but what about Geek Fashion? Is the fedora+goatee look going mainstream? I have to know! I don't want to look normal! AHHH!

Ghede

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

braak — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:52:03 PDT

@rikchik: Marain lettering, that's an idea. Are there even examples of that anywhere around?

braak

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

braak — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:50:54 PDT

@zenpoet: I think I can do this. Let's see. This is a tattoo on my right upper-arm.

Hurm. No, I don't know how to embed an image. Wait, yes I do!

braak

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

galatea2.2 — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:45:20 PDT

*sigh* one could go nuts teasing out the authentic from the inauthentic. your only hope is to hunker down and like what you like for the reasons you like it. poseurs=annoying, but it's a waste of time worrying about it.

galatea2.2

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

Annalee Newitz — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:33:09 PDT

@Epaminondas: I think Kristin Bell really is a fan, but probably in an "I like all media" way, not a "this shit is my life way."

Annalee Newitz

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

z3rks — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:30:27 PDT

@aspiringexpatriate and Epaminondas:

...and I'm not sure just being in a show about freaks and geeks, actually qualifies one as either/or...

z3rks

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

Blue Oyster Cultist — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:13:27 PDT

I call Bullshit on Kristin Bell too, she's just playing the audience.

Blue Oyster Cultist

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

Stafford — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:12:22 PDT

@rikchik: I'm still waiting to see a full scale arm tattoo like the Anders Starbuck share. It won't be on me because I can't commit enough to tattoos, but there's gotta be someone out there.

Stafford

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

aspiringexpatriate — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:12:13 PDT

@NefariousNewt: I think the bigger point in this all isn't that geeks are seeking the limelight, but that a lot of well-loved "mainstream" people have always been and will always be geeky to some degree.

James Franco, Kristen Bell, Olivia Munn

It's like a mantra to the 12 year old ostracized geeks in the basement: "Geeks can be glamorous too."

And what's the point of calling an actor/actress a "poser"? They're actors, that's what they do. Talking about any geek tendencies at all should show that they at least don't care if people know.

aspiringexpatriate

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

Blue Oyster Cultist — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:12:10 PDT

@bonniegrrl: Nice wookie!

Blue Oyster Cultist

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

Blue Oyster Cultist — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:11:23 PDT

@BullfightsOnAcid: OMG, did you have the one's that were about 3 feet tall? I had 3 of them and my mom did the same thing! I was so fracking pissed about that...

Blue Oyster Cultist

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

bonniegrrl — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:48:25 PDT

Here's my glamour geek shot with Chewie. Which in fact shows that some of us enjoy the limelight just dandy.

[farm1.static.flickr.com]

bonniegrrl

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

rikchik — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:45:54 PDT

@braak:
Widely recognizable geek tattoo (Yoda, triforce, anything new-BSG-related): glam fan.

Extremely obscure geek tattoo (Marain lettering, Ur-Quan Dreadnought, minor detail from original BSG): authentic fan.

rikchik

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

Stafford — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:44:07 PDT

@Plague: It's true, it's one way or another. Though I may have claimed it to be so, my Dunny's and other figures never occupy the same space. It could by a law physics and/or biology that those two cannot coexist.

That being said, if anyone wants some opened Wetworks, Youngblood and Spawn figures, lemme know. I've never been a very good collector, i can't leave things unopened.

Stafford

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

NefariousNewt — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:42:14 PDT

No tattoos. No lightsabers. A few computer-related geek shirts ("No, I will not fix your computer"). A signed, numbered copy of The Rocketeer. Space:1999 and Robotech on DVD. Nichelle Nichols autographed videotape.

There is no glamour in geekdom. These pretenders are sellouts, cashing in on being nerds. Geeks do not seek the limelight.

NefariousNewt

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

modernboy — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:41:34 PDT

@dirtybacon: Ah but Jarv did start dressing in suits and ties once Different Class came out. At least for videos and such. You're kinda right though.

@Plague: it's true TRU doesn't carry anything. there isn't even a TRU in San Francisco anymore. You have to go down the peninsula.

