Fame

Thanks to Colin Gray for this guest post:

Fame

Ever feel the urge to be famous?

I was watching TV interview show Denton the other night where the subject was British interviewer Michael Parkinson. The interviewer became the interviewee.

I’ve never really given much thought to the man Parkinson. The more I watched, I realised that his is a name I have known for as long as I can remember who is famous for interviewing and surrounding himself with famous people. His stories of the rich and famous were so interesting that I found myself becoming more intrigued by this man and I wanted to further question him on the celebrities he has met.

Does Parkinson’s association with celebrity make him famous?

What does fame mean to Michael Parkinson? Does Parkinson consider himself famous? Would he be stopped in the street to sign autographs? Does being recognised in the street permit you to be put in the bracket of fame? The name Paris Hilton immediately comes to mind…

All of this in-depth thought made me consider my autograph collection. I am a tragic collector of autographs, all of which are framed and displayed on my toilet wall at home. It makes great reading but how many of the names on my wall are worthy of being there in the bracket of fame?

I have sports stars, movie stars, authors, singers and TV celebrities.

I have AFL footballer Ted Hopkins who only played 29 games with Carlton but virtually won a grand final off his own boot. This puts him in the gallery of fame on my wall.

I have notorious gangster Chopper Reid “To Colin, Never plead guilty Mark Brandon (Chopper) Reid” who is displayed for his infamy rather than his fame.

I have ‘Write On!’ author Bruce Clarke’s autograph who is famous to his mates but blends into the crowd unrecognised in the street.

Who wouldn’t want signatures of some celebrities of the past whose names will endure forever? Famous for their deeds or their infamy:

Jesus, Tutankhamen, Napoleon, Da Vinci…

how about –

“To Colin – Got out of that one! – Best Wishes, Barabbas”

How long does fame last? As time ticks by, I change my autograph collection as the famous slip into the unknown. Will there come a time when I will have to change my prized Michael Hutchence of INXS fame to the more up to date American rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg? Don Lane to Andrew Denton. How long will I display Delta Goodrem and the Neighbours Cast before their names and identities fade away?

What do I do when younger visitors to my toilet question “who the hell is Martina Navratilova?”

The Royal Family. They are famous for being The Royal Family but one of their signatures on my wall would be a well sought after prize.

I suspect that everyone in the world is a closet autograph collector.

Let me know whose signature you have or a famous, infamous or otherwise name you would like to collect.