There's been some... noise... on Tumblr lately, concerning my favourite band and... well. It's not good noise.
Steve Negrete, the band's sound engineer, made some regrettable choices in regards to how he treated a few younger fans. As far as touching them goes, he kissed one or more fans who were on the very cusp of the age of consent, without getting their permission. I know not where the kisses went.
This has been magnified into rumours of Mr Negrete being a pedophile.
Meanwhile, actual band members David and Isabella Bennett are accused of acting aloof from their fans and dismissive of the things people tell them. Well guess what, folks, these people have to talk to hundreds, maybe thousands of strangers. Some of whom are ready to confess their undying love in ways too creepy to consider.
There are some fans out there who believe that, since they spent two hours queueing to get a signature, they are then allowed to monopolise the band's time for a further two hours. With little care for the hundreds of people who are behind them and also waiting to chat. Obviously, they haven't done the math. Because the queue times would get exponential and possibly infinite if every single fan was like that.
Has anyone who currently hates the Bennetts even tried to do their job? Two hours' makeup, restrictive costumes, hot costumes, playing instruments and singing for an hour, including miming for that entire hour to sell the idea that one is also a robot.
And that's just the concerts.
After the concerts, they sell a load of merch and sign things until their wrists hurt, and talking to people when they already feel like their throats are going to die, and doing that until their tongues are ready to fall out.
That's gotta hurt. And knowing that all of these people want you to be smiling and happy and glad to see them, etc.... It takes its toll.
I know I was a special case in the one time that I got to share air with them. I was very possibly their first Australian fan, and one demented enough to fly twelve hours and face twenty of sleeplessness just to see them for three days. David, at least, was fascinated that I'd go through that. And face it, I was super glad of the attention. Not all fans are that lucky. I get it.
These are people who have devoted their lives to entertaining us en masse. It does not mean that they have to entertain you individually.
And I'm looking down the barrel at that eventuality, if I'm any good at writing. I don't want to hurt people's feelings when my wrist is burning, my throat is nearly dead, and there's fifty people behind that one person who wants to have an in-depth interview. I know it's years away, but it's already in my nightmares.
Have a little sympathy for your favourites. If you were in their shoes, you would not do as well.