@SeeingI: The Doctor is the most stylin' alien ever.

modernboy

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

aspiringexpatriate — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:36:13 PDT

@zenpoet: Friend of mine in college got NES's Link's sword on her calf.

aspiringexpatriate

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

zenpoet — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:26:22 PDT

@Annalee Newitz and braak: so what are the tattoos? A DOS prompt? Voltron's Sword? The cover art to "Lightyears" ('In a thousand years, Ganhadar will be destroyed. A thousand years ago, Ganhadar will be saved and what can't be avoided will be) What! I must know!

zenpoet

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

Annalee Newitz — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:06:56 PDT

@Veronica: No doubt you could kick Kristen's ass in a glam-off, but that's not your main mode. Which is good! Which is why we love you!

Annalee Newitz

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

braak — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:03:53 PDT

@Annalee Newitz: I have only one geek tattoo, but it is so obscure and unrecognizable that I think it almost exempts me.

@tetracycloide: I know, crazy, right?

braak

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

Annalee Newitz — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:57:16 PDT

@SeeingI: So true! I have a pair of high tops that I wear with a suit, and a girl in a frakkin Body Shop store once came up to me and squeaked, "OMG you look like Doctor Who!!!" And she was like bouncy and happy, not freaking out and running away.

Annalee Newitz

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

Garrison Dean, Mr. Privilege — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:56:17 PDT

@dirtybacon: Cool?! Well in the Bowie, Gainsbourg, Clooney sense... none of it is cool. But, if you mean it looks awesome towering over R2D2 and is faithful to Portacio's artwork and designs.. Then Fuck yeah!!!

Garrison Dean, Mr. Privilege

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

Annalee Newitz — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:56:06 PDT

@bonniegrrl: I have two geek tattoos, thus cementing my fate as a part of the fan glam conspiracy.

Annalee Newitz

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

bonniegrrl — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:39:23 PDT

You forgot the whole section of fans who have geek tattoos!

[www.theforceintheflesh.com]

bonniegrrl

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

BullfightsOnAcid — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:34:46 PDT

I still can't get over my mom throwing away my Shogun Warriors Set from the 70's. I would be getting laid left and right if I still had them.

BullfightsOnAcid

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

SeeingI — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:32:46 PDT

I would argue that David Tennant's Doctor Who, in his skinny suit, hi-tops and chunky specs, is just about the dictionary definition of Fan Glam.

Plus, let me just say I'd give a kidney for a boyfriend like Jay Baruchel in that picture above. Though a disdain for the Prequels is a must.

SeeingI

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

dirtybacon — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:29:19 PDT

@Veronica: We've heard that about you.

dirtybacon

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

dirtybacon — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:28:40 PDT

@Garrison Dean: good god you made me laugh a lot just now.

DO they at least look cool?

dirtybacon

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

Garrison Dean, Mr. Privilege — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:21:21 PDT

@dirtybacon: I stand corrected... The free market works!!!! @Plague: Nah, but if anyone here wants unopened Wetworks figures.. I'm your man. They're worth a lot right? (face palm) "Oh dear... I've wasted my life"

Garrison Dean, Mr. Privilege

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

Veronica — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:20:31 PDT

Hey, I can turn the glam on if I have to! ;)

Veronica

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

Plague — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:16:07 PDT

@modernboy:
I stopped doing that because TRU doesn't carry shit anymore.

And GD is right- they DON'T look good together.

(anyone wanna buy a ton of MacFarlane figures? Cheap?)

Plague

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

dirtybacon — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:15:03 PDT

@Garrison Dean: what are you talking about? Just the other day a girl told me she wouldn't normally have sex with bme, but since geekiness is in... she even charged me the same price as the jock across the street!

@modernboy: hmmm... I'd say after different class he COULD afford more then that geeky look. What a fantastic album... Pulp, please reform and tour the states!

dirtybacon

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

Garrison Dean, Mr. Privilege — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:08:10 PDT

All this glam aint' gonna get your average WOW/Cosplay/Comic nerd laid any more. As for Vinyl Toys... That had nothing to do with nerddom when I got into it. If it wasn't for UNKLE and several grafitti/modern artists I would never have known about it. @modernboy: I've got plenty of both, and I'm sure a lot of people on here do. I dont' keep them next to each other though because aesthetically they just don't match.

Garrison Dean, Mr. Privilege

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

modernboy — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:56:06 PDT

the rise of vinyl toys pisses me off to no end. i would never have a dunny next to my endless collection of justice league unlimited figures, marvel legends x-men, mcquarrie concept star wars, or doctor who toys. i hate that now people can say "i love toys" but yet they wouldnt be caught dead trolling a TRU on a saturday morning looking for G.I. Joes. Eff them.

then again geek chic bothers me too because it has become "a look." co-opted by hipsters who think it's cool. look buddy jarvis cocker looked like a nerd for all those years because it was all he could afford not because it was a fashion statement.

yeah i'm a little fired up today.

modernboy

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

tetracycloide — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:45:11 PDT

it's almost as if lables are just arbitrary ways to organize information in tv guides and bookstores and a profit seeking orgainzation will exploit them to try and sell more of thier shit...

tetracycloide

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

grotto — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:43:58 PDT

Geek is the new indie rock.

grotto

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

dirtybacon — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:33:59 PDT

@Annalee Newitz: Yes, fan glam for music (moldy peaches)

any authentic music left? some say no.

dirtybacon

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

dirtybacon — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:29:18 PDT

just wondering, do you really need to define fanfic on a sci-fi blog? just seems redundant.

dirtybacon

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

Annalee Newitz — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:20:54 PDT

Question: Is the movie Juno also fan glam?

Annalee Newitz

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

extracrispy — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:19:15 PDT

There's a lot of truth to this post. Still, every time I show off my stack of 12 comic books long boxes, I am immediately branded a geek.

Maybe the difference is quantity.

extracrispy

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

Annalee Newitz — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:18:56 PDT

@Miranda Kali: Hahaha -- I should do a corollary post on fan poseurs. "OMG I am such a fan that I dressed as Elle at Comic-Con!"

Annalee Newitz

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

Annalee Newitz — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:16:56 PDT

@Stafford: I live right down the street from a Kid Robot outlet, and will admit to gazing longingly at the Junko Mizuno action figures. And hoodies. But I cannot brook a $200 hoodie! No I cannot!

Annalee Newitz

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

Log1c — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:14:14 PDT

@Annalee Newitz:Thats probably fine, blogging does constitute leaving the basement/dark room. Unless you are trailing one of those fan glam people ;)

Log1c

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

Miranda Kali — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:12:35 PDT

@Annalee Newitz:
Have you tried book dust from the public library? I hear it gets rid of blog smell pretty well.

Miranda Kali

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

Stafford — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:08:47 PDT

thank god for kid robot. I always loved buying action figures, but displaying my collection of star wars vehicles looks a lot cooler when surrounded by a by-default storm trooper army of Dunnys.

I also have a huge obsession with the small Hasbro "super hero squad" figures (as well as their transformers and star wars counterparts). so cheap, so cool looking. If you can't get behind a figure of Apocalypse with a huge smile on his face, what's left for you?

Stafford

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

Miranda Kali — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:07:45 PDT

Those guys are such posers. Like, I was staying in my Mom's basement four years ago.
Yeah, and check out that Spiderman shirt..That's sooo New Universe. Went out style yarns ago.

Miranda Kali

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

Annalee Newitz — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:06:31 PDT

@Log1c: I just use a dull knife to scrape the smell of blog off my skin every afternoon. Should I be doing something more?

Annalee Newitz

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

Plague — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:02:21 PDT

No authentic comic books left?

OH, COME ON.

(goes off to buy more Dunnys)

Plague

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

Log1c — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:01:58 PDT

@Annalee Newitz: Apparently people who go out in public wash daily...

Log1c

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

Annalee Newitz — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:00:20 PDT

@Log1c: Showers?

Annalee Newitz

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

Seth L — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:55:51 PDT

The game cons are still pretty authentic. PAX, Origins, Salute.

My question though, is Kid Robot to pretentious for it's own good? I mean real nerds buy Bullmark Godzilla stuff.

Seth L

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

Log1c — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:54:08 PDT

So wait? Are geeks mad now that their shit is mainstream they are accepted by the public and will have to start taking showers or something now that they might be *gasp* normal?>!

Log1